Ana Ivanovic's Best Shots Of 2015
Miracle forehands, twirling backhands, delicious lobs – Ana Ivanovic unleashed all kinds of hot shots in 2015. Watch some of the former No.1’s best right here!
Miracle forehands, twirling backhands, delicious lobs – Ana Ivanovic unleashed all kinds of hot shots in 2015. Watch some of the former No.1’s best right here!
5. Richard Gasquet d. Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 11-9, Wimbledon quarter-finals
Stan Wawrinka entered Wimbledon on the heels of his monumental victory at Roland Garros, halting Novak Djokovic’s date with career Grand Slam destiny. The Swiss would dispel any notion of an emotional hangover after clinching his second major title, wasting no time in streaking to the quarter-finals at the All England Club without dropping a set.
In their third FedEx ATP Head2Head clash, Wawrinka took a two-sets-to-one lead against No. 21 seed Richard Gasquet and the stars appeared to be aligned for a rematch against Djokovic in the semis. Gasquet had lost an 8-6 fifth set to Wawrinka in their most recent meeting two years ago at Roland Garros, but refused to suffer the same fate despite failing to serve out the match at 5-3 in the decisive set and being a break point down at 9-all.
Gasquet had reached the last four at a Grand Slam on only two previous occasions, including Wimbledon 2007, but the Frenchman would complete the comeback after a marathon fifth set.
Wawrinka earned a break chance at 9-9, 30/40, but could not deliver. He made a trio of errors in the next game to bring up triple match point for Gasquet. The Frenchman converted on his third opportunity to seal victory after three hours and 28 minutes, falling to the No. 1 Court grass in celebration as he booked his return to the semis.
One year earlier, Gasquet had been on the wrong end of a Wimbledon heart-breaker, losing 10-8 in the fifth to Nick Kyrgios in the second round after blowing nine match points.
“It was a great match, playing the winner of Roland Garros in a quarter-final of a Grand Slam, so I needed to keep focused and to fight,” said Gasquet, who would eventually fall in straight sets to Djokovic. “Of course, it’s a very nice victory for me to win against him 11-9 in the fifth. It’s great.”
4. Leonardo Mayer d. Joao Souza 7-6(4), 7-6(5), 5-7, 5-7, 15-13, Davis Cup first round
Argentina and Brazil are two of the fiercest international rivals in all of sport and their border battle would live up to the hype in the Davis Cup first round. Leonardo Mayer and Joao Souza supplied the drama with a pulsating six-hour and 43-minute marathon as the Argentines faced elimination entering Sunday’s reverse singles.
A win for Mayer and the tie would extend to deciding rubber, while victory for Souza would put Brazil through to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2001. What would ensue would be the longest singles match in Davis Cup history and the second-longest tour-level singles match, behind only John Isner and Nicolas Mahut’s legendary 11-hour battle at Wimbledon 2010. With countryman Juan Martin del Potro in attendance, Mayer would survive a dogged effort by Souza 15-13 in the fifth set in the fading sunlight in Buenos Aires. He converted his 11th match point, firing 16 aces and 89 winners, while overcoming 134 unforced errors. In total, Mayer won 244 points to Souza’s 233.
“I couldn’t feel prouder of him,” said captain Daniel Orsanic. “What he did today is amazing, not only for the way they both played tennis. It goes beyond that. His spirit, his effort. He played with cramps for such a long time. What he’s just experienced back there is amazing. His family, himself, they cannot be [any] prouder. They have to be really happy with that achievement. Then for us, it was a very important point because it keeps us alive, and now we’re playing the fifth.”
Mayer exacted revenge on Souza after the Brazilian prevailed in the quarter-finals of the ATP World Tour 250 event in Sao Paulo just three weeks prior. Federico Delbonis would complete the comeback a day later for Argentina, defeating Thomaz Bellucci in four sets to send the nation through to the next round.
3. Roger Federer d. Andy Murray 7-5, 7-5, 6-4, Wimbledon semi-finals
Seven times a champion on the lawns of the All England Club, Roger Federer has made many memories at the Wimbledon Championships. With no shortage of jaw-dropping performances over the years, the Swiss maestro added to his sparkling résumé at the grass-court Grand Slam in the semi-finals of the 2015 edition.
Andy Murray played a great match, but Federer turned in a majestic serving and shotmaking display. In reaching an unprecedented 10th Wimbledon final, he became the oldest men’s finalist since Ken Rosewall in 1974. The second seed fired 56 winners and 20 aces, winning a sterling 84 per cent of first-serve points and saving the lone break point faced.
“He served fantastic,” said Murray. “I didn’t really have any opportunities. That puts pressure on you. The pressure builds throughout the set that way. Obviously I got broken right at the end of all of the sets. But I didn’t actually play a bad match. I played pretty well.”
“I’ve been serving very well for the entire tournament,” Federer reflected. “I wasn’t broken against one of the best returners. I kept the pressure up and went for my shots. I mixed it up like I usually do and kept pushing forward and staying focused. It all worked out really well.”
Federer would eventually fall to World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the final, which was a record 26th title match at the major level. He would add a 27th final two months later at the US Open.
Coming Thursday: The 2 Best Grand Slam Matches of 2015
Grigor Dimitrov would be the first to admit that 2015 did not go as planned. But with Franco Davin in his corner, the 24 year old is feeling alive again on the tennis court and ready to go full throttle in preparation for what could be a pivotal 2016.
“I’ll be honest, it’s been very hard,” says Grigor Dimitrov when drawing conclusions on his 2015 campaign.
Expectations had been high for Dimitrov coming into the season. The right-hander, had appeared to be on the brink of realising his enormous potential at the end of 2014, having risen to World No. 8 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and beaten Andy Murray to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final at Wimbledon.
But mixed results in the first half of 2015 heralded a change in team for Dimitrov, who parted ways with Australian coach Roger Rasheed following a third-round exit at Wimbledon. He would finish the season just inside the world’s Top 30 at No. 28, with his best results coming in semi-final showings at ATP World Tour 250 tournaments in Brisbane and Istanbul.
“At some points, a few doubts have come into my head and even though I’m working, sometimes I’ve just felt down,” Dimitrov explains. “Even though I was working, I still didn’t have a good perception of myself. I was like, ‘OK, I’m working hard but nothing is coming, nothing is paying off’.
“But that’s part of the game and right about now I’m starting to understand what happened to me this year and all of the mistakes I made. In a way, as negative as it has been, I think it’s good that everything happened to me that way. I’ve experienced both worlds now. One day you’re Top 10 – I was No. 8 in the world – next day I was No. 28. So it’s a great contrast for me and I’m looking at things in a different way right now.”
A learning curve it may well prove to be, but at a time when he was expecting to push on in his career and begin to challenge for major trophies, 2015 presented Dimitrov with obstacle after obstacle, disappointment after disappointment. It was too much frustration in one season for the Bulgarian to digest at times.
“I wish I could say it’s only been character building for me this year, but too many things happened” he reflects. “The main thing on and off the court was structuring a team, which is one of the toughest things. I think that took a lot out of me.
“When things are not in place, I tend to get a little bit impatient and I just want to do what’s right for me. In doing so, I felt like I neglected my game a lot with the way I’ve been practising and the way I’ve been doing things. I can only blame myself for that and no-one else.”
But it is with a sense of excitement and hope that Dimitrov finished his 2015 campaign. You only need to scroll through his Instagram account to see that Dimitrov is a young man who loves life. And it’s hard to keep that spirit and energy subdued for long.
The Haskovo native installed Juan Martin del Potro’s long-time coach and mentor, Franco Davin, in his team just before the Asian swing. After just a few weeks together, Dimitrov’s self-perception has already taken a big upswing.
“It’s good to finally feel alive again a little bit and I think that’s been happening to me in the past weeks,” Dimitrov reveals. “I feel like I’ve got the spark again and I’m feeling motivated, which is a pretty good feeling.”
The Bulgarian closed the season with a run to the third round at the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris, where he claimed his biggest win since May when he upset No. 11-ranked Marin Cilic in the second round before falling in a close contest to David Ferrer.
While such testing draws could be a source of frustration now that his ranking has dropped, Dimitrov is almost revelling in working his way back to his best and challenging himself against the world’s best.
“[A big win] happened in the last tournament of the year, which is fine. Better late than never, I guess! It was a good test for me to see where I’m at, how I’m moving physically and where my game is. I have to struggle a little bit now as well, playing Cilic in the second round is no fun. But that’s the beauty of it I feel.”
Having begun his pre-season preparations in Monte-Carlo, Dimitrov will now continue his work with Davin in the sunnier climes of Florida. With a more settled foundation off the court, the Bulgarian is excited at what next season could bring. Whatever happens, it won’t be for lack of hard work or honest self-reflection.
“I’m really looking forward to a long-term approach now, for whatever I do,” says Dimitrov. “It took me so long structuring a good team. It’s always hard finding the right people around you, but once you have it, you’ve got to treasure it and work.”
Second season syndrome is an ailment familiar to most sports fans. As the name suggests, it afflicts those sports men, women and teams that struggle to follow up a breakthrough season or notable triumph.
Last year, 40 wins (two of them against Top 10 opponents), a maiden WTA final and a run to the last eight the US Open confirmed that Belinda Bencic’s transformation from wunderkind to elite player was well ahead of schedule.
But, having ascended the WTA ranks so rapidly, how would she respond to the spotlight focused on its summit? How would her cerebral game stand up to further examination from the biggest hitters? And how would she handle the prospect of defending that not inconsiderable haul of ranking points?
Well, rather impressively, as it turns out.
Given her well-publicized ties with Martina Hingis, it was perhaps unsurprising that her game clicked into gear on the grass, following a runner-up finish in ‘s-Hertogenbosch with a title in Eastbourne and then a fourth round run at Wimbledon.
The 18-year-old was even more impressive on the cement, picking up further silverware – and wins over Serena Williams and Simona Halep – in Toronto, before reaching the final in Tokyo as her knocking on the door of the Top 10 became ever louder.
However, despite the clamor from fans and media for immediate success, Bencic knows the path to the top is rarely a smooth one.
“The media, public and fans put higher expectations on me. I lost a couple of times in the first round and they were already talking about a crisis, but I knew what I needed to do,” Bencic said in a recent interview with Tages Anzeiger. “There are periods when things don’t go perfectly, but on grass I started very well and from then I had a lot of confidence.
“It takes some time to feel this confidence in your tennis. And with one or two losses you can lose it quickly.”
The upside of a slow start last time around is that Bencic has relatively few points to defend in the first half of 2016, giving her a golden opportunity to break into the Top 10 – she is currently 690 points behind No.10-ranked Angelique Kerber.
“It would better if expectations were not so high. I need to back up the things I did well this season. I’ve nothing to defend at the beginning of the year so I can get a lot of points. The road to winning a Slam is still long one. In a Slam you need to win seven matches against the best players, so we’ll see.”
Before embarking on the next stage of her journey, the Swiss indulged in some well-deserved rest and relaxation in Dubai and the Maldives alongside fellow young prospect Kristina Mladenovic, debunking the myth that there is no place for friends on tour.
However, such is the level of competition at the top, the two have not been taking it easy on their travels. “We’ve not been lazy, almost every day we have been on the court and we have been running too. We needed to practice, I don’t know how other athletes do but we can’t live without it.”
Holiday is never just a holiday??? @KikiMladenovic pic.twitter.com/gBhfsVMoJJ
— Belinda Bencic (@BelindaBencic) November 7, 2015
From the best matches to rivalries and hot shots to off-court highlights, we look back on the storylines and players that made the year memorable
BEST RIVALRIES
Nishikori vs Raonic
Djokovic vs Wawrinka
Djokovic vs Murray
Nadal vs Fognini
Djokovic vs Federer
BEST MATCHES
5 Best Matches: Grand Slams, 3-5
5 Best Matches: Grand Slams, 1-2
5 Best Matches: ATP World Tour, 3-5
5 Best Matches: ATP World Tour, 1-2
5 Biggest ATP World Tour Upsets
5 Biggest Grand Slam Upsets
5 Biggest ATP World Tour Comebacks
5 Biggest Grand Slam Comebacks
BEST MEDIA
Best Hot Shots
Best Challenger Hot Shots
Best Photos
BEST STATS
Best Under Pressure
Best By Surface
Beyond The Numbers, Part 1
Beyond The Numbers, Part 2
Beyond The Numbers, Part 3
BEST OF THE REST
Doubles Review
Best 100 Quotes, Part 1
Best 100 Quotes, Part 2
ATP Challenger Tour Review
Best Young Guns
Best Social Media
Best Off-Court Moments
Retirements, Part 1
Retirements, Part 2
First-Time Winners, Part 1
First-Time Winners, Part 2
SARASOTA, FL, USA – It was December 2, 1973, a Sunday, when one of the all-time greats in women’s tennis came into this world. Monica Seles won nine Grand Slam titles – including seven of eight at one point – and reached World No.1, spending 178 weeks there, the sixth-most all-time.
But she was so much more than just her historic results. She was a pioneer of the power game – the first player to hit with full power off both sides, which has become the strategy of choice today. She broke through at such a young age – youngest French Open champion, youngest No.1 (at the time) and youngest WTA Finals champion. And perhaps most inspirational of all, her 1995 comeback didn’t just captivate the tennis world, it captivated the world – and it was a winning comeback, no less.
So we at wtatennis.com would like to wish the fabulous Monica Seles a happy, happy birthday!
And here are pics of her nine biggest titles – those nine Grand Slams – courtesy of Getty Images:
1990 French Open
Seles won her first Grand Slam title at the 1990 French Open, beating Steffi Graf, who was No.1 at the time, in the final. At 16 years and 6 months, she was the youngest champion in French Open history.
1991 Australian Open
Playing in Melbourne for the first time, Seles went all the way to the Australian Open title in 1991, saving a match point to beat Mary Joe Fernandez in the semis then beating Jana Novotna in the final.
1991 French Open
Seles, now No.1 in the world herself, hit through three straight clay court gurus – Conchita Martínez, Gabriela Sabatini and Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario – to successfully defend the French Open in 1991.
1991 US Open
Having missed Wimbledon, Seles kept her Grand Slam winning streak going at the US Open in 1991, edging Jennifer Capriati in a legendary semifinal clash and then beating Martina Navratilova in the final.
1992 Australian Open
Seles put together another dynamite Grand Slam season in 1992, winning three of the four majors – beginning with the Australian Open, where she beat Fernandez in the final, in straight sets this time.
1992 French Open
Seles edged Graf in an absolute classic of a final, 6-2, 3-6, 10-8, to win her third consecutive French Open title. Ana Ivanovic has said that match was one of her inspirations to pick up a racquet.
1992 US Open
After seeing her Grand Slam win streak snapped at 41 matches in a row by Graf in the Wimbledon final, Seles got right back on the horse with another US Open title, beating Sánchez-Vicario in the final.
1993 Australian Open
And she won her third straight Aussie Open in 1993, beating Graf in the final – her third title in three career Australian Opens. At that point she had won 55 of her last 56 Grand Slam matches.
1996 Australian Open
Seles won her ninth and last major at the 1996 Australian Open, winning a semifinal thriller against fellow American Chanda Rubin and then beating first-time Grand Slam finalist Anke Huber for the title.
November 02, 2015
Petra, Maria, Aga, Aga, Aga – the hot shots just kept coming at the WTA Finals in Singapore last week. Catch up on all of them in one video right here on wtatennis.com.
Andy Murray and British team welcomed at No. 10 Downing Street
Two days after their historic Davis Cup triumph over Belgium in Ghent, the winning British team was invited to meet with Prime Minister David Cameron at No. 10 Downing Street in London on Tuesday.
World No. 2 Andy Murray was joined by team captain Leon Smith, Jamie Murray, Kyle Edmund, James Ward and Dominic Inglot for a reception at the official residence and the office of the British Prime Minister.
“It was a real privilege to visit the Prime Minister at No. 10 today,” said Smith. “We really appreciate the fact he took time out of his busy schedule to recognise the historic achievement over the weekend. We hope the team’s victory will inspire the next generation of players and kids to play tennis, as we all care passionately about our sport.”
The Murray brothers starred at the weekend as Great Britain defeated Belgium 3-1 to win the ITF men’s team championship for the first time since 1936. Andy Murray won both his singles matches against Ruben Bemelmans and David Goffin as well as uniting with his older brother, Jamie, for a crucial doubles victory.
Both Murray brothers will make an appearance during the Champions Tennis event at the Royal Albert Hall this week in London.
Continuing our Season In Review series, ATPWorldTour.com revisits the fiercest rivalries of 2015. Today we feature Novak Djokovic vs. Roger Federer:
Was there more compelling marquee match-up in 2015 than Novak Djokovic vs. Roger Federer, the Hall of Fame-caliber clash of titans? It seems there’s always so much on the line when these two face together, and the longtime foes battled it out in no less than SEVEN finals on the year.
“I think it’s really become a very nice rivalry,” noted Federer. “It seems people like the way we play against each other. I don’t think we have to adjust our games very much against each other. We can just play our game, and then the better man wins. It’s been nice seeing Novak’s improvements over all these years. He’s become such an unbelievable player, especially the last five, six years, and he’s cleaned up his game so nicely and became the best mover in the game. It’s really a pleasure playing against him every single time.”
“We always make each other play our best tennis,” Djokovic concurred. “We require from each other the maximum focus and commitment, and that’s what raises the quality of the match. That’s why he’s who he is.”
Federer once dominated the Swiss-Serb encounter. In fact, he won seven of their first 10 meetings. But after claiming five of eight matches against Federer in 2015, including title matches at Wimbledon, the US Open finals and the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, as well as ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Rome, the FedEx ATP Head2Head now stands at an even 22-22. To think that when they first faced each other in Monaco back in 2006, a 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 Round of 64 decision in Federer’s favor, Djokovic was still somewhat of an unknown commodity. After that first encounter, Federer asserted, “I mean, he was all right from the baseline and everything. I think he’s still got many areas where he can improve, so there is some potential.”
Potential? You got that right.
Though Federer would strike first with a 6-3, 7-5 victory in the Dubai final, Djokovic would reel off three straight trophy-clinching wins in Indian Wells (6-3, 6-7(5), 6-2), Rome (6-4, 6-3) and Wimbledon (7-6(1), 6-7(10), 6-4, 6-3), where for a second straight year he would get the better of the seven-time champion. In doing so, he became the first player since the Swiss in 2007 to successfully defend his title at the All England Club.
Federer would bounce back in Cincinnati with an aggressive 7-6(1), 6-3 win over Djokovic, who was bidding to complete a Career Golden Masters. It was his seventh ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati, proving that at he’s far from finished.
“He’s just not going away,” said Djokovic of his 34-year-old opponent. “He’s not dropping his level too much. He’s always going to be out there making you play your best if you want to win. So that’s who Roger is. That’s why he has won so many Grand Slam titles.”
For the second time in his career, Djokovic would win his third major of the year at the US Open, this one at the expense of Federer under the lights in Arthur Ashe Stadium 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. The win put the World No. 1 in double digits for major titles, making him the eighth player to accomplish the feat. But there was more. The all-time greats would split decisions at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, though it was Djokovic who would claim his fourth consecutive year-end title.
Djokovic vs. Federer: 2015 Meetings
| Event | Surface | Round | Winner | Score |
| Dubai | Hard | F | Federer | 6-3, 7-5 |
| Indian Wells | Hard | F | Djokovic | 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-2 |
| Rome | Clay | F | Djokovic | 6-4, 6-3 |
| Wimbledon | Grass | F | Djokovic | 7-6(1), 6-7(10), 6-4, 6-3 |
| Cincinnati | Hard | F | Federer | 7-6(1), 6-3 |
| US Open | Hard | F | Djokovic | 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 |
| Barclays ATP World Tour Finals | Hard | RR | Federer | 7-5, 6-2 |
| Barclays ATP World Tour Finals | Hard | F | Djokovic | 6-3, 6-4 |
Djokovic vs. Federer FedEx ATP Head2Head
Catch more of the ATP World Tour Season In Review coverage of Best Rivalries here:
Rafael Nadal vs. Fabio Fognini
Novak Djokovic vs. Stan Wawrinka
Novak Djokovic vs. Andy Murray
Kei Nishikori vs. Milos Raonic
On Episode 9, Courtney Nguyen talks to Madison Keys and CoCo Vandeweghe, two young Americans who left their mark on the 2015 season.
First up, hear from 20-year-old Keys, who started the year off with a bang, defeating Petra Kvitova and Venus Williams en route to her first major semifinal at the Australian Open. Keys also made the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and final at the Family Circle Cup, but as she looks to 2016 she’s hoping to put her rollercoaster season behind her.
Then you’ll hear from 23-year-old CoCo Vandeweghe, who also notched her best major result this year with a fantastic run to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, an impressive feat given she entered the season having never progressed past the second round at any major. She overcame a spate of injuries to finish inside the Top 40 for the second year in a row.
Vandeweghe joins the podcast from her training base in San Diego to talk about her season as well as her current charity efforts on behalf of the Women’s Sports Foundation, an organization founded by Billie Jean King in 1974 dedicated to advancing the lives of girls and women through sports and physical activity. Vandeweghe is one of over a dozen athletes working to raise money for the WSF’s Travel & Training fund, which provides direct financial assistance to aspiring athletes who have the potential to achieve even higher performance and rankings. Past grant recipients include Kristi Yamaguchi, Michelle Kwan, Picabo Street, and Kerri Strug. It’s a cause close to Vandeweghe’s heart. Despite her famous lineage, the financial obstacles to pursuing her dream of becoming a pro tennis player were very real.
You can donate to the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Travel & Training Fund, click here: https://www.crowdrise.com/cocovandeweghesfaceo