Australia’s newly minted world doubles No.1 Storm Hunter will start a new partnership with grand slam champion Katerina Siniakova at next year’s Australian Open.
Hunter revealed on Thursday she was not continuing her partnership with Belgian Elise Mertens, while Czech stars Siniakova and Barbora Krejcikova announced this month they were parting ways after winning seven grand slam titles and Olympic gold together.
Storm Hunter has ended the tennis season as the world’s No.1 female doubles player.Credit: Getty
The Melbourne-based left-hander won the Berlin title with Siniakova last year before they reached the Adelaide final together in January. Siniakova won this year’s Australian Open with Krejcikova.
“Her partnership with Barbora – I don’t know what happened. It’s none of my business. But we were really good friends and hit together a lot,” Hunter told this masthead.
“We’ve played together before, and she’s a great person. We’re still working out scheduling and stuff; just to make sure we’re on the same page, and she knows I want to play a bit of singles, too, and [she plays] singles as well.
“We’re still trying to work out where it fits exactly, but it’s exciting. I think she just wanted a change and I did, too, so it’ll be a good challenge. But we’re not going to put pressure on [each other] straightaway.”
Katerina Siniakova (left) has ended her successful partnership with fellow Czech Barbora Krejcikova (right) and will now team up with Australian Storm Hunter.Credit: Getty
Hunter, 29, ascended to the WTA’s No.1 doubles ranking when Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula failed to make it out of their round-robin group at the end-of-year finals. She becomes just the second Australian, behind Sam Stosur in 2006, to end a season in the top doubles spot.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to be world No.1, but I didn’t think it would ever happen to me,” Hunter said.
“Even this year, I had a really great year, and coming into end-of-year finals, I was sitting at No.3 in the world, and knew there was a little chance, but I didn’t want to believe it, just in case it didn’t happen. How could it happen to me? I’m just Storm.”
Hunter’s husband, Loughlin, who she married this time last year, resulting in her having one of the best names in world spot – was in Cancun for the moment.
“We just looked at each other and smiled, and didn’t say anything,” she said. “I just had this moment of disbelief.”
The pair have been in a relationship for the past nine years, but Loughlin took the major step this year to quit his job as a key account manager to join his wife full-time on the tour, while still studying business online.
“If one career was to be possibly compromised, then it’s mine,” Loughlin said.
“Storm’s worked incredibly hard, and she is where she is now for no other reason than the hard work, dedication and perseverance – all the right attributes to succeed, she’s got them. No one deserves it more than her.”
Storm and Loughlin Hunter celebrate her ascension to the No.1 doubles ranking.Credit: Getty
Hunter won more than $1.1 million in prizemoney this year, a far cry from when she launched her comeback after the 2019 Australian Open from a serious shoulder injury with only $1000 in the bank.
Loughlin was effectively paying the bills for both of them, with Hunter briefly resorting to coaching at Wesley College and alongside Michael Logarzo at Parkdale Tennis Club, then coding matches at the Australian Open.
“I was like, ‘If this is my life, and tennis is over as a professional player, I still love the game and want to be involved’,” she said. “But I started feeling better, and I was lucky to have the support of Loughie and people around me, and I always felt that I owed it to them to at least give it a go.”
That shoulder setback wiped out Hunter’s 2018 season, and was the continuation of a horror run of injuries, including to her back, ankles, hamstrings and more.
However, a breakthrough came in her last extended break from the sport when a doctor diagnosed her with an autoimmune condition, ankylosing spondylitis. Once that was treated, the other problems went away, paving the way for Hunter to play the best tennis of her life.
That rollercoaster journey is why she became emotional reflecting on her extraordinary rise.
“I kind of look back, and I’m like, ‘Oh, wow, I needed that to happen to get to here’, and the journey when all the bad that’s happened, and the good, of course, it is all worth it,” Hunter said.
Although considered a doubles specialist at this point, Hunter qualified for, or received a wildcard into, the singles draw at all four grand slams this year, and boasts a career-high singles ranking of No.119.
Australia’s Billie Jean King Cup captain Alicia Molik even urged Hunter to follow in the footsteps of Ash Barty and Casey Dellacqua, who both parlayed their doubles success into strong singles careers.
“I’m sitting back and reflecting on my year and the goals that I have achieved, [and] my singles career is something I really want to focus on,” Hunter said.
“I definitely feel like I still have a lot to achieve with my singles, and now it’s just working out the balance between my doubles and singles. Obviously, being world No.1; I want to keep that – I don’t want to just let that go, and I have goals in doubles I want to achieve as well. I haven’t won a slam yet, so that’s a big goal for 2024.”
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
