Raluca Șerban
A tenacious tennis trailblazer who carries the flag for Cyprus, breaking into the world's top 200 and inspiring a new sporting ambition for her nation.
Born 1997 (age 29)·Romanian-Cypriot female tennis player·Birthday: June 17·Generation Z
Biography
Raluca Șerban (b. 1997) switched her tennis allegiance from Romania to Cyprus in 2019, transforming from competitor into standard-bearer. Her gritty, fighting spirit carries her through grueling qualifying rounds and lower-tier tournaments where rankings are built. In 2023 she cracked the WTA Top 200—a first for any Cypriot player. That milestone placed Cyprus on the professional tennis map. Her career is a slow, steady climb built on hard-fought matches. Those efforts have earned her respect on tour and begun to build a foundation for tennis in her adopted country.
Generation Z
1997–2012
Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.
Raluca was born in 1997, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Raluca Was Born
The biggest hits of 1997
#1 Movie
Titanic
Best Picture
Titanic
#1 TV Show
ER
Raluca's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1997Born
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2002Started school
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2010Became a teenager
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2013Could drive
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2015Could vote
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2018Turned 21
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 29 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 152 in July 2023.
- Became the first and only Cypriot tennis player to be ranked inside the WTA Top 300.
- Represented Cyprus in Billie Jean King Cup competition.
Did You Know?
She was born in Focșani, Romania.
She played collegiate tennis at the University of California, Berkeley.
She has won multiple titles on the ITF Women's World Tennis Tour.
“I fight for every point, for myself and for the flag on my shirt.”
