Gisela Dulko (Spanish pronunciation:[xiˈselaˈðulko];[2] born 30 January 1985) is an Argentine former tennis player. Although she enjoyed modest success in singles, reaching a career-high ranking of world No. 26 and winning four WTA titles, her speciality was doubles, where she achieved the world No. 1 ranking and won 17 WTA titles. Partnering with Flavia Pennetta, Dulko won the 2010 WTA Tour Championships and the 2011 Australian Open. She also reached the mixed-doubles final at the 2011 US Open, with Eduardo Schwank. During her career, Dulko upset a number of top players on the tour, including Maria Sharapova in the second round of Wimbledon in 2009, Samantha Stosur in the third round of Roland Garros in 2011, and Martina Navratilova in the second round of Wimbledon in 2004 and in Navratilova's final Grand Slam singles match.
Dulko retired from professional tennis on 18 November 2012, aged 27.[3]
Early life
Gisela was born and raised in Tigre, Buenos Aires Province. Her brother Alejandro, who is seven years her senior, was her coach.[4] Gisela was born to Ana and now deceased Estanislao Dulko, who was of Hungarian descent.[5] At the age of twelve, she moved from Argentina to Miami, Florida, to pursue a professional tennis career.[4]
Seeded 31st at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, she gained the biggest victory of her career by defeating the former world No. 1, Justine Henin. In the third round, she lost to the No. 5 seed, Agnieszka Radwańska.
Dulko caused the first upset of the French Open with a first round victory over the No. 10 seed, Victoria Azarenka. Dulko was then defeated by Chanelle Scheepers in the second round.[8] Dulko lost in the first round of her Wimbledon campaign by Monica Niculescu. She and Pennetta reached the semi-finals of the doubles event.
Dulko then played at the Swedish Open in Båstad, where she was seeded 4th. Although Dulko overcame Pennetta in the semi-finals, she fell in the final to the French No. 2 seed, Aravane Rezaï, in three sets. Dulko and Pennetta went on to defend their doubles title by defeating the Czech pair of Renata Voráčová and Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová.
Dulko and Pennetta won a marathon doubles final at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, beating Květa Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik, for their fifth title of the season. Their next event together was the US Open, in which they were the top seeds but lost in the quarter-finals to Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova, the eventual champions. In the singles, Dulko reached to the third round before losing to the No. 20 seed, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.[9]
At the China Open in Beijing, Dulko made it to the second round before falling to Maria Kirilenko. In the doubles, Dulko and Pennetta lost in the final to Olga Govortsova and Chan Yung-jan, and then won their sixth event of the season at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow.[10] Dulko and Pennetta were invited to the Tour Championships in Doha as the top seeds, and defeated Peschke and Srebotnik in the final to win the year-end championship.[11]
On 1 November 2010, Dulko became the world No. 1 ranked doubles player.[12]
2011–2012
Dulko in 2012
Dulko and Pennetta to won their first Grand Slam event title at the 2011 Australian Open, defeating Azarenka and Kirilenko 2–6, 7–5, 6–1 in the final.[13]
Dulko reached her first singles final of the year at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, where she was the fourth seed. There she defeated Arantxa Parra Santonja to win her fourth career singles title. She struggled in her next few tournaments, losing in the first rounds of Miami, Madrid, and Rome, and only reaching the second round at the BNP Paribas Open, but found form again at the French Open, advancing to the fourth round by defeating the 2010 finalist Stosur in three sets. However, she was forced to retire due to a leg injury in the second set of her match against Bartoli.[14]
Aged 27, Dulko announced her retirement from professional tennis in November 2012, stating that she no longer had the "same drive" and willingness to make the "sacrifices" needed to compete on the WTA circuit.[15][16]
Dulko was married to the Argentine international footballer Fernando Gago.[17] The couple has two sons[18] and a daughter.[19] The couple separated in 2021, after he had an affair with one of her friends.[20][21]
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