Top 10 WTA Aces Leaders In 2016
Which big serving WTA player hit the most aces in 2016? Was it Karolina Pliskova, Serena Williams or Madison Keys? Find out right here!
Which big serving WTA player hit the most aces in 2016? Was it Karolina Pliskova, Serena Williams or Madison Keys? Find out right here!
LONDON, Great Britain – WTA CEO Steve Simon joins the WTA Insider podcast after a busy week of meetings in London to discuss the future of the tour and the changes coming down the pipeline. In particular, Simon breaks down the current discussion surrounding a possible change in the tour’s current circuit structure, the future state of the WTA’s broadcast and content business, and his vision for a tour that continues to push forward and grow to become a worldwide sporting power.
On his vision for the circuit structure:
“What I would like to see is a tour that provides clarity, which I’m not sure we have today. I’m not sure a lot of our fans know the difference between an International series event and a Premier series event. I would like to have a system where every event has a purpose and a meaning. Then we can begin to storytell from it and take our fans on tour for a year and understand why this event is happening and the relevance of it, and the relevance of the athletes, as opposed to being a faceless event, which I’m afraid happens too often.”
On the current state of the WTA broadcast business:
“I think it’s an exciting time because in 2017 we are embarking on a new broadcast agreement. The basis for this agreement is that we will now be producing every main draw singles match played, and every semifinal and doubles final played. So we’re going to go from producing approximately 800 matches a year to over 2,000, which is a significant jump. Through our partnership with Perform we will now have a global audience going into 2017 at record levels that we have never seen before. We’ll be entering the market at nearly 400 million people in our audience universe right away.”
On his desire to expand the tour’s competitive landscape:
“We’re very proud that we’re the No.1 professional women’s league and I think it’s well deserved. You don’t become No.1 because you didn’t produce and you should take a lot of pride in that. The next step from that from my perspective is we want to not just be the No.1 women’s professional tour, we want to compete with professional sports. What that means is that we’re now drawing the audience levels that are similar to other professional sports, and we need to grow our audience levels. They’re not at the levels that I want them to be at.”
On the state of play:
“We are in a transition now. We have Serena in the argument as one of the best players to ever play this game and other great champions that are with us. But when I look at what’s coming I’m just very excited about it. We can see the transition happening. We can see it in the results. Every week this year we’ve seen a lot of upsets. Well those upsets are consistently this new era coming through and challenging the existing stars and that’s very healthy.”
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Petra Kvitova cut a troubled figure for much of 2016, searching in vain for the form that took her to two Wimbledon victories.
A quietly impressive summer on the North American cement suggested a corner had been turned, but even then few could have forecasted just how brilliant the Czech would be during the home stretch.
The catalyst came at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open, where Kvitova inflicted the first defeat of Angelique Kerber reign as World No.1 in an absorbing third-round encounter.
Under the roof at the Optics Valley International Tennis Center, Kvitova set the tone in the first set, recovering from an early break to move 4-2 ahead. However, Kerber refused to wilt in the face of this baseline assault, fending off a set point with a trademark crouched backhand before pinching the tie-break when Kvitova sent a wild forehand long.
WOW! ?
41 shot rally!! #WuhanOpenTennis pic.twitter.com/T9Kzy9LERc
— WTA (@WTA) September 28, 2016
This ebb and flow continued into the second, the Czech edging her way ahead only to be reeled back in on each occasion. Eventually her persistence paid off, as she bludgeoned herself level before unleashing a fizzing backhand as she broke to love at the start of the decider.
It was an advantage she hung onto doggedly when Kerber staged an inevitable fightback. Somehow she held on, fending off 10 break back points – including seven in one game – as she dragged her weary body towards the finishing line. The drama continued until the very end, Kvitova spurning six match points until she managed to summon a forehand that even Kerber could not track down.
By the time Kvitova belatedly closed out her 6-7(10), 7-5, 6-4 victory, she had been on court for three hours and 20 minutes – the fourth longest match of the season.
Numbery numbers. #WuhanOpen #Kvitova pic.twitter.com/gxjAIFXTC8
— TennisTV (@TennisTV) September 28, 2016
“I won after playing a long time. I feel happy. But as well I feel tired, and the tournament is still going, so I don’t feel that satisfied. I think it was a great match from both of us,” Kvitova said in her post-match press conference.
“I really gave everything today. I think same as her. I think it was really about the few points. It was a great battle. So hopefully the fans enjoyed it as well. I did, for sure. I will feel it tomorrow definitely.”
If this epic ordeal had taken anything out of Kvitova, she hid it well. Over the following three days, Kvitova dismissed Johanna Konta, Simona Halep and then Dominika Cibulkova with increasing degrees of ease to capture the 18th title of her career.
LONDON, Great Britain – In the aftermath of World No.1 Serena Williams’ record-tying 22nd Grand Slam title – earned by defeating previous sole record holder Stefanie Graf’s compatriot Angelique Kerber, 7-5, 6-3, on Centre Court at Wimbledon – BBC Sport aired a montage featuring the top seed reciting “Still I Rise,” a poem by legendary American poet, Maya Angelou:
Serena has paid homage to Angelou in the past, ending her Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year Speech with an excerpt of “Still I Rise,” which was also included in the final scene of her Epix documentary, “Serena.”
Click here to read Angelou’s iconic poem, and check out the BBC Sport video above and on Facebook!
Catherine Bellis continued her fine run of form with a dominant second-round victory over Usue Maitane Arconada at the Hawaii Open on Thursday.
Heather Watson becomes the first British woman to win a Wimbledon title of any kind in almost two decades by capturing a mixed doubles crown alongside Henri Kontinen.
SHENZHEN, China – World No.3 Agnieszka Radwanska will begin her 2017 campaign by headlining a strong field at the fifth edition of the Shenzhen Open.
Twelve months ago, Radwanska continued her fine record on Chinese soil by cruising to the title at the Shenzhen Longgang Sports Centre without dropping a set. The tournament proved an ideal springboard for the Pole, who went on to reach the semifinals at the Australian Open.
“I can really see that it’s a lovely city and very nice site,” Radwanska said. “So many courts, a lot better for us to practice whenever we can and the tournament is very well organized. I cannot complain about anything; I really like the hotel as well. Every tennis tournament should be like that.”
This year, Shenzhen will offer prize money totaling $750,000 – the highest of any International event on the calendar – enticing a stellar field to southern China. Joining Radwanska in the draw will be two other members of the Top 10, Simona Halep and Johanna Konta.
Like Radwanska, Halep has fond memories of Shenzhen, having lifted the trophy in 2015. Since then, Halep’s trophy cabinet has become ever more crowded, consolidating her status at the summit of the game. Konta, meanwhile, is the latest addition to the Top 10 after a rapid rise up the ranks.
Since Li Na won the inaugural staging of the tournament in 2013, Shenzhen has become a fixture on the calendar, where it will remain until 2021 after signing a contract extension.
Main draw matches will begin on Sunday, January 1.
Click here to see the full entry lists for Shenzhen and the other opening week events in Brisbane and Auckland.
Jelena Jankovic and Bethanie Mattek-Sands have taken their game to the next level. Three thousand meters above sea level, to be precise.
Serena Williams has penned a powerful open letter encouraging female athletes to “continue to dream big” and break barriers to equality.
Her letter, which is part of Porter Magazine’s ‘Incredible Women of 2016’ issue, addressed “all incredible women who strive for excellence” and shared her childhood dreams of being the best tennis player in the world – “not just the best ‘female’ tennis player.”
Serena wrote:
I was fortunate to have a family that supported my dream and encouraged me to follow it. I learned not to be afraid. I learned how important it is to fight for a dream and, most importantly, to dream big. My fight began when I was three and I haven’t taken a break since.
But as we know, too often women are not supported enough or are discouraged from choosing their path. I hope together we can change that. For me, it was a question of resilience. What others marked as flaws or disadvantages about myself – my race, my gender – I embraced as fuel for my success. I never let anything or anyone define me or my potential. I controlled my future.
So when the subject of equal pay comes up, it frustrates me because I know firsthand that I, like you, have done the same work and made the same sacrifices as our male counterparts. I would never want my daughter to be paid less than my son for the same work. Nor would you.
As we know, women have to break down many barriers on the road to success. One of those barriers is the way we are constantly reminded we are not men, as if it is a flaw. People call me one of the “world’s greatest female athletes”. Do they say LeBron is one of the world’s best male athletes? Is Tiger? Federer? Why not? They are certainly not female. We should never let this go unchallenged. We should always be judged by our achievements, not by our gender.
For everything I’ve achieved in my life, I am profoundly grateful to have experienced the highs and lows that come with success. It is my hope that my story, and yours, will inspire all young women out there to push for greatness and follow their dreams with steadfast resilience. We must continue to dream big, and in doing so, we empower the next generation of women to be just as bold in their pursuits.
Serena’s letter is one of four letters published in Porter Magazine’s ‘Incredible Women of 2016’ issue, which hits newsstands on Friday, December 2. Read the full piece reprinted at the Guardian right here.
WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen | World No.1 Angelique Kerber leads a stacked field at the Apia International Sydney that also features WTA Finals winner Dominika Cibulkova; check out the full entry list here on wtatennis.com.