Radwanska Sisters Bring Christmas Cheer To Needy Families
Agnieszka and Urszula Radwanska showed the true spirit of the holidays back home in Poland this past week, keeping a very charitable tradition going…
Agnieszka and Urszula Radwanska showed the true spirit of the holidays back home in Poland this past week, keeping a very charitable tradition going…
Garbiñe Muguruza got a taste of the Big Apple when she learned from the pros how to make some of the city’s signature sandwiches at the US Open’s Taste Of Tennis event.
Who’s your favorite player, what was your favorite match of the year and of course who took the best selfie this year? Click here to vote for those and many more!
The WTA’s all-star cast battle it out for wins, titles and ranking points all year long – but who is getting the most clicks? This week, wtatennis.com will count down the Top 50 Most Popular Players Of 2016.
Next on the list will be No.20 to No.11! Find out who made the cut…
20. Martina Hingis (SUI)
The third act of Hingis’ Hall Of Fame career brought six more doubles titles – including the Australian Open – alongside Sania Mirza in 2016, and a whole raft of new fans.
19. Belinda Bencic (SUI)
Hingis’ one-time protégé Bencic is proving to be another hit with tennis fans across the globe, despite an injury-hit season.
18. Ana Ivanovic (SRB)
Ivanovic also ensured an ongoing fitness battle in 2016, but it does not appear to have affected her status in the hearts of the tennis-following public.
17. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)
Kuznetsova’s resurgence was one of the feel-good stories of the year, titles in Sydney and Moscow securing a return to the Top 10 and WTA Finals.
16. Petra Kvitova (CZE)
After a slow start, Kvitova turned on the style in Asia, providing a timely reminder of her undoubted brilliance with dominant triumphs in first Wuhan then Zhuhai.
15. Madison Keys (USA)
Keys’ star continued to rise in 2016, victory on the lawns of Birmingham helping her crack the Top 10 for the first time.
14. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)
The ever-popular Wozniacki continues to factor at the business end of tennis’ showpiece events, as she proved by reaching the semifinals of the US Open.
13. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK)
There has never been any doubting Cibulkova’s ability, and with her Achilles problems now a distant memory she made good on her potential by winning Katowice, Eastbourne, Linz and, most memorably, the WTA Finals.
12. Venus Williams (USA)
Even in the twilight of her wonderful career, Williams remains as popular as ever, giving her fans reason to cheer at the Rio Olympics when she teamed up with Rajeev Ram to win mixed doubles silver – her fifth medal at the Olympics.
11. Maria Sharapova (RUS)
To the delight of her army of loyal followers, Sharapova will make her much-anticipated return to action in spring 2017.
Come back to wtatennis.com on Friday for No.20 to No.11 on the list…
An interview with Agnieszka Radwanska before the start of the BNP Paribas Open.
Caroline Wozniacki
2016 Quick Hits
Week 1 Ranking: No.17
Year-End Ranking: No.19 (Lowest ranking No.74, Aug 29)
Season Highlights: Title at Tokyo, Hong Kong
Best Major Result: SF (US Open)
19 Days left until the 2017 #WTA season! ? pic.twitter.com/IiR9929uR0
— WTA (@WTA) 13 de diciembre de 2016
2017 Outlook
Caroline Wozniacki’s Year-End Ranking of No.19 – just two spots below her Week 1 Ranking – belies the rollercoaster season that the Dane experienced in 2016.
Maybe another stat can paint a better picture: Caroline Wozniacki held a 13-14 win-loss record this year before the US Open; from New York until end it was 21-3.
After an impressive run to the ASB Classic semifinal in Auckland in January, Wozniacki’s season was derailed by injuries and she was sidelined for the entire clay court season. Her ranking took a beating after suffering a disappointing string of first and second round defeats, plummeting to its lowest point at No.74 in August.
But whether her ranking was inside the Top 20 or outside the Top 70, one thing stayed the same: Wozniacki’s self-belief never wavered.
“I never doubted that I could come back and make it here, because I’ve worked too hard my whole life on my fitness to keep my body in shape,” Wozniacki said in Hong Kong. “I was like, ‘It’s going to be okay, where it’s going to be a month, two months, four months.’
“I knew eventually I would be back.”
Wozniacki, no stranger to setbacks and comebacks, recovered empathically and put together a stunning run to the US Open semifinals, then backing it up in Asia with titles at the Toray Pan Pacific Open and Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open.
Looking ahead to next season, the former World No.1 is right where she wants to be. Finally fit and healthy and with a paltry 488 points to defend between Week 1 and the US Open, Wozniacki can expect to continue her rise into 2017.
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Christina McHale caused a minor shock in the bottom half of the draw at the BNP Paribas Open, knocking out Caroline Garcia in straight sets.
Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Indian Wells right here on wtatennis.com!
In Thursday’s second match on Stadium 1, McHale produced an impressive display to defeat the higher-ranked Garcia, 6-4, 6-4.
McHale made the perfect start, securing a break to love in the first game when she skipped around to punch a forehand winner. However, the cornerstone of her victory was the serve, which bailed her out of trouble at several crucial junctures.
Serving for the opening set, the American sent a stinging serve out wide to erase the second of two break points, before a couple more well-placed deliveries got her safely to the changeover.
“I knew I had to serve well because Caroline is so aggressive and I knew I had to get a lot of first serves in today, and it worked today so I’m excited,” McHale said.
Although there were a few empty seats in the stands, those present certainly made their presence felt, helping McHale withstand a late Garcia rally.
“You guys helped me pull through that match. I love the atmosphere and I love being at Indian Wells!”
Her reward is a meeting with No.4 seed Garbiñe Muguruza, a player whom she has enjoyed mixed fortunes against: “I actually lost to her the last time we played and she’s obviously playing really, really well. I’ll try to play my best tennis and I’m looking forward to that match.”
Other early winners in their section included Yanina Wickmayer, Magdalena Rybarikova and Lauren Davis.
Rybarikova ended Laura Robson’s return to top tier tennis with a 7-6(3), 6-2 win, while Davis defeated Nao Hibino, 6-2, 6-4. Wickmayer’s path into the second round was less straightforward, hauling herself back after a nightmare start to defeat Polona Hercog, 0-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Ball kids, chair umpires, physios and more: take a look back at the best of WTA Behind the Tour!
As Agnieszka Radwanska and Roberta Vinci worked their magic in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Total Open, few were more enthusiastically spellbound than colleague, Kristina Mladenovic.
A longtime fixture of the tennis fan community on Twitter – colloquially known as Tennis Twitter – the French No.1 tweeted her thoughts on the nearly two-hour epic, which Radwanska won, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, after she and Vinci came to net a stunning 101 times over three sets.
Loving this match between @roberta_vinci & @ARadwanska! So much variety tennis & both literally ending every single points at the net?#doha
— Kristina Mladenovic (@KikiMladenovic) February 25, 2016
Ok ladies this is sick tennis.
— Kristina Mladenovic (@KikiMladenovic) February 25, 2016
“It can be a WTA or ATP match,” she said during the BNP Paribas Open draw ceremony. “If I have time and a match looks interesting, I’ll go on the app and watch. It’s fun to applaud great tennis, so why not?
“It’s not just about me and what I am doing!”
Seeded No.27 in Indian Wells – and projected to play World No.1 Serena Williams in the third round – Mladenovic enjoyed a stellar 2015 season that saw her climb from a February low of No.74 all the way into the Top 30.
But success hasn’t driven the 22-year-old away from social media; as the world watched the Vinci mount her unforgettable upset over Williams at the US Open, Mladenovic’s own commentary could hardly be contained by 140 characters – all a mere 72 hours after the Italian veteran had ended her own career-best Grand Slam run in the quarterfinals.
Whatever happens now I kind of feel a bit better about my loss… ? #usopen
— Kristina Mladenovic (@KikiMladenovic) September 11, 2015
Serena is one of the greatest if not the best ever! But brava @roberta_vinci such a talented&great player and a nice person too she deserves
— Kristina Mladenovic (@KikiMladenovic) September 11, 2015
“These days, Twitter is almost like a news channel. You wake up in the morning and go on your phone to see what everyone is up to. I wouldn’t say I’m addicted to social media, but I just put myself in the position of the fans.”
Frequently engaging with fans across the globe, Mladenovic often appears online with a flurry of retweets following a match, gregariously reposting screencaps or videos, many of which display the Frenchwoman’s penchant for on-court flair.
“I wish that when I was younger I could have known more about the lives of my idols. What is their day like? What do they do away from tennis? Social media is just a great way to really get behind the scenes and get to know the personalities of the players.
“It keeps the fans engaged, even if they can’t attend a tournament in person, and helps to build a great connection.”
Mladenovic will likely continue to build connections in 2016, both as a USANA Brand Ambassador and as one half of a fast-rising dynamic duo with friend and Fed Cup teammate, Caroline Garcia.
Started off with a shoot with @TeamUSANA at #BNPPO16 #USANAwta #usana @WTA @USANAinc pic.twitter.com/LGKHNVpDwG
— Kristina Mladenovic (@KikiMladenovic) March 7, 2016
“I have been using USANA vitamins and supplements for a few years and have seen the difference that it has made in my health and fitness. I’m looking forward to sharing my positive experience with others and letting them know what USANA can do for them.”
Already a major champion in mixed doubles – winning Wimbledon alongside Daniel Nestor in 2013 – the Frenchwoman peaked at No.5 on the doubles rankings last spring after she and then-partner Timea Babos became the only team to defeat the all-but-unstoppable Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza in a final to win the Internazionali BNL D’Italia.
Happy to announce my new partnership in doubles with @CaroGarcia for 2016! Exciting goals ahead of us! ???? pic.twitter.com/06M5slawJT
— Kristina Mladenovic (@KikiMladenovic) November 25, 2015
Making her BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global debut to end the 2015 season, Mladenovic decided to partner with Garcia ahead of the Olympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro – a move that as already yielded two finals at the Apia International Sydney and the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
“We already had great doubles partners – me with Timea and Caroline with Katarina Srebotnik – both great players and friends. But as countrywomen from the same generation, and with similar goals, we have a great opportunity.
“We’re really lucky to be from the same country and in this position to play together, not just with regard to the Olympics, which would be amazing, but there are exciting tournaments, week after week on the tour.
“Of course, to win a medal for France at the Olympics would be a huge thing, an amazing achievement for any athlete.
Their biggest struggle thus far? Deciding on a team name.
Any suggestions for a team name for @CaroGarcia and @KikiMladenovic? #KikiCaro perhaps? #SydneyTennis #7Tennis https://t.co/UT1DOvbC4v
— 7Tennis (@7tennis) January 15, 2016
“The reaction from fans so far has been great. We’ve really noticed the buzz about us playing together, and we think at Roland Garros in particular it’s going to be very exciting.”