Elizma Nortje (born 1 February 1966) is a Namibian tennis coach and former professional player.[1][2] She is the most successful Namibian woman to have played professionally and was the first to be ranked on the WTA Tour.[3][4]
Country (sports) | ![]() ![]() |
---|---|
Born | (1966-02-01) 1 February 1966 (age 56) Windhoek, South West Africa |
Prize money | $22,480 |
Singles | |
Career record | 44–99 |
Highest ranking | No. 447 (18 December 1989) |
Doubles | |
Career record | 67–83 |
Career titles | 2 ITF |
Highest ranking | No. 280 (7 November 1994) |
Grand Slam doubles results | |
Wimbledon | Q3 (1991) |
Born in Windhoek in 1966, Nortje represented South Africa as a junior and early in her professional career, before Namibian independence.[5] She played collegiate tennis for United States International University in San Diego, competing in the NCAA Division I Championships.[6] In the early 1990s she made appearances in the doubles qualifying draws at Wimbledon and won two ITF doubles tournaments.[7]
Nortje served as president of the Namibian Tennis Association from 1996 to 1999 and was Namibia's team captain when the country made its Fed Cup debut in 2004. A certified ITF Level 3 coach, she is now the head tennis professional at the Van Der Meer Tennis Academy in South Carolina.[8]
Outcome | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Runner-up | 3 April 1994 | Marsa, Malta | Clay | ![]() |
6–7(2), 4–6 |
Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Winner | 1. | 28 April 1991 | Bracknell, United Kingdom | Hard | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–3, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 1. | 4 August 1991 | Haifa, Israel | Hard | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
1–6, 0–6 |
Runner-up | 2. | 11 August 1991 | Ramat HaSharon, Israel | Hard | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
0–6, 1–6 |
Runner-up | 3. | 5 April 1992 | Windhoek, Namibia | Hard | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–3, 4–6, 3–6 |
Winner | 2. | 12 April 1992 | Gaborone, Botswana | Hard | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–0, 6–7(2), 6–4 |
Runner-up | 4. | 19 July 1992 | Frinton, United Kingdom | Grass | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
2–6, 6–4, 6–7 |
Runner-up | 5. | 6 February 1994 | Tipton, United Kingdom | Hard | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–4, 4–6, 4–6 |
Runner-up | 6. | 3 April 1994 | Marsa, Malta | Clay | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–7(5), 3–6 |
Runner-up | 7. | 24 April 1994 | Nottingham, United Kingdom | Hard | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
5–7, 2–6 |
Runner-up | 8. | 30 October 1994 | Negril, Jamaica | Hard | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
2–6, 7–6(6), 3–6 |
Runner-up | 9. | 18 June 1995 | Morelia, Mexico | Hard | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
3–6, 5–7 |