Tennis News

The 2016 US Open draw features seven former finalists, including Svetlana Kuznetsova, the first Russian to take home the trophy in Flushing. Kuznetsova’s countrywoman and fellow former World No.2 Vera Zvonareva reached the final back in 2010; absent from the Open since 2012, Zvonareva will be part of the action for the first time in four years, if only from a distance.

“I’ll be commentating for Eurosport Russia for a few matches,” she told WTA Insider by phone on Wednesday. “It’ll be a huge opportunity for me. I like to watch tennis and different matches, so it will be exciting.

“I don’t know if I’ll be good at it or not, but it’ll be something good to try. I’ve only ever been in the radio booth, but not on TV. It’ll be a new experience for me, but I’m ready for the challenge.”

The gig comes as just the latest in a series of fun and exciting challenges for the Beijing Bronze medalist, who announced her marriage and newborn daughter Evelyn (Evelina in Russian) in a lengthy post on Instagram.

“I’ve had so many injuries over the last few years. I tried to come back a couple of times, first after my shoulder surgery, and then I had an Achilles injury. I needed to take a break and my physio told me I’d need six months to get back on court again.

“During that period of time, I thought maybe it’d be great to have a family, because I couldn’t do what I love to do; I couldn’t do any sports. It happened really fast, and then I became a mom this summer.

“It’s all different, being away from tennis and being a mom, but it’s great as well.”

Zvonareva’s injury struggles began not long after she and Kuznetsova won the women’s doubles title at the 2012 Australian Open. Two truncated comeback attempts – the most recent ending last spring – sent her back towards more pursuable passions like academics and athletics, the latter of which she shares with husband Alexander.

“I met my husband about four or five years ago; we met during a run. I love running, and I had been taking part in different competitions in Moscow, but for fun, not professionally, just different five or 10K runs. I was doing those and he loves running as well, so that’s how we met.

“He came with me to a couple of tournaments, but then I couldn’t continue. He would love to see me play more because he loves tennis and to watch me play, but I got injured.”

She discovered she was expecting while studying for her Master’s degree in Political Science, applying her typically studious approach to the news as her due date drew nearer.

“During the pregnancy, I tried to juggle studying and being pregnant. I took birthing courses for four months, because I’d never had sisters or brothers; my family was quite small. For me, it’s something new, so my husband and I took the courses together.

“My close friends knew, of course, but I never made it public because I prefer to keep my personal life to myself.”

Following fellow WTA stars Ana Ivanovic, Dominika Cibulkova, and Tsvetana Pironkova down the aisle, Zvonareva is able to rely on a network of compatriots who’ve began families before her.

“I heard Victoria’s news, and of course it’s great to hear she’s expecting. I’ve been in touch with some friends from the tour, especially the Russian girls and former players like Elena Dementieva, Alina Jidkova, Tatiana Panova. They all have babies by now and it’s great. We have a big community of tennis moms!”

Whether she can emulate rival and former No.1 Kim Clijsters, who won three major titles after starting a family of her own, depends on how her body responds to its return to the gym.

“I’m going to start trying to get back into shape because sport is part of my life and I want to get back in shape. I don’t know if I’ll be back on the tour or not; it’s tough to say at the moment, but for myself, I want to back into the shape I was in before and play tennis again – even if it’s just for fun.

“I want to start going to the gym three times a week, and I’ll probably start in about a week. Hopefully by October, I can start running a little bit. My first goal will be to participate in some of those five or 10K runs, because I like those a lot. From there, we’ll see, but definitely being an athlete for all of my life, I want to get back in athletic shape. I don’t know if I’ll ever come back to tennis, but I want to be in a good shape, no matter what!”

No matter what, Zvonareva has already had a career to remember, reaching a pair of Grand Slam singles finals in 2010 and winning four majors in women’s and mixed doubles. But her greatest memory remains rounding out an all-Russian podium at the 2008 Summer Games.

“For all the girls in Russia, the Olympics gives a lot of motivation. When I was younger, I watched Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Elena Dementieva when they were playing in Sydney. Yevgeny got the gold medal and Elena got the silver; it inspired all of us to continue doing what we like and to continue dreaming. It was an exciting moment for Russian tennis.

“We saw how many Russians came on tour afterwards; there was a time when we had five players inside the Top 10. It was great.”

Watching a new wave of Russians rise in her absence, she has high hopes for another strong showing at the Summer Games, especially after 2016’s gold medal in women’s doubles, won by Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina.

“I think Russian tennis has a great future. We have names like Daria Kasatkina and Margarita Gasparyan; they’re already inside the Top 100, and Daria’s been doing really well this year. I never played against her – because she was still a junior when I was playing! – but I’ve seen a couple of matches on TV, and I think she’s been doing great.

“There are also junior girls winning Wimbledon like Anastasia Potapova, so maybe we’ll yet have another Golden Era of Russian tennis.

“I’ll be happy to see a new generation of Russian players on tour, and I’ll be happy to see if they can produce the same results and maybe win gold, silver, or bronze medals in tennis as well.”

She’ll continue to enjoy the game from afar for now, and though Zvonareva admitted that little could compare with the emotions of being on court herself, the memories will always remain close to her heart – however this next chapter ends.

“I got the chance to travel around the world, and meet different people and athletes the world over. It’s not easy being a professional athlete, but tennis taught me a lot and gave me a lot. It taught me discipline, how to fight, and all different things that help me in life.

“I miss the feeling of being on the Centre Courts and the big crowds. That’s something that’s very difficult to get in life, those feelings of when you walk onto a big court at a Grand Slam to play a big match, get through tough challenges to win in the end. That’s a feeling I miss a lot, but they will always be inside me. I can always remember them, and they make me smile, and proud of my career.”

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

The stage is set in Strasbourg as the French headline their first Fed Cup final since 2005, when Amélie Mauresmo narrowly missed out on a hat trick of titles to team Russia. Mauresmo is back at the helm over a decade later, captaining a next generation squad that includes Roland Garros doubles winners Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic.

“I’m lucky it brings out their best tennis,” the 2016 International Tennis Hall of Fame Inductee told WTA Insider in July. “They feel so good playing on the team, and are able to express their best during this competition, I’m very fortunate with that. It’s not only Caroline and Kiki, but also Alizé Cornet and Pauline Parmentier; I hope they can all rise to the occasion in November.”

That occasion puts them head-to-head against defending champions in the Czech Republic, who have taken home the trophy in four of the last five years and took out the French in last April’s semifinal.

“We have a very difficult team ahead of us. There’s nothing to lose, being the underdogs. We’ll give it a good fight.”

Garcia will be ready for a good fight against the likes of Karolina Pliskova and Petra Kvitova. The French No.1 won in Strasbourg earlier in the season, taking home the first of two titles in 2016.

“I’m really looking forward to it, but I’d rather be facing a team other than the Czechs!” she joked at the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai. “They have so many great players, that they could even make two teams from all the players they have in the Top 50.

“But we’ve done well this year; not long ago, we were almost out of World Group, and we were fighting just to stay in World Group II. Everything’s come very fast for us. We are a very young team, and have nothing to lose; we will be in France, and we will give everything we have like we always do.”

Mladenovic echoed her partner’s sentiments after winning the Mutua Madrid Open doubles crown.

“We are all aware how tough it is to give all of yourself in Fed Cup every single year. Personally, I give a lot. You try to do your best, find a balance, and just be positive, work hard and keep going.”

She and Garcia duo rode a 15-match winning streak through the start of the clay court season, ultimately becoming the first all-French duo to triumph on the terre battue since 1971. Mauresmo took over coaching duties back in 2012, and admitted a need to adapt her strategies to a new set of national stars.

“It’s another learning experience for me, how to adjust to people, how to adjust to different personalities, different structures as well. They don’t operate the same way I did at all. You have to find different words, and it’s a challenge each time. But I love it. I love to adjust, listen to people, and decide from there what is the best course of action.”

Born in the same city as the two-time Grand Slam champion, Garcia earned the Fed Cup Heart Award following a heroic effort in the semifinals, where she and Mladenovic won a decisive doubles rubber to advance into the championship tie.

“I think it’s been a great opportunity to work with her. She really likes this competition. She gives a lot of herself, a lot of energy on the court. She’s had a lot of experience from her career in Fed Cup. She was No.1, won Grand Slams.

“She knows how tennis works, obviously. She trusts us and us on the court, that we can give everything. She wants us to win this Fed Cup; it was one of our goals, and now we’re so close!”

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

The US Open has undergone more than a few changes in the last year, and while the majority of players have given the improvements two thumbs up, few have been as effusive in their praise as Monica Niculescu.

“We have stands everywhere,” Niculescu told WTA Insider after her first round win over Babora Strycova. “We have Hawkeye on Court 5; it’s incredible. I haven’t played under the roof yet, but it looks great. We even have more money on the badge to eat! So I’m happy.

“I love Manhattan. If you’re out at 1AM, there are still people out on the street, having fun. There are all the shops on Fifth Avenue. I love New York, and I love the US Open; it’s the best, and I’m happy I can do well here.”

Niculescu has done very well thus far at the US Open; unseeded and ranked No.58, the Romanian recovered from a second set hiccup to knock out Strycova, seeded No.18, and raced out to a 6-0, 5-0 lead before ultimately dispatching compatriot Ana Bogdan in straight sets.

“I wasn’t happy about the draw, what can I say? Strycova had some great results before the US Open; she beat Stosur in Cincinnati and had a great match against Kerber. I knew it was going to be a tough one, and that’s why I’m happy about my game.”

Her signature slicing and dicing will face its biggest test yet as she opens Day 5 on Arthur Ashe Stadium against two-time finalist and former No.1 Carolina Wozniacki. The Dane has won all five of their previous encounters in straight sets, but the pair haven’t played since 2013. Plus, Niculescu has a secret weapon.

“There are many Romanians here,” she said when asked about the voracious crowd support. “They come to New York all the time.”

She also had the opportunity to play doubles with World No.1 Sania Mirza just last week at the Connecticut Open. An impressive doubles player in her own right, winning three titles with three different partners in 2016, the former World No.28 considered the week with Mirza to have been an absolute masterclass.

“It was amazing. Listen, I learned so much from that week, and she gave me so many tips on how to play certain girls and how to see the game. She has so much power and it was so nice to play with her; she was hitting so big and I just had to go to the net and do my stuff. I learned so many things. I want to thank her for playing with me, and I felt fantastic. I’m hoping to play again, when I can with her, because it was great.

“I think the doubles helped me a lot. I came here, played very good tennis, and that’s because I had so many matches in New Haven. It was difficult, and I had so many important moments; in doubles, you have to stay focused, and I think it helped me so much.”

Some retail therapy might also help ready the Romanian for her first trip to the US Open second week since 2011.

“It’s sad, but the thing I love doing most in New York is shopping. I love shopping, and I cannot wait to relax and do that.”

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.