Tennis News

It’s hard to overstate the difficult task at hand for Angelique Kerber when she arrived in Stuttgart last week for the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. The World No.3 had won eight career titles but she had never successfully defended any of them. As the first German woman to win a major since Steffi Graf, she would be inundated by media requests and sponsor obligations throughout the week. And to cap it off, she was embarking on her fifth consecutive event dating back to the BNP Paribas Open.

All this for a player who admits she’s still getting used to the spotlight and the expectations that go with being a reigning major champion.

But if she was nervous, if she was stressed out, you didn’t see it in Stuttgart. That’s a huge step forward for Kerber. En route to her second title of the year she weathered the storm in two tough three-set wins over Annika Beck and Petra Kvitova before buckling down to take care of her countrywoman Laura Siegemund, 6-4 6-0 in Sunday’s final.

The honeymoon period after winning your first major title can last for months. For some players we’ve seen it last for years. But since losing in the first round of Indian Wells to Denisa Allertova, Kerber has righted the ship. She is 13-2 since then, with the two losses coming to Victoria Azarenka at the Miami Open and a retirement against Sloane Stephens at the Volvo Car Open, both of whom were the eventual champions. In the first two tournaments she played after the Australian Open, she lost in the opening round in straight sets to women ranked outside the Top 60. Her next three events? Semifinals or better, capped off by the win in Stuttgart.

WTA Insider caught up with Kerber after her Stuttgart win.

Insider: When we spoke before Charleston we talked a lot about moving past the Australian Open. Does a result like this, winning Stuttgart and playing how you did all week, does that give you confidence that you moved on?
Kerber: For sure. Like we talked, it was not easy to find the middle, how to mix all the media stress while playing good tennis. Now I’m getting used to it. Of course defending my title here is just an amazing feeling. It’s really special because it’s in Germany and here in Stuttgart. I’m getting used to it. Now I know how to deal with all the pressure and it makes me much more confident than I was a few weeks ago.

Insider: After winning the Australian Open, when you played in the Middle East you were dealing with all the attention in Germany, playing Fed Cup at home. Do you think those results in the Middle East and Indian Wells, was that a result of not being prepared because you couldn’t practice as much or was it because your mind just wasn’t right?
Kerber: I think it was both a little bit. Of course because I didn’t have too much time to prepare for the next tournament and really practicing again really hard like I did after Indian Wells. With all the media things and all the stuff I have to do off site, which now I’m getting used to it.

Insider: Have you just gotten used to the media side of things? Or do you actually enjoy it now?
Kerber: It’s both. I’m trying to enjoy it. It’s nice to do something different. To get to know new people, to see something different, not always my day is practice. I can change a little bit my day plan. So I try to enjoy it. So it’s both of it. I enjoy it but I’m also getting used to it.

Insider: Since the Australian Open, we’ve been playing tournaments but they haven’t been leading up to a Slam. Now we have the French Open coming up. Have you completely embraced clay?
Kerber: Yes that’s for sure. A few years ago clay was not my favorite surface. But right now I had a great clay court season last year and now, I played well in Charleston and here to win on clay, it gives me confidence that my game is also good for the clay court. That’s why I’m looking forward to Madrid, Rome and of course Paris, where I can play good tennis and play well there.

Insider: Does your mindset change now that you’re in Grand Slam preparation mode?
Kerber: I need a few days, even during the tournament for a few days, where I’m doing something different. Not thinking about tennis just trying to relax a little bit, go for a coffee, going shopping. Something like this. Then the motivation is there again to go on court, fight, and play good tennis. I think now I know how to mix it.

Insider: When’s the last time you had a normal day?
Kerber: I think the day will come tomorrow (laughs). I can’t remember, but I know this day will come tomorrow.

Insider: Do you have a celebration ritual?
Kerber: Yeah. Going for a great dinner after and then just enjoy this moment on this day. That’s what we will do today. Just going somewhere and enjoying the evening.

Insider: It must be nice to be home in Germany for that.
Kerber: It helps a lot. Here there are more people around me and it’s much nicer when you have a bigger team.

Insider: So how many Porsches does a single person actually need?
Kerber: Ha. That’s a good question. I don’t know. Minimum one but I think I have a little bit more.

Insider: You’re going to have to invest in a bigger garage.
Kerber: Yes (laughs). Yes, I have to.

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

ZHENGZHOU, China – No.2 seed Wang Qiang earned her first WTA 125K Series title at the Biyuan Cup Zhengzhou Women’s Tennis Open at top seed Peng Shuai was forced to retire in the deciding set with the match standing at 3-6, 7-6(3), 1-1.

“I entered this tournament as the second seed, so there was an opportunity for me to win the title,” Wang said post-match. “I almost got knocked out in the second round. At that time, I didn’t feel as confident as I am today. I’m not quite sure what happened in the second set, but I tried to stay focused and play my game, not making too many mistakes. I knew that she would go for it whenever she had the chance.”

Peng led the match 6-3, 3-0 and served for the match, but surrendered the deciding tiebreak and could no longer play on after two hours, 15 minutes. Wang’s victory levels the head-to-head between the pair to 1-1.

It was a Chinese sweep for the home crowd as in the doubles final, Han Xinyun and Lin Zhu claimed the crown over Jacqueline Cako and Julia Glushko, 7-5, 6-1.

“We didn’t play each other before, so the only thing we could do was stick to the plan,” the pair said post-match. “The second set became easier as we found our rhythm. We were more powerful than our opponents from the baseline, and we had a better serve.”

All photos courtesy of the Biyuan Cup Zhengzhou Women’s Tennis Open.

With all tennis apparel companies getting ready for their big product launches at the French Open in mid-May, April was somewhat of a slow month in terms of women’s tennis fashion, but that doesn’t mean that WTA players didn’t look stylish these past four weeks and the less busy period allowed smaller brands to grab the much-deserved attention to themselves, most notably Tonic by Martina Hingis. Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog will show us the clothes that dominated the courts of April’s tournaments.

Laura Siegemund came all the way from qualifying at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, dismantled three Top 10 payers without losing a set and made the title match, all the while looking fashionable in a variety of Tonic ensembles.

The 28-year-old Siegemund earned her Top 50 debut in all-white, all-black and colored outfits standing out with their thin tank straps and sheer elements, while practical and trendy plaited hairstyle spiced up the look.

The above Tonic Spring Lucid Tank features built-in bra with removable cups, neck and side contrast detailing, while the highlight are definitely criss-cross spaghetti straps. The top exists in six colors, while my favorite is the white one with pixel contrast, as seen below on Danka Kovinic and Viktorija Golubic.

Montenegro’s Kovinic climbed from No. 60 to No. 47 in the WTA rankings this week, following her final at the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Cup, while Switzerland’s Golubic, who has recently recorded as much as two victories for her country in the Fed Cup World Group semifinals, beating Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova and Barbora Strycova, showcased her stylish Tonic ensemble at the Katowice Open in early April.

Sorana Cirstea had to cover her beautiful aviator navy New Balance Spring Tournament Dress with several layers of clothing in the cold Prague this week, but earlier in April we saw the dress in full light at the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Cup, where the Romanian lost in the second round to eventual champion Cagla Buyukakcay.

The 131st-ranked Cirstea started her brand ambassador role this year at the Miami Open, while her Istanbul appearance marked the first time a New Balance representative wore a dress. Striped, flaired skirt and thin strappy racerback of the dress provide both style and great support for maximum range of motion on the court. Plus, you can beautifully round out the look with the New Balance 996v2 Shoe.

Sloane Stephens’ fashion has never been better than in recent months and this dark Under Armour dress has been her lucky charm, as the American won two WTA titles in it, including her biggest career title at Charleston this month, as well as a power-blue Volvo V60 Polestar car.

Everything about the dress is stylish, especially when Sloane wears it. My favorite features are the subtle print at athletic racerback and back cutout, as well as color-coordinated wristbands and braided headband. Being a big fan of Sloane’s fashion, I am really looking forward to seeing her new kit in action, a white crop top and light pink skirt.