Dominika Cibulkova & Casey Dellacqua Visit Ronald McDonald House In Brisbane
Dominika Cibulkova and Casey Dellacqua paid a special visit to the children at the Ronald McDonald House in Brisbane with WTA Charities.
Dominika Cibulkova and Casey Dellacqua paid a special visit to the children at the Ronald McDonald House in Brisbane with WTA Charities.
What did the top seeds have to say on Day 1 of the Bank of the West Classic? Venus Williams, Dominika Cibulkova, Johanna Konta, and CoCo Vandeweghe all shared their thoughts on their seasons thus far, the Olympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, and the wedding fever that’s gripped the WTA tour…
Venus Williams
On her break after Wimbledon:
It was a short break, but I’m happy for it because I played a lot of matches where I had to wait three weeks to play, so I’m hoping this will help me keep my momentum and continue to play well.
On the physicality of adding doubles to the schedule:
The doubles is a lot, but it’s what we wanted. We were thrilled ot have been out there and hope to play more toghether this year. If we could play double severy tournament, we would, but it’s a test, and I think I stood up pretty well to it.
On her memories of making her WTA debut in Stanford and nearly beating Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in the second round:
I remember being pretty nervous in the warm-up, but once I got into the first game, I wasn’t nervous anymore. I have no idea how I won the match; I had no strategy, and zero understanding on how to win a match. But I guess I was good enough; I would love to see a replay of that match. I always believed I could win any match, but I didn’t know how to win that second match, especially when you’ve almost won the match and then you don’t win another game. I remember more than anything that she took a bathroom break, and after that I didn’t win another game. So, it was a pretty good strategy against a youngin’. But after a while, I got the hang of it.
On being a mature figure on the tour:
I’m pretty much the most mature on tour. There aren’t a lot of people older than me, but I take it as a compliment because I love being out here. It proves you don’t have to go until you’re good and ready. When I’m good and ready, I’ll be gone, but now is not the time.
Dominika Cibulkova
On delaying her honeymoon to the end of the year…
Everybody’s asking, ‘What are you doing here? You should be on your honeymoon!’ But it’s the middle of the season and I’m a professional athlete, so I can’t just go on a honeymoon. We were really happy that we found a date, but we’ll have a honeymoon after the season.
On shifting from Wimbledon to her wedding…
I came home on Wednesday and for two-three nights, I didn’t sleep well because I was so excited about the wedding. I didn’t relax too much, and on Monday I was just so tired, so I took a couple of days off. I talked with my coach and he asked me if I was motivated to play [Stanford], and I said, ‘Of course, because I’m motivated to get into the Top 10.’ It’s a great opportunity.
On American wildcard Caterine Bellis, who defeated her in the first round of the 2014 US Open as a 15 year old:
I haven’t seen her too much since then. I don’t remember too much from the match because I was really nervous and put too much pressure on myself. I’d had a great start to the season that year and at the US Open, I wanted to get points to qualify for Singapore. I was just so stressed and couldn’t play good tennis, but she was playing really good there. For her age, she was playing great. I think this is the first time she’s playing a WTA tournament, so we’ll see. She’s still young.
Johanna Konta
On Andy Murray and Heather Watson’s Wimbledon wins:
It was really exciting. We had the TV on at home and I got to watch Andy and also Heather in the mixed doubles. I’m sure it made the atmosphere that much more electric.
On managing a hectic second half of the season:
It does make the schedule that much more busy because of the Olympics, and it’s that much more important to stay healthy and as fresh-minded as possible, but I’m really looking forward to the challenge. It’ll be my first Olympics, and it’ll be my first time playing here, Montreal and Cincinnati, so I have a lot of firsts coming up. I’m really looking forward to enjoying my time in the US and on this side of the world. I really love this part of the season; I have a lot of good memories in terms of tournaments I’ve played and results I’ve had. In terms of staying fresh, it’s just about being able to switch off when you can, even just little parts of the day, watching an episode of Game of Thrones.
On the one year anniversary of her rise:
I’m playing some of the best events in the world now, and I’m very grateful and happy for that. But in terms of myself, I’m very much the same, same goals and ideals, and desire to keep going. It’s not too surprising because I lived through it. It’s not like I went to sleep and woke up and all this happened. It was a constant battle and constant fight on every single match that I played. I was very lucky to play them and to win a lot of them. I’m trying to keep pushing on; hopefully the best is yet to come.
On what she’s looking forward to most at the Olympics:
It’s really strange because I’m super excited about how it sounds, but I have no idea what to expect. Everyone I’ve spoken to, the first thing they say is, ‘It’s not like any event on tour, it’s not like any other tournament.’ So right now, I’m really tense, like ‘Oh my god, what to expect? I don’t know!’ But I’m really looking forward to the Athlete’s Village. I’m really looking forward to seeing all the disciplines, how they train and eat. I’m going to be one of those weirdos that just stares at everyone. So I’m really looking forward to just being a part of it.
CoCo Vandeweghe
On how she spent her post-Wimbledon break:
Nothing I was supposed to get done got done. I was supposed to get my phone fixed; it had a crack in it since January. I managed to do it the day I was leaving. But hopefully I can express a little bit of the tan I was working on at the beach. I spent time with friends, went to a concert. I played a little golf, but mostly just vegged. Hopefully the week I spent at home will help keep me rejuvenated and excited to play through the summer.
On missing out on a singles spot at the Olympics:
I’m a singles player. Bethanie Mattek-Sands and I were talking about playing together, but it was up to the USTA, so it wasn’t set in stone. They could have said no. It was disappointing for me to miss singles, and now to see players pulling out because I wanted it so bad and they don’t want it as bad as I do. Whatever reasons they have are their own, but I can’t wrap my head around it.
On Serena Williams:
I think Serena is an amazing athlete and an amazing tennis role model for all players. She’s one of the greatest players of all times. I think Serena should definitely be praised for all of her accolades on and off the court. She’s definitely a role model for all players to look up to.
On the court surface at Stanford:
I did pretty well at Wimbledon and the grass court season with quick courts, so I think it definitely suits my game more than it goes against it. The practice courts here are pretty fast, and I’ve been practicing well, but we’ll see on the day. Perfect practice makes perfect play, so all I can do right now is focus on my practice and routines to get me ready and raring to go.
Highlights from all of Tuesday’s action on Day 3 of the Brisbane International.
Defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska was joined by Simona Halep, Johanna Konta and many more for the glamorous Shenzhen Open player party.
Former World No.7 Nicole Vaidisova has decided to curtail her second comeback and officially retire from tennis due to recurring injuries.
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.'”
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.
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.
Elina Svitolina produced a spectacular finish to upset World No.1 Angelique Kerber in Thursday’s Brisbane International quarterfinals.
No.4 seed Kristina Mladenovic reached her fourth quarterfinal of the season with a solid straight sets win over rival Sabine Lisicki at the Citi Open.
Here’s how Alizé Cornet reacted after pulling off a stunning upset over World No.5 Dominika Cibulkova in the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International.
Dominika Cibulkova takes on Misaki Doi in the quarterfinals of the Bank of the West Classic.