Tennis was a sport that everyone in the Hantuchova family played. However, it really was her grandmother Helena, a former Czech national player, who was responsible for introducing Daniela to a racket at the age of 3.
Sensing that Daniela loved the sport and had potential, Helena signed her up at Slavia STU, one of the largest tennis clubs in Bratislava. On indoor hard and clay courts, Daniela studied under Joseph Bulko.
At age 13, Daniela began getting serious about her game. She started spending her winters training at the Bollettieri Academy in Bradenton, Florida, a tennis school responsible for such success stories as that of Maria Sharapova.
In 1998, Daniela began competing seriously. She joined the ITF Circuit, qualifying in her hometown of Bratislava. In 1999, she won two ITF challenger titles, Jackson and Fano. Daniela then turned pro and joined the ranks of the WTA, playing her first tournament again at Bratislava.
Even though she finished the 1999 season ranked at number 201, in 2000, people began to take notice of Daniela. She reached the quarterfinals in Strasbourg and Luxembourg, beating top 10 player, Nathalie Tauziat, in the latter tournament.
Daniela showed equal promise playing doubles. With partner and countrywoman Karina Habsudova, she won her first Tour doubles title at Bratislava. By the end of the season 1999, these accomplishments combined to propel Daniela to the number 108 ranking in the WTA standings.
She fared even better in 2001. At the Australian Open, her first Grand Slam event, Daniela made it out of the round robin to be defeated in the first round by fellow sexpot Anna Kournikova.
She went on to another first round elimination at the U.S. Open, then made it to the second round at Roland Garros. At Wimbledon that year, Daniela won her first Grand Slam title, taking the top spot in mixed doubles with her partner Leos Friedl.
Before the end of the year, Daniela had also reached the semifinals in Birmingham and Oklahoma. Going into the 2002 season, she shot up to number 38 in the world. She solidified this ranking further by winning the Australian Open mixed doubles title with new partner Kevin Ullyett.
In March of 2002, Daniela reached the finals at Indian Wells and beat Martina Hingis to win her first professional title, earning over $2 million US in prize money.
In addition to these accomplishments, Daniela had reached the quarter or semifinals at the other tournaments, such as the U.S. Open, Wimbledon, and the finals at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. Once again, she moved up in the rankings, finishing the year at number 8.
Daniela also returned to the ITF in 2002, playing for her country in the Fed Cup. With her contributions, particularly against Spain, Slovakia won the Cup.
2003 started on a good note as Daniela reached the last few rounds of every event she entered -- Sydney, the Australian Open and Indian Wells. Top tier players like Lindsay Davenport, Venus Williams and Amanda Coetzer were the ones keeping her from victory.
Three months into the year, Daniela was the number 5 player on the Tour. Then, things abruptly turned around. She couldn't buy a win anymore. For the rest of the year, she went from failure to failure, plummeting to number 19 by the end of the season.
Desperate for a solution, Daniela terminated her relationship with longtime coach Nigel Sears. A trial period with replacement Harold Solomon didn't work out, and she soon rehired Sears.
In 2004, Daniela gradually began to regain her form. She reached the finals at Eastbourne, beating the powerful Amelie Mauresmo on the way. She then reached the 3rd round at Wimbledon, before being eliminated by eventual champion Maria Sharapova.
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