Genie Bouchard's Chinese Dumplings
Favorite Thing To Do In NYC
August 27, 2014
Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova, Agnieszka Radwanska, Victoria Azarenka, Ana Ivanovic and Genie Bouchard tell us their favorite things to do in New York City.
August 27, 2014
Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova, Agnieszka Radwanska, Victoria Azarenka, Ana Ivanovic and Genie Bouchard tell us their favorite things to do in New York City.
Swiss star returns to Brisbane to kick off season
After claiming six ATP World Tour titles and compiling a 63-11 record last year, defending champion Roger Federer will start his season in Brisbane for a third consecutive year.
“It’s an absolute pleasure to be back in Brisbane,” Federer said at the launch event for the Citycat Transport system. “I had a wonderful last two years here and was not going to miss it again as long as I am playing tennis. My family really enjoys it here and the people are super friendly. They love their tennis here in Brisbane.”
Federer fell to Lleyton Hewitt in the 2014 finals during his first trip to the Australian city, then captured the title in a milestone match against Milos Raonic in 2015.
“Winning my 1000th match here last year was thrilling,” added Federer, who used the tournament win as the starting blocks of a season which saw him finish No. 3 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. “It was so fitting to do it in the final with Roy Emerson and Rod Laver there.”
“I had a great season last year, playing aggressive tennis,” noted Federer, who turned heads with a new return strategy in 2015, stepping deep into the court to take on his opponents’ serves. “Of course, players adapt so we will see how aggressively I can play this year. I’ve been playing really well for a year and a half now, since I came back from my back injury. That’s been very encouraging. With age and experience, I know where I am and I feel like I’m in a good place. It’ll be an interesting year, with a lot of young guys trying to make a move.”
Beyond on-court results, the Swiss would like to continue to find a happy medium between work and family in 2016.
“For me, it’s more about family when it comes to New Year’s Resolutions,” said Federer, a father of four who frequently travels with his children. “I want to be a good dad, be patient with my kids and enjoy life as long as I can.”
Two thousand five hundred and one matches, across 59 tournaments and five continents. While numbers never tell the whole story, when it comes to the 2015 WTA season, they certainly make for a good read.
So at the start of the new year, SAP and wtatennis.com wave goodbye to the old one with a countdown of some of its more eye-catching figures.
10,582,642 – Despite missing the final few months of the season, the peerless Serena Williams still managed to pass the $10 million mark in prize money for just the second time in her career.
230 – The number of minutes needed by Francesca Schiavone to defeat Svetlana Kuznetsova in the second round of the French Open, making it the longest match of the season. Honorable mentions go to Petra Martic and Wang Yafan for their three hour, 27 minute effort in Dalian.
130 – World No.130 Teliana Pereira was the lowest-ranked player to win a title when she went all the way in Bogotá.
128 – The speed in miles per hour of the fastest serve of the year, unleashed, unsurprisingly, by Serena Williams at the BNP Paribas Open.
81.1 – Serena’s 120mph-plus bombs helped her win 81.1% of her service games.
79 – Karolina Pliskova can confidently lay claim to being the busiest women in tennis, playing more matches (79) on tour than anyone else.
72 – By common consensus, Daria Kasatkina is the next big thing in Russian tennis. After enjoying a distinguished junior career, a string of impressive showings has aided a charge up the rankings that saw Kasatkina finish a year she started well outside the Top 300 perched handily at No.72.
51.9 – Sara Errani may not possess the most fearsome of serves, but she more than makes up for it when receiving. Last year she won a higher percentage of games (51.9%) and points (50.8%) on return than any other player.
46 – A few days after upsetting Ajla Tomljanovic in Seoul, the evergreen Kimiko Date-Krumm celebrated her 46th birthday.
31 – Errani was taken to three sets on 31 occasions in 2015, underlining her reputation as one of the game’s most dogged competitors by prevailing in 19 of them.
17 – At 17 years and five months, Ana Konjuh‘s victory in Nottingham saw her crowned the youngest WTA singles title winner in nearly a decade.
5 – Angelique Kerber enjoyed a return to form in 2015, picking up four titles, in Charleston, Stuttgart, Birmingham and Stanford. However, she was still unable to match Serena’s WTA-leading tally of five (Australian Open, Miami, French Open, Wimbledon, Cincinnati).
0 – Number of times Belinda Bencic lost in her five encounters against Top 5 players, including that memorable upset of Serena Williams en route to the Toronto title.
This will be a landmark year for Andy Murray – I have no hesitation in predicting that whatsoever.
The world number two is due to become a father and will, I’m sure, cherish that above than anything he could ever achieve on a tennis court.
But I don’t think this new year will be notable in the Murray household simply for the addition of a welcome new member. There’s every indication major trophies will be celebrated too.
It’s only a few weeks since Murray completed the perfect Davis Cup year; unbeaten as he helped return the famous old trophy to these shores for the first time in nearly 80 years.
That was one of his main targets for 2015. Mission accomplished, and in some style, beating a fine player in Belgium’s David Goffin in his own back yard, on clay, in straight sets, with one of the best match-points – and winning shots – ever seen.
The feel-good factor from such an achievement can last months. When Novak Djokovic savoured success with Serbia in the Davis Cup at the end of 2010, he followed it up with one of the best years in the history of tennis. He didn’t lose a match until the semi-finals of the French Open, and won the other three grand slam titles.
Incredibly, the super Serb was even better last year, reaching all four major finals, and winning three, as well as six out of the eight Masters Series events he entered.
Could Andy do a Novak? That’s perhaps asking too much. But I certainly think 2016 will be the year Murray’s major count gets going again.
It’s three and a half years since he won the second of his two Slam titles. The game has moved on since then, and the Scot has had back surgery and switched coaches.
He was, however, much more like his old self in 2015, winning four titles, including his first two on clay, and competing well for three of the four main prizes.
Finishing the year ranked second in the world, for the first time in his career, will have done the confidence no harm either; nor will beating Roger Federer, albeit in the end-of-season IPTL exhibition.
He’ll go into 2016 with an extra spring in his step and as the second seed for the Australian Open, which gets under way in just over two weeks’ time in Melbourne, Murray knows he doesn’t have to worry about Novak Djokovic until the final, should both men get there.
So the Scot will reflect on 2015 as a year that ended much better than it began.
Ranked sixth in the world when the notes of Auld Lang Syne were fading away, he’d just been thrashed 6-0 6-1 by Federer at the World Tour Finals in London.
When Murray headed down under to Melbourne in January, the first Grand Slam of the season once again brought out the best in him as he reached his fourth Australian Open final.
It proved, however, to be the one that got away; from a break up in the third set against Djokovic, Murray lost 12 of the next 13 games in that final. But it was a collapse that didn’t affect his season, which turned out to be his most consistent yet on the tour.
By the time the French Open came around in May, Murray was being touted – tongue-in-cheek perhaps – as the new king of clay, having won two titles on the surface, including the Madrid Masters, where he beat Rafael Nadal in his own back yard.
Only a superb five-set display from Djokovic stopped Murray at Roland Garros, this time in the semi-final.
After opening the grass court season by claiming a fourth Queens Club title, it was then on to Wimbledon. Again Murray looked strong as he progressed to the semi-finals, where a rejuvenated Roger Federer lay in wait.
A stunning Swiss serving display dealt desperate disappointment once again for the Scot, ending his hopes of a second Wimbledon crown. But there was no time to dwell. There was a Davis Cup quarter-final against France to be won, following on from the fine win against the USA in Glasgow in March.
After winning the doubles with big brother Jamie, Andy dug deep once again to see off Gilles Simon and book Britain’s place in the semi-finals against Australia. That meant another trip back to Scotland, and another noisy win in Glasgow’s Emirates Arena.
Being the driving force behind Britain’s first Davis Cup final appearance since the late 1970s meant Murray had probably played too much tennis by the time the US Open came around. He did win another Masters Series event, beating Djokovic in the final in Montreal.
He couldn’t get past the giant South African Kevin Anderson in New York, however, and so failed to make a Grand Slam quarter-final for the first time in five years.
Murray’s champagne moment of 2015 was still to come.
At the end of November, the pride of Dunblane collapsed in tears on the red clay of Ghent. He was instantly mobbed by his brother Jamie and the rest of his team-mates in celebration of Britain’s finest hour in the Davis Cup since Fred Perry et al in 1936.
It was an achievement that made Murray – and the British team – winners at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards. You know it’s been a good year when Andy Murray starts cracking jokes in front of a huge audience of his sporting peers, and millions watching on TV.
If he wins another Slam – or defends his Olympic title – there’s no chance Murray’s 2016 will be duller than a weekend in Worthing.
Great Britain’s Fed Cup captain Judy Murray has taken up a short-term position coaching Heather Watson in Australia this month.
The British number two is without a permanent coach after parting company with Diego Veronelli in December.
The 23-year-old will team up with Andy Murray to represent Great Britain in the Hopman Cup, which begins on Sunday.
Watson will then defend her WTA title in Hobart, before heading to Melbourne for the Australian Open.
Argentine Veronelli, 36, left his role as coach of the world number 55 in December after deciding that he was no longer able to commit to spending up to 40 weeks a year on the road.
BRISBANE, Australia – Just ahead of her title defense at the Brisbane International, Maria Sharapova met the press at the Premier-level tournament on Friday and discussed everything from her off-season, a tricky first round draw and a tantalizing potential semifinal showdown against Simona Halep.
But first things first, her first round draw – and it’s a doozy. Sharapova drew fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova, who isn’t just a former Top 10 player, but a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist.
“The last time we played was in the semifinals of a Grand Slam, last year in Australia, and I don’t think we’ve played since,” Sharapova said. “She was injured at the end of last year and I haven’t seen her play much because of that, but that’s a pretty high quality first match against a tough opponent.”
Should the No.3-seeded Sharapova escape Makarova and eventually emerge out of her quarter of the draw, which includes No.7 seed Belinda Bencic, she could play No.1 seed Halep in the semifinals.
Though she’s never lost to Halep, the World No.4 isn’t taking anything for granted.
“It’s a long road ahead. A semifinal isn’t something I’m focused on before the tournament even begins – we still have many matches to play, and many matches to win. If we get there, I’ll think about it.
“But Simona and I have played many times, and even though I have a good record against her, she’s No.2 in the world for a reason, and you always want to play the best going into the Australian Open.
“That’s one of the big reasons I’m here in Brisbane this week.”
Another reason Sharapova’s in Brisbane? She’s done very, very well here before.
“I’ve had three days of practice here and I’m feeling pretty solid,” Sharapova, who edged Ana Ivanovic for last year’s title, said. “It’s been nice to get back on that court and get a good feel for it.”
And though she missed almost four months of action in the second half of 2015 due to leg and arm injuries, she came back at the very end and finished very strong – she reached the semifinals of the WTA Finals in her first tournament back and then won both of her matches in the Fed Cup final.
“Those injuries took a little bit longer to heal than I’d wanted to, but once they did I felt pretty good about where I was physically. I was able to perform and compete well at the end of the year, and withstand some really physical matches. That gives me a lot of confidence going into this year.
“My off-season was a bit shorter than I’m used to. I’ve had to put a few things together a bit quicker than usual. I didn’t take much time off – I’m kind of saving that a little bit for post-Australia, so I’ll have to work through my schedule a little bit and make some changes with the Olympics coming up.
“But it was nice to be with family and friends at Christmas, one of my favorite times of year.”
I'm Reflecting On You Two Thousand Fifteen… https://t.co/fmQjbLu3jH pic.twitter.com/z8tAab7tYe
— Maria Sharapova (@MariaSharapova) January 1, 2016
BRISBANE, Australia – Victoria Azarenka isn’t just one of the top women’s tennis players in the world – two Grand Slam titles, former World No.1, Olympic bronze – she’s also one of the sport’s most open and honest players, never hesitating to tell it like it is and give us a deeper glimpse into tennis life.
And a deeper glimpse is exactly what she’s going to bring us – monthly – in her new column on SI.com called From The Players Box by Victoria Azarenka. She’s written two pieces so far, the first coming after she had to prematurely wrap up her 2015 season due to injury in November and the second one coming on New Year’s Eve – in it she talks about how she’s rebounding from a nagging foot injury.
“I’ve had a problem in my foot for as long as I can remember. Because of this pain that the injury has given me over time, I changed the movement of my foot. I forgot how to plant and push off my foot the right way because I was always overcompensating for the pain. The correct way to change direction is to push off from your heel to the middle of your foot and then push off from there and through your toes. I didn’t have this movement in my repertoire any longer. So the challenge for the off-season was to learn this movement from scratch and try to re-program my body to do it properly going forward.”
And then, a declaration. “But here is the catch: I’m not trying to get back to where I used to be,” she writes. “I am here to push myself to become better, to get to where I have never been before.”
Coming from someone who has, according to most experts, been the closest challenger over the last three years to Serena Williams, who’s won eight of the last 14 majors and held No.1 for 150 weeks in a row, that resonates. Azarenka was also the last player other than Williams to top the WTA Rankings.
The two-time Australian Open champion’s quest for perfection has upsides and downsides, though.
“I am getting stronger every day and I am slowly starting to feel a little bit of satisfaction. I’m very happy with my effort of doing a lot of physical work off the court, but to be honest, I am still dissatisfied with the outcome on the tennis court so far. My effort is there every single day, at 100%. But I know it takes patience for the off-court work to transition into tennis results. After a while, I am starting to get that feeling I’ve missed for so long! That feeling of being in control on the court. That feeling of being in full control of myself, that’s what I long for. But by the time it all starts again down under, I will be ready!”
Read Azarenka’s full piece – and watch the very cool footwork videos that go along with it – here.
And keep an eye on wtatennis.com this week as she plays her first WTA event of the year, the Brisbane International. Unseeded in the draw, she’ll open against an as-of-yet unknown qualifier.
?✍?? @SInow https://t.co/gHsNpe1aiM
— victoria azarenka (@vika7) December 31, 2015
6. Will a Frenchman win Roland Garros?
It’s been more than three decades since a Frenchman last raised La Coupe des Mousquetaires on the burnt-orange terre battue of Roland Garros. Not since Yannick Noah, all dreadlocks and a smile as wide as the Seine, downed Mats Wilander 6-2, 7-5, 7-6(3) in 1983, has a Frenchman triumphed there. It’s mystifying, considering all the homegrown talent that has since come and gone (think: Pioline, Grosjean, Clement, Santoro, etc.). But as Jeremy Chardy recently said, “Roland Garros remains mythical for French players.” If ever there were a time to end that dry spell, it’s now. With Richard Gasquet, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gilles Simon, Benoit Paire, Gael Monfils, Adrian Mannarino and Chardy all inside the Top 50 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, there’s no time like the present.
“There are many positive things for the various French players,” said Cedric Pioline, a runner-up at the US Open in 1993 and Wimbledon in 1997. “Gilles has been very consistent. Maybe we would have expected a bit from Gael Monfils in terms of results. But we had good surprises, like the good results of Benoit, who started the year at No. 140. Chardy is very consistent. Globally, it is very positive.”
Whether or not they can perform under pressure in seven matches over two weeks in front of the French fans is another question. That big-stage pressure at home-country Slams is very real. No Aussie has won the Australian Open since 1976. When Andy Murray triumphed at the All England Club in 2013, it broke a lengthy dry spell of some 77 years for British men. An American hasn’t prevailed at the US Open since 2003. But wouldn’t it be magnifique to see France once again celebrate one of its own in the Bois de Boulogne?
7. Will we see more legends follow the likes of Becker, Edberg and Chang into the coaching ranks?
Ever since Jimmy Connors stepped out of retirement to coach Andy Roddick in 2006, it’s become downright de rigueur for former champions to share their expertise with today’s elite performers. In 2012, Andy Murray took many of us by surprise when he hired Ivan Lendl. The Scot later aligned with Amelie Mauresmo and, until recently, Jonas Bjorkman. In 2013, German legend Boris Becker began a more-than-productive relationship with Novak Djokovic. As if in response, Roger Federer for two years hired one of Becker’s old foes, Swede Stefan Edberg, and this year adds former World No. 3 Ivan Ljubicic to his team. Kei Nishikori reached the 2014 US Open final under the guidance of Michael Chang.
“Let’s say it’s nothing that I thought that I ever would do,” said Edberg, who will step away from coaching duties this year.
As we saw in 2015, when 17 Grand Slams into a surefire Hall of Fame career Federer added a chip-and-charge attack to his arsenal (aka the “SABR,” as in Sneak Attack By Roger), it’s never too late to add to your game.
And while neither Federer nor Djokovic will become full-time serve-and-volleyers anytime soon, as they get older, who better to consult for ways to shorten points than champions like Edberg and Becker? The old guard still has something to say. All of which makes one wonder, when will John McEnroe begin a mentorship of his own?
8. Will the Bryan Bros. return to their winning ways at the majors?
The most successful doubles team in the Open Era — Mike and Bob Bryan — saw its streak of 143 consecutive weeks at No. 1 come to an end in 2015, a year that saw the Bryans fail to win a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2004. All that being said, it was hardly an unproductive year for the twin terrors, who captured six ATP World Tour titles, including three at the Masters 1000 level. They also qualified for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals for the 14th successive season, staying in the race for the year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Team Rankings right up until the semi-finals. Bryan/Bryan is the only team in the Open Era to win at least five titles for 14 straight years.
“It was bound to happen at some point,” said Bob. “Unfortunately, the stars didn’t align at the majors this year.”
At the age of 37 and now 17 years into their pro careers, no one would fault the Bryans if they eased off the pedal a bit, marriage and (in Bob’s case) parenthood demanding more and more of their time. With 16 Slams and more than 950 wins, they certainly have nothing left to prove. But the former Stanford stars are talking like they’ve still got some unfinished business.
“We’re going to go back to the drawing board, work even harder,” said Mike at the year-end finale in London. “We’re going to work extra hard. Obviously, next year is an important year with the Olympics. We want to try to win another Slam, be here again trying to get No. 1.”
“I think doubles improves every year,” Mike asserted. “I think we had [6,770] points. To our standards, that is a pretty low point number, but there were a lot of teams around that. A lot of teams had a crack at No. 1. Next year, we would like to do what we’ve done in the past, put up 10,000 plus points and win some big majors and make it really tough for anyone to catch us. If they want to catch us, they’re going to have to hit the big number of titles and points…We’re going to come back next year stronger, healthier and hungrier to do this again because we know what the feeling feels like. It’s a great feeling. We’ll do all we can to get back on top.”
9. What impact will Juan Martin del Potro have on the Tour this year?
It’s hard to believe a half-dozen years have gone by since Juan Martin del Potro’s towering, 6-foot-6 presence stalked the hard courts of Flushing Meadows on the final Monday at the US Open, when the popular Argentine took down the seemingly unconquerable Roger Federer and his 41-match winning streak in five sets 3-6, 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 for the lone Slam title of his career.
Now 27, the ‘Tower of Tandil’ has played only sparingly since. After reaching a career-high of No. 4 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and inserting himself in the conversation with Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, del Potro was limited to 10 matches or fewer in 2010, 2014 and 2015 due to injuries to both wrists. He underwent surgery on his left wrist in March 2014, missing the remainder of the year. But he wasn’t out of the woods just yet: Due to complications, he would undergo the knife again in both January and June of 2015, all the while never giving up hope of a return to the ATP World Tour.
If you follow del Potro on Twitter (@delpotrojuan) — and some two million fans do — you’re familiar with his eagerness to get back. He regularly posts selfies: in hospital beds, in casts, rehabbing, always with a thumbs up and usually accompanied by a motivational message.
“If you think I’m down and out, I want you to know I’m still fighting for it.”
“Here I am recovering after the surgery. I’m really thankful to you for being there.”
Perhaps the most encouraging Tweet came in late August just as the final Slam of the year was getting underway.
“The @usopen, my favourite tournament, just started. I’ll be there next year.”
There’s ample reason to believe del Potro will make good on his promise. In November, he took the courts for the first time in seven months in Florida, practising at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park, home to the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Miami. Although he said at first “I felt I was holding a hammer instead of a racquet,” the Argentine has gained confidence as the training sessions have progressed. “There’s no doubt I will play again,” he said.
The only question is when.
10. Can Roger Federer remain a Top-5 force at age 34?
In a word, yes. If 2015 were any indication, age doesn’t seem to apply to the tricenarian the way it does we mere mortals.
En route to the Brisbane title, Roger Federer crossed the 1,000-win mark, becoming one of only three players in the Open Era to do so (joining Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl). He defeated Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic en route to his seventh Cincinnati title and 24th ATP Masters 1000 crown overall, the first time he had ever defeated the Nos. 1-2 at the same event. At the US Open, he became the oldest Grand Slam finalist since 35-year-old Andre Agassi at Flushing Meadows in 2005. He also claimed titles in Dubai, Istanbul, Halle and Basel. Overall, he went 6-5 in finals, with all five losses coming to World No. 1 Djokovic, including Wimbledon, the US Open and the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. But his greatest achievement might just have been staying injury-free, something he’s developed an uncanny knack for over his 17-year pro career.
These days, Federer often fields questions about retirement; about how long he can see himself playing this game. Unvaryingly, he tells us he can’t yet see the finish line, and that’s just fine with him.
“As long as I don’t know when the end is, that’s how you plan,” said Federer in November. “Into infinity, if you like.”
Though the 17-time Grand Slam champion has been shut out at the majors the past three years, a look at his records over the past five years reveals that his level remains an elite one.
| Year | Record |
| 2015 | 63-11 |
| 2014 | 73-12 |
| 2013 | 45-17 |
| 2012 | 71-12 |
| 2011 | 64-12 |
He most definitely remains a Top-5 force, and should remain so through 2016.
“I’m playing good tennis,” he said. “I’m happy with where my level is at. I’m able to be very consistent. I’m able to beat the best players regularly. Cincinnati was a great feeling, beating the World No. 1 and World No. 2 in the same week. I don’t think I’ve done that before. Then, of course, there’s also disappointment. I lost too many times in finals. But at the same time, I’m just happy that the last one-and-a-half years I have been again very consistent. I’m playing the right way, and also in a way that’s fun for me. If I decide to have long rallies and stay back, I can do that. If I decide to move forward and step it up, I can do that, too.”
10 Questions For 2016: Part 1