Tennis News

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – With just two days to go until the start of the Olympic tennis event in Rio de Janeiro this weekend, Serena Williams met with the press along with the rest of Team USA at the group’s press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

Serena is the top seed in both women’s singles and doubles (along with older sister Venus Williams) as well as being the reigning gold medalist in both events. All eyes are on the WTA No.1 as she readies for her quest to add another Olympic gold medal to her already impressive haul.

Here are the highlights from Serena’s Team USA press conference.

Serena holds 22 Grand Slam singles titles and has four Olympic gold medals (one in singles, three in doubles). Here’s how she described the unique feeling of winning in both competitions:

“All our lives, us tennis players dream of playing in Grand Slams, winning Grand Slams, having the opportunity to hold that trophy.

“And then there’s the Olympics. Playing the Olympics, it’s totally different. You’re really playing for your country. When I held my first gold medal, it was a feeling that I never expected. I had the opportunity to truly enjoy and appreciate my gold medal probably more than my other trophies.”

And this is what keeps her motivated to keep winning even after earning so many gold medals and Grand Slams titles:

“I love what I do, I do it every day and I enjoy being out on the court. I enjoy competing and right now I just don’t see a time where I say, ‘I don’t want to do it anymore.’

“As long as I’m doing anything – whether I’m playing tennis or doing something else – I always give my maximum effort. That’s just what I bring to the court every day.”

On teaming up again with her older sister Venus for doubles, where they’re vying for a fourth doubles gold medal together:

“We have the opportunity to have someone on tour who completely understands what you’re going through. There are some brothers and sisters on tour. It’s a great experience, it’s a lot of fun. We enjoy it – I don’t think there’s anything out there like it.”

On being back in Brazil for just the second time ever:

“I had so much fun in Sao Paolo a few years ago [for an exhibition match]. It was a great time, and that was my first time here in Brazil.

“I’ve never been to Rio, though. The team actually all just got here today, so we haven’t had too much time to experience it but everything looks really nice and we look forward to spending a long time here, having a long tournament and having wonderful experiences.”

Here’s what she thinks of the much discussed health and safety concerns in Rio:

“I weighed it very heavily. I think everyone here [on Team USA] did as well and we were able to educate ourselves on what to do and how to prepare and how to deal with everything here. If you educate yourself and have preparation, then you can really be ready for anything. And then I think we all had the confidence that we could do it. We’re all prepared. We’re ready.”

She also reflected – kind of – on her historic Wimbledon win a few weeks ago:

“I don’t reflect so much, actually. I usually just move on and focus on the next big event. Especially with Rio being so close, that was my main goal, to make sure I’m ready and prepared to play in the Olympics. The way I see my season hasn’t changed. My season has been, for me, it’s been ok.”

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – The first round of the Olympic tennis event wraps up on Sunday with all of the top seeded women headlining the action, including Serena Williams and Garbiñe Muguruza.

Sunday, First Round

Centre Court
[1] Serena Williams (USA #1) vs Daria Gavrilova (AUS #46)
Head-to-head: Williams leads 1-0

It’s been a somewhat quiet season for Australia’s Daria Gavrilova. Since last year’s breakthrough, she’s succumbed to a string of first and second losses, results at odds with the 22-year-old’s big game and even bigger promise. But despite the early exits, Gavrilova’s reputation as a giant-killer remains intact – she owns four wins over Top 20 players so far, including victories over Petra Kvitova and Simona Halep.

She’ll have to bring every ounce of her dogged belief and determination against what would be the biggest opponent of all: World No.1 Serena Williams. The American is in killer form this year, having played six events and reaching the final in all but one. She’s also fresh off a monumental Wimbledon win, where she won her record-tying 22^nd Grand Slam title, and comes to Rio once again chasing history and vying to become the first tennis player – male or female – to win five Olympic medals.

Court 1
Mariana Duque-Mariño (COL #82) vs [2] Angelique Kerber (GER #3)
Head-to-head: Duque-Mariño leads 1-0

Mariana Duque-Mariño got her first taste of gold at last year’s Pan Am Games in Toronto when she became Colombia’s first women’s tennis player to bring home the medal. Since then, Duque-Mariño has toiled through qualifying rounds and posted her career second appearance at a WTA final in Nurnberg earlier this year.

The Colombian has fond memories of the last time she played against her first-round opponent; Duque-Mariño defeated Angelique Kerber to win the title in Bogota, her hometown, back in 2010.

Kerber’s season skidded a bit after the high of winning her first Grand Slam title in Australia, but rumors of her downfall were greatly exaggerated. The German has reached the semifinals or better at seven events this year, including an appearance at the Wimbledon final and her run to the semifinal of the Rogers Cup just last week. Despite facing travel difficulties, the German arrived to her second Olympic Games in good form and primed for another deep run.

Around the grounds…
No.3 seed Garbiñe Muguruza kick starts her Olympics campaign against former No.1 Jelena Jankovic on Centre Court. Meanwhile No.11 seed Petra Kvitova and No.13 seed Samantha Stosur take to Court 2 to face off against Timea Babos and Jelena Ostapenko, respectively.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – The top three seeds will battle for quarterfinal slots on Day 4 of the Rio Games. Chris Oddo breaks down the key Olympic match-ups at wtatennis.com.

Tuesday, Third Round

Centre Court
[7] Madison Keys (USA #9) vs. [9] Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP #12)
Head-to-head: Keys leads, 2-0
Key Stat: Keys played the longest match of this year’s Olympic Games on Monday, taking out Kristina Mladenovic in three hours and 14 minutes.
Madison Keys is one of the few players in Rio who has a big enough game to hit through the slow-playing hardcourts. She’ll have to do just that and then some if she intends to get past the gritty Carla Suárez Navarro on Tuesday. Keys won the pair’s two previous meetings, but both of them have gone three sets. If Keys is going to make it three in a row against the Spaniard, she’ll have to do what she could not against Simona Halep in the Montréal final. In that match Keys struggled to win the longer rallies and didn’t serve well enough to keep the majority of points short. Against a deft baseliner like Suárez Navarro, who defeated Ana Konjuh, 7-6(5), 6-3 on Monday, Keys will have to avoid making this match a physical encounter. After three hours and 14 minutes in the Rio heat on Monday, will Keys have the energy left to execute her game plan?

Pick: Suárez Navarro in three

[1] Serena Williams (USA #1) vs. Elina Svitolina (UKR #20)
Head-to-head: Williams leads, 4-0
Key Stat: Williams is bidding to be the first Woman in history to successfully defend an Olympic singles title.
In her Olympic debut, Elina Svitolina has reeled off back-to-back three-set victories, over Andrea Petkovic and Heather Watson, to book her spot in the sweet 16. But the World No.20 will run into a much stiffer challenge on Tuesday when she faces defending Olympic gold medalist Serena Williams. The last four meetings between Svitolina and Williams have seen Svitolina gain some moral victories, but the truth of the matter is that her defensive approach leaves her far too vulnerable against an offensive juggernaut like Williams. Will Svitolina step out of her shell and try to take the game to Williams, or will the Ukrainian be content to leave the match on Serena’s racquet in the hopes that the mighty American might falter? Williams struggled against Alizé Cornet on Monday, but eventually prevailed in straight sets. She could be tested by Svitolina on Tuesday, but expect Williams to sharpen her focus as the medal rounds draw nearer.

Pick: Williams in two

Court 1
[2] Angelique Kerber (GER #2) vs. [13] Samantha Stosur (AUS #17)
Head-to-head: Tied, 3-3
Key Stat: Kerber is bidding to become the first German woman to win a medal at the Olympics since Steffi Graf in 1992.
How impressive has Angelique Kerber’s 2016 been? A maiden Grand Slam title and a Wimbledon final have thrust the cagey German close to the top of the rankings and she’s gunning for more precious hardware here in Rio. Kerber made relatively light work of Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard on Monday and appears to be primed for another deep run in this her coming-of-age season. But standing in her way on Tuesday will be the determined Sam Stosur, a player who is tailor-made for the gritty, slow-paced Rio hardcourts. Stosur has done most of her damage on clay this year, but she just might have a shot to upend Kerber if she can dictate with her serve and play without fear in the pair’s seventh career meeting. Stosur was strong in her straight-sets victory over Japan’s Misaki Doi on Monday, but she’ll have to be even stronger if she hopes to snap her three-match losing streak to Kerber on hardcourts.

Pick: Kerber in three

Court 2
[3] Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP #4) vs. Monica Puig (PUR #34)
Head-to-head: First Meeting
Key Stat: Neither player has dropped a set this week in Rio.
It looks like Garbiñe Muguruza is turning the page on a disappointing grass court season and reverting back to the elite form that saw her claim her maiden Grand Slam title at Roland Garros this spring. It may seem like a long time ago, but Muguruza’s performance in Paris left no doubt about her talent, mindset and belief. Now the challenge is to be more consistent. Muguruza, who plastered Japan’s Nao Hibino, 6-1, 6-1, on Monday, is the only seeded player left in her quarter. This is a tremendous opportunity for the Spaniard to open her hardcourt season in style, but she’ll have to get past the dangerous Monica Puig to keep her medal hopes alive. Puig has had a successful season on all surfaces, but the Puerto Rican has had very little experience against the WTA’s elite. She’s only played five Top 10 players in her career, losing four. Can she send a message and create a stir with a big upset in Rio?

Pick: Muguruza in three

Around the grounds…
Great Britain’s Johanna Konta’s magical season continues in Rio. The 25-year-old has yet to drop a set ahead of her round of 16 encounter with Svetlana Kuznetsova. But she’ll be tested in a big way by the resurgent Russian when the pair meets for the first time on Tuesday. Doubles action will also take center stage on Tuesday, as Garbiñe Muguruza, Carla Suárez Navarro, Sara Errani, Kirsten Flipkens, and Ekaterina Makarova will all pull double duty.

By the numbers…
19 – The age of Russia’s Daria Kasatkina, who is the youngest player left in the draw. Kasatkina will face Italy’s Sara Errani on Day 4. The Italian defeated Kasatkina in three sets in their only previous meeting.
11-1 – Serena record in Olympic singles matches. If she wins the title, Williams will tie Steffi Graf (15-1) for the most Olympic singles victories of all-time.
3 – Russia leads the way with three players (Kasatkina, Makarova, Kuznetsova) into the round of 16. The United States, Spain and Germany each have two alive in the draw, with 11 nations represented in total.
1 – Number of Olympic singles champions remaining in the draw (Serena).

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – No.15 seed Elina Svitolina ended the Rio run of 22-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, 6-4, 6-3, to reach the quarterfinals of the Olympic tennis event.

“The feeling is unreal, and I still can’t believe this match ended with a win for me,” she said after the match.

“I was trying to be focused because she’s a great player with great experience coming back in many amazing matches. In the end, it was just point by point.”

Working with coaching consultant Justine Henin, a former World No.1 and recent International Tennis Hall of Fame Inductee, Svitolina has shown steady signs of improvement in the last two seasons, reaching her first Grand Slam quarterfinal and peaking at No.14 in the world following a title run at the BMW Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur.

But Svitolina had taken just one set from Serena in their previous four meetings, and was by all accounts the underdog against the four-time Olympic gold medalist.

Navigating through tense opening exchanges, Svitolina recovered from losing her early break advantage to reclaim the initiative and serve out the opening set in 34 minutes.

Serena w/d from Montreal citing shoulder inflammation. Could barely spin a serve at the end of the 2nd set. Can she bounce back @usopen?

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) August 9, 2016

The second set saw a struggling Serena, one who appeared to aggravate a right shoulder injury that forced her out of the Rogers Cup last week, roar back from a break down to level the contest at three games apiece, but it wasn’t enough on Tuesday night.

“In that moment, I was just trying to stay in the moment and focus on every point. She was struggling a bit, and I could see that if I pushed a little more, I could be on top. This was the key.”

Serena had given kudos to her opponent following her second round win, something which made the win all the sweeter for Svitolina, who grew up idolizing the World No.1.

“It’s amazing, and one of my dreams to play against her. I don’t think I ever dreamed of beating her. I think I’ll enjoy this moment so much, especially at the Olympics; I’ve always wanted to play here.”

Up next for the Ukrainian is No.11 seed Petra Kvitova, who is hoping to better her quarterfinal finish from the London Olympics in 2012. Kvitova won a titanic three-setter over Ekaterina Makarova earlier in the day.

.@ElinaSvitolina knocks out defending #Olympic champion Serena Williams 64 63 in the 3rd round at #Rio2016! pic.twitter.com/XwWB2UTyiN

— ITF Olympic Tennis (@OlympicsTennis) August 9, 2016

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA — Ajla Tomljanovic is just happy to be back. The 23-year-old was speaking to reporters less than an hour after a 7-5, 6-2 loss to Julia Goerges in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open. Indian Wells was just her second tournament back after undergoing shoulder surgery in March of last year, with her first tournament coming last week in Acapulco, where she defeated Eugenie Bouchard in her first match.

Currently ranked No.664, Tomljanovic could finally breathe a sigh of relief knowing that after nearly a year away she could still hang with the best.

“A loss has never felt so good,” Tomljanovic said. “I’ve never been this upbeat after a loss, so that’s a good sign.

“I’d be so unfair to myself to be disappointed in myself at this point. Of course you’re disappointed at a loss. You’re a competitive athlete. But it lasted for 30 seconds.”

That was more than fun ??? pic.twitter.com/VL8JkoezcH

— Ajla Tomljanovic (@Ajlatom) March 2, 2017

With her return to the tour, Tomljanovic brings a new perspective and appreciation for life on tour. Prior to her surgery, the Croatian reached a career-high of No.47 in 2015, making her first final in Pattaya City that year and notching her first top-five scalp, beating Agnieszka Radwanska at the 2014 French Open to make the Round of 16.

“It just feels like I’ve been away for decades,” she said. “This time last year I was supposed to play here and I had surgery when it started. My surgeon told me, ‘You’ll be back next year at that tournament.’ I thought my level, is it ever going to be there again?

“Just to be here and be competitive with these girls, I’m not far off. It’s the little things now that are important. It’s just encouraging.”

This was the best thing that I've seen in a long long time https://t.co/PHRzvtkE9E

— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) March 1, 2017

Tomljanovic admits her time away from the game was difficult. She was unable to play tennis for six months after her surgery but could not bring herself to use the time purposefully.

“I probably wasted a good four months being depressed,” she said. “Not depressed, but not doing anything with my life. Now I probably regret it a little bit. My dad was like, ‘Take classes, go do stuff’. But at the same time I’m constantly doing rehab. I couldn’t shut off completely that part of my life. I wasn’t mentally able to start something new. I had no motivation. My parents didn’t push me because I’m not a kid anymore. Now I kind of wish they did.”

But Tomljanovic slowly came to terms with life without tennis. Paradoxically, the realization that she did not need the sport allowed her to appreciate the opportunity to play again.

“Honestly, yeah, I could totally be super happy without playing.

“I know tennis is not your whole life, I know there are so many things in your life that are more important. But at the same time, it’s so precious. The 10 years in your life you can spend like this, look at how many people can do it. I probably appreciate it way more. I’ll never say I hate tennis ever again.”

Tomljanovic’s game is built around her booming serve, and that’s the shot that will take the longest time to get back online. Her consistency off the ground and her return game in particular have exceeded her expectations so far. “Even I was like, whoa,” Tomljanovic said, when asked about how well she returned against Bouchard in Acapulco.

The road ahead will not be an easy one. Tomljanovic earned a spot in the main draw of Acapulco via a special ranking of No.75, and entered Indian Wells similarly. She has also received a wildcard into the Miami Open. Unless she racks up immediate results, she’ll be back to battling it out on the ITF circuit to build her ranking back up.

“It’s gonna be a grind,” she said. “I’m going to have to play a lot, lose a lot, win a lot hopefully, in the end. But it’s going to be a long way back. Even though I had an okay match here, I won one match last week, there will be a lot of matches where nobody is watching. It’s okay. I’m happy to play anywhere.”

A blockbuster battle between Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova highlights the Day 9 schedule in Melbourne as quarterfinal action begins. Here’s a preview of what’s on tap.

Tuesday, Day 9
Quarterfinals

[1] Serena Williams (USA #1) vs. [5] Maria Sharapova (RUS # 5)
Head-to-head: Williams leads, 18-2
Key Stat: Williams has won 17 straight decisions against Sharapova, a streak that dates back more than a decade.

There’s no denying that the numbers make a case for a predictable outcome. Serena Williams has—quite remarkably—defeated Maria Sharapova on 17 consecutive occasions and only lost three of her last 37 sets against the Russian, and yet when these two iconic forces meet there is always an air of electricity surrounding the affair. That can be chalked up to several factors. One, starpower; Two, sheer athleticism; Three, competitive fire. Both Sharapova and Williams possess all three of the aforementioned entities in spades, and plenty of Grand Slam hardware to boot. And even though Williams has thoroughly dominated this rivalry over the last 11 years, the one-sidedness has not detracted from the intrigue. “Every match is new,” Williams said of the upcoming quarterfinal with Sharapova. “You know, she always brings in something new and something special.”

Williams remains confident in her game after four breezy wins in Melbourne but she admits that the psychology of having such a long winning streak against a formidable opponent creates a strange dynamic. “I think the person who is winning could definitely feel the pressure because there is a lot of expectations,” she says. Meanwhile, Sharapova enters the matchup with a sense of brimming hope. She’s serving as well as she ever has, as 37 aces in her last two matches can attest, and she’s upped the aggression in her ground game, which could help her avoid having her movement exposed by the quicker Williams. “You’re always trying to improve,” Sharapova said on Sunday after her fourth-round win over Belinda Bencic. “I got myself into the quarterfinal of a Grand Slam. There is no reason I shouldn’t be looking to improve and to getting my game in a better position.” Could these new wrinkles help Sharapova finally get over the hump against Williams? Or will Williams once again prove to be an unsolvable puzzle for the hard-hitting Russian?

Pick: Williams in three

[4] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL #4) vs. [10] Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP # 11)
Head-to-head: Radwanska leads, 3-1 (counting Fed Cup)
Key Stat: Radwanska is currently on a 12-match winning streak that dates back to last year’s WTA Finals in Singapore.

Two of the tour’s most cherished players will duke it out for a coveted semifinal slot at the year’s first major. Radwanska, a semifinalist in 2014 in Melbourne, has won three of four matches against Suárez Navarro, but dropped the pair’s last meeting in Miami last year. Though the Pole comes in as the hottest player on the WTA Tour at the moment, she knows she’ll be in for a tough, physical encounter against the resourceful Suárez Navarro. As for the 27-year-old Spaniard, she’s quite familiar with Radwanska’s tactics and form, and knows she’ll have to be on point in order to reach her first career Grand Slam semifinal. “We had really tough matches in the past,” Suárez Navarro said of matching up with Radwanska after dispatching Daria Gavrilova on Day 7. “I know it will be tough for me. I know that because of her style, you have to run a lot, you have to think every point what to do.”
Radwanska had to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat on Sunday, reeling off five consecutive games in the final set to defeat Germany’s Anna-Lena Friedsam, and the magical finish has her thinking that she could be destined for a career-best run down under. “I’m just very happy that I could win the last point,” she said, adding: “I just hope I can go further and do one step forward, make the final.”

Pick: Radwanska in three