Olympics: Kerber Interview
An interview with Angelique Kerber before her first round at the Olympic tennis event.
An interview with Angelique Kerber before her first round at the Olympic tennis event.
Lauren Davis came out on top in a battle of rising stars at the ASB Classic, where she defeated Ana Konjuh in straight sets to take home her first WTA title.
The story of the tournament from the Apia International Sydney.
With the Olympic tennis event in Rio already underway, there’s just one thought on every player’s mind: bringing home a medal.
In the ITF’s Olympics book, My Life, My Medal, tennis players shared their medal-winning memories from the Olympics and Paralympics, from Seoul 1988 to London 2012.
Read on to hear the five things that Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Justine Henin, Serena Williams and more loved the most about their Olympic experiences, right here on wtatennis.com!
1. Staying in the Olympic Village was one of their most cherished memories.
“I enjoyed every moment because I had a chance to meet other athletes from my country as well, living in the Olympic Village. It’s a completely different story, you get involved with other athletes as well form other countries. Even in Barcelona, when I was at home, I could go home, but I went the first couple of days to the Village.” – Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario (Spain; Barcelona 1992)
“My fondest memories are of taking part in the opening ceremonies at Seoul and Barcelona and staying in the Olympic Villages. It was fascinating to be able to talk with the other athletes from all the different sports, cultures and backgrounds. We had a lot of fun guessing which country and sport they represented.” – Stefanie Graf (Germany; Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992)
“Everything is surprising because it is very different – the atmosphere, having lunch with some other Argentinians… and going to the restaurant and meeting the rest of the athletes. You find yourself saying, “Look who is here!” All of them are strong experiences which take place in a unique place and moment.” – Gabriela Sabatini (Argentina; Seoul 1998)
“It was fantastic to pick the other athletes’ brains about training, how they deal with pressure, etc… My favorite place was the cafeteria and I got to meet so many athletes in a casual setting and share stories with them. Having dinner with all the great athletes and talking to them like regular people was super cool. I had to sometimes pinch myself when I talked to a few of them.” – Monica Seles (United States; Sydney 2000)
2. The Opening Ceremony is an unforgettable experience.
“From the very first day, when I had the occasion of carrying the flag at the Opening Ceremony, everything I experienced was really lovely. I was very happy about it.” – Gabriela Sabatini (Argentina; Seoul 1998)
“When you’re out there, you go out on Opening Ceremony day and you’re just like in awe. Like you have to pinch yourself, is this really happening?” – Mary Joe Fernandez (United States; Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996)
“The Opening Ceremonies in all the Olympics I’ve played are some of the three biggest highlights of my whole life. Obviously besides kids and all that. But I never forget those moments.” – Lindsay Davenport (United States; Atlanta 1996)
“It was the most amazing rush of my life, walking into the stadium in Atlanta. We were in the tunnel going out and the whole team USA, like 680 people, started chanting ‘USA, USA, USA’ in this tunnel and it was reverberating and I still get goosebumps thinking about it.” – Gigi Fernandez (United States; Barcelona 1992, Atlanta, 1996)
3. Checking out other sports is a must – because athletes are sports fans too.
“It doesn’t really matter to me [what sport] because when you’re there you get involved in it. You’re just so involved and your heart gets involved. You get drawn in. So wherever I would go – fencing, archery, whatever it is – I don’t care because I know I’ll be into it.” – Venus Williams (United States; Sydney 2000, Beijing 2008, London 2012)
“When we arrived in advance, we were practicing and training. And one day Steff [Graf] said, ‘Let’s go train with a 400 meters hurdler,’ as he was a very good German one. He said, ‘Okay I’m going to do some practice at the track and do some running.’ Steffi said, ‘Let’s go with him, we can also do some practice and warm-ups.’ For 15 minutes I was running with him and I was dead. I was like, ‘Oh my god, I still have to play.'” – Claudia Kohde-Kilsch (Germany; Seoul 1998)
“I had a lot of opportunities to see different things. I saw archery, swimming, I never made it to the gymnastics, but I saw the athletics, it’s just a great experience. It’s just so fun to see all these different athletes who are just in there, from countries you don’t expect.” – Serena Williams (United States; Sydney 2000, Beijing 2008, London 2012)
4. The winning moment is unlike any other.
“We [Belarus] never had any medals ever in the history of tennis. That type of pressure was there, and I really wanted to deliver… At that particular moment we won gold, that was one of the biggest reliefs. I was like, ‘Okay, thank god, we’ve done it.’ Then there was pure joy.” – Victoria Azarenka (Belarus; London 2012)
“It’s very emotional to hear the anthems. I probably cried a little bit. You get goosebumps, you get nervous, it’s quite emotional. It’s very cool and it’s different. You have the podium and you receive your medal with the other two. It’s the Olympics! It feels like tennis but it’s a little bit different.” – Conchita Martinez (Spain; Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, Athens 2004)
“I remember being on the podium trying to tell myself not to cry. I remember just keeping repeating that to myself because it is overwhelming when you get up there, and you think it’s all fun and you think it’s all happy, and then depending on your personality, it can be more emotional. It started to get a little emotional for me, but most of it was shock.” – Lindsay Davenport (United States; Atlanta 1996)
“The presentation ceremony took me by surprise. When you win a silver medal in tennis it means you’ve just lost in the final… I was very, very disappointed but within a couple of seconds I did switch because there was huge emotion coming up. And also a real pride. It’s cool! You’re able to bring a medal back to your country.” – Amélie Mauresmo (France; Athens 2004)
5. Playing for your country, not just yourself, is a humbling experience.
“There was a lot of joy. There was a lot of surprise, of sharing with the Belgian delegation. All the athletes were there. I didn’t cry, but I did sing. And I was so very, very proud. After the match and the ceremony I came back to the Village and all the athletes were waiting for me in the Belgian house and we celebrated together for an hour. Everyone was so happy.” – Justine Henin (Belgium; Athens 2004)
“The Olympics is something still different and you play for your country. There’s more pressure… With the Olympic medal [my country] realized a little bit more what I was achieving. From then on I became a star in Bulgaria.” – Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere (Bulgaria; Seoul 1988)
“It’s probably No.1 in my career because it’s one thing that the world will always relate to and I did it for my country, it wasn’t just for me. Even now if I pull it [the medal] out and I’m around little kids they’re so excited.” – Zina Garrison (United States; Seoul 1988)
“On one side, I was bitterly disappointed to lose the final, but on the other hand, I was really proud of our country and what we achieved in Beijing. This was a day when a dream came true. Of course, straight after the match I was disappointed, but afterwards this became less so. We could hear the national anthem and see the Russian flag. There were tears from the sadness, but there were tears of happiness for being so proud for my country.” – Dinara Safina (Russia; Beijing 2008)
– Photos courtesy of Getty Images
Karolina Pliskova talks through her performance in her victory in the final of the Brisbane International.
MELBOURNE, Australia – Agnieszka Radwanska kept her Asia-Pacific winning streak going in Melbourne – the World No.4 needed an hour and 20 minutes to dispatch Christina McHale in straight sets and close out the day’s action on Margaret Court Arena.
“The first match is always tough, always tricky, especially with the conditions here every day being so different,” Radwanska said after the win. “I’m just very glad I could win that match in two sets.”
The unseeded American came out of the gates firing off her arsenal of booming groundstrokes, but it was the serve that turned out to be McHale’s downfall. Radwanska broke McHale’s serve seven times in the match – four in the first set and three in the second.
Once the finish line came into view, Radwanska put the pressure on McHale and drew out the errors – 28 to Radwanska’s 14. Radwanska fired off two aces in the final game to close out the match 6-2, 6-3.
“I really feel good here in Australia, very comfortable on the court,” Radwanska said. “I love the crowd, I’m really playing my game and enjoying tennis – I think that’s the most important thing.”
Up next for the reigning WTA Finals champion is either Eugenie Bouchard – whose recent renaissance makes her a tricky second-round opponent – or Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic, who Radwanska beat earlier in the year en route to her Shenzhen title. Radwanska leads both players 1-0 in their head-to-head series.
It has been an eventful start to the tennis competition at the Rio Olympics, see all the best shots from the action here at wtatennis.com.
SYDNEY/HOBART – With one week between the WTA stars and the first major of the season, the Apia International Syndey and the Hobart International represent the final chances to prepare for the upcoming Australian Open. How will top Sydney seeds Angelique Kerber and Agnieszka Radwanska shake off early losses at the Brisbane International and Shenzhen Open, respectively? Can defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova pull off another title run? Meanwhile, who will take advantage of the wide open field in Hobart?
1. Kerber searches for Aussie momentum.
World No.1 Angelique Kerber acquitted herself well enough in her first tournament of the season, but still showed signs of rust in her quarterfinal defeat to nemesis Elina Svitolina. With another first round bye, Kerber opens against Daria Kasatkina, who was a point from defeating Garbiñe Muguruza in Brisbane, only to fall in a final set tie-break. No.6 seed Johanna Konta anchors her quarter, with Dominika Cibulkova and Kuznetsova looming as potential semifinal opponents.
2. Radwanska aims for Sydney restart.
Agnieszka Radwanska started last season in imperious form, defeating Alison Riske to win the Shenzhen Open. This year, Riske turned the tables on the former World No.2, taking her out in three sets en route to the final. Seeded second in Sydney, Radwanska will play one of two qualifiers in her opening round match: Kateryna Bondarenko, or Christina McHale. A softer section could provide the court time Radwanska needs to get ready for Melbourne.
3. A Cibulkova/Bouchard rematch in sight?
The reigning BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global champion has played Eugenie Bouchard four times in the last 18 months, with the young Canadian winning three of those four encounters. Bouchard looked in solid form to start the tournament against Zhang Shuai, while Cibulkova still needs to get past Laura Siegemund for them to meet in the second round.
4. Kuznetsova puts things in perspective.
The defending champion kicked off her title defense in impressive style on Sunday, dispatching Irina-Camelia Begu in straight sets, but isn’t thinking too much about a second straight win in Sydney. “I’m not thinking about defending my title,” she said after the match. “The trophy is at home and nobody can take it away from me. This is another year and another opportunity to play. I always feel like I need a lot of matches at the start of the year.”
5. Mirza reunites with Strycova.
A week after handing off her No.1 ranking to partner and best friend Bethanie Mattek-Sands in Brisbane, Sania Mirza heads to Sydney with new partner Barbora Strycova, with whom she played in the second half of 2016. The duo face the newly formed Andrea Hlavackova and Peng Shuai to start the week. Mirza’s former partner Martina Hingis is back with CoCo Vandeweghe; seeded No.2, they could face Mirza and Strycova in another final.
6. More reunions in Sydney.
The 2010 doubles season was all about Yaroslava Shvedova and Vania King, who won back-to-back majors at Wimbledon and the US Open. King and Shvedova are back together after a long break and open against Darija Jurak and Anastasia Rodionova, who were a team to watch most of last summer.
7. Bertens headlines Hobart.
Kiki Bertens is top seed at a tournament that has been hit by a rash of injury withdrawals. Still, the 2016 French Open won’t have things all her own way as she opens against the always dangerous Annika Beck, with comeback kid Galina Voskoboeva looming in the second round. Voskoboeva won her first WTA main draw match in nearly three years after sitting out nearly two full seasons due to a foot injury.
8. Shelby’s season?
Shelby Rogers kicked off 2017 in style by knocking out Eugenie Bouchard and pushing Elina Svitolina to the brink in Brisbane. The American earned anothe rimpressive win on Sunday in Hobart, upsetting No.2 seed Anastasija Sevastova.
9. Safarova under the radar.
Unseeded and looming in Hobart is former World No.5 Lucie Safarova, who is trying to rebuild her ranking after a season of fits and starts in 2016. Safarova opens against Viktorija Golubic and could play No.10 seed Sara Errani in the second round.
10. Spears & Niculescu seek doubles glory in Hobart.
Monica Niculescu is one of the best doubles players not to have a permanent partner, but may be trying out a new partnership with fellow top seed Abigail Spears, who has been playing apart from longtime partner Raquel Atawo to start the season. The pair open against Nao Hibino and Alicja Rosolska, with No.2 seeds Kiki Bertens and Johanna Larsson anchoring the bottom half of the draw as No.2 seeds.
And then there were eight! It’s quarterfinal time at the 2016 Olympic Games, and we’re breaking down the matchups at WTATennis.com, courtesy of contributor Chris Oddo.
Wednesday
Quarterfinals
Elina Svitolina (UKR #20) vs. [11] Petra Kvitova (CZE #14)
Head-to-head: Kvitova leads, 2-1
Key Stat: There has only been one unseeded medalist in women’s singles since tennis returned to the Olympics in 1988 (Alicia Molik, Bronze, 2004).
Chaos reigned supreme at the top of the draw on Tuesday in Rio, as Elina Svitolina completed the upset to end all upsets by knocking off four-time Olympic gold medalist Serena Williams in straight sets. It was a monumental victory for Svitolina, who admitted afterwards that she dared not dream of defeating Williams. “It’s one of my dreams to play against her, and to beat her – I don’t think I was even dreaming about that,” the elated 21-year-old said after the match. Now, for the challenge of recalibrating emotionally to face a menacing Petra Kvitova for a spot in the semifinals. Kvitova showed true Olympic spirit in gutting out a see-saw three-setter with Ekaterina Makarova on Tuesday, and the Fed Cup legend has always taken her game to another level when representing her country in the past. Will she continue to elevate her tennis and engineer a season-changing run to the medal round, or will the 21-year-old Ukrainian continue to prove to be a player of destiny this week in Rio?
Pick: Kvitova in three
[2] Angelique Kerber (GER #2) vs. [10] Johanna Konta (GBR #13)
Head-to-head: Kerber Leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Kerber and Laura Siegemund are bidding to become the first German women to medal at the Olympics since Steffi Graf in 1992.
Two of tennis’ most in-form and mentally tough players will square off in a high-stakes quarterfinal that marks their second meeting of 2016. Angelique Kerber eased past Johanna Konta in this year’s Australian Open semifinals, and that victory proved not only to be a springboard to a first major title, it also has provided a layer of belief that has further solidified Kerber’s presence at the top of the game. On Tuesday Kerber worked her way past Samantha Stosur in straight sets while Konta had to scratch and claw to end Svetlana Kuznetsova’s Olympics in a three-hour and seven minute battle. Konta is just two weeks removed from her first career title at Stanford and she’ll no doubt be eager to prove that she has the ability to match wits and strokes with a player of Kerber’s caliber. She wasn’t up to the task against the German in January – will she find a way past her on Wednesday?
Pick: Kerber in three
Monica Puig (PUR #34) vs. Laura Siegemund (GER #32)
Head-to-head: First Meeting
Key Stat: Puig and Siegemund were ranked 90 and 92 respectively at the start of the season.
My, how fortunes can change over the course of a season. Monica Puig and Laura Siegemund, two players who began the season barely inside the Top 100, will play for a spot in the medal round on Wednesday in Rio. As unlikely as it sounds, when one considers the amount of progress that Siegemund and Puig have made over the course of the last seven months, this quarterfinal is not all that improbable. The pair own a combined 9-9 record vs. the Top 20 this season, and both have gone deep into draws more consistently than ever. Puig notched the second biggest shock of Day 4 when she shellacked Spain’s Garbiñe Muguruza, 6-1, 6-1. Puig matched Muguruza’s winner count and committed half the errors in a tidy performance. “I consider it the biggest win of my career because it’s at the Olympics,” she said after the match. “Right now, I’m in the clouds. I can’t even believe it because truly it was incredible.” Will Puig be able to recover mentally to take on the feisty Siegemund with so much at stake? Or is it the 28-year-old German who will seize the day and a surprise trip to the medal round?
Pick: Siegemund in three
[7] Madison Keys (USA #9) vs. Daria Kasatkina (RUS #27)
Head-to-head: First Meeting
Key Stat: Keys has won back-to-back three setters in her last four events.
The two youngest players remaining in the draw will square off in a matchup that tennis fans will likely see—and enjoy—quite a bit over the next ten years. No. 7 seed Madison Keys has had her mettle tested early and often here in Rio, but each time she has been pushed, the 21-year-old power broker has pushed back, gutting out back-to-back three setters in her last two matches and showing poise and patience to go with her world-class attack. Speaking of poise, 19-year-old Daria Kasatkina has proven to be a quick study on the Olympic stage. The Russian methodically eased past Italy’s Sara Errani to reach the quarterfinals on Tuesday, proving once again that she’s every bit as good as her ranking, and perhaps even better. But how will Kasatkina handle the grooved ground game of Keys? Will she be able to keep the hard-hitting American off balance, or will she find herself in over her head against a blossoming American who is willing to lay everything on the line in the quest for an Olympic medal?
Pick: Keys in three
Around the Grounds:
The women’s doubles quarterfinals will also be held on Wednesday. Russia’s Daria Kasatkina will perform double duty alongside Svetlana Kuznetsova in a battle against No. 6 seeds Lucie Hradecka and Andrea Hlavackova of the Czech Republic. Switzerland’s Martina Hingis and Timea Bacsinszky will look to upend the Chan sisters of Chinese Tapei in a battle of Top 5 seeds. See the complete doubles draw for matchup information here.
By the Numbers:
19 – The age of Russia’s Daria Kasatkina, who is the youngest player left in the draw.
34 – Ranking of Monica Puig, who is the lowest-ranked participant in the women’s singles quarterfinals.
2 – Germany is the only country to boast two women’s singles quarterfinalists.
World No.5 Dominika Cibulkova was in clinical form against Laura Siegemund, dropping just two games en route to the second round of the Apia International Sydney.