Tennis News

NEW YORK, NY, USA – There are a lot of numbers floating around when someone’s going for this much history, so we’re putting them in one place – we’ll also update this after every one of her matches this fortnight. So here you are – all the Serena Williams stats you need for the Australian Open!

Serena & Grand Slams
~ Serena has the second-most Grand Slam titles in the Open Era with 21 (Graf 22)
~ Serena has the third-most Grand Slam titles all-time with 21 (Court 24, Graf 22)
~ Serena has the third-most Grand Slam match wins in Open Era with 285 (Navratilova 306, Evert 299)
~ Serena is trying to win her seventh Australian Open title (won it in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2015); she already has the Open Era record for most Australian Open titles, male or female
~ This is Serena’s 20th time being the No.1 seed at a Grand Slam (she’s won 11 of the first 19)
~ Serena is 60-1 in Grand Slam first round matches (only loss: Razzano at 2012 French Open)

Serena & Finals
~ Serena is 21-4 in Grand Slam finals, the second-best winning percentage Open Era (Court was 11-1)
~ Serena has won her last eight Grand Slam finals (last loss: Stosur at 2011 US Open)
~ Serena has won her last 15 finals (last loss: Azarenka at 2013 Cincinnati)
~ Serena has won 30 of her last 32 finals (only losses: Azarenka at 2013 Doha & 2013 Cincinnati)

Serena & Age-Related Stats
~ Serena is the oldest woman to win a major in the Open Era (33y & 289d at 2015 Wimbledon)
~ Serena is the oldest No.1 in WTA history (set record when returned to No.1 on February 18, 2013)
~ Serena has the longest winning span between majors of any woman Open Era at 15 years and 10 months between 1999 US Open and 2015 Wimbledon (Evert, Navratilova and Graf had 12-year spans)
~ Serena has won eight majors since turning 30, the most after 30 by far in the Open Era (Court and Navratilova three each, King and Evert two each and Jones, Wade, Li and Pennetta one each)

Miscellaneous
~ Serena will spend her 153rd & 154th straight weeks at No.1 during the Australian Open fortnight (third-longest streak at No.1 in WTA history after Graf’s 186 and Navratilova’s 156)
~ Serena is spending her 276th & 277th career weeks at No.1 during the Australian Open fortnight (third-most weeks at No.1 in WTA history after Graf’s 377 and Navratilova’s 332)
~ Serena has the most career prize money in WTA history ($74.1M – next-most is Sharapova’s $36.5M)
~ Serena has the fifth-most WTA titles in Open Era with 69 (after Navratilova, Evert, Graf, Court)

Before & After Patrick Mouratoglou
Serena joined forces with Patrick Mouratoglou after falling first round at the 2012 French Open, and the dynamic duo’s numbers speak for themselves – here’s a comparison of before and after Mouratoglou:

Pre-Patrick Mouratoglou
win-loss: 523-107 (.830)
WTA titles: 41
Grand Slam titles: 13 out of 47 (.277)
vs Top 10: 111-59 (.653)

Post-Patrick Mouratoglou
win-loss: 214-16 (.930)
WTA titles: 28
Grand Slam titles: 8 out of 14 (.571)
vs Top 10: 52-5 (.912)

Since Regaining World No.1
Since returning to the top spot on the WTA Rankings on February 18, 2013, Serena’s been fantastic:
win-loss: 171-13
WTA titles: 22 of 29
Grand Slam titles: 6 of 11
vs Top 10: 37-3

The end of a WTA season means something different for every player; some are relieved to return home to family and friends, while others can hardly sit still, and fly to the nearest exhibition event.

Alla Kudryavtseva needed a vacation.

A Top 20 doubles player who has been ranked as high as No.56 in singles – with wins over Maria Sharapova and Karolina Pliskova – the Russian had spent the summer playing a debut season of Mylan World TeamTennis – where she won Rookie of the Year playing for the Austin Aces – and the fall chasing one of the few remaining spots at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global with partner, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

“I was exhausted at the end of the year, and I didn’t even realize it until I had a chance to stop playing,” Kudryavtseva told WTA Insider after a practice session in Melbourne.

Narrowly missing out on a second straight Singapore appearance, she nonetheless enjoyed a week on site as a first alternate.

“I actually got to watch a lot of matches this time; I felt like a little bit like a fan! The first time I was there in 2014, I was trying to preserve energy and not watch too much, but this time I got to watch a lot of Maria Sharapova. She played so good, so powerful. Aga, of course, showed her magic and that was great as well. Just to be there in Singapore meant a lot.”

Hey @NastiaPav and @AllaK11! pic.twitter.com/GMPx6Ngf6E

— Becky! (@_strongiscaro) October 25, 2015

But the season wasn’t over yet.

“I wanted to avoid what happened this past week, which was that my singles ranking dropped to No.235. In trying to catch up on singles, I flew over to the United States, but then I got sick and it all kind of fell apart.”

Rock bottom came in Carlsbad, a WTA 125K Series event right before Thanksgiving. Playing a first round against former Aces teammate Nicole Gibbs, Kudryavtseva was fighting illness and fatigue when a mid-match court reassignment put her on emotional overload, leading to a rare default and leaving the Russian to reassess how she approached the game, mentally and physically.

“It was a wake up call. I love tennis, and especially from my experience playing in Austin, I learned that some people in tennis really love me. I have loyal fans that have stuck with me, who help me out on Twitter, sending me love and support.

“It was a moment for me to think, ‘what am I doing? Is this really who I want to be on the court? Is that the kind of person I want people to think that I am?’ My friends would tell you I’m a fairly positive girl who likes to crack jokes. I don’t want to be remembered as some grouchy, negative, complaining, or whining person who is never happy.

“I also have to plan my schedule better, and listen to my body more because I guess I’m not as young as I thought! It’s time to start pacing myself, to choose the tournaments I want to play more wisely this year. I want to be able to be in touch with myself more and to not repeat the mistakes of the past.”

Red sand beach………. Surreal beauty…. My heart is stolen ❤️?? pic.twitter.com/8JjXZlnfb6

— Alla Kudryavtseva (@AllaK11) December 8, 2015

As she spoke, Alizé Lim passed by and exclaimed, “She’s so positive!” Indeed, the first people to rally around Kudryavtseva after the incident were the friends she had on tour.

“For me, the support of the players was very important. It was nice to know that they didn’t judge me by that one episode and know I’m a better person than that.”

“I’d really let down my doubles partner, Vania King; we couldn’t play doubles as a result of what had happened, and I felt terrible. But through it all, she was so nice and was a really good friend.

“The same goes for my opponent; we saw each other maybe an hour after the match, and I came over and I apologized for my behavior. Nicole was so nice; she said, ‘don’t worry about it, mate! Take a break, it’s all going to work itself out.'”

Just a few more sunsets here in Hawaii before I go back to training…. ? Tennis, I'll be back soon ? pic.twitter.com/8hAFAdnQ9q

— Alla Kudryavtseva (@AllaK11) December 6, 2015

There’s taking a break, and then there’s Kudryavtseva’s trip to Maui.

“It was all fantastic: the snorkeling, the hiking, the beaches. I even tried body surfing, which did not go so well! But still it was just wonderful. All of the people I met over there were so positive, so loving and so connected with the nature and the history of the island. I learned a lot, as well, and it was a really well-timed rest, probably the best vacation I’ve ever had, considering the place I was in.”

Two weeks on the Valley Isle thoroughly rejuvenated the Russian, who returned to the court having rediscovered her passion for the game.

“I was able to come back and find that I missed tennis. I actually played twice over there, but when the trip ended I was like, ‘oh my god, a racquet, this is so awesome!’ I made a couple of changes; for example, I started playing with a new racquet, I have a new sponsor. Everything felt new and fresh, and my head was free from the negativity and stress of last year.”

Another strong session today! 
????? @AllaK11 @athletic1080 pic.twitter.com/7IEsHKymin

— Claudio Pistolesi (@cpistolesi) December 11, 2015

One familiar element came in the form of Claudio Pistolesi, a former ATP player who has worked with Monica Seles and Daniela Hantuchova through his esteemed coaching career.

“He worked with me in 2014 when I made a singles comeback into the Top 100; hopefully we can turn things around, play some aggressive tactics and get to places we haven’t been before. That’s our goal; we don’t want to put a number on it, just get to new places and go far.”

Though she plans to play through the start of year with King, a two-time major champion who spent nearly a year rehabbing a back injury, Kudryavtseva began her season with doubles specialist Andreja Klepac; together they played Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza tough over two sets in the semifinals of the the Brisbane International.

“Andreja and I played really well; we had a really good time, and she’s another example of a very positive person who sees the best of things. But I’m looking forward to playing with Vania; we actually shared an apartment when we were training at the same academy. We get along great and I was very happy to see her when she arrived in Melbourne.

Off to Oz! #yesplease #travel #tennis. Полетели! 26 часов ? #путешествия pic.twitter.com/QBvEEpxciP

— Alla Kudryavtseva (@AllaK11) December 26, 2015

“We’re going to try and make it work; I think it can be a promising partnership and I’m ready to give Miss King the title of Comeback Queen!”

The last few months read like a screenplay for Kudryavtseva, How Alla Got Her Groove Back, the working title. But the Russian is still looking for her fairytale ending, in singles as much as in doubles.

“Life works in mysterious ways. In Russia, we have this saying: ‘you make plans, but God laughs.’ I’m just trying to focus on the good atmosphere with my coach and working hard to equally focus on singles and doubles. We’ll see where things go from here.”

Follow along with Alla on her journey through the 2016 season each month on WTA Insider, and on Twitter @AllaK11!

FLORIANOPOLIS, Brazil – No.2 seed Irina-Camelia Begu battled past a spirited challenge from Monica Puig to earn her spot in the final of the Brasil Tennis Cup, where she’s set to face the No.6 seed Timea Babos for the title.

Watch live action from Florianopolis this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

“It was a tough one because she is playing really aggressive and hit the ball very hard,” Begu said of her Puerto Rican opponent. “I served well in the important games. It was difficult but I think I managed it well.”

Begu is the second Romanian player to reach the final of the Brasil Tennis Cup after Monica Niculescu won the title at the tournament’s inaugural staging in 2013. Standing in Begu’s way as she tries to emulate her countrywoman is Babos, who spoiled what would have been an all-Romanian final when she edged past Ana Bodgan in a tight straights sets rollercoaster, 7-6(10), 6-3.

The Hungarian looked to be firmly in the driver’s seat from the start after she built up a 5-2 lead, but a mental lapse gave Bodgan a way back. Bogdan rattled off four games straight and even held three sets points at 6-5, 40-0.

Babos reigned in her mounting frustration to send the set to a tiebreak, and Bodgan raced ahead to a 5-0 lead, only to see it dashed away again as the No.6 seed clawed back to take the opening set.

“It was definitely a silly, silly match,” she said afterwards. “I mean, I was really controlling the match in the beginning of the first set and then I lost control – especially of my emotions.”

“It was ridiculous, very unbelievable that first set.”

The second set would prove to be just as difficult as the first, featuring eight breaks of serve total. Babos, who had been very defensive in her service games thus far, finally changed her strategy at the end and raised her level of aggressiveness to take the decisive seventh break at 4-3, then once again to close out the two hour long battle and make her way to the Florianopolis final.

Her day wasn’t over yet, though, as later Babos was back on court after suitable rest to join her partner Reka-Luka Jani for the doubles final against Ukrainian sisters Lyudmyla Kichenok and Nadiia Kichenok.

It was one way traffic for the Kichenoks as they routed the all-Hungarian duo 6-3, 6-1.

Both teams were fine tuning their Olympic preparations and are scheduled to be back on the courts after the Olympic tennis event kicks off this weekend in nearby Rio de Janeiro.

“For sure this tournament was great preparation for the Olympics,” Lyudmyla said. “We are really looking forward to it now after winning here in Florianopolis.”

Angelique Kerber kicked off her 2016 season by picking up some silver hardware in Melbourne, winning her first major title at the Australian Open. Last month at Wimbledon she proved to everyone, including herself, that her Melbourne run was no fluke, making the final of yet another major tournament.

So can the German back it all up with some Olympic hardware? Absolutely.

Playing under the German flag has never been a problem for the World No.2. In her first Olympics in 2012 she was a win away from the medal round in London, losing in a tight two sets to top seed Victoria Azarenka in the quarterfinals. Since 2012, Kerber is 10-4 in Fed Cup, leading the Germans to the final in 2014, and has been Germany’s standard-bearer since her breakout season in 2012.

In Rio, she is aiming to become the first German to win a medal in tennis since Tommy Haas won silver in 2000, and the first German woman to win a tennis medal since Steffi Graf in 1992.

Kerber heads to Rio after a scratchy week at the Rogers Cup in Montréal. It speaks well to her quality and confidence that she was able to make the semifinals without playing anything near her best tennis. But she looked rusty and out of rhythm in Canada.

With the summer schedule accelerated due to the Olympics, Kerber did not get much rest after Wimbledon. She was back on court at the Ericsson Open in Bastad, where she eventually withdrew due to an elbow injury. The injury did not seem to bother her in Montréal, but the rust from being unable to train as hard as she might have liked for the hardcourt summer showed.

“I think the tournament was good for me because I have a lot of tough and close matches during this week,” Kerber said after losing in three sets to eventual champion Simona Halep in Montréal. “It was the first tournament on hardcourt again, so it’s good to have a lot of matches before going to Rio now, having a few matches under my belt.

“I’m actually feeling good. I take the positive things for the next week and looking forward to play the Olympics.”

Kerber was part of a small group of players who had to endure a series of delays and rerouted flights to get down to Rio earlier this week, finally landing on Wednesday. She’ll need to shake off the fatigue quickly and get back to work to improve her form over what we saw in Montréal. That may prove difficult given how hard it has been for players to get extended blocks of practice time on the courts in Rio.

Finally arrived in Rio !!! ? #longtrip #RoadToRio ?? pic.twitter.com/20jvaBAN5t

— Angelique Kerber (@AngeliqueKerber) August 3, 2016

Also looming after the Olympics are the Western & Southern Open and the US Open, both of which offer Kerber an opportunity to overtake Serena Williams for the No.1 ranking. It’s a milestone that is within her reach before Flushing, but for now the focus is on getting a medal for Germany.

“I think for the tennis player, the Grand Slams are, I think, the most important things,” Kerber said in Montréal, when asked how the Olympics stack up to the tour’s biggest tournaments. “Of course you are looking forward, like me, to playing the Olympics because it’s only [every] four years. It’s an honor to play for Germany. Of course, I will give everything to win the medal, doesn’t matter which one.

“It’s tough to compare because it’s a little bit different, but I’m happy that I already have a Slam,” she said with a big smile.

After six months of defying expectations, Kerber has rightfully earned the label of a medal favorite.

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

SYDNEY, Australia – Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza extended their winning streak to 30 matches in a row by edging Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic in the Apia International Sydney final.

Hingis and Mirza, who already went into the match with the longest winning streak since Jana Novotna and Helena Sukova in 1990 – they won 44 in a row – were down and out against No.3 seeds Garcia and Mladenovic, falling behind 6-1, 5-2 to one of the craftiest, hardest-hitting pairings out there.

But the No.1-seeded Hingis and Mirza fought back like they’ve done so many times, reeling off five games in a row to push it to a match tie-break, where they would finally end it, 1-6, 7-5, 10-5.

“It was definitely a great test, and against a great new team,” Hingis said afterwards. “They were playing together for the first time this week, and I think we’re going to see a lot more of them.

“We had to take our chances. You don’t see much light in a dark tunnel, but then we had one or two opportunities here and there, and with one little chance we were able to turn the match around.”

“At 6-1, 5-2 the only thing we could say to each other was that it was only one break,” Mirza added. “That’s the only positive you can find from a situation like that. We tried to hold our serve for 5-3 to give ourselves another chance, then we had a huge game at 5-3 and the momentum went in our favor.

“We’re really happy to win another tournament. We’re really happy with the way we fought.”

They now have 11 WTA doubles titles together: Indian Wells, Miami, Charleston, Wimbledon, US Open, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Beijing and WTA Finals last year, now Brisbane and Sydney this year.

The Swiss-Indian partnership is also an incredible 11-1 together in WTA doubles finals.

And the icing on the cake? On Monday, Hingis is projected to join Mirza as co-World No.1 on the WTA Doubles Rankings. It will be Hingis’ first time at No.1 since the Indian Wells fortnight in 2000.

“I think it’s another chapter in my career, definitely,” Hingis said. “When Sania became No.1 in Charleston that was a huge stepping stone for her, and now for me, 16 years later, who would have thought I would have another opportunity to become No.1 again? It was a dream and now it’s reality.

“But I’ve felt we’re the No.1 team for a while now. It was just a question of time.”

“Ditto!” Mirza added with a laugh.

MELBOURNE, Australia – If you were a Top 10 player and survived the first two weeks of the season, well done. There were quite a few struck down by injury or illness.

One, of course, was Serena Williams.

A knee complaint hampered Williams at the Hopman Cup, but she says she’s feeling “great” ahead of the Australian Open.

The first week could tell us much about the state of Williams, who is chasing a 22nd Grand Slam title to equal Steffi Graf for the Open Era record.

First quarter: Serena’s tough start

On paper, it’s a tough start for Serena. She landed Camila Giorgi, who just missed out on a seeding ranked 35th. By now, many of you know that the rather diminutive Italian punches above her weight when it comes to ball striking: She’s indeed one of the hardest hitters on the tour.

And I repeat: She’s Italian.

Didn’t some Italian upset Williams at the U.S. Open? (It was, admittedly, a different type of player in Roberta Vinci.)  If Williams’ knee is less than 100 percent, players less potent than Giorgi could trouble the world No. 1, so this really should indicate where Williams is at. A fully healthy Williams or close to it and the 34-year-old should feed off Giorgi’s pace – not to mention create some of her own.

Two opponents who have troubled Williams in the past loom lower down in the quarter, Caroline Wozniacki, Belinda Bencic and Sydney winner Svetlana Kuznetsova . If the Dane, Williams’ great pal, doesn’t beat Williams, she always seems to take a set. Bencic stunned Williams last summer, with Kuznetsova and Williams going to three sets in all three of their Slam tussles.

One player who hasn’t bothered Williams much in the past is Maria Sharapova.
Should Williams be knocked out prior to the quarterfinals, Sharapova, especially, could prosper. But then, Sharapova has had her own injury problems. Sharapova and Bencic (a slow starter in 2015) could go head-to-head in the fourth round.

Prediction: Williams

Second quarter: Aga-Genie blockbuster?

A couple of things stand out in the second quarter. One is that eight qualifiers landed in the section. Yes, eight.

But the real eye-catcher is the potential second-round clash between Agnieszka Radwanska and Eugenie Bouchard. For both, it’s a pivotal time, but especially Radwanska.

Seeking that maiden Grand Slam crown, the Pole has as much momentum as anyone on the tour, having triumphed at the year-end championships and winning a warmup event in Shenzhen.  In Singapore in November, Radwanska became the first women’s player since Amelie Mauresmo in 2005 to grab the crown without yet being a Grand Slam champion. Mauresmo, though, won two the following season.
Radwanska would take one to begin with. Radwanska served extremely well in Shenzhen, striking nine aces in the final and coming up with good serves when in trouble. A continuation of that and she might make a deep run in Melbourne.

Then again, Bouchard could have something to say about that. The Canadian has started the season well, particularly in Hobart, and enters Melbourne as likely the most dangerous unseeded player. Vinci and Auckland winner Sloane Stephens are heading for a third-round clash, and with their different games, it would be a fascinating one to watch.

Farther down in the quarter, if Petra Kvitova faces Aussie Daria Gavrilova in the second round, that has upset written all over it. Kvitova has yet to see action this year. Gavrilova to encounter 2014 Australian Open finalist Dominika Cibulkova in the third round?

Prediction: Radwanska

Third quarter: Vika to maintain form?

Azarenka’s artistic side was there for all to see in a video she released – the Belorussian made it with her friends back home in Minsk – last week. For Azarenka, it’s all about maximising her brand in different ways, both inside and outside the court.  When it comes to her tennis, she can have no complaints. Hindered by a foot injury in 2014 and still not 100% last year, the two-time Aussie Open champ has looked very sharp to commence 2016. Not only did Azarenka win the title in Brisbane, but she did it without much fuss.

But are we reading too much into her success, since she didn’t have to face players such as Sharapova, Simona Halep and Garbine Muguruza?

Azarenka could have a rematch with Samantha Crawford, the American who was the surprise of the tournament in Brisbane, in the second round and the first seed she could confront is Ukrainian Elina Svitolina. Svitolina made nice progress in 2015, but questions remain as to whether she can defeat top-10 players on a regular basis without a major weapon.

Muguruza, at No. 3, is actually the highest seed in the quarter. Foot troubles forced Muguruza to retire in Brisbane; lurking in the second round for the Wimbledon finalist is upset artist Mirjana Lucic-Baroni. 

Up at the top of the quarter, if the seeds continue to win, it’s Angelique Kerber versus Timea Bacsinszky in the fourth round. The path to get there for the German and Swiss is gentle, though the latter has yet to rediscover her form of last year, perhaps due to the knee injury she sustained in October.

Prediction: Azarenka

Fourth quarter: Halep’s time?

Halep, working in tandem with coach Darren Cahill, is attempting to make changes to her game. We know the Romanian can counterpunch with the best of them – she perennially features on highlight-reels soaking up pressure – but the world No. 2 wants to become more aggressive and not simply rely on her stellar movement.

Unfortunately for Halep, a lingering Achilles injury has limited not only her match play but also practice time. Still, her fans will be encouraged by her performance in Sydney. It didn’t look good early for Halep, though she persevered and advanced to the semifinals. Halep, at times, was overpowered in 2015, and her quarter is stacked with yet more power players: Venus Williams, Karolina Pliskova, Ana Ivanovic, Sabine Lisicki, Madison Keys and Lesia Tsurenko.

Alize Cornet wouldn’t be classified as a power player but she knows how to oust big names at big tournaments, and the in-form Frenchwoman would no doubt relish the opportunity to take on Halep in round two. Tsurenko is the first seed Halep could battle and even if it’s not the Ukrainian, it might well be another dangerous foe in Varvara Lepchenko.

Venus Williams will hope Auckland was a minor blip after a terrific 2015. Her first round is interesting – the elder Williams sister plays one of the tour’s breakthrough performers in 2015, Johanna Konta.

Prediction: Venus Williams

Semifinals: Serena Williams, Azarenka

Winner: Azarenka