Elizma Nortje
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| Country (sports) | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 February 1966 |
| 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) |
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]
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]