Polona Hercog

Early and personal life

Polona Hercog was born to florist Romana and bar owner Vojko. She began playing tennis aged four in the tennis clinic opened by Mima Jaušovec in Maribor, and moved to Italy at age 14 to train professionally. Hercog is fluent in Slovenian, English, and Italian, and cites Justine Henin as her role model. She currently resides in her hometown of Maribor and practices in Budapest. Hercog is a fan of snowboarding, football, basketball and surfing.

2007—2009

Hercog made her WTA Tour debut in Portorož, Slovenia, losing to Elena Vesnina in three sets. In 2008, Hercog participated in the 2008 İstanbul Cup, where she lost in the first round to Tsvetana Pironkova, but reached the finals of the doubles competition partnering with New Zealand's Marina Erakovic. The same year, Hercog and Australian Jessica Moore won two Grand Slam junior doubles titles, the French Open and the Wimbledon Championships. She also played the qualifications for the US Open, but lost to Sandra Záhlavová in the first round in straight sets.

Hercog entered the 2009 Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem in Fes, Morocco via the qualifying rounds, and beat seventh seed Roberta Vinci to reach the quarterfinals, where she was defeated by Alisa Kleybanova. At that year's French Open she upset 23rd seeded Kleybanova, but was in turn beaten by Aravane Rezaï. At the US Open, Hercog was beaten by American wildcard Christina McHale in the first round. She also played the BGL Luxembourg Open, defeating Maria Elena Camerin in the opening round. She then lost to Sabine Lisicki in two sets. Polona managed to make it up to the second round at the 2009 Allianz Cup in Sofia, Bulgaria but was beaten by Bojana Jovanovski.

2010

Hercog opened the season at the 2010 ASB Classic. She lost in the 1st round to Shahar Pe'er 7-5, 6-3.

At the tournament in Acapulco, Mexico, Hercog reached her first WTA Tour singles final and won her first WTA Tour doubles title. She defeated Rossana de los Ríos in the first round, Alizé Cornet in the second, Ágnes Szávay retired from the quarterfinals match when Hercog was leading by a set, and Carla Suárez Navarro in two sets in the semifinals. In the final, Hercog lost to first seed and former world No. 1 Venus Williams, despite winning the first set. Partnering with Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová, she won her first Tour doubles title, beating the Italian team of Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci.

At the 2010 Indian Wells Masters, Hercog defeated Ioana Raluca Olaru in the first round and was defeated by 11th seed Marion Bartoli in the second round.

Hercog caused an upset in the second round of the 2010 French Open by defeating No. 24 Lucie Šafářová.

In Portorož, she reached the semi-finals, was up a set against Anna Chakvetadze but then lost the match in three sets.

Seeded 6th at the 2010 e-Boks Danish Open in Copenhagen, she had a chance to take revenge on Anna Chakvetadze as they met in the quarterfinals. Hercog lost the match, this time in straight sets.

2011

Hercog began the year at the 2011 Brisbane International. She lost in the 1st round to Iveta Benešová 6-2, 7-5. Seeded 2nd in qualifying at the 2011 Medibank International Sydney, Hercog lost in the 1st round of qualifying to Jill Craybas 7-5, 6-1. At the 2011 Australian Open, Hercog lost in the 1st round to World Number 46 Anastasija Sevastova 6-4, 7-6(5).

After the Australian Open, Hercog played at the 2011 Fed Cup World Group II against Germany. Hercog defeated Julia Görges 7-5, 6-4. However, she lost to Andrea Petkovic 6-1, 6-2. Slovenia lost to Germany 4-1. Seeded 2nd at the 2011 Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas, She defeated Pauline Parmentier in the 1st round 6-7(2), 7-6(10), 6-2. In the 2nd round, she lost to Petra Martić 6-2, 6-3. Seeded 2nd at the 2011 Abierto Mexicano Telcel, Hercog lost in the 1st round to Lourdes Domínguez Lino 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. Hercog then stayed in Mexico for the 2011 Monterrey Open. Seeded 8th, Hercog defeated Angelique Kerber in the 1st round 6-3, 6-3. She then reached the semifinals where she lost to top seed Jelena Janković 6-3, 6-2. At the 2011 BNP Paribas Open, Hercog lost in the 1st round to Anastasija Sevastova 7-5, 7-6(6). At the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open, she lost in the 1st round to Chanelle Scheepers 5-7, 7-5, 6-2.

Hercog began her clay court season at the 2011 Andalucia Tennis Experience. She lost in the 1st round to Laura Pous Tió 6-1, 6-2. Next, Hercog played at the 2011 Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem. She got revenge on Chanelle Scheepers by defeating her in the 1st round 6-7(6), 7-6(1), 6-2. However, Hercog withdrew from her 2nd round match against Melanie Oudin due to an ankle injury. At the 2011 Barcelona Ladies Open, Hercog won her 1st round match against Lucky Loser Jamie Hampton 6-4, 7-5. In the 2nd round, she easily beat Mirjana Lučić 6-1, 6-2. In the quarterfinals, Hercog lost to Laura Pous Tió 6-7(7), 6-1, 7-5.

2012

Hercog began the year at the 2012 Brisbane International. She retired trailing 6-1, 4-1 in her 1st round match against 7th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova due to a low back injury. Seeded 3rd in qualifying at the 2012 Apia International Sydney, Hercog lost in the final round of qualifying to 7th seed Ekaterina Makarova 6-1, 6-3. However, she received a Lucky Loser spot into the main draw. In the 1st round, Hercog lost to 8th seed Marion Bartoli 6-3, 6-3. At the 2012 Australian Open, Hercog lost in the 1st round to 22nd seed Julia Görges 6-3, 7-6(3).

After the Australian Open, Hercog represented Slovenia for Fed Cup against Japan. Hercog lost both of her rubbers to Kimiko Date-Krumm 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 and Ayumi Morita 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-1. Japan went on to defeat Slovenia 5-0. At the 2012 Open GDF Suez, Hercog lost in the 1st round to Chanelle Scheepers 6-2, 6-2. Hercog suffered another 1st round loss at the 2012 Qatar Total Open to Tsvetana Pironkova 6-0, 6-4. Seeded 2nd for qualifying at the 2012 Dubai Tennis Championships, Hercog lost in the final round of qualifying to Aleksandra Wozniak 6-7(8), 7-6(4), 6-3. Entering the main draw as a Lucky Loser, Hercog lost in the 1st round to World Number 21 Daniela Hantuchová 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(4). Ranked 38 at the 2012 BNP Paribas Open, Hercog lost in the 1st round to wildcard Jamie Hampton 6-0, 6-1. At the 2012 Sony Ericsson Open, Hercog got revenge on qualifier Jamie Hampton defeating her in the 1st round 6-1, 6-3. In the 2nd round, she lost to 7th seed Marion Bartoli 5-7, 6-2, 6-1.

Hercog began her clay court season at the 2012 Family Circle Cup. Seeded 14th, she beat Kimiko Date-Krumm in the 1st round 6-4, 6-3. In the 2nd round, she defeated American Varvara Lepchenko 6-3, 6-2. In the 3rd round, Hercog upset 3rd seed Marion Bartoli 6-4, 1-6, 6-4. In the quarterfinals, Hercog upset 13th seed Nadia Petrova 6-1, 6-2 to reach the semifinals. In the semifinals, Hercog is crushed by 9th seed Lucie Šafářová 6-0, 6-0. Seeded 8th at the 2012 Barcelona Ladies Open, Hercog retired in her 1st round match against Sorana Cîrstea after losing the 1st set 6-4 due to dizziness. Seeded 9th at the 2012 Estoril Open, she defeated Tamira Paszek in the 1st round 6-0, 6-3. In the 2nd round, Hercog retired trailing 6-4, 3-0 to Carla Suárez Navarro due to a right foot injury. Ranked 37 at the 2012 Mutua Madrid Open, Hercog lost in the 1st round to Shahar Pe'er 6-3, 7-5. At the 2012 French Open, Hercog was defeated in the 1st round by Ayumi Morita 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

At the 2012 Wimbledon Championships, Hercog lost in the 1st round to qualifier Kristýna Plíšková 6-2, 6-2.

After Wimbledon, Hercog competed at the 2012 Internazionali Femminili di Palermo. Seeded 6th, she was upset in the 1st round by Irina-Camelia Begu 6-1, 7-6(8). After Palmero, Hercog played at the 2012 Swedish Open where she was the defending champion. Hercog successfully defended her title defeating Mathilde Johansson in the final 0-6, 6-4, 7-5. Representing Slovenia at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Hercog was defeated in the 1st round by Spainard María José Martínez Sánchez 6-2, 6-4.

Hercog played one warm up tournament before the US Open. At the 2012 Texas Tennis Open, Hercog faced Kiki Bertens in the 1st round. Hercog won the 1st set 6-4 when Bertens retired due to a right abdominal injury. In the 2nd round, she lost to 3rd seed and eventual champion Roberta Vinci 6-2, 6-3. At the 2012 US Open, Hercog was defeated in the 1st round by 5th seed Petra Kvitová 7-6(6), 6-1.

After the US Open, Hercog competed at the 2012 Korea Open. She lost in the 1st round to 8th seed Ekaterina Makarova 6-4, 6-1. Seeded 11th for qualifying at the 2012 Toray Pan Pacific Open, Hercog lost in the 1st round of qualifying to Japanese wildcard Kurumi Nara 6-1, 6-4. Hercog qualified for the 2012 China Open beating 17th seed Mathilde Johansson 6-3, 6-4 and Gréta Arn 6-3, 3-6, 6-0. In the 1st round, she faced Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Hercog led 5-7, 6-4, 3-0 before Pavlyuchenkova retired due to a gastrointestinal illness. In the 2nd round, she defeated Ekaterina Makarova 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(3). In the 3rd round, Hercog lost to 2nd seed and eventual finalist Maria Sharapova 6-0, 6-2. Her final tournament of the year was at the 2012 HP Open. She lost in the 1st round to eventual champion Heather Watson 6-4, 6-4.

Hercog ended the year ranked 80.

2013

At the 2013 Australian Open, Hercog was defeated in the 1st round by 21st seed Varvara Lepchenko 6-4, 6-1.

Seeded 17th for qualifying at the 2013 French Open, she beat Ajla Tomljanović in the 1st round of qualifying 3-6, 6-1, 6-3. In the 2nd round of qualifying, Hercog lost to Grace Min 6-1, 6-2. After the French Open, Hercog played the 25K tournament in Maribor, Slovenia. As the top seed, she won the tournament defeating Ana Konjuh in the final 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. At the 100K tournament in Marseille, she was defeated in the semifinals by 1st seed Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-4, 7-6(3). Competing at the 1st edition of the 2013 Nürnberger Versicherungscup, Hercog upset 2nd seed Klára Zakopalová in the 1st round 6-3, 4-6, 6-1. In the 2nd round, she beat Julia Cohen 6-3, 6-3. In the quarterfinals, Hercog was defeated by 5th seed Lucie Šafářová 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-4.

Seeded 4th for qualifying at the 2013 Wimbledon Championships, Hercog lost in the 2nd round of qualifying to Petra Cetkovská 7-6(4), 6-3.

After Wimbledon, Hercog played at the 2013 Internazionali Femminili di Palermo. She was defeated in the 2nd round by 2nd seed Roberta Vinci 6-2, 7-6(3). Hercog won the 2013 ITS Cup as the top seed beating Katarzyna Piter in the final 6-0, 6-3. Seeded 6th at the 2013 Baku Cup, Hercog lost in the 1st round to Galina Voskoboeva 7-6(7), 4-6, 6-3.

Hercog qualified for the 2013 Western & Southern Open defeating 9th seed Lourdes Domínguez Lino in the final round of qualifying 7-6(3), 6-0. In the 1st round, she beat World Number 19 Dominika Cibulková 6-2, 6-4. In the 2nd round, Hercog lost to 6th seed Sara Errani 6-4, 5-7, 6-4. At the 2013 US Open, Hercog was defeated in the 1st round by 24th seed Ekaterina Makarova 6-2, 6-4.

At the 2013 Challenge Bell, Hercog stunned 1st seed and defending champion Kirsten Flipkens in the 1st round 6-3, 6-1. In the 2nd round, she beat qualifier Julie Coin 6-0, 6-2. In the quarterfinals, Hercog lost to Christina McHale 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-3. Hercog qualified for the 2013 Toray Pan Pacific Open beating 9th seed Tsvetana Pironkova in the final round of qualifying 6-4, 6-2. In the 1st round, she was defeated by World Number 35 Lucie Šafářová 6-4, 6-7(6), 7-6(2). Successfully qualifying for the 2013 China Open, Hercog beat Monica Puig in the 1st round 6-1, 6-4. In the 2nd round, Hercog upset 14th seed and former World Number 1 Ana Ivanovic 6-4, 6-4. In the 3rd round, she lost to 3rd seed Agnieszka Radwańska 6-0, 6-2. Her final tournament of the year was the 2013 HP Open. In the 1st round, she beat Petra Cetkovská 6-4, 5-7, 6-1. She received a walkover in the 2nd round since her opponent, 2nd seed Sabine Lisicki withdrew due to a left hip injury. In the quarterfinals, Hercog was defeated by Japanese wildcard Kurumi Nara 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-1.

Hercog ended the year ranked 66.

2014

Hercog began her season at the 2014 Australian Open. In the 1st round, she was up against 25th seed Alizé Cornet. Hercog retired trailing 1-0 due to a shoulder injury.

Hercog made her comeback during the clay court season at the 2014 Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem. In the 1st round, she upset Shuai Zhang 6-2, 6-2. In the 2nd round, she defeated Alison Van Uytvanck 6-1, 6-4. Hercog was then stopped in the quarterfinals by eventual champion María Teresa Torró Flor 7-6(3), 7-6(5). At the 2014 Portugal Open, she beat Stefanie Vögele in the 1st round 2-6, 6-2, 6-4. In the 2nd round, she upset 6th seed Lucie Šafářová 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. Hercog lost in the quarterfinals to 1st seed and eventual champion Carla Suárez Navarro 6-1, 6-3. Seeded 6th for qualifying at the 2014 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, Hercog lost in the 1st round of qualifying to Belinda Bencic 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4. Her final tournament before the French Open was the 2014 Nürnberger Versicherungscup. In the 1st round, she upset 3rd seed Klára Koukalová 1-6, 6-2, 6-1. In the 2nd round, Hercog lost to Karin Knapp 6-3, 6-3. At the 2014 French Open, she defeated Jana Čepelová in the 1st round 6-2, 6-3. In the 2nd round, Hercog was defeated by 15th seed Sloane Stephens 6-1, 6-3.

Hercog played only one grass court tournament before Wimbledon. She lost in the 1st round at the 2014 Topshelf Open to 6th seed Kirsten Flipkens 6-4, 6-0. At the 2014 Wimbledon Championships, she won her 1st round match over Paula Ormaechea 6-4, 6-4. In the 2nd round, Hercog was defeated by 23rd seed Lucie Šafářová 7-6(7), 7-5.

After Wimbledon, Hercog competed at the 1st edition of the 2014 BRD Bucharest Open. Seeded 8th in the draw, she defeated Anna Tatishvili in the 1st round 6-4, 6-3. In the 2nd round, she beat Katarzyna Piter 6-2, 5-7, 7-6(4). In the quarterfinals, Hercog lost to Romanian Monica Niculescu 6-2, 2-6, 7-6(3). Seeded 8th at the 2014 Swedish Open, Hercog lost in the 1st round to Dinah Pfizenmaier 7-5, 7-6(5).

Hercog began the US Open series at the 2014 Citi Open. She lost in the 1st round to 6th seed and eventual champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 6-2. Seeded 20th for qualifying at the 2014 Western & Southern Open, Hercog qualified for the main draw beating Paula Ormaechea 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 and Julia Glushko 6-3, 6-1. In the 1st round, she was defeated by Kirsten Flipkens 6-3, 6-2. At the 2014 Connecticut Open, her final tournament before the US Open, Hercog lost in the 2nd round of qualifying to Karin Knapp 6-2, 6-1. Ranked 76 at the 2014 US Open, she defeated World Number 35 Elina Svitolina in the 1st round 6-2, 7-6(4). In the 2nd round, she lost to 17th seed Ekaterina Makarova 6-1, 6-2.

After the US Open, Hercog played at the 1st edition of the 2014 Hong Kong Tennis Open. She lost in the 1st round to 3rd seed and eventual finalist Karolína Plíšková 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. At the 2014 Korea Open, Hercog was defeated in the 1st round by 1st seed and defending champion Agnieszka Radwańska 6-3, 6-3. Seeded 18th for qualifying at the 1st edition of the 2014 Wuhan Open, she lost in the 1st round of qualifying to Nicole Gibbs 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Seeded 11th for qualifying at the 2014 China Open, Hercog qualified by defeating Yulia Putintseva 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-4 and 7th seed Monica Puig 6-3, 6-1. In the 1st round, she beat World Number 29 Karolína Plíšková 6-4, 2-6, 6-2. In the 2nd round, Hercog lost to 12th seed Ekaterina Makarova 7-5, 6-0. Seeded 2nd for qualifying at the 2014 Generali Ladies Linz, she lost in the 1st round of qualifying to Lucie Hradecká 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(9). Her final tournament of the year was at the 2014 BGL Luxembourg Open. She won her 1st round match over Marina Erakovic 6-3, 6-4. In the 2nd round, Hercog was defeated by qualifier Johanna Larsson 6-7(8), 7-5, 6-1.

Hercog ended the year ranked 95.

2015

Hercog began the year at the 2015 Shenzhen Open. In the 1st round, she upset 7th seed Monica Niculescu 6-1, 7-5. In the 2nd round, Hercog lost to World Number 97 Saisai Zheng 6-3, 2-6, 6-2. After Shenzhen, Hercog qualified for the 2015 Apia International Sydney defeating Tímea Babos in the final round of qualifying 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2. In the 1st round, she lost to World Number 22 and eventual finalist Karolína Plíšková 6-4, 6-4. Ranked 88 at the 2015 Australian Open, she defeated World Number 103 Qiang Wang in the 1st round 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. In the 2nd round, Hercog lost to qualifier Lucie Hradecká 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Seeded 7th at the 2015 Rio Open, she won her 1st round match against An-Sophie Mestach 6-3, 6-4. In the 2nd round, Hercog was defeated by Brazilian wildcard Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-1, 6-2. At the 2015 Abierto Mexicano Telcel, Hercog lost in the 1st round to 3rd seed and eventual finalist Caroline Garcia 6-4, 6-1. Staying in Mexico, Hercog competed at the 2015 Monterrey Open. In the 1st round, she beat Mexican wildcard Ana Sofía Sánchez 6-2, 6-3. In the 2nd round, Hercog lost a tough match to 8th seed Magdaléna Rybáriková 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(9). Hercog held 4 match points in the third set tie-break at 6-5, 7-6, 8-7 and 9-8, but she eventually lost. As the top seed in qualifying at the 2015 BNP Paribas Open, Hercog qualified for the main draw beating 13th seed An-Sophie Mestach in the final round of qualifying 6-4, 6-2. In the 1st round, she easily beat Vera Zvonareva 6-1, 6-1. In the 2nd round, Hercog lost to 25th seed Caroline Garcia 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4. At the 2015 Miami Open, Hercog was defeated in the 1st round by World Number 58 Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6-3, 6-2. After Miami, Hercog played at the 2015 Katowice Open. In the 1st round, she defeated World Number 103 Misaki Doi 6-0, 3-6, 6-2. In the 2nd round, she lost to 2nd seed and defending champion Alizé Cornet 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.

Hercog began her clay court season at the 2015 J&T Banka Prague Open. In the 1st round, she defeated Heather Watson 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(5). In the 2nd round, Hercog lost to Kateřina Siniaková 6-1, 6-4. Seeded 10th for qualifying at the 2015 Mutua Madrid Open, Hercog lost in the 1st round of qualifying to Olga Govortsova 6-4, 6-3. Seeded 6th for qualifying at the 2015 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, Hercog lost in the 1st round of qualifying to Misaki Doi 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-4. Hercog played her final tournament before the French Open at the 2015 Nürnberger Versicherungscup. She lost in the 1st round to 7th seed Kurumi Nara 7-5, 5-7, 6-2. At the 2015 French Open, Hercog faced 24th seed Peng Shuai in the 1st round. Hercog led 6-0, 2-0 before Shuai retired due to a back injury. In the 2nd round, she lost to World Number 82 Elena Vesnina 2-6, 6-1, 6-3.

Hercog played only one grass court warm up tournament before Wimbledon. She qualified for the 2015 Aegon International defeating 4th seed Mirjana Lučić-Baroni 6-7(3), 7-5, 7-5 and Aleksandra Krunić 6-2, 6-0. In the 1st round, she beat World Number 36 Madison Brengle 7-5, 6-4. In the 2nd round, Hercog was defeated by 14th seed Garbiñe Muguruza 5-7, 6-3, 6-0. At the 2015 Wimbledon Championships, Hercog lost in the 1st round to Lauren Davis 6-4, 7-6(3).

After Wimbledon, Hercog competed at the 2015 BRD Bucharest Open. In the 1st round, she upset 6th seed Tereza Smitková 6-2, 7-5. In the 2nd round, she beat wildcard Patricia Maria Țig 6-0, 6-2. In the quarterfinals, Hercog defeated Aleksandra Krunić 6-3, 6-3 to reach her 1st WTA semifinal since 2012. In the semifinal, Hercog lost to 7th seed and eventual champion Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6-4, 6-3. At the 2015 Gastein Ladies, she defeated Tímea Babos in the 1st round 6-4, 6-2. In the 2nd round, she upset 5th seed Lucie Hradecká 6-3, 6-2. In the quarterfinals, Hercog lost to 3rd seed and eventual finalist Karin Knapp 7-6(5), 7-5.

Hercog began her US Open Serie at the 2015 Citi Open. In the 1st round, she beat qualifier Julia Glushko 6-2, 7-5. In the 2nd round, Hercog was defeated by 6th seed Irina-Camelia Begu 3-6, 7-5, 6-4. Seeded 14th for qualifying at the 2015 Rogers Cup, Hercog qualified for the main draw defeating Tereza Smitková in the final round of qualifying 6-2, 6-4. In the 1st round, she beat Alison Van Uytvanck 6-4, 1-6, 6-3. In the 2nd round, Hercog upset 11th seed Ekaterina Makarova 6-2, 6-7(2), 7-5. In the 3rd round, she lost to 5th seed Ana Ivanovic 6-2, 6-3. Seeded 18th for qualifying at the 2015 Western & Southern Open, Hercog lost in the final round of qualifying to 11th seed Christina McHale 7-6(9), 2-6, 6-4. Seeded 15th for qualifying at the 2015 Connecticut Open, Hercog successfully qualified for the main draw beating 14th seed Annika Beck in the final round of qualifying 6-3, 6-1. In the 1st round, Hercog was defeated by 5th seed Karolína Plíšková 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-2. At the 2015 US Open, she defeated World Number 35 Zarina Diyas in the 1st round 6-2, 7-5. In the 2nd round, Hercog lost to 25th seed Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-3.

After the US Open, Hercog played at the 2015 Japan Women's Open. Seeded 8th, she lost in the 1st round to World Number 113 Hsieh Su-Wei 6-1, 5-7, 7-5. At the 2015 Korea Open, she beat Lauren Davis in the 1st round 6-1, 6-3. In the 2nd round, Hercog lost to top seed and eventual champion Irina-Camelia Begu 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-2. Hercog played her final tournament of the year at the 2015 Tashkent Open. Seeded 3rd, she lost in the 1st round to World Number 102 Aliaksandra Sasnovich 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Hercog ended the year ranked 71.

2016

Hercog began the year at the 2016 ASB Classic. In the 1st round, she lost to 5th seed and eventual champion Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-3. Seeded 7th for qualifying at the 2016 Apia International Sydney, Hercog lost in the final round of qualifying to Monica Puig 2-6, 6-1, 6-1. However, she was awarded a Lucky Loser spot into the main draw. In the 1st round, Hercog lost to World Number 32 Sabine Lisicki 6-4, 6-3. At the 2016 Australian Open, Hercog lost in the 1st round to 19th seed Jelena Janković 6-3, 6-3.

Seeded 5th at the 2016 Rio Open, Hercog got her 1st WTA win of the year defeating qualifier Jennifer Brady in the 1st round 6-4, 6-2. In the 2nd round, she lost to wildcard Sorana Cîrstea 7-5, 7-6(3). At the 2016 Abierto Mexicano Telcel, Hercog was beaten in the 1st round by top seed Victoria Azarenka 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. At the 2016 Monterrey Open, Hercog upset 8th seed Tímea Babos in the 1st round 6-3, 6-2. In the 2nd round, she was defeated by eventual champion Heather Watson 6-2, 6-3. At the 2016 BNP Paribas Open, Hercog lost in the 1st round to World Number 47 Yanina Wickmayer 0-6, 6-4, 6-4. Hercog then lost in the 1st round of qualifying at the 2016 Miami Open to wildcard Fanny Stollar 6-3, 3-0 ret.

Hercog began her clay court season at the 2016 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. Seeded 7th in qualifying, she lost in the final round of qualifying to 3rd seed and German Laura Siegemund 6-4, 6-3. At the 2016 Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem, Hercog was defeated in the 1st round by 5th seed and last year finalist Tímea Babos 6-3, 6-7(8), 6-1. At the 2016 Mutua Madrid Open, she lost in the 1st round of qualifying to 9th seed Madison Brengle 6-4, 6-4. At the 2016 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, Hercog lost in the 1st round of qualifying to 4th seed Julia Görges 6-4, 6-3. Her final tournament before the French Open was the 2016 Nürnberger Versicherungscup. In the 1st round, she beat qualifier Stephanie Vogt 7-5, 7-6(4). In the 2nd round, Hercog lost to 4th seed Lesia Tsurenko 5-7, 6-4, 6-2. Ranked 94 at the 2016 French Open, she beat Lourdes Domínguez Lino in the 1st round 6-4, 7-6(4). In the 2nd round, Hercog was defeated by 30th seed Barbora Strýcová 6-4, 6-4. After the French Open, Hercog competed at the 2016 Bol Open. Seeded 7th, Hercog reached the final where she lost to Mandy Minella 6-2, 6-3. Nevertheless, Hercog's ranking improved from 94 to 84.

Hercog began her grass court season at the 2016 Ricoh Open. She retired trailing 6-4, 4-0 in her 1st round match against Varvara Lepchenko. Although Hercog qualified for the 2016 Aegon International Eastbourne, she lost in the 1st round to World Number 49 Misaki Doi 6-4, 6-4. At the 2016 Wimbledon Championships, Hercog was defeated in the 1st round by World Number 61 Alizé Cornet 6-3, 6-0.

At the 2016 BRD Bucharest Open, she defeated Sesil Karatantcheva in the 1st round 6-1, 2-6, 6-2. In the 2nd round, Hercog upset 5th seed Monica Niculescu 6-4, 6-3. In the quarterfinals, she lost to 4th seed Laura Siegemund 6-2, 6-1. At the 2016 Swedish Open, Hercog was defeated in the 1st round by Julia Görges 6-7(7), 6-3, 6-4.

Representing Slovenia at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Hercog lost in the 1st round to World Number 34 and eventual gold medalist Monica Puig 6-3, 6-2.

At the 2016 US Open, Hercog faced 2nd seed Angelique Kerber in the 1st round. She retired trailing 6-0, 1-0 due to illness.

Due to not playing for the rest of the year, Hercog ended the year ranked 139.

2017

Hercog returned to the WTA Tour for her first tournament since the 2016 US Open at the 2017 French Open. Hercog beat French wildcard Harmony Tan in the 1st round of qualifying 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. However, in the 2nd round of qualifying, she lost to Zarina Diyas 6-0, 6-3. After the French Open, Hercog played a 25K tournament in Grado, Italy. Seeded 3rd, she lost in the 1st round to Diāna Marcinkēviča 6-2, 7-5. After Grado, Hercog competed at the 2017 Internazionali Femminili di Brescia. Seeded 7th, Hercog won the title defeating Ganna Poznikhirenko in the final 6-2, 7-5.

Performance timelines

Only Main Draw results in WTA Tour, Grand Slam Tournaments and Olympic Games are included in Win–Loss records.

Singles

This table is current through the 2017 Wimbledon Championships

Doubles

Only Main Draw results in WTA Tour, Grand Slam Tournaments and Olympic Games are included in Win–Loss records. This table is current through the 2015 US Open.

Team

Levels of Fed Cup in which Slovenia did not compete in a particular year are marked "Not Participating" or "NP".