Singapore: Kvitova Interview
An interview with Petra Kvitova after her loss in the final of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
An interview with Petra Kvitova after her loss in the final of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
The WTA stars have been taking part in kids clinic after kids clinic in the Italian capital this week.
Angelique Kerber, one of the hottest players of the clay court season, was among those taking part.
As was fellow left-hander Petra Kvitova, who’s fresh off the Premier Mandatory-level title in Madrid.
Eugenie Bouchard, who found her feet on clay at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, took part as well.
One of the young girls even outfoxed Bouchard on the mini-tennis court – maybe a future WTA star?
The fans didn’t just get to hit with the WTA stars, they even got to ask some questions to them…
A few lucky ones got autographs, including this young fan who got Simona Halep’s coveted autograph.
And all of them got a photo to remember. Stay tuned for all the best from Rome here on wtatennis.com!
Doubles duo Abigail Spears and Raquel Kops-Jones got a bit of an adrenaline rush as they tried out zip-lining in this episode of WTA Live Fan Access presented by Xerox.
The WTA stars, including Maria Sharapova, did the traditional pre-tournament press in Rome this week.
Serena Williams, like Sharapova a multiple former champion in Rome, was among those WTA stars.
Simona Halep turned her career around in Rome two years ago – can she go all the way to the title?
Flavia Pennetta made history for Italy in 2009, becoming their first Top 10 player, now first of three.
Caroline Wozniacki and Ana Ivanovic held an impromptu joint pre-tourney press conference on Sunday.
Wozniacki and Ivanovic are both former No.1 players in the world and Dubai Duty Free Ambassadors.
They’ve also both stopped by the Rolex suite this week, meetings VIPs and signing the autograph board.
They’re both former semifinalists in Rome – Wozniacki in 2011, and Ivanovic in 2010 and 2014.
LIMOGES, France/HUA HIN, Thailand – This week wtatennis.com is offering free live streaming from the third and fourth WTA 125K Series tournaments of 2015: the Engie Open de Limoges and the EA Hua Hin 125 Series presented by Singha.
Watch free live streaming from Limoges, France and Hua Hin, Thailand all week right here!
Limoges boats a solid field, featuring top seed and Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai semifinalist Elina Svitolina; the WTA Rising Star plans to end her season strongly, but will need to get past the likes of No.2 seed Lesia Tsurenko and fellow WTA Rising Stars like No.3 seed and WTA Rising Stars Invitational runner-up Caroline Garcia, No.4 seed Annika Beck, No.6 seed Margarita Gasparyan, and No.8 seed and Generali Ladies Linz finalist, Anna-Lena Friedsam. Former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone will also be present in the bottom half of the draw.
Svitolina openes against hometown favorite Pauline Parmentier, who has tended to play her best tennis at home – reaching the second week of Roland Garros in 2014. Former No.26 Tamira Paszek also looms in Svitolina’s quarter, and has a chance for revenge against rising Romanian Andreea Mitu, who defeated the talented Austrian at a French challenger last week in Nantes.
Hua Hin is another WTA 125K Series event headlined by recent maiden WTA titlist Misaki Doi. The Japanesewoman captured her first WTA trophy at the BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open, and will surely be eager to capitalize on that momentum before the off-season. WTA Rising Stars Naomi Osaka and Zhu Lin are both in Doi’s section of the draw; the two come off Singapore debuts, having participated in the WTA Rising Stars Invitational, which Osaka won over Garcia. Doi’s countrywoman opens against No.8 seed Evgeniya Rodina, while Zhu plays another WTA Rising Star in Patricia Maria Tig, who made her first WTA final in Baku as a qualifier.
On the other half of the draw is No.2 seed and WTA Rising Star Zheng Saisai; can the 2010 Youth Olympic silver medalist win a second WTA 125K Series event – having already won the singles and doubles titles in Dalian – and keep up the form that helped her take a set from eventual champion Venus Williams in Zhuhai? Her quarter features another Singapore starlet in Timea Babos; the No.7 seed made her first BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global in doubles alongside fellow WTA Rising Star, Kristina Mladenovic – who was the winner of the first-ever WTA 125K Series tournament three years ago in Taipei.
Watch them attempt to follow in Mladenovic’s footsteps all week here on wtatennis.com!
The world’s best eight players return to the O2 Arena this week ahead of Sunday’s start of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers looks at the career performances at the season finale of the eight contenders across three key categories: break points saved, second serve points won and return games won.
Break Points Saved
Over 13 appearances at the tournament, Roger Federer has saved almost two-thirds (64 percent) of all break points he has faced to top the list. Stan Wawrinka has played only two Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, but he comes in second on 63.3 percent. Tomas Berdych (62 percent) and Novak Djokovic (60 percent) round out the four players with a 60-percent-or-better clip.
| Player | % | |
| 1. | Roger Federer | 64.0 |
| 2. | Stan Wawrinka | 63.3 |
| 3. | Tomas Berdych | 62.0 |
| 4. | Novak Djokovic | 60.0 |
| 5. | Rafael Nadal | 59.2 |
| 6. | Kei Nishikori | 58.0 |
| 7. | Andy Murray | 56.9 |
| 8. | David Ferrer | 52.7 |
Second Serve Points Won
Federer also has the best record on second-serve points won. The six-time Barclays ATP World Tour Finals champion has clinched 55 percent of second-serve points. Three players are neck and neck for second, with Djokovic (54 percent), marginally better in this department than the two Spaniards, Rafael Nadal (53.7 percent) and David Ferrer (53.4 percent). Wawrinka is the other player among this year’s field who has won more than half his second-serve points at the finale, with 52 percent.
| Player | % | |
| 1. | Roger Federer | 55.0 |
| 2. | Novak Djokovic | 54.0 |
| 3. | Rafael Nadal | 53.7 |
| 4. | David Ferrer | 53.4 |
| 5. | Stan Wawrinka | 52.0 |
| 6. | Andy Murray | 48.7 |
| 7. | Tomas Berdych | 45.9 |
| 8. | Kei Nishikori | 39.5 |
Return Games Won
On the receiving end, it is again Federer who tops the table, claiming 27.4 percent of return games, with Djokovic again narrowly holding down the second-best percentage on return games won at 25.6 percent. Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori are close behind, tied on 25 percent, rounding out the four players who win more than a quarter of their return games.
| Player | % | |
| 1. | Roger Federer | 27.4 |
| 2. | Novak Djokovic | 25.6 |
| 3. | Stan Wawrinka | 25.0 |
| 3. | Kei Nishikori | 25.0 |
| 5. | David Ferrer | 24.7 |
| 6. | Andy Murray | 22.6 |
| 7. | Rafael Nadal | 20.4 |
| 8. | Tomas Berdych | 14.1 |
– With statistical assistance from Graham Edgar
Dig deeper at Inofsys ATP Scores & Stats
Fans of the WTA have had a number of golden opportunities to interact with their sheroes in Madrid.
The Mutua Madrid Open has been holding a number of fan experiences with the stars of women’s tennis.
Angelique Kerber, Charleston and Stuttgart champion, met her fans at an autograph session for Adecco.
Agnieszka Radwanska is another one of the WTA stars who have met their many fans at autograph sessions.
The Pole, who stormed into the last 16 of the Premier Mandatory event on Monday, took photos as well.
She’s one of the most popular players on the tour – she’s won WTA Fan Favorite Player four years running.
But you can also get autographs on the practice courts, as Andrea Hlavackova demonstrated this weekend.
The fans have had chances to hit with the stars of the WTA and ATP World Tour on the practice courts.
Garbiñe Muguruza, Spain’s No.2 player after Carla Suárez Navarro, hit with a few lucky young fans.
The WTA Rising Star broke into the Top 20 after a breakout 2014 season and looks to be going up and up.
Martina Hingis, a former World No.1 in both singles and doubles, also hit with some lucky young fans.
She came out of retirement in 2013 to play doubles again, and is currently on a roll with Sania Mirza.
She and Mirza won their first three tournaments together and are the No.1 seeds in the Spanish capital.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova posed for a picture with two very happy fans after hitting with them.
There’s been a lot of activity at the Selfie Corner, too – Sam Stosur is among those who’ve stopped by.
WTA players have been posing with the loyal fans in Madrid – this FedFan was also a big Stosur fan.
Stosur feels very at home on clay – she snapped Kerber’s perfect 11-0 start to the clay court season here.
And then, one of the most charismatic players on the tour – Andrea Petkovic – met her many, many fans.
The German, who reached her first major semifinal at Roland Garros a year ago, was essentially swarmed.
Where’s Petko? Stay tuned to wtatennis.com for all of the latest from on and off the court in Madrid!
ZHUHAI, China – An on-fire Venus Williams overpowered Roberta Vinci in 65 minutes to reach the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai final. It was her milestone 40th match win of the year.
Watch live action from Zhuhai throughout the week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
The last time the two played there was almost nothing separating them – Williams actually had to fight off a match point to beat Vinci in the semifinals of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open a month ago.
But this time it was one-way traffic from start to finish, as the No.1-seeded Williams unleashed big serves and groundstrokes into the corners time and time again to completely overpower the No.4-seeded Vinci, breaking serve six times – including in the final game – en route to a 6-2, 6-2 victory.
“Wow, first final here – I’m very honored to be in the first final in Zhuhai!” Williams said in her on-court interview after the match. “Today wasn’t an easy match – every game was really well-contested and she never gave me any points. She’s had a great year; I felt like I really earned the win today.”
Williams not only improved to 5-0 lifetime against Vinci, but this was also her 40th match win of the year – a milestone she hasn’t hit since all the way back in 2008 (when she had 40 total for the year).
Nine of those wins have come in China – six to win the Wuhan title, three so far in Zhuhai.
“China’s been good to me this year!” Williams said. “I played well in Wuhan, and now another final here in Zhuhai, and I hope I can win one more match. It won’t be easy – I’m looking forward to it.”
And what does the seven-time Grand Slam champion think of the tournament, which is in its first year?
“It’s just an experience for the players – this has been amazing,” Williams said. “Of course, the participation from the fans is another amazing moment. And engagement of the city. Again, amazing.
“So all of these things are happening perfectly, and it can only get better, which is awesome.”
Williams will be playing in the 78th WTA final of her career. She’s 47-30 in the first 77.
Vinci’s 2015 season is now finished, but what a finish it was. Having gone into the US Open with a 21-20 record and ranked No.43, the Italian will now finish well inside the Top 20 thanks largely to three huge results – her first Grand Slam final in Flushing Meadows and semifinals in Wuhan and here.
.@VenusesWilliams on her way to her 3rd final of 2015! #WTAEliteTrophy https://t.co/vHfAYNMcyu
— WTA (@WTA) November 7, 2015
ATP World Tour players have voted Benoit Paire as the Comeback Player Of The Year.
Paire had been lingering inside the Top 50 for a few years when a left knee injury forced him to struggle through 2014. But it didn’t take long for the talented Frenchman to regain his footing this year. He took out No. 28 seed Fabio Fognini en route to the third round at Roland Garros (l. to Tomas Berdych), and the following month captured his first ATP World Tour title in Bastad (d. Robredo), becoming the sixth first-time titlist of 2015. In doing so, he also became the first player since Steve Darcis in 2007 to win an ATP World Tour, ATP Challenger Tour and ITF Futures title in the same season. But arguably his greatest moment came at the US Open, where he shocked World No. 4 and defending champion Kei Nishikori in the opening round in five sets. It marked his third Top-10 win and first over a Top-5 opponent. In October, he fell short in his bid for second career title, losing to top seed Wawrinka in the Tokyo final. He backed up his US Open upset of Nishikori by beating the Japanese star in the semi-finals.
Other Nominees
ALJAZ BEDENE
After a left wrist injury brought his 2014 to an abrupt end, Slovenian-turned Brit Bedene has returned to the ATP World Tour and is enjoying one of the most productive campaigns of his seven-year pro career. In the first week of the 2015 season the 26-year-old qualified for Chennai, then went on to defeat three of the top five seeds en route to his first ATP World Tour final (l. to Stan Wawrinka). In July, he dispatched No. 23-ranked Roberto Bautista Agut in two tie-break sets in the second round in Hamburg, and later this summer he saved two match points to defeat No. 11 Gilles Simon in Winston-Salem.
JOHN MILLMAN
A serious shoulder injury suffered midway through 2013 had the 26-year-old doubting whether he could play at an elite level again. But he kicked off 2015 by pushing 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer to three sets in his hometown of Brisbane. After upsetting Tommy Robredo to reach the second round at Wimbledon, he claimed a pair of Challenger titles in Lexington and Aptos. In the fall, he again took out Robredo in reaching the Round of 16 in Beijing.
JACK SOCK
The American has had much to overcome in 2015. Due to hip surgery, he didn’t play his first match until Indian Wells in March. His knee kept him from playing at 100 percent during a first-round loss at Wimbledon. After winning the first two sets of his second-round match against Ruben Bemelmans at the US Open, he collapsed to the court, a victim of the soaring humidity. But as the 23-year-old noted via Twitter, “life is full of speed bumps, but I’ll be back even stronger.” In the midst of it all, he captured his first ATP World Tour title in Houston (d. Sam Querrey), recording four straight wins over seeded players in the process. In May, he recorded his eighth Top-20 win over No. 11 Grigor Dimitrov at Roland Garros, where he went on to become the youngest American into the fourth round since Pete Sampras in 1993. He made his Davis Cup debut in September, leading the US back into World Group with a pair of singles wins against Uzbekistan. In October, Sock teamed with Vasek Pospisil for their fourth career doubles title in Beijing.
| Name | 2014 Ranking | 2015 Ranking | 2015 Record |
| Aljaz Bedene | 145 | 50 | 15-14 |
| John Millman | 159 | 76 | 4-8 |
| Benoit Paire | 118 | 23 | 23-15 |
| Jack Sock | 42 | 32 | 28-15 |
Table values correct as at 19 October, 2015
The ATP launched a new initiative on Tuesday, aimed at celebrating the former champions of the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, as well as recognising all singles players and doubles teams to have qualified for the Tour’s season-ending tournament since the inaugural event in Tokyo in 1970.
Buy Your Tickets Now
The Finals Club initiative will see many of the game’s former greats from the past 45 years return to the season-ending tournament, where they will be able to reconnect with the sport, their peers, as well as the world’s best players of today.
While players from subsequent decades will be celebrated in future years, the launch of the Finals Club this year will be highlighted by the renaming of Groups A and B for both the singles and doubles in honour of players that made an indelible mark on the tournament in the 1970s.
In singles:
– Group A will be renamed in honour of Stan Smith, winner of the inaugural tournament in Tokyo in 1970.
– Group B will be renamed in honour of Ilie Nastase, a four-time winner of the event from 1971-1973 and ’75.
In doubles:
– Group A will be renamed Ashe/Smith, in honour of Arthur Ashe & Stan Smith, winners of the inaugural tournament in Tokyo in 1970.
– Group B will be renamed Fleming/McEnroe, in honour of Peter Fleming & John McEnroe, seven-time consecutive winners of the tournament.
“This tournament has such a rich and unique history, and the Finals Club will provide us with a great way to celebrate that moving forward,” said Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman & President. “Qualifying for this tournament is an incredible achievement in itself. The Finals Club will keep our former players involved with our season-ending event, and we look forward to welcoming players from the 1970s at The O2 this year, as well as players from subsequent decades in years to come.”
For Smith, the chance to witness the world’s best at The O2 is something to relish. “I look forward to returning to the season finale and to joining many of my fellow competitors from the 1970s in the gallery,” said Smith. “As we marvel at the performances of the likes of Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, I will also reflect on the incredible growth of men’s professional tennis and reminisce with rivals turned friends. I’ll forever remember winning the very first singles and doubles event in Tokyo in 1970, and I’m truly honoured that the ATP has chosen to celebrate its history by renaming the groups in this way for 2015.”
The singles and doubles draw ceremony for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals will take place on Thursday evening at City Hall in London.