Introduction
Joanne Ward (born 22 June 1975) is a British former tennis player.
She competed in five Wimbledon Championships between 1994 and 2000, losing each time in the first round, and has represented the Great Britain Fed Cup team. She was for a time the British number two.
Career
Aged 16, Ward was told she would never play tennis again, after two knee operations. In 1994, she won the UK Tennis National Championships, beating British number one Clare Wood in the semifinals. In the same year, she made her debut at the Wimbledon Championships, losing in the first round to Dominique Monami. She also competed at Wimbledon in 1996, 1998 and 2000, losing first-round matches to Claire Taylor, Karen Cross and Anke Huber respectively. Ward also represented Great Britain in the Fed Cup and the European Championships.
Post-career
In 2004, Ward was one of a number of people who were highly critical of the Lawn Tennis Association, saying that it needed reform. She wanted more individual, tailored coaching.
ITF finals
| $100,000 tournaments |
| $75,000 tournaments |
| $50,000 tournaments |
| $25,000 tournaments |
| $10,000 tournaments |
Singles: 6 (3–3)
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 12 May 1996 | Lee-on-Solent, Great Britain | Clay | Jasmine Choudhury | 7–5, 6–0 |
| Runner-up | 1. | 27 April 1997 | Bournemouth, Great Britain | Clay | Julie Pullin | 0–6, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 14 February 1998 | Birmingham, Great Britain | Hard (i) | Julie Pullin | 1–6, 6–1, 3–6 |
| Winner | 2. | 25 April 1998 | Bournemouth, Great Britain | Clay | Lucie Ahl | 7–6, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 13 September 1998 | Edinburgh, Great Britain | Clay | Denisa Chládková | 3–6, 2–6 |
| Winner | 3. | 1 August 1999 | Pamplona, Spain | Hard | Mia Buric | 6–2, 6–4 |
Doubles: 15 (9–6)
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 20 February 1994 | Newcastle, Great Britain | Carpet (i) | Karen Nugent | Maaike Koutstaal Linda Niemantsverdriet |
6–2, 5–7, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 31 July 1995 | Ilkley, Great Britain | Clay | Lucie Ahl | Jasmine Choudhury Louise Latimer |
6–1, 2–6, 2–6 |
| Winner | 1. | 18 February 1996 | Sheffield, Great Britain | Hard (i) | Lucie Ahl | Julie Pullin Lorna Woodroffe |
7–6, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 12 May 1996 | Lee-on-Solent, Great Britain | Clay | Lucie Ahl | Shirli-Ann Siddall Amanda Wainwright |
5–7, 1–6 |
| Winner | 2. | 24 March 1997 | Warrnambool, Australia | Grass | Lorna Woodroffe | Evie Dominikovic Amanda Grahame |
4–6, 6–4, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 4. | 30 March 1997 | Warrnambool, Australia | Grass | Lorna Woodroffe | Nannie de Villiers Shirli-Ann Siddall |
6–3, 2–6, 3–6 |
| Winner | 3. | 4 May 1997 | Hatfield, Great Britain | Clay | Shirli-Ann Siddall | Lucie Ahl Jessica Steck |
3–6, 6–4, 7–5 |
| Winner | 4. | 11 May 1997 | Lee-on-the-Solent, Great Britain | Clay | Shirli-Ann Siddall | Natalia Egorova Rebecca Jensen |
6–2, 7–5 |
| Winner | 5. | 19 July 1997 | Frinton, Great Britain | Clay | Lorna Woodroffe | Karen Cross Natalia Egorova |
6–4, 2–6, 6–0 |
| Winner | 6. | 4 October 1997 | Nottingham, Great Britain | Hard | Lucie Ahl | Karen Cross Lizzie Jelfs |
6–2, 7–6 |
| Winner | 7. | 16 May 1999 | Edinburgh, Great Britain | Clay | Selima Sfar | Surina De Beer Lorna Woodroffe |
6–4, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 5. | 31 July 1999 | Pamplona, Spain | Hard | Selima Sfar | Hiroko Mochizuki Ludmila Richterová |
6–2, 4–6, 3–6 |
| Winner | 8. | 6 August 1999 | Perigueux, France | Clay | Selima Sfar | Hanna-Katri Aalto Rika Fujiwara |
6–4, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 6. | 6 February 2000 | Jersey, United Kingdom | Hard (i) | Selima Sfar | Elena Bovina Anna Zaporozhanova |
3–6, 2–6 |
| Winner | 9. | 7 May 2000 | Hatfield, Great Britain | Clay | Selima Sfar | Zsófia Gubacsi Jasmin Wöhr |
7–6, 6–2 |