Singapore: Pliskova Interview
Karolina Pliskova gives her thoughts after losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
Karolina Pliskova gives her thoughts after losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
LONDON, Great Britain – Serena Williams wasn’t sure how she found herself at the net on match point. At least not for as long as she did. But as was the case at the Australian Open, Angelique Kerber dug in and made her hit that extra shot, poking, prodding, and counterpunching as we’e seen the German do so well. Kerber was not going to give it away. Serena had to earn it. And as she finally put away the last ball with a casual forehand volley into the open court, the 34-year-old American fell to the turn and laid still.
Finally. No.22. Finally.
“On match point I hit a great shot and she got it back and I was like, ‘How appropriate that I have to win this at the net because I’m never at the net,” Serena told ESPN after the match with a laugh.
For nearly a year, Serena’s path to her Open Era record-tying 22nd major was paved with crushing disappointment. Her nervous, three-set loss to Roberta Vinci at the 2015 US Open was, in her own words, heartbreaking. What should have been the Summer of Serena – a coronation of her greatness looked sure to come at the US Open with the completion of the Calendar Slam – ended with a shock loss. She took the rest of the season off and returned at the Australian Open in January, again in search of No.22. Again she came up short, as Kerber blocked her way with brick-wall defense.
The big-match losses continued. Victoria Azarenka beat her in the final of the BNP Paribas Open. Then came a loss to Svetlana Kuznetsova at the Miami Open. When she earned her first title of the season at the Italian Open in Rome, she looked back to her dominant ways. Then came a one-way loss to Garbiñe Muguruza in the French Open final.
“I have definitely had some sleepless nights, if I’m just honest, with a lot of stuff,” Serena said. “Coming so close. Feeling it, not being able to quite get there.”
And then things changed. Serena willed the change. She woke up one morning after the French Open and decided to stop feeling sorry for herself. She would not allow herself to be the victim of some universal conspiracy to keep her off the podium. She was the architect of her own destiny. And in that moment, the Serena Williams took back the reigns.
“One day I woke and I felt different,” Serena told a small pool of reporters after the final. “I felt I can do better. I can do this. Not only can I do this but I’m going to do this and there’s nothing in this world that’s going to stop me.”
The change in mentality showed both on and off the court. I wrote last week about the clear change in how Serena spoke about herself throughout the fortnight. That was based on just my observation. I put that theory to Serena after the final. She agreed.
Q: One thing that I’ve noticed with you in the press room here and off the court as well is there does seem to be a re-embracing of “I’m Serena. I’ve done what I’ve done.” How far away did you think that you got from that last year? I feel like you were trying to diffuse the pressure a little bit of the run up to New York, saying “I’m just doing my best, that’s all I can do.” But it seems like you kind of recaptured yourself here.
A: Yeah, I definitely think so. I feel like… God, get it, girl [laughs]. Wow. Yes. Very well said.
While she was dishing out bagels on court, reminding her opponents and anyone watching this was a focused, determined, positive Serena, off-court she took every opportunity to remind reporters that her last three Slam losses did not change her character as a champion. At times it felt like it was just as important to say it out loud to herself as it was for the press to hear.
“I definitely feel like when I lose I don’t feel as good about myself. But then I have to remind myself that you are Serena Williams. Do you know what you’ve done, who you are, what you continue to do not only in tennis, off the court? You’re awesome. I think that shows the human side of me, that I’m not a robot. I only expect perfection.”
For the first time since 2006, we saw a rematch of a Grand Slam final in the same season. Kerber flummoxed Serena with her defense at the Australian Open and there is no denying that Serena was unsettled throughout the match with nerves. On Saturday, Serena controlled those nerves. In fact, she controlled everything. On the surface that rewards her game like no other, she served 13 aces, one of which wiped out the only break point she faced all day. She fired 39 winners to 21 unforced errors on a day when Kerber forced her to earn every inch.
“Serena was serving unbelievable today,” Kerber said afterwards. “At the end I was trying everything, but she deserved it today. She really played an unbelievable match. I think we both play on a really high level. I tried everything.
“I mean, I think I was not the one who lost the match, I think she won the match. Just one can win, and today Serena deserved it.”
On a day when Kerber hit just nine unforced errors in the match, Serena had to win it. And on this day, instead of throwing her hands up to the heavens asking how Kerber could get that one ball back every time, she simply gripped her racquet tighter and took control.
“We had a lot of long, tough points,” Serena said. “I think every single point I worked for, and nothing was given to me.”
That sums up much of Serena Williams’ career. With her seventh Wimbledon title she is now tied with Stefanie Graf for the Open Era record in major titles. She now just two wins short of Martina Navratilova’s Open Era record of Slam wins. She has won more matches at Wimbledon than any other active player. On Monday she will remain No.1, the oldest woman to hold the top ranking, for her 301st week.
After the match the BBC ran a montage of Serena’s march to No.22, narrated by Serena herself reading Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise.” It was a moving montage of all her trials and tribulations over the last 12 months.
“I knew Maya when she was around,” Serena told a pool of reporters. “I used to go hang out with her. She was someone I really admired and I think her work should always live on.
“It’s an extremely powerful poem to me and it meant a lot to me last year. It’s one of my favorite poems of hers and I think it’s so powerful. The words are so strong and so encouraging. And I think it describes me. I really do.
“One of the most powerful lines that I like is when she says don’t get me twisted with your bitter twisted lies. Were you happy to see me down, were you sad when I fell down? And then one of my favorite parts is ‘I’m the hope and the dream of a slave.’
“So those really, really resonate with me because that’s what my ancestors were. I’m the product of that. If you break down those words, it was a dream probably for my ancestors to be here and to see what they, because of their perseverance, were able to let me have this opportunity. It’s so touching and it’s so amazing that because of that I do have that opportunity.”
We may never know the true depth of the emotional impact this last year – or really these last 20 years – has had on her personally. But her internalization of the words and the message, one of hope, of overcoming, of being judged and misunderstood, of celebrating her black history while defying it, speaks volumes of where she’s been and how she tapped into that inner strength to get back to where she wants to be.
Earlier in the week, a reporter asked what it feels like to go down as one of the greatest female athletes of all time. Serena did not blink. She did not hesitate.
“I prefer the word ‘one of the greatest athletes of all time’.”
Rise up. Serena is back.
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
Dominika Cibulkova and Angelique Kerber will do battle in the WTA Finals final after overcoming Svetlana Kuznetsova and Agnieszka Radwanska respectively.
GSTAAD, Switzerland – Two weeks on from facing Serena Williams at the home of tennis, Amra Sadikovic continued her career renaissance with victory on a slightly more low-key, but no less important, stage.
Playing on home soil, at the Ladies Championship Gstaad, Sadikovic produced a battling display to see off Rebecca Peterson, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, in just under two hours.
Struggling for motivation and money, Sadikovic walked away from the game two years ago. Inspired to return following the fairytale comeback of fellow Swiss Timea Bacsinszky, Sadikovic has been making up for lost time, already reaching a higher ranking than during the first phase of her career.
And against Peterson there was enough to suggest that her rise up the tennis pyramid may not yet be over, reeling off the final three games to emerge triumphant.
“It is a big difference, playing Wimbledon and now Gstaad, but I have to say I’m happy here – I’ve always played good anywhere back home. Even though it’s much smaller than Wimbledon it’s a nice atmosphere,” Sadikovic said.
“It was quite easy [moving back to clay], I think it took two days and I felt good. I had more problems with the altitude, so I had to fight for every point as I was not comfortable at all. I tried to mix it up, use my variety and even though I missed a few balls in the second set it made the difference in the end.”
Also advancing in the top half of the draw were Mandy Minella, Claire Feuerstein and Irina Khromacheva.
Feuerstein recovered impressively from a slow start to defeat Sílvia Soler-Espinosa, 2-6, 6-2, 6-0, while Khromacheva ably defused Lucie Hradecka, breaking six times en route to a 6-2, 7-5 victory.
Minella bounced back from her heartbreaking Wimbledon exit, defeating Ons Jabeur in an equally dramatic encounter. Jabeur served for the match in the second set only to see Minella fightback and eventually triumph, 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4.
#SADIKOVIC Amra won her 1. Round Match against #PETERSON Rebecca 6:2,3:6,3:6. #WTA Gstaad #thegirlsarebackinthealps pic.twitter.com/rmdoilcfFp
— Ladies Open Gstaad (@WTA_Gstaad) July 11, 2016
Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza take on Chan Yung-Jan and Chan Hao-Ching in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
Sania Mirza has overcome tremendous adversity to become a World No.1 in women’s doubles and a trailblazer for Indian tennis. Co-ranked atop the doubles rankings with partner Martina Hingis, Mirza has captured three of the last five major tournaments – not including the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. She and Hingis became the first players to outright qualify for Singapore in singles or doubles earlier this spring.
Last week, Mirza released her first book, an autobiography entitled Ace Against The Odds. Published by Harper Sport, the doubles star recounts her rise to the top of women’s tennis, and all the obstacles she had to face along the way.
Pick up your copy of Ace Against The Odds today on Amazon, and let us know what you think of the book!
SINGAPORE – Down a set in her first-ever BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global semifinal, Dominika Cibulkova shifted into turbo to take out No.8 seed and story of the tournament, Svetlana Kuznetsova, 1-6, 7-6(2), 6-4. The win is guaranteed to take her at least up to a career-high ranking of No.6.
Read how the match unfolded in the WTA Insider Live Blog.
– Cibulkova hit through the occasion, and the pressure.
Familiar to big stages, the Slovak once struggled to maintain an aggressive mindset at the finish line of high-stakes encounters; it was just six months ago that she narrowly lost back-to-back three-setters to Agnieszka Radwanska and Garbiñe Muguruza in Indian Wells and Miami.
But Cibulkova’s mental evolution has been on full display in Singapore, and the No.7 seed resolved to play positive tennis, win or lose.
A “Come On” instead of a “POME”, but it still means the same for @Cibulkova. One game away! #WTAFinals pic.twitter.com/iL2afsB1dj
— WTA (@WTA) October 29, 2016
“I ended the second set really, really well,” she said after the match. “I was hitting full power and everything and I was going for it. I knew there is no other way than to go for it. I managed to put the balls in.”
Winning the last five matches against Kuznetsova made her a heavy favorite, especially considering the amount of matches the Russian had to play just to get to Singapore, let alone the semifinals. But Kuznetsova came roaring out of the gate, hitting nine winners to take the first set in 33 minutes.
“She was putting the pressure after my serve, because my percentage was really low and she was putting so much pressure from the second serve return.
“I knew I had to start serving better, I had to be the one being more aggressive on the court. I had to play my game, to be in on my forehand and to go for my shots.”
Cibulkova had caught the always-aggressive Kuznetsova’s winner total of 27 by match’s end, all the while keeping her unforced error count lower than the No.8 seed (31 to 35). Through a high-quality match, she took control when it mattered most.
“Today I managed to stay in the match, even [when] she was playing really, really good and she was overplaying me in the first set.”
A lovely dropshot from @Cibulkova. #WTAFinals pic.twitter.com/an8wDqduDD
— WTA (@WTA) October 29, 2016
– Kuznetsova let distractions get the best of her.
The Russian made it through two of the tensest weeks in her career to find herself in her first semifinal in Singapore. From a break down in the third, she won four straight games and appeared on course to replicate the form that took her through the first set.
But something wasn’t right. She spoke with umpire Kader Nouni during the changeover after breaking Cibulkova’s serve in the fifth game; Nouni assured her the issue – whatever it was – wasn’t falling afoul of the rules. She proceeded to lose the final four games of the match.
“Overall I was frustrated for other thing which I thought was a little bit unprofessional,” she said afterwards.
A red-eyed Kuznetsova came to press unwilling to specify the source of her distraction, but seemed to imply she took exception to noises coming from Cibulkova’s camp.
“She was OK,” she said when asked whether player or team caused any problems.
Ultimately, the two-time Grand Slam champion refused to blame the moment for the loss, chalking defeat up to tactical errors in the final stages of the match.
“Dominika played really good. She was really aggressive. I was short on some shots, and in the end I think she just was aggressive, and I was not.”
Still, it was a revelatory season for Sveta, who plans a well-deserved vacation after a hectic schedule through the Asian Swing.
“I’m just thinking about vacation right now and just letting [today’s loss] go. I have to go to bed and sleep, not to think about the matches, not to be nervous all the time. For the last five weeks, it was every single day I was thinking about the next day to play another match.
“So I’m dreaming of being able to relax, relax the nerves, and then I just want to have a good pre-season, and next year just to be consistent. I think I [have] got lots of confidence after finishing the year like this. I think I can do a lot of the things.”
– Cibulkova believes the best is yet to come.
Cibulkova hails from a generation that includes Grand Slam champions and former No.1s like Petra Kvitova, Victoria Azarenka, and Caroline Wozniacki. But it’s taken longer for the Slovakian dynamo to meet the expectations set by her cohort, something she blames on a lack of self-belief.
“I never saw myself as that good, or maybe not as a consistent player. He made me believe it. He had examples and I started to believe in myself much more.”
Saturday’s win puts her up to a career-high of No.6, but Cibulkova could finish the week inside the Top 5 – a ranking threshold that doesn’t faze the 27-year-old.
The on-court interview from @Cibulkova after an amazing victory! #WTAFinals pic.twitter.com/qYzxlwn9Kf
— WTA (@WTA) October 29, 2016
“Right now if I’m going to be deeper than Top 10, I’ll really believe I belong there. That’s most important thing: you have to be convinced that you belong there. Then it works.”
She’ll certainly hope it works in Sunday’s final against Angelique Kerber, a match that comes just shy of three years from her first major final at the Australian Open.
“That time I was new, and playing your first Grand Slam final was really tough. I’m happy I have this experience; for me to go on the finals in Australia, I was trying to do my best but I wasn’t convinced I could really win.
“With this experience now I’m a different player. Tomorrow I will go there and just want to win.”
Petra Kvitova, Johanna Konta, Carla Suárez Navarro, and more stepped out for the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai’s official player party – see all the best photos right here!
Dominika Cibulkova takes on Svetlana Kuznetsova in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
An interview with Dominika Cibulkova after her final win at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.