• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Tennis Tribe Logo

Tennis Tribe

Tennis Gear Reviews, Doubles Lessons, & Tour News

  • Gear Reviews
    • All Gear Reviews
    • Tennis Racquets
      • Best Racquets Overall
      • Beginner Racquets
      • Intermediate Racquets
      • Advanced Racquets
      • How To Choose A Racquet
    • On-Court Gear
      • Shoes
      • Bags
      • Skirts
      • Dresses
      • Shorts
      • Sunglasses
      • Socks
      • Elbow Braces
    • Tennis Equipment
      • Strings
      • Ball Machines
      • Tennis Balls
      • Ball Hoppers
      • Overgrips
      • Training Aids
  • Doubles Strategy
    • Podcast
    • Lessons
    • Products: Ebooks & Courses
    • Newsletter
    • ATP/WTA Scouting & Strategy Analysis
  • Pro Tour
    • Tournaments
    • Pro Doubles News
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • About
    • Contact
  • Show Search
Hide Search

The Most Dominant Grand Slam Player? American Desirae Krawczyk

Hanlon Walsh · December 19, 2022

The 2022 Wimbledon Championships concluded on an all too familiar note. Novak Djokovic won his seventh Wimbledon trophy and 21st grand slam title against Nick Kyrgios in front of a packed Centre Court stadium.

With The Big 3 now only one major apart at 22 (Nadal), 21 (Djokovic), and 20 (Federer), their chase for history heightens with each major. This evolving narrative, along with Serena’s quest to tie Margaret Court’s 24 majors, has formed the centerpiece of tennis grand slam conversations for much of the last decade.

In the current decade, however, another lesser-known player has been just as dominant on the grand slam stage. Off the court, she may lack the global star power, singles acclaim, and endorsements of the Big 3 and Serena. On the court, her recent grand slam results have been equally as impressive.

Desirae Krawczyk celebrates winning the 20222 Wimbledon Mixed Doubles Title.
Photo Credit: Desirae Krawczyk Instagram and Wimbledon.com

American Desirae Krawczyk, a top 10 WTA doubles player and former NCAA standout at Arizona State University, has won four of the last six mixed doubles majors in 2021 and 2022. During this time, only Novak Djokovic has achieved a similar feat in a single event by winning four singles majors in his last six attempts.

Behind Krawczyk and Djokovic, other multiple grand slam champions over the last two years include the top women’s doubles team of Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova (three women’s doubles majors), Rafael Nadal (two men’s singles majors), and Ash Barty (two women’s singles majors).


Back-to-Back on the Grass at Wimbledon

Neal Skupski and Desirae Krawczyk celebrate winning the 2022 Wimbledon Mixed Doubles Title.
Neal Skupski (left) and Desirae Krawczyk (right) won back-to-back mixed doubles titles at Wimbledon in 2021 and 2022. Photo Credit: ATP Tour

While most of the mixed doubles attention at Wimbledon this year centered around marquee teams like Venus Williams/Jamie Murray and Coco Gauff/Jack Sock, Desirae Krawczyk quietly flew under the radar without a flinch.

Back on the grass and back on the winners list 👏@Venuseswilliams and @jamie_murray progress in the mixed doubles defeating Venus/Rosolska, 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-3 #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/ofFyn2LlOP

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 1, 2022

She and partner Neal Skupski, a native Brit who was also a former NCAA standout at LSU, successfully defended their 2021 Wimbledon mixed doubles title with a 6-4, 6-3 defeat over Australians Matt Ebden and Sam Stosur.

They became the first mixed doubles pair to win back-to-back Wimbledon titles since the Czech team of Helen Sukova and Cyril Suk in 1996-1997. Krawczyk also finished as a semi-finalist in women’s doubles alongside good friend and former University of Virginia star, Danielle Collins, who also made the Australian Open final this year in singles.

Krawczyk’s Wimbledon victory was no surprise to anyone who has been following her trajectory. In 2021, she completed a mixed doubles three-peat with consecutive major wins at Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open. In addition to capturing Wimbledon with Skupski last year, Krawczyk teamed up with ATP World No. 1 Joe Salisbury to win both the French Open and U.S. Open.

Desirae Krawczyk 🇺🇸

Mixed doubles legend already

French Open 2021 🏆 + Salisbury 🇬🇧
Wimbledon 2021 🏆 + Skupksi 🇬🇧
US Open 2021 🏆 + Salisbury 🇬🇧
Wimbledon 2022 🏆 + Skupski 🇬🇧

She likes a British Partner! pic.twitter.com/I3dzi4k3CH

— Chris Goldsmith (@TheTennisTalker) July 7, 2022

Why Aren’t There More Mixed Doubles Specialists?

It’s not often we see one player or team dominate mixed doubles. Why? Because opportunities to play are limited.

Apart from the four majors, only two other events have historically featured mixed doubles: The Olympics (which takes place once every four years) and Hopman Cup (an annual exhibition). While Hopman Cup was discontinued after 2019 in place of the ATP Cup, many tennis enthusiasts are speculating about its potential return in 2023.

At the grand slams, many players often enter mixed doubles as an afterthought. Some players casually team up with different partners every tournament or only participate sporadically when asked. Others view mixed doubles simply as practice for their top event, whether it be singles or men’s/women’s doubles.

Krawczyk is reversing the traditional mixed doubles narrative and becoming a legitimate force at the top of the game (not to mention a sought-after partner).


I love it when a doubles team sticks together and builds a dynasty. It will be exciting to watch Desirae Krawczyk and Neal Skupski try to win an unprecedented 3rd consecutive Wimbledon mixed doubles title in 2023. That’s a great story to watch for next year.”

David Law, Host of The Tennis Podcast (Wimbledon Daily Recap, Episode 12)

With four majors on her resume, Krawczyk is currently tied with fellow American Bethanie Mattek-Sands among active WTA players with the most mixed doubles grand slam titles. Jamie Murray is the only other active player, man or woman, who holds more mixed doubles majors (five).

Although Murray didn’t win Wimbledon this year, his unexpected partnership with Venus Williams brought mixed doubles to the forefront at the All-England Club. Perhaps more than any other major, Wimbledon has been the proud host of several high-profile mixed doubles teams in recent years.

Venus Williams and Nick Kyrgios partnered together in 2021 while Serena Williams and Andy Murray (“Ser-Andy”) teamed up in 2019 to the delight of the British home crowd.

While Krawczyk may not reach their level of stardom, you will hear her name much more in the coming years if she continues this level of mixed doubles dominance.


Making Her Mark on Mixed Doubles History

Martina Navratilova and Leander Paes playing mixed doubles
Martina Navratilova (left) is regarded as one of, if not the, best doubles players of all time in the Open Era. She won 31 women’s doubles majors and 10 mixed doubles majors. Leander Paes (right) was one of her most successful mixed doubles partners. Photo Credit: The Bridge

So where does Desirae Krawczyk stack up in history compared to our sport’s mixed doubles greats?

  • She is one of only three women to capture three mixed doubles grand slam titles in the same calendar year, alongside Martina Hingis (2015) and Martina Navratilova (1985).
  • She and Martina Hingis are also the only women in the Open Era to win four mixed doubles majors in six consecutive attempts.
  • With one more mixed doubles slam, she could equal WTA doubles legends Cara Black, Lisa Raymond, and Katarina Srebotnik at five major titles.
  • If she continues her mixed success, she could eventually join the ranks of Martina Hingis (7), Martina Navratilova (10), and Billie Jean King (11) as the most elite mixed doubles players in Open Era history.

Not bad company, right?

Desirae practicing serves with her coach at Indian Wells in March 2022.

At age 28, she’s still relatively young for tennis standards… and even more so in doubles. Navratilova won her final mixed doubles major at the 2006 U.S. Open. She was 49!

Who’s to say she won’t get there?

If nothing else, Desirae Krawczyk has become a welcome dominant force in a competition often overlooked by many top players. Her results have helped shine a light on one of our game’s best kept secrets – and possibly most untapped resource.

About Hanlon Walsh

Hanlon Walsh is a content writer and social media manager for Tennis Tribe. Hanlon has played tennis for over 20 years and is a former Division III standout at Birmingham-Southern College.

Hanlon currently lives in Birmingham, Alabama, where he works full-time as director of strategy for Peritus PR, a local communications firm. Hanlon writes long-form content, ranging from ATP & WTA doubles features to interviews with tennis industry professionals.

Hanlon has now attended 3 of the 4 majors and has his eyes set on Roland Garros soon to claim his last bucket list slam. In his free time, he’s typically either scanning Tennis Twitter, listening to tennis podcasts, traveling, or enjoying the outdoors.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar


Your style and advice worked where hours of private lessons with coaches have not in the past.

- Cindy L. 3.5 player from Atlanta
Get Your Free Doubles Tips & Strategies

Review Tennis Gear. Learn Doubles Strategy. Follow The Pro Tour.

  • Tennis Gear Reviews
  • Doubles Lessons
  • Doubles Strategy Products
  • Pro Doubles News
  • Tribe Talk Tennis Blog

Doubles Only Tennis Podcast logo

Become a smarter doubles player with expert tips & strategy. Learn from ATP & WTA Coaches and Players.

Listen Here


Most Popular Lessons

  • Doubles Strategy: A Complete Guide
  • How To Be A Good Doubles Partner (& What To NOT Say!)
  • 7 Tips For Poaching In Doubles
  • The 3 Step Volley Checklist [Volleys Made Simple]

Featured Product

Ebook: 25 winning doubles tactics
 

Ebook: 25 Winning Doubles Tactics

Follow Tennis Tribe

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

FREE 20-page guide - Learn 3 doubles tactics to force errors and get more easy volleys! Download

Tennis Tribe

Copyright © 2023 | The Tennis Tribe

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy