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Watson Gets ELLE-mentary In Exclusive Interview

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

LONDON, Great Britain – Heather Watson is coming off a career year that saw her earn hometown glory at the Wimbledon Championships in mixed doubles and win another WTA title in Monterrey.

Sitting down with Elle Magazine UK, the Brit had a no holds barred discussion about the differences between singles and doubles, getting into the right pre-match mindset, and how she injects her personal style into her on-court kits.

“In terms of mixed doubles, it’s a whole other ball game,” she said of her Wimbledon win with Henri Kontenin. “Personally, it’s just fun and I think that’s down to having had some incredible partners, which makes a big difference.

“I think I need to bring more of the mindset of ‘it doesn’t matter what the outcome is I’m just going to do what I need to do’, into my singles more.”

Watson also played mixed doubles with countryman Andy Murray, who went on to clinch the ATP World No.1 ranking earlier this fall.

“Andy is an incredible athlete. He’s so competitive, hardworking and so nice to be around. He’s not what people think he is. I find him quieter, very chilled and more relaxed off the court.”

Check out the full interview with Watson right here at ElleUK.com.

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Wimbledon Thursday: The Final Four

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Serena and Venus Williams will bid to set up a fifth Williams sisters Wimbledon final on Thursday at SW19. Can Angelique Kerber and Elena Vesnina stop them? We preview both semifinals here at WTATennis.com, courtesy of contributor Chris Oddo.

Thursday

Semifinals

[1] Serena Williams (USA #1) vs. Elena Vesnina (RUS #50)
Head-to-head: Williams leads, 4-0
Key Stat: Williams is 27-4 in Grand Slam semifinals.

Serena Williams’ march to 22 majors is running at full throttle at the All England Club. The American legend is now just two matches from matching Steffi Graf’s record for Open Era Grand Slam titles after knocking off Svetlana Kuznetsova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the last two rounds. On Thursday the 34-year-old American will aim to make it a Russian trifecta when she takes on Elena Vesnina, the lowest-ranked and only unseeded player remaining in the draw. Surprised to see Vesnina make it this far at a major? So is she. “I am. I am very surprised,” she said after defeating Dominika Cibulkova to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal on Tuesday. “It was like a dream came true.” To avoid having her dream morph into a nightmare against the game’s premier power player, Vesnina says she’ll have to use any and every opportunity she gets. “You have to use your chances against Serena,” she said. “If she’s giving you chances, you need to be there.”

Williams has given her opponents a few too many chances in the latter stages of the last three majors, losing in the semifinals at the US Open last year, and in the finals of this year’s Australian and French Opens. But there is a different air about her on the Wimbledon grass. She leads all active players in wins and titles at SW19 and something about Centre Court just seems to bring out the spice in her legendary serve. Williams knows that Vesnina, a two-time Grand Slam doubles champion, is an accomplished player with an all-court game, but the American says she’ll take confidence from having won all four of their previous meetings. “I know her game really, really well,” Williams told reporters on Tuesday after reaching the semifinals “It’s good to play someone’s game that you know. I’ll be ready for it.”

Pick: Williams in two

[4] Angelique Kerber (GER #4) vs. [8] Venus Williams (USA #8)
Head-to-head: Kerber leads, 3-2
Key Stat: Venus Williams owns a 14-5 record in Grand Slam semifinals but has not played one since 2010.

Venus Williams has turned back the clock in a big way this Wimbledon fortnight. The five-time champion has been tested often, both by her opponents and the rain, and has come through with flying colors to reach the last four at a major for the first time since the 2010 US Open. Williams says the key to her success has been belief. “The good part is I always felt like I had the game,” she told the press after defeating Yaroslava Shvedova in the quarterfinals on Day 8. “This is always a plus, when you know you have the game. So you just have to keep working until things fall into place.”

The 36-year-old hopes that the dominoes of fate continue to fall in her favor on Thursday when she faces Angelique Kerber for the sixth time. The German endured a lull after winning this year’s Australian Open, but she has rediscovered the magic that brought her a maiden major title here at Wimbledon, reaching the semifinals without the loss of a set. “I’m feeling really good,” an enthusiastic Kerber said after pushing past Simona Halep in a wildly entertaining quarterfinal on Centre Court. “I’m playing really good tennis right now. I think I’m playing like in Australia, like really high‑class tennis.” Is Kerber playing well enough to end the magical run of a Wimbledon legend, or will Venus Williams reach a Grand Slam final for the first time in seven years?

Pick: Kerber in three

By the Numbers:

11 – Number of times that Venus and Serena have advanced to the semifinals of the same Grand Slam.

5 – Venus Williams can move to No.5 in the world if she wins the Wimbledon title.

18 – Elena Vesnina will crack the Top 20 for the first time if she reaches the final, coming in at a projected ranking of 18. She was ranked as low as 122 this February.

3 – Number of players to have reached a Grand Slam semifinal aged 36 or older (Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Venus Williams).

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Stats Corner: The Venus-Serena Double

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

LONDON, Great Britain – Angelique Kerber’s win over Venus Williams in the Wimbledon semifinals presents her with an exceptionally rare opportunity – with Serena Williams awaiting her in a rematch of the Australian Open final on Saturday, she could pull off the rare feat of beating both Williams sisters at the same tournament.

Only seven players have achieved the feat before, with one of them doing it twice – full list here:

Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario
1998 Sydney
(d Serena in SFs & Venus in F)

Steffi Graf
1999 Sydney
(d Serena in 2r & Venus in QFs)

Martina Hingis
2001 Australian Open
(d Serena in QFs & Venus in SFs)

Kim Clijsters
2002 WTA Finals
(d Venus in SFs & Serena in F)

Lindsay Davenport
2004 Los Angeles
(d Venus in SFs & Serena in F)

Justine Henin
2007 US Open
(d Serena in QFs & Venus in SFs)

Kim Clijsters
2009 US Open
(d Venus in 4r & Serena in SFs)

Jelena Jankovic
2010 Rome
(d Venus in QFs & Serena in SFs)

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WTA Stars Unwind: Cibulkova, Wozniacki & Serena In The Sun

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

After a busy 2016 season which saw Dominika Cibulkova rack up the most titles of anyone on tour – capped off by the biggest one of her career at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global – the World No.5 is taking some time off to unwind.

But she’s not the only WTA star hitting the beach – check out how Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, Garbiñe Muguruza and more are spending their off season!

Cibulkova’s booked herself a well-deserved break in a private island in the Maldives…

But she didn’t stay away from the tennis court for long, taking a break from her vacation to head back to her hometown of Bratislava for an exhibition match against Belinda Bencic.

And she wasn’t the only one to run into a fellow WTA star during the offseason, either…

Caroline Wozniacki and Nicole Gibbs have been snapping away in the scenic Virgin Islands. The pair are in town for the Necker Cup, held on Richard Branson’s private Necker Island.

Serena Williams – and the whole Williams family, sans Venus – took to the beach in the Bahamas, before returning to Compton to inaugurate refurbished tennis courts in her old hometown.

The tireless Svetlana Kuznetsova finally took a break and took her whole family with her to the beach as well.

Garbiñe Muguruza had some fun in the sun too, but it was a slightly different kind of sand and sun.

Instead of hitting the beach, the Spaniard hit the desert and visited the pyramids in Egypt.

Ana Ivanovic also decided to forgo the beach during the off season, trading the sun and warmth for chilly London.

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WTA Finals: 100 Days Out

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

SINGAPORE – Friday marks 100 days until the start of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, and following an exciting, unpredictable and historic first half of the season all is still to play for.

The Road To Singapore leaderboard has started to take shape, with faces fresh and familiar occupying, while defending doubles champions Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza became the first to book their place at the season-ending finale.

At present Angelique Kerber, Garbiñe Muguruza, Serena Williams, the winners of 2016’s first three Grand Slams, and Victoria Azarenka, who competed the rare Indian Wells-Miami double, are the mid-season pacesetters on the leaderboard. However, with defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska and the in-form Dominika Cibulkova among those in pursuit, there will be plenty of jostling for position as the tour heads for the hardcourts of North America. 

“It has been a truly exciting year for women’s tennis and as we mark 100 days out from the WTA Finals, we have seen different champions crowned at each of the first three Grand Slams this year. The Road to Singapore has never been more thrilling and this is testament to the current depth of the women’s game, as we look to the future of outstanding players rising up the ranks,” said Melissa Pine, Vice-President of WTA Asia-Pacific and Tournament Director of the WTA Finals.

Hingis and Mirza are not the only big names to confirm their place in Singapore: former champion Chris Evert will return as official event ambassador for the third consecutive year. In her role, Evert will work with players and other ambassadors including Martina Navratilova and Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario to promote and raise the profile of the event and the sport in the region.

“As WTA Finals ambassador for the past couple of years, I’ve seen the event grow, and with it, the popularity of tennis in the region,” Evert said of her role. “This has been a great year for women’s tennis and there is so much to look forward to in the coming months on the Road to Singapore as we head towards the big finale. The strength and level of competition have been simply amazing, and I’m looking forward to an exciting eight days of tennis in October!”

This has not been the only off-court development either. To coincide with the 100-days countdown, the second phase of ticket sales was launched, opening up single-session tickets to all matches, including the semifinals and final. Admission to single sessions will range from $16 to $226, and can be purchased on WTAFinals.com.

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Svetlana Kuznetsova’s Best Shots Of 2016

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Svetlana Kuznetsova’s late season surge into Singapore made headlines, but the WTA veteran’s hot shots have been turning heads all season long. Watch all of her best shots of 2016, right here!

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