Tennis News

ZHUHAI, China – Roberta Vinci was dressed all in black after her last match at the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai. She looked fondly on a second straight Top 20 season and was in no mood to mourn what she once said would be her last year on tour.

“It was a good year, for sure,” she told WTA Insider Wednesday night. “I had a great last year, and a lot of points to defend this year.

“The tour is always tough and the players are always getting stronger. You always have to stay in good body and mind. Playing every single tournament is tough, but I’m so proud of myself for this year.

“I’m a little bit tired, of course, because it was a long season. I’m sad about today, but happy that I finished this year.”

The lingering question was whether she had finished for good. The answer was more up in the air.

“Right now, I’m finished with this season and I want to go home. I’ll be taking two weeks off for sure, without tennis or anything. Then I’ll decide, if I’m still motivated, if I still want to continue at this level, and if I want to keep working. I don’t know if I want to, or if I’m just tired right now.

“If I want to stay on tour, I’ll have to work a lot. But I don’t know.”

Vinci first rang the retirement bell last November, announcing her intention to finish her career in 2016. She walked the statement back slightly after winning her 10th career title – the biggest of her career at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy – and becoming the oldest woman to make her Top 10 debut. Any decision the Italian veteran does make, she insists, will be final.

“I don’t want to say, ‘Yes, I’m continuing,’ and then in one week, I stop, or say, ‘No, I’m retired,’ and then after a week, you see a video of me practicing.”

Taking a less decisive tact is the famously flamboyant Francesca Schiavone. Vinci’s compatriot has started a web series asking Facebook fans whether she should continue her career, or perhaps follow a new path, all with her signature flair.

“It’s nice for the fans, but I won’t be putting out any videos because I want to decide my future! But Francesca is Francesca; it’s so funny.”

While she waits to make a decision, Vinci won’t regret confessing her initial intent to retire, feeling it helped her better appreciate the tour on which she’s played nearly two decades, and those who’ve watched her play.

“For me, it’s nice because they want to know my future. If I say I’m going to retire and someone is sad, it feels good because it means they really love me and my tennis.

“It’s normal for the fans and the journalists to want to know. Soon, I will let you know what is in my future.”

The immediate future sees the former World No.7 at home with friends and family, looking back on a pressure-filled season centered around defending the 1300 points she earned at last year’s US Open, when she ended then-No.1 Serena Williams’ Calendar Year Grand Slam bid to reach the final.

“I had a lot of pressure, especially at the US Open. In my mind, I was saying that this year will be tough. I didn’t know if I could even stay Top 50. Now, I’m in the Top 20, so my coach is happy and also I’m really happy about that.”

From shouting “60 points!” after her first round win, she made it all the way back into the second week for the fourth time in five years, falling to eventual champion Angelique Kerber.

“I was injured but I played amazing tennis; I won great matches there. I felt something special in New York; I’m always playing good there, be it final or quarterfinal. It’s an incredible tournament for me.”

Vinci described the year’s final major tournament in the present tense, just as she outlined the simple – yet life-changing – decision that stands in front of her.

“If it’s yes, then yes. If it’s no, then no.”

All photos courtesy of WTA Elite Trophy.

ZHUHAI, China – Top seed Johanna Konta produced a clinical display to brush aside Caroline Garcia and take her place in the knockout stage of the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.

Watch live action from Zhuhai this week at WTA Live Powered By TennisTV!

One hour was all it took for Konta to wrap up a 6-2, 6-2 victory and set up a semifinal against Elina Svitolina. Earlier in the day, No.2 seed Petra Kvitova also advanced, topping her round-robin group after a 6-1, 6-4 win over Barbora Strycova.

Konta confirmed she would finish the year ranked inside the Top 10 following an impressive win against Samantha Stosur in her opening match, and she underlined her status with an even more dominant display second time out.

It did not take long for the Briton to get her nose in front, hooking a passing shot beyond Garcia’s reach to break in the third game. A few games later it was the backhand doing the damage, the World No.10 finding the line to stretch her lead further, before wrapping up the set soon after.

Konta handily won the pair’s previous meeting, at this summer’s Rio Olympics and a run of five straight games in the second set sent her hurtling past the finishing post.

“I really felt I played a very consistent match. I didn’t give he many windows [of opportunity] and I’m very happy I managed to do that today,” Konta said during her on-court interview. ” She has such a big game so I really needed to apply myself on every point.”

“Right now, it’s just one more match tomorrow. I’m not looking any further than that. I’m going to have a very tough one and looking to compete as best I can.”

While Konta takes on Svitolina, in the other semifinal Kvitova meets Chinese No.1 Zhang Shuai.

Kvitova made a flying start against fellow Czech Strycova before encountering some late resistance. However, just as she has so often in her recent resurgence, she found her best tennis when it mattered most, withstanding some late service jitters – and a couple of break points – to take the final three games of the match.

“The second set was a little bit tight. It was really important to serve well in that game, 4-3. I was facing two break points and it was really the key point,” Kvitova said in her press conference.

“And I think that from the time that I started to play more aggressive than I did before, the beginning of the second set, so it helped me actually, to face the two break points to get back on the track and play little bit better and to return better as well. But, I mean, overall it was a good match. I think it was – the serve was really good today; helped me a lot as well. I’m happy that I’m in the semifinal for sure.”

TOKYO, Japan – Caroline Wozniacki came to the Toray Pan Pacific Open having re-asserted her presence among the game’s elite at the US Open. Ranked No.74 in late August, the Dane roared into her first Grand Slam semifinal in exactly two years, and reminded fans and pundits that she was still one to watch.

Backing up that run in New York might have been tough for some, but Wozniacki’s week in Tokyo was arguably more impressive, earning two more Top 10 victories – including a thrilling win over No.2 seed Agnieszka Radwanska – to take her first title of 2016. Can she keep up her exciting start to the WTA’s Asian Swing?

WTA Insider caught up with Wozniacki after withstanding the charge from Japanese teenager, Naomi Osaka:

WTA Insider: Take me through the week and how you were able to maintain your form from the US Open with some great wins. What was the key for you this week in Tokyo?
Wozniacki: It’s been a great week, and I think the court really suits me. It’s kind of fast; the ball is a little heavy, but I’ve played well here in the past, and I think grinding and fighting for every point was key. I had some tough three-set matches here this week, and I managed to pull those off. I’m just really happy to be here at the end of the tournament.

WTA Insider: Going back to maybe a few days after the US Open, and you’re thinking about the rest of the season. What’s going through your mind as you know you’re playing well and have a great opportunity in Asia. What’s your motivation or your thought process before heading to Tokyo?
Wozniacki: Honestly, I took some days off and relaxed after enjoying a good US Open run. I had some sponsor commitments, and had a few hits, or actually one hit before I left for Tokyo. I practiced with a few of the girls here before my first match. I felt good, like I was hitting the ball well. I knew I’d face a few tough opponents, but I was feeling confident and hitting the ball well. That combination is good for me.

WTA Insider: Did you think you had a level of confidence heading to Tokyo that you hadn’t had the rest of the year?
Wozniacki: I just felt like I played well at the US Open, and if I could keep that up, I would be tough to beat. But you never know; it’s a new week, new tournament, and I was just coming in here trying to take one match at a time – I know that’s a cliché – and go from there. I know that, when I’m healthy, I can play well, so hopefully I can carry this on into the rest of the year.

WTA Insider: Flashback to Zhuhai, and maybe again when we spoke in Eastbourne. Your injuries were creeping up and had obviously derailed your season for several months. You kept saying that if you kept working, surely luck has to break your way somehow. Do you feel like that’s what has happened over the past four weeks?
Wozniacki: It’s been a great few weeks. I’m just happy that I’ve managed to get some great wins under my belt. It hasn’t been about getting easy draws, but I’ve gotten some breaks to win the tight matches. I’ve been healthy for a little bit now, which is huge for me. Hopefully I can build on that moving forward.

WTA Insider: Talking about the final a little bit: you fell behind the early break, and was able to turn things around. Was there a leg issue as well?
Wozniacki: I don’t know; hopefully it’ll feel better tomorrow. I got some treatment on it, got it taped up. Right now, I’m going to try and enjoy this win for as long as I can. It was a tough match; Naomi’s a great player, and really young, so she has lots of potential. I think we’ll see lots of her in the future.

WTA Insider: You were talking about the ability to turn things around and play better tennis in New York, and you’re playing much more offensively, getting to the net. That seems like a change; is that something you’ve put into your mind about shortening points?
Wozniacki: I think I’m maybe moving a little bit faster. I’ve been able to work on my fitness, so that means that I can get to the ball faster and take it earlier. That gets my opponent out of position, and that makes it easier to get to net, when the opportunity is there.

WTA Insider: You’re going to board a plane fairly quickly to head over to China. There’s lots of points in Wuhan and Beijing. How much does getting back into the Top 20 or other possible ranking goals play on your mind?
Wozniacki: Not really. I’m playing well; obviously, being in the Top 10 is a goal. But everything else, I’m just happy to have won here and I’m going to do my best to deal with this really quick turnaround. We’ll have to see how I can do that, go out there and fight.

WTA Insider: The semifinal you played against Aga was one of the most riveting matches of the year. You had your back against the all and were able to pull that out. How much do those wins over top players mean to you right now?
Wozniacki: It was such a great fight. Aga and I know each other so well, and we know each other’s games so well. We always know we’re going to have long rallies, and it’s going to be a fun match for both of us. I had my back against the wall and she was playing really well, but I somehow managed to fight and stay aggressive. I went for my shots and they went in at the right moments. It was a grueling match, but a fun one and I really enjoyed it. It definitely means a lot beating a top player, and feeling like I’m back where I want to be.

WTA Insider: Do you fee like you are? Are you there, or are you getting there? Where is Caroline right now?
Wozniacki: I think I’m feeling good. Obviously, you can always improve and always play better. But I feel like I’m hitting the ball well; I’ve beaten four Top 10 players in the last couple of weeks, and it’s been good. I’m just enjoying it and hopefully I can carry this momentum forward to the rest of the year.

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.