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Insider Podcast: Coaching With Cahill

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

PARIS, France – On a special Dropshot edition of the podcast, top tennis coach and commentator Darren Cahill joins the team at Radio Roland Garros to discuss why he chose to team up with Simona Halep, what his time in Romania has been like, and he expands on his coaching philosophy.

As Cahill says, he coaches Simona because he wants to, not because he has to. “I don’t have to do this,” he says. “I’m very lucky. I’ve worked with many great players, like Hewitt and Agassi. I want to do it. I think the world of her, I think she’s a great person, I think she’s a wonderful talent. I’m away from my family 25-30 weeks a year. Some people see it as a sacrifice. I look at it as a choice.”

More from Cahill: “I think a coach has to do their job and sometimes that is delivering a tough message. I haven’t always delivered the positive message to Simona, there have been times like in Rome, I delivered a couple of tough messages to her. They were not taken in a positive way straight way, but in time you go back on them and you talk about those discussions and you try and learn from them.

“And a coach is not always right either. Part of a coach’s job is to try and coach through the player’s eyes. I look at tennis a certain way and there are certain things that happen on the court and I don’t understand why they’re happening. So I have to sit down and ask questions to the player as to why they’re making certain decisions in those moment and quite often I’m wrong because the player doesn’t see tennis the way I do. So a good coach I think learns to coach a player through their eyes.”

Tune in to Radio Roland Garros for more interview and commentary from the French Open.

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or on any podcast app of your choice and reviews are always helpful, so if you like what you’ve heard so far, leave us one. You can also get new episode alerts by following us on Twitter @WTA_Insider.

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Sánchez-Vicario Named WTA Finals Ambassador

Sánchez-Vicario Named WTA Finals Ambassador

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

PARIS, France – The WTA announced on Tuesday that 29-time WTA singles and 69-time doubles champion Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario will return as an ambassador to the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global 2016.

“I had a great experience at the WTA Finals in Singapore last year – spectator support was fantastic and the atmosphere was electric,” the three-time French Open champion said at a press conference held at Roland Garros. “I am honored to return, as it gives me the opportunity to interact with the local fans and friends, old and new, while doing my bit to give back to the sport I love.”

Sánchez-Vicario qualified for the WTA Finals 13 times during her successful career, winning the doubles title twice with Helena Sukova in 1992 and with Jana Novotna in 1995, while finishing as singles runner-up to Steffi Graf in 1993.

In her role as ambassador, the 14-time Grand Slam champion and International Tennis Hall of Fame member joins fellow legend, 59-time Grand Slam champion Martina Navratilova to promote the “Road to Singapore,” a season-long journey which follows players on their quest to make the cut for WTA’s crown jewel event in Singapore.

Barbara Schett, Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario

During the festival, the two legends will be participating in a mix of community and fan engagement activities including tennis clinics as well as appearances at the WTA Finals Fan Zone and the Racquet Club.

“Over the years, Arantxa has been an icon of women’s tennis and a great ambassador of the sport,” noted Melissa Pine, Vice-President of WTA Asia-Pacific and Tournament Director of the WTA Finals. “It is an absolute honor to have her back this year. Her love for the game has been one of the key reasons for her success, and we are really excited for her to bring that same passion to tennis fans at the WTA Finals in Singapore come October.”

The ambassadorship comes as part of an effort by the WTA and Lagardère Sports to enhance fan engagement by bringing them closer to the action during the 10-day festival of sports, lifestyle, business and entertainment from October 21-30, 2016.

“The BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global is a key event in the sporting calendar,” said Sarah Clements, Vice-President of Tennis – Asia at Lagardère Sports. “Besides the uniqueness of the competition, where fans get to watch the best eight singles players and doubles pairs in the world in action on court, the festival of tennis will also captivate fans’ attention with innovative offerings that will keep them entertained.”

Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

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CNN Open Court: Paris Moments

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Twenty-seven years on from her major breakthrough, the Barcelona Bumblebee Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario has not lost her love of the game, signing up as the latest ambassador for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.

However, for many the Spaniard will forever be the effervescent 17-year-old who snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against the then-queen bee Steffi Graf in the 1989 French Open final.

This was one of many enduring memories to have occurred at a tournament that has become synonymous for first thrusting iconic names into the public eye. And as Roland Garros 2016 enters the home stretch, CNN Open Court asked some of the famous old venues’ most fêted competitors to share their memories.

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WTA Dominates ESPN World Fame 100

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Who is the most famous athlete in the world? Ben Alamar, ESPN’s director of sports analytics, devised a formula that combines salary, prize money and endorsements with social media following and Google search popularity to create the ESPN World Fame 100 rankings.

The WTA’s brightest stars dominated the list: of the 8 women highlighted by ESPN, half are WTA players. Maria Sharapova (No.18), Serena Williams (No.25), Sania Mirza (No.41) and Venus Williams (No.74) were named as the most famous female athletes.

At No.18 on the list, Sharapova is the most famous female athlete in the world and her combined 17.6 million fans on social media can agree. From winning her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon at the age of 17 to debuting her confectionary lines, the Russian’s broad popularity has cemented her position at the top.

Two “Serena Slams” 13 years apart speak to the longevity of Serena’s career, during which she’s amassed 70 titles and claims a combined 10.4 million social fans. Her off court activities – including a couple of viral cameos – keep her firmly in the pop culture spotlight as well. At No.25 she is the third most famous female athlete on the list.

A pair of trailblazers round out the ESPN World Fame 100 list: Sania Mirza and Venus Williams. Mirza galvanized an entire subcontinent when she became the first Indian woman to win a Grand Slam last year at Wimbledon, and the world’s No.1 doubles player continues to break barriers for women. Similarly, Venus made history when she became the first African-American player ever – male or female – to hold the No.1 ranking in tennis. Her 49 career titles are only eclipsed by her continuing contributions to equality in the game, and as a result she remains one of the most famous athletes in the world.

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Vinci Brings New Attitude Into 2017 Season

Vinci Brings New Attitude Into 2017 Season

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Reports of her retirement were greatly exaggerated, Roberta Vinci declares after kicking the 2017 season by reaching the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International.

“I’m playing match to match,” she told WTA Insider after her second round win over Misaki Doi. “I saved five match points in my first round, not bad. I played in the heat, and another good match against Doi.”

“I don’t have any special goals, just playing and staying confident in mind and body.”

It was the World No.18 herself who announced at the end of 2015 that 2016 would be her last season, but became more uncertain as she continued earning impressive results like winning her first Premier title in St. Petersburg and becoming the oldest woman in WTA history to debut in the Top 10.

“I had lot of discussions with me, with myself in November after Zhuhai. This life isn’t easy but I want to continue. I love this life, this sport; I’ve had a lot of success, and I have a good ranking. In my mind, I said, ‘Ok, try to play and just enjoy without thinking about ranking. Keep going, and that’s it.'”

Roberta Vinci

How much longer will she keep going? The Italian veteran plans to keep that to herself this time.

“One year, two years, but I don’t want to tell you right now so you won’t start asking me if this is my last!”

The turning point came at the US Open, the site of her greatest career triumph. One year removed from her improbable run to the final – ending Serena Williams’ Calendar Year Grand Slam bid en route – the top ranked Italian came to Flushing with an injured foot and all the pressure in the world to defend the points she’d earned. Defying the odds once more, she roared into the quarterfinals, falling to eventual champion Angelique Kerber.

“I fought a lot, and I probably had something special inside where, even though I wasn’t feeling good with my body, and wasn’t feeling confident, the passion and will took over.

“It gave me a lot of confidence in myself and was a big part of my decision to keep playing. You can’t be perfect every day, in form or body, so sometimes an injury can happen, but you can still win with the passion, fire, forehand, slice!”

Vinci ended a solid 2016 season at the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai still uncertain whether she would continue, ultimately announcing her intent to play this season in late November.

Roberta Vinci

Once she cleared up any doubt, it was time to get back on the court.

“The off-season is never enough, but it was nice. I stayed home in Italy with my parents. I had a great pre-season, nothing special, but I feel good, confident. I had two great matches, into the quarterfinals this week.”

Often over-analytic when it comes to ranking points – this was a player who shouted “60 points!” after a first round win at last year’s US Open – Vinci is intent on turning over a new leaf in 2017.

“When I saw the draw, I thought about how a quarterfinal is 100 points, but I’m trying not to think about that anymore. I’m happy.”

With happiness comes a more mature outlook, one the former World No.7 hopes will keep her fresh and healthy in the new year.

“I know it’s hard to work out every day; I’d speak a lot with my coach and say, ‘Today I can’t play. I’m done, finished.’ He’d say, ‘No problem; you have enough experience, and you know your body.’

“I’m happy about this decision. We’ll see from here; there might be some times when I’ll wonder ‘Why?’ but that’s normal. I’m happy, and that’s good. That’s it.”

All photos courtesy of Getty Images and Instagram.

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