Tennis News

BRISBANE, Australia – It was Saturday, January 10, 2009 when a future World No.1 would make her first mark on the WTA tour, as a then-19-year-old Victoria Azarenka took home her very first WTA title at the Brisbane International.

The talented teenager had been knocking on the door for a while; she’d already featured in four finals, including at the previous year’s Gold Coast women’s event, which would merge with the Adelaide men’s tournament to form the Brisbane International.

Azarenka, then ranked World No.16 and seeded two at the tournament, would not be denied a fifth time and routed Marion Bartoli 6-3, 6-1 in the final.

“Everybody says the third time’s the charm but for me it is the fifth one – I’m just glad I got it,” the Belarusian laughed in her post-championship press conference.

“I just go out and play no matter what happens. That probably helped me. It was like playing a regular match – that is what helped me finish it so quickly.”

Azarenka would go on to write her name in the tennis history books and record even more significant milestones on Australian soil; she eventually took home her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in 2012 and rose to WTA World No.1 for the first time.

But, back in 2009 at Brisbane, Azarenka was just getting started.  

So young and happy! Same passion still ? https://t.co/U0iJrD8REt

— victoria azarenka (@vika7) January 10, 2017

Check out more photos of Azarenka’s maiden moment of victory, courtesy of Getty Images:

Having A Blast At Acapulco Kids Day

Mexico’s Giuliana Olmos joined forces with WTA Charities and a handful of ATP players at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel to give underprivileged kids in Acapulco the experience of a lifetime at the 24th edition of AMT Kids Day by Nickelodeon.

AMT Kids Day hosted hundreds of children from the Teleton Center of Childhood Rehabilitation as well as Guerrero’s DIF, an organization that works with family developments in the area.

Olmos and the players were recognized by the tournament as “Agents of Change” for making a difference by being a positive example for the youth.

Click here for more photos from AMT Kids Day!

Autism Awareness In Kuala Lumpur

In the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, players took a break from their preparations for the Alya WTA Malaysian Open to visit Pusat Permata Kurnia, a learning centre for autistic children aged 4-7 and where the motto reads: ‘Autism Is Not A Tragedy, Ignorance Is.’

Australian buddies Casey Dellacqua and Ashleigh Barty, who teamed up in the doubles draw, were joined by wildcard Zheng Saisai and Malaysian player Theiviya Selvarajoo at the learning centre.

Click here to see more of the Permata Kurnia visit!

WTA Charities is the WTA’s global philanthropic organization dedicated to making a positive impact across the globe. Our mission is to be a social responsibility vehicle built on the WTA’s values to empower and provide for a better future. We’re dedicated to combining, strengthening and enhancing the community and charitable efforts of the WTA through its members (players, alumnae and tournaments), along with our partners.

Click here to see more WTA Charities activities!

ROME, Italy – After officially stepping away from the game at the 2015 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, Flavia Pennetta had an emotional retirement ceremony on Court Pietrangeli at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia this Tuesday.

The ceremony celebrated the Pennetta’s long and successful career, which saw her become Italy’s first No.1 woman in 2009 and a US Open champion in the tournament’s first all-Italian final in 2015. With her family and friends in attendance – along with hundreds of adoring Italian fans – Pennetta was joined on court by WTA CEO Steve Simon, Francesca Schiavone and several of the players, umpires and journalists she’s worked with during her 15 years on tour.

Video messages poured in from around the tennis world for the Italian champion, including well wishes from Serena Williams, Billie Jean King, Chrissie Evert, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

“It was so nice to have the people here with me,” an emotional Pennetta said. “The girls, Steve Simon, the WTA made an unbelievable video for me and I really appreciate everything.

“Like I said, this is my family. This was my family for such a long time. It’s not finished. We spend so much time together. It’s normal to feel this emotion.”

Watch the messages in the tribute video above and check out the best photos of the ceremony below.

Click here to watch the full retirement ceremony.

Francesca Schiavone, Flavia Pennetta” src=”http://www.wtatennis.com/javaImages/66/6a/0,,12781~14576230,00.jpg” width=600 height=399>

The boldest decision of Agnieszka Radwanska’s life was one with which many people will sympathise. It came when she was 19 years old -and decided to leave her parents’ house for a home of her own.

“The toughest decision in my life was moving out from home,” she revealed in an exclusive WTA interview. Looking back, she believes it was a great choice, which helped her to learn to become more independent.

“When I moved out I started a new life and made my own decisions in my own home,” she added.

Radwanska’s reflections mark the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day – ‘Be Bold For Change’.

The WTA World No.6, who celebrated her 28th birthday on Monday, is on a run of six consecutive WTA Top 10 year-end finishes. She soared up the rankings after turning pro in 2005 and enjoyed success at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global in 2015. In addition, she was a finalist at Wimbledon in 2012 and has accumulated 20 WTA singles titles.

International Women’s Day falls on March 8 every year, and celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.