Tennis News

As we’re approaching the end of the season, tennis apparel launches are few and far between. Still, in the month of October we did have some tennis fashion releases, while some older designs reminded us just how good they are. Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog will give us an overview of the best clothes that graced the courts during the month highlighted by the $7,000,000 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.

It’s been a while since Lacoste has launched a truly different design, but Dominika Cibulkova’s powerful and inspiring title run at the WTA Finals helped us better notice just how good the blue dress with orange built-in racerback sports bra suits the courageous Slovak. Every inch of the Lacoste Fall Racer Dress fits Cibulkova just right, so much that I thoroughly enjoyed watching the determined 27-year-old work the design that we’ve been seeing around the courts, in one form or another, through most of the year.

The sporty mini skirt and thick straps complemented Cibulkova’s 5’3″ frame perfectly, the peeking mango tree bra and 3D Lacoste script at mid-back reflect her drive and energy, while the mesh racerback overlay and white zipper create an absolutely winning look. What’s more, Cibulkova paired the dress with a classic white head tie, for an overall perfect blend of sporty, modern, retro and functional.

Before being stopped by inspired Cibulkova, Angelique Kerber confidently marched through the WTA Finals, wearing winter colors (white and light green), brightened by the vibrant coral contrast. The World No.1 opted for the white version of the adidas Fall Pro Tank, whose flash red racerback provides just the right amount of warm contrast, and the adidas Fall Pro Skirt, whose print is one of the best prints this season, and you know how tough the competition is.

The impression wouldn’t have been complete without the beautiful Adizero Ubersonic 2 shoes that offer confidence and stability even in ultra fast on-court movements.

Karolina Pliskova made her first appearance at the WTA Finals in style, wearing classic black and white hues from Fila’s Court Couture line characterized by feminine ruching, fashion-forward draping, and elegant, gold finishing touches. The Czech No.1 showcased the Court Couture Halter Tank, featuring a built-in bra and 30+ UV protection for the perfect melding of fashion and function, and the Court Couture Skirt, another timeless piece with classic contrasting colors.

Another player rocking the classic black and whites this October was Venus Williams, but the queen of prints used them to create a busy floral pattern, pairing it with solid colorblocks.

During her short campaign at the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open, Williams presented the EleVen Casablanca Glide Back Tank, a sleek black top featuring printed contrast elastic binding that enhances a feminine silhouette, and the EleVen Casablanca Triple Threat Skirt, equipped with EleVen Pro-Dri for moisture-wicking performance and superior breathability.

World No. 87 Carina Witthoeft lost in the first round of the Generali Ladies Linz as a qualifier, but in the fashion battle the German would have progressed much further at the tournament. Her purple Nike outfit consisted of the NikeCourt Maria Tank in color plum fog and the NikeCourt Maria Skort. The tank is made of stretch mesh fabric that provides stylish and breathable coverage. Carina decided to tuck the top in, not exposing split hems that offer a different, yet just as stylish look.

Courtney Nguyen, Point: Earlier this week, Petra Kvitova was asked what she would take from the 2016 season into next year. With her typical brand of understated wit, Kvitova said simply, “Myself.”

This has been a season of discovery for the two-time major champion, and she has a chance on Sunday to cap off her WTA season on a winning note. She parted ways with her long-time coach David Kotyza in January and has spent the year in search of herself, both on and off the court. The Kvitova who was a mainstay in the Top 10 and constant threat was nowhere to be found in the first seven months of the season, as the Czech sputtered to a 16-15 record, capped off with a disappointing second-round exit at her beloved Wimbledon.

The loss seemed to jolt something within Kvitova. Her form steadily improved over the summer hardcourt season, highlighted by Olympic bronze in Rio. Then came a semifinal run at the Connecticut Open and her first Round of 16 showing at a Slam in a year at the US Open. After a loss to eventual champion Angelique Kerber in New York, Kvitova fell to No.16 in the rankings, her lowest mark since 2011.

Then, as if finally unencumbered from expectation or pressure, Kvitova found her game in Asia. En route to her third final in her last four tournaments, Kvitova has resumed her near-unstoppable form in China. The signs of a resurgence began at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open in September, where she beat No.1 Angelique Kerber and proceeded to blitz the field to win her first title of the season. Since her 16-15 start to the season, Kvitova is now 29-7 since Wimbledon.

Playing in her first Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai as the No.3 seed, Kvitova has been the most dominant presence in the field this week in Zhuhai, rolling to the final without losing a set and spending just over three hours on court to win her three matches. Kvitova is 18-7 in finals, having won 8 of her last 11. Svitolina is 4-1 in finals, having split the two she’s played this year, winning Kuala Lumpur and losing in New Haven. The Ukrainian has yet to beat a Top 15 player in a final.

The Czech lefty has won five of her six meetings against Elina Svitolina, who is playing in the biggest final of her career on Sunday. The two played a few weeks ago in Wuhan and Kvitova won easily, 6-3, 6-1.

“With Svitolina I knew if I put the pressure on her, when she’s under the pressure she’s not playing as well as she is,” Kvitova said after beating Zhang Shuai in the semifinals on Saturday. Of course it’s always difficult to put a pressure on her because she is serving and returning well.”

An in-form Kvitova on a fast, low-bouncing court is a tough match-up for anyone on any given day, and it’s an even tougher task for Svitolina, who does not have the weapons off the ground to push Kvitova back. Unless Svitolina can keep consistent depth on her groundstrokes, this is going to be hitting practice for Kvitova. If Petra is on, it’s hard to see her losing this match.

David Kane, Counterpoint: Consistent depth is exactly what was on display during the second semifinal in Zhuhai. Svitolina of defensive memory was stepping into the court and taking big cuts on second serve returns against top seed Johanna Konta, winning five of the last six games to defeat the Brit, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.

The Ukrainian youngster was the only player to have dropped a set en route to the semis. Some might say she struggled; Svitolina would say she’s been tested.

“I’ve won a lot of three-set matches, and I play good when the matches get long,” she said on Saturday night. “She came up with some good returns, couple of good returns, and I was under pressure.

“I was trying to say to myself, ‘Come on. This game is very important, the return, to put pressure back and to try to get back in the game.”

She heads into the biggest final of her young career with two wins of reigning World No.1s in 2016: Serena Williams at the Olympic tennis event, and Angelique Kerber at the China Open. Some credit the contributions of Hall of Famer Justine Henin; Svitolina looks more towards the physical improvements made since Wimbledon, all thanks to a new fitness coach.

“At this stage, when we’re already on a high level, you need to improve everything just a little bit,” she told WTA Insider earlier in the week. “Small details matter a lot; you just need to take time to adapt to new things. It’s very important because whenever you change something mentally or in your preparation, you have to know it’ll take time to show up on the court.

“You just need to be patient.”

Svitolina will need some of that patience against Kvitova, who has struck winners at will through much of her three match wins over Roberta Vinci, Barbora Strycova, and Zhang Shuai. The Czech star has left opponents flatfooted as she blistered shots from the back of the court. Across the net, the World No.14 has attempted to employ the sort of mind games seen from Svetlana Kuznetsova earlier in the Asian Swing.

“It’s the last tournament. I’m trying to think that I still have couple tournaments ahead of me. When you think about your last tournament you start to be really down in energy. You start to think about Maldives or something,” she joked, referring to her inevitable off-season destination.

“I try to enjoy the moment. I think it helped in the first match when I was down the first set. Staying in the moment really helps me a lot.”

Some might say she has a tough road ahead of her against Kvitova; Svitolina sees it “step by step.”

“I’ll need to react really fast and look for my opportunities,” she said when asked about Sunday’s final. “Just stay in the moment, because you never know when the opportunity is going to come.

“I will try just to focus on each point and we will see.”

– All photos courtesy of WTA Elite Trophy

It’s time to crown August’s WTA Shot Of The Month. There were some incredible shots to choose from this month, and we narrowed it down to the five best – have a look at the nominees in the above video and cast your vote for your favorite shot before voting ends Thursday at 11:59pm ET!

The winner will be announced Friday, September 16.

How it works: five shots are selected by wtatennis.com, and the winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com.

Heather Watson won her third career title at the Abierto Monterrey Afirme, recovering from a set down to defeat Kirsten Flipkens, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.

The 23-year-old was one of three Brits to reach WTA quarterfinals in Monterrey and the BMW Malaysian Open, joining Johanna Konta and Naomi Broady, respectively, making for the most successful week for British women since 1978 (Eastbourne).

A former US Open junior champion, Watson is likely best known by tennis fans as the hometown favorite who nearly ended World No.1 Serena Williams’ Calendar Year Grand Slam bid at last year’s Wimbledon Championships, pushing the American to three grueling sets.

Unveiling a more aggressive gameplan, the Brit overcame the heat and other adversities throughout the week to defeat the veteran Belgian, surviving a late surge to win her first title since last year’s 2015 Hobart International.

Earning a wildcard at the BNP Paribas Open before completing her winning week in Monterrey, Watson spoke with WTA Insider ahead of her trek towards the California desert about steady improvements and celebrating Mother’s Day with mother Michelle, a “tennis geek” who served as her on-court coach.

Insider: How does it feel to get that third title of yours on familiar and friendly territory in Mexico?
Watson: I’m just really pleased. The week started out kind of tough. When I got my bag off the plane, it was broken so I had it safety-pinned together this whole week. I put my laundry in the first day and lost all my clothes, so I was without half of my clothes. In my first match, I was almost full-body cramping in that epic match against Doi. Being here now, I’m just so pleased with how I stuck with it and tried my best.

Insider: You’d come in with two tough three-set losses in your last couple of events. With all of that happening, with the bags and the laundry, how hard was it to stay positive and to plug away down there?
Watson: I’d lost really close matches to some really tough players, but I didn’t let that bother me. They were all close matches, and I was in them all, so I just had to look at it from that point of view and just be positive about it. That’s what I kept doing.

Insider: It seems quite obvious this year that you’ve stepped up your game quite a bit. Can you talk about the work you’ve been doing in the off-season and some of the adjustments you’ve been making to your game?
Watson: I had a shorter off-season this year because I went to India to play some league tennis, so I only had an off-season for about four weeks. Usually I do about six weeks. Doing this way, I actually preferred doing a shorter but more intense off-season and I just felt fitter than I’ve ever been in January. With my game, I’m always working on being more aggressive; I think in important matches like today, it comes out because I know I need to do that to win otherwise the other player is going to step up first. I always force myself to do it in these important matches but I need to do it more often so it becomes a habit.

Insider: What does being aggressive mean to you and what’s the most challenging thing about that? What’s the biggest key to help keep you in that aggressive mindset when you play?
Watson: I feel like my serve is always pretty aggressive, so I don’t even think about that. My baseline game and trying to step into the court, take the initiative, go down the line first, come into the net. Just go for the winner first, basically, and not just hope for the mistake.

Insider: Does it come down to decision-making? Knowing where that hole is where you can gun for the shot and when not to?
Watson: It’s basically a mindset. I can do it, I can play aggressive tennis, I can play defensive tennis. It’s just making sure my mind is in the right place.

Insider: You aren’t the only player to say they really enjoyed a shorter off-season and playing league events, and they felt more in mid-season form. Is that kind of how you felt when you started the season?
Watson: Because it was shorter and more intense, I was more raring to go, and I just felt so fit. I feel like if the off-season is too long, you can almost exhaust yourself before the season’s even begun. I didn’t do that on purpose this year, but doing it that way makes me want to do it more like that in the future.

Insider: So many players will say that they don’t really know where their game is for the first couple of matches, but there’s always that one match where it triggers something in your brain where you think, “I can win this tournament.” Did you have a moment like that?
Watson: No I didn’t. I literally just thought, ‘I want to win one match here.’ That was my mindset coming in. I just wanted to win that first match, and I killed myself on court and did everything I possibly could to come through that. Once I got myself through that, the second match felt right, and I’ve got another opportunity here. Let’s try and give everything for another match, and it just continued like that and I never thought further than that. I just tried to be as professional as I could, kept my routines healthy, did all my warm-ups and cool downs and did everything I could to be prepared for that next match.

Insider: What’s the story behind your mom acting as your coach this week?
Watson: I’d been with Judy Murray in Australia; she was very nice to help me out. I’d tried a few coaches but haven’t really found the right fit. I asked my mum to come along; she’d been with me when I was very young and playing little tournaments in the UK. She’s been with me throughout my whole career. To have her back was really nice; she’s been so supportive this week. She knows a lot about tennis; she’s a tennis geek! She does actually know her stuff. But she hadn’t seen me win a title yet, so to have her here and seeing it meant a lot to her. Also, it was Mother’s Day back home in England, so it makes it even more special.

Insider: That’s quite the coaching debut!
Watson: Right? I might need her around a little more often!

Insider: Are you without a formal coach? I didn’t know you’d stopped working with you previous coach.
Watson: Yes, for right now, but I’ve got some plans in the up and coming weeks, but nothing set in stone yet.

Insider: When did you split with your former coach, Diego Veronelli? I was going to say Dante, and I was like, ‘No, that’s not right. That’s Nishikori.’
Watson: But Dante Bottini used to be my coach, as well, at Bollettieri. We stopped at the beginning of the off-season.

Insider: Where were you during the off-season?
Watson: I did my off-season in Florida with Pat Harrison, who is Ryan and Christian Harrison’s dad. I did that with him in Florida.

Insider: Was that the first time your mom has ever done one of those on-court coaching timeouts?
Watson: She did it in my first match, but this is probably the first time she’s ever done it.

Insider: Was that surreal, having her come down?
Watson: It felt really normal; I didn’t think anything of it, but yeah, she was great.

Insider: How are you going to celebrate your title? I know you’ll have to get to Indian Wells fairly quickly, but what do you plan on doing this evening?
Watson: Oh gosh. Well, first of all: get some food in me, because I’m hungry. I struggled to eat today and yesterday. I’m actually still not even hungry, but I’ve got to eat something. Then I’m flying early to Indian Wells and I’ve got to make sure I recover, so I don’t think I’ll be celebrating yet. I’ll just wait until after, when I have a few days.

Insider: But it was still a great Mother’s Day present.
Watson: Yeah, I hope she enjoys it.

All photos courtesy of Abierto Monterrey Afirme.