Michelle Caroline Larcher de Brito, born Micaela Carolina Larcher de Brito, aka Michelle Larcher de Brito or simply Michelle Brito, is a professional female tennis player who was born on January 29, 1993 in Lisbon, Portugal. Although de Brito is Portuguese, her family transferred to the United States when she was still nine years old so that she could study at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida.
De Brito is known for being the first Portuguese female player to reach the main draw of a Grand Slam event. The said historic event happened during the French Open in 2009, where her impressive performance caught the attention of many critics and audience alike, especially due to her young age.
De Brito actually started playing tennis when she was just three years old when her father and future coach introduced her to the sport at a local club in Lisbon. Although she just played in the Junior circuit of the ITF from August 2006 to December 2007, de Brito actually turned pro on February 7, 2007. Her first tournament on the ITF circuit was held in Midland, Michigan, where she played as an unranked wild card. Sadly, she was not victorious during the event as she was defeated during the first round against Kristina Brandi.
Although her career is still relatively new, de Brito already has a record of 52-54 matches played. Her highest ranking achieved was on No. 76, which she achieved on July 6, 2009. To date, she has not won any Grand Slam tournaments, although it can be said that her career is still fresh out of the box.
