Tennis News

From around the world

Konta has no weaknesses – GB player's new coach before Serena quarter

  • Posted: Jan 24, 2017
Australian Open 2017
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne Dates: 16-29 Jan
Coverage: Daily live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra; live text on selected matches on the BBC Sport website; TV highlights on BBC Two and online.

As a hugely successful former coach to Grand Slam winners Kim Clijsters and Victoria Azarenka, Wim Fissette was not short of job offers for the 2017 season.

But after British number one Johanna Konta made her interest clear, the softly spoken 36-year-old Belgian spotted a wonderful opportunity.

“From the outside, she looked like a very ambitious, hard-working player with a very strong body,” Fissette recalled on the eve of Konta’s Australian Open quarter-final against Serena Williams (02:00 GMT, Wednesday).

  • Latest scores, results and order of play
  • Konta ‘prepared’ for first Serena meeting
  • Konta can upset Williams – Navratilova

‘No weaknesses – but she can be better in every aspect’

Fisette and Konta started working together a couple of weeks after her rewarding partnership with Esteban Carril reached the end of the road. The two had been unable to agree financial terms for the new year, but after a promising week with Fissette at the Mouratoglou Academy in Nice, Konta had a plan in place for the next stage of her career.

The omens are extremely encouraging. After losing in the semi-finals in Shenzhen in the first week of the year, Konta beat Agnieszka Radwanska for the first time in her career to win the prestigious WTA title in Sydney. She won 10 sets in a row in the process, and has now extended her unbroken run to 18 after four comprehensive victories in Melbourne.

“The more I know about her, the more I like her as a player,” Fissette told BBC Sport.

“She’s physically very strong, she’s got a big serve – for sure top three in women’s tennis – and she’s got big groundstrokes. I think there’s not a weakness in her game, but I do believe she can be better in every aspect.”

What is so impressive is that 2016 should be such a hard act to follow. Konta won her first WTA title in Stanford, and finished as the runner-up in Beijing (one of the four most important tournaments on the women’s tour) having started the year with that semi-final appearance at the Australian Open.

Players often struggle to reproduce the form of a breakthrough season, but Konta is bucking the trend.

“We’ve seen this time and time again on both tours,” says Courtney Nguyen, a senior writer for the WTA Tour.

“You get a big result, you have a breakout season, and the following season you end up suffering a bit of a sophomore slump.

“It can be very difficult playing with that pressure of knowing what can be expected of you. What’s so refreshing with Jo is that’s just not how she sees the world. She takes it all in her stride.”

It is also remarkable how Konta appears to have dealt so well with the end of her partnership with Carril, as well as the untimely death of her mental coach. Juan Coto was a vital component of her team and it was his counsel which helped kick-start her rapid rise through the rankings.

Konta prefers not to reflect publicly on that difficult period, or how she has adjusted so successfully since, which is perhaps a strategy of which Coto would have approved.

‘There will be a day when she wins a Grand Slam’

The 25-year-old is now very much in demand with the international – as well as the British – media. She conducted six meaty television interviews – including with Australia’s Channel 7 and the US-orientated Tennis Channel – after her fourth-round victory over Ekaterina Makarova.

She is increasingly confident in her conversations, happy to discuss changing her two-month-old nephew’s nappy, and slowly but surely prepared to give a little more insight into her approach.

But will all this be enough to bring her victory over Serena Williams the first time they ever share a court together? Some opponents seem to have lost such a match in their mind before a ball is struck, but Konta is different and will genuinely, and quite rightly, believe she can win.

No other current player can quite compare to the 22-time Grand Slam champion, but Konta was not at all overawed by Serena’s sister Venus in their three meetings. Two of them she won: in the opening round of last year’s Australian Open, and then in the final in Stanford last July.

And Fissette’s very first impressions of Konta are also worth recalling.

“The first time she played a player I was coaching – that was Victoria Azarenka in China – I was very impressed with the attitude she had,” he says.

“She showed respect to the player but she was there to win the match. She came on the court with the belief that she could beat a top player like her and I still see that.

“I believe there will be a day when she will win a Grand Slam.”

Source link

Roddick To Be Inducted Into Tennis Hall Of Fame

  • Posted: Jan 24, 2017

Roddick To Be Inducted Into Tennis Hall Of Fame

American captured 32 tour-level titles during his career

Former World No. 1 Andy Roddick has been elected to receive the highest honour in tennis – induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Of the honour, Roddick stated, “It’s really special. I love this sport and I love being part of it. I’m moved to know that my presence in the sport will be forever part of tennis history, and I am just incredibly honoured to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. I look forward to the induction ceremony in Newport in July.”

The American, in addition to being a former World No. 1, is also a US Open champion and a five-time ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titlist. Roddick held the No. 1 Emirates ATP Ranking for 13 weeks, and he was year-end No. 1 in 2003.

He finished the season in the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings for nine straight years (2002 – 2010). Roddick held rankings inside the Top 5 for 187 weeks during the course of his career.

You May Also Like: Roddick Makes Emotional Farewell At US Open

In 2003, he defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero to win the US Open title, closing out the match on three straight aces. He returned to the final in 2006, and he was also a three-time finalist at Wimbledon. Roddick won 32 singles tour-level titles.

The Nebraska native was a dedicated team member of the United States Davis Cup team for 10 years. In 2007, he was instrumental in leading the U.S. to defeat Russia for their 32nd Davis Cup victory.

Roddick is the founder of the Andy Roddick Foundation, a non-profit that is dedicated to offering enrichment programs for kids outside of the classroom to provide growth opportunities in literacy, STEM, art, and sports. Since retiring from the ATP World Tour, Roddick has stayed active in the sport, competing in WorldTeam Tennis and PowerShares Series events. He has also worked in broadcast for Fox Sports and the BBC.

Joining Roddick in the Hall of Fame Class of 2017 will be Kim Clijsters, a former WTA World No. 1, and Monique Kalkman-van den Bosch, a four-time Paralympic medalist in wheelchair tennis.

Additionally, two individuals will be inducted in the Contributor Category. Steve Flink, a distinguished tennis historian and journalist, has been elected for induction. Vic Braden, a ground-breaking tennis instructor who was among the first to apply sports science to his instructional tactics, will be inducted posthumously.

Source link

Venus Williams back in Australian Open semis

  • Posted: Jan 24, 2017
Australian Open 2017
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne Dates: 16-29 Jan
Coverage: Daily live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra; live text on selected matches on the BBC Sport website; TV highlights on BBC Two and online from 21 January.

Venus Williams reached the Australian Open semi-finals for the first time in 14 years with a straight-set win over Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Williams, the 13th seed, saw off 24th seed Pavlyuchenkova 6-4 7-6 (7-3) in the first of the quarter-finals.

The 36-year-old American has never won the title, her best effort a runner-up finish to sister Serena in 2003.

She goes on to face unseeded American Coco Vandeweghe, who thrashed Spain’s seventh seed Garbine Muguruza 6-4 6-0.

  • Watch day nine highlights on BBC Two from 16:45 GMT on Tuesday
  • Konta ‘as prepared as possible’ for first Serena meeting

Vandeweghe, 25, followed up her win over world number one and defending champion Angelique Kerber with a crushing defeat of French Open champion Muguruza.

“I really wasn’t feeling all that great out there, I was feeling kind of nervous,” said Vandeweghe.

“I just tried to play my best, stay within myself, keep my patterns. I fought through a few break points on her serve, kept on the pressure in the first set and then she finally cracked.

“Once I got rolling in the second it was like a freight train. You couldn’t stop it.”

Williams dropped serve four times against Pavlyuchenkova but was much the stronger in the decisive moments, becoming the oldest woman to reach a Grand Slam semi-final since Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon in 1994.

“I’m so excited, today was such a hard-fought match. She never let up,” said the seven-time Grand Slam champion.

“It’s wonderful to be here at the start of the year, I want to go further. I’m not happy with this.”

On Wednesday, Serena Williams will play Britain’s Johanna Konta at around 02:00 GMT, following the match between Czech fifth seed Karolina Plisokva and Croatia’s Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.

Source link

Previewing Tuesday's Australian Open QFs

  • Posted: Jan 24, 2017

Previewing Tuesday's Australian Open QFs

It could be an all-Swiss semi-final Down Under

Will Stan The Man take the battle of big hitters against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga? Can Roger wind back the clock once more and play vintage Federer tennis against his old-school foe, Mischa Zverev, who will try to keep points as precise as possible?

Tuesday’s Australian Open quarter-final match-ups should feature two very different but equally as intriguing contests for fans. They’ll also feature a bit of history. For only the second time in the Open Era, all eight Grand Slam quarter-finalists have lost two or more sets before their last-eight match-ups. The last time that happened was almost 45 years ago, at the 1972 US Open.

No. 4 Stan Wawrinka (SUI) v No. 12 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)

FedEx ATP Head2Head: Wawrinka leads 4-3

In the first quarter-final on Rod Laver Arena, third seed Stan Wawrinka will try to reach the Australian Open semi-finals for the third time, all of which have come since 2014, when he won the Melbourne title for his first Grand Slam triumph.

Wawrinka has won four of his seven match-ups against Tsonga during their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry, including all three of their Grand Slam meetings. But the trio of Grand Slam contests have come on clay in Paris, and the two haven’t met on a hard court in 10 years (Metz, 2007).

“It’s going to be just an interesting match,” Wawrinka said after rattling off some of Tsonga’s second-week experience at the Aussie Open.

The 31-year-old Frenchman reached the semi-finals in 2010. He played in the last four in 2008 en route to his only Australian Open final, when he lost to Novak Djokovic. Tsonga will also be seeking personal revenge against Wawrinka as he’s lost their past three meetings.

“It’s going to be a good challenge,” Tsonga said. “He’s playing really good. It’s going to be important for me… to play my best level. I think I will be ready.”

No. 17 Roger Federer (SUI) v Mischa Zverev (GER)

FedEx ATP Head2Head: Federer leads 2-0

The second quarter-final on Rod Laver Arena will likely feature more precision than power when Roger Federer takes on the veteran Mischa Zverev. Federer has surprised nearly everyone, including himself, with his four-match win streak in Melbourne, a run that’s included two Top 10 wins (Berdych, Nishikori). The Swiss icon is going for his 13th Australian Open semi-final, which would extend his Open-Era record of 12.

You May Also Like: Another Milestone For Roger: Swiss Grabs 200th Top 10 Win

The 35 year old has beaten Zverev during both of their FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings, but the two haven’t played since 2013 – Federer won 6-0, 6-0 in Halle – and Zverev is producing the best tennis of his career right now. On Sunday, the left-hander upset top seed Andy Murray, charging the net 118 times and winning more than half of those points. Before that match, Murray had won 30 of his past 31 contests.

“He’s feeling great. Probably feels the best he’s ever felt on a tennis court. That’s how I would feel after the win… against Murray,” Federer said. “It’s going to be tough and different and tricky. That’s my mindset.”

Read More: 10 Things To Know About Zverev

The German shouldn’t feel any pressure during the quarter-final match. Two years ago, he was ranked No. 1,067 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, and, by reaching the quarter-finals in Melbourne, he’s already achieved his best result at a Grand Slam. “Definitely the best match of my life,” he said after beating Murray.

Many fans have latched on to Zverev’s comeback story. But there’s little doubt Federer, who’s going for his 18th Grand Slam title, will still be the crowd favourite.

“I’ve been always super welcomed here,” Federer said. “I think it helps to come back here for almost the 20th year now. They got to know me. I had a chance to speak to them in the post match or in the press. Got to meet a lot of people playing in this country. It clearly has been a benefit.”

Source link

Nadal Battles Monfils, Now For Raonic In Melbourne SFs

  • Posted: Jan 23, 2017

Nadal Battles Monfils, Now For Raonic In Melbourne SFs

Spanish superstar dominates early on, but is then forced to work

Rafael Nadal recorded his fifth straight victory – and 13th win overall in 15 meetings – against Gael Monfils at the Australian Open in just under three hours on Monday night for a place in his 30th Grand Slam championship quarter-final.

Ninth seed Nadal, who beat Roger Federer for the 2009 title, improved to 49-10 at Melbourne Park with a 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory over fellow 30-year-old Monfils, the No. 6 seed from France. The 30 year old’s win denied Monfils his 250th tour-level match win on hard courts and gave the Spanish superstar his first Grand Slam victory over a player in the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings since beating then No. 2-ranked Novak Djokovic in the 2014 Roland Garros final.

“I had chances to break in the third set,” said Nadal, during an on-court interview. “I didn’t play my best game at 4-4. You are [then] under pressure against a player like him. [In the fourth set] I think against Gael, I made a few mistakes in a row and played a good backhand on the break point.

“I’m very happy being in the quarter-finals in a Grand Slam after a couple of years without being there. It is very special for me and especially here in Australia, where it feels a little like home. The crowd is always supporting me.”

Nadal has a 6-2 advantage over his next opponent, World No. 3 Milos Raonic, in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, but Raonic won their most recent clash, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, in the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp 16 days ago.

“I have to play very, very well, that’s the only way,” said Nadal. “He beat me a couple of weeks ago in Brisbane. It was a tough game. He’s a top player with an amazing serve, so I need to be focused with my serve and wait for opportunities on my return.”

More to follow…

Source link

Australian Open 2017: Gordon Reid starts wheelchair singles title defence

  • Posted: Jan 23, 2017
Australian Open 2017
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne Dates: 16-29 January
Coverage: Daily live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra; live text on selected matches on the BBC Sport website; TV highlights on BBC Two and online from 21 January.

Britain’s world number one Gordon Reid begins his Australian Open wheelchair singles title defence against Belgium’s Joachim Gerard on Wednesday.

It is a repeat of the 2016 final, which Scotland’s Reid, 25, won 7-6 (9-7) 6-4.

Three other Britons are in action, including Alfie Hewett, who makes his Australian Open debut against Stephane Houdet of France, the world number two.

Lucy Shuker faces Marjolein Buis of the Netherlands, while Andy Lapthorne plays against David Wagner.

Reid has reached the semi-finals and final, respectively, of his first two singles events of 2017 – the Sydney Open Super Series and the ITF 2 Melbourne Open.

“I arrive at Melbourne Park in a good place ready to defend my title,” said Reid.

Source link