Her play was remarkable but her attitude was exemplary. The friendly, easy-going Thai endeared herself well to the locals by wearing her heart on her sleeve and remaining humble despite the media focus and the success she was having on-court. Always the tenacious, gritty fighter, she managed to fight her way back from a 1-5 deficit in the third set to claw back to 4-5 against world #10 Amanda Coetzer in the Hopman Cup final before succumbing the next game and the match. All that despite requiring a time-out for a back injury which had plagued her throughout the event. It would've weakened the resolve of many before her, but this tenacious fighter wasn't ready to give up on a crowning moment.
Where on earth does that peculiar but mysterious name originate from? Born in Los Angeles on May 24, 1977, she was named after a street in Hollywood called Tamarine. A dual American and Thai citizen, her parents had previously owned a restaurant on Hollywood Boulevarde called Thai House before the family made the permanent move back to Thailand in the early 1980’s. Tanasugarn turned professional in 1994 at the age of 17, however unlike most young professional tennis players, Tamarine persisted with a university education and graduated from Bangkok University last year with a law degree. Pursuing her studies resulted in having to sacrifice the game she loved and had begun to make a name for herself in. Nonetheless, her talent alone got her to the fourth round of Wimbledon in 1999, where she upset Sandrine Testud in the third round, and the third round in Birmingham where she upset 10th seed Lisa Raymond.
