Tennis News

MIAMI, FL, USA – Newly-minted World No.1 Angelique Kerber has officially reclaimed her spot at the top of the WTA rankings on Monday, a day before the Miami Open kicks off and where she’ll also be the No.1 seed for the first time.

But the big question for former World No.1 Chrissie Evert is how Kerber will cope with the pressures of having the target on her back once again.

Kerber is still searching for her first title of 2017 after falling in the fourth round of Indian Wells to eventual champion Elena Vesnina. The German went into the match leading 4-1 in their head-to-head record, but started off flat and allowed Vesnina to dictate the rallies, a contrast to the game she showed during her run to two Grand Slam titles last year.

She’s also yet to defeat a Top 20 player in 2017, falling to Elina Svitolina twice (Brisbane, No.14; Dubai, No.13) and later Vesnina (No.15).

“For me it’s nothing really to do with the physicality of her game,” Evert said in an ESPN phone call. “It’s not that the game is not there, the same game that she won the Australian Open with and the US Open with.

“I think it’s all in her head, and it is a big adjustment to have that No.1 bullseye on your back and to continue to play with the fearlessness that it took for her to get there. She went out of the box in big matches that she won last year; she took more chances. She played more fearless tennis. She went for more shots. She went for bigger serves. She went for bigger second serves.

“She really, to me, this year has gone back into the type of tennis she played two years ago when she was Top 5 in the world, but not No.1.”

Evert drew a comparison between Kerber and the resurgent Caroline Wozniacki – who’s added a bit more aggression to her counterpunching game to help her climb back on top following an injury-riddled 2016 season and consecutive slide down the rankings.

“She has to do what Wozniacki is trying to do now: taking a few more risks and being a little more aggressive,” Evert explained. “Those two, I see their games similar as far as their unbelievable defense and counterpunching, and it goes against their nature to really wind up and to attack right from the start. But they’ve got to learn to do that a little bit more.”

Evert, who was the year-ending World No.1 singles player in 1974-1978 and 1980-1981 and held on to the ranking for a total of 260 weeks, had some words of advice for what it would take for the German to regain her fearlessness.

“[Kerber] has to get back that aggressive mentality, and she’s got to really force it on herself because she’s not going to be No. 1 until she plays like she did at the US Open and like she did in Australia.

“The tennis is there, but she’s got to get back into that frame of mind, and she’s got to work on that. Only she can do it. You can listen to a thousand people or the best coaches in the world, but only she has to come to terms with that.”

– Photos courtesy of Getty Images

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Former No.1 Victoria Azarenka capped her return to the Top 10 with a second BNP Paribas Open title, outlasting top seed and 21-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.

The two-time Australian Open champion set down with WTA Insider to discuss forming the perfect team, believing in a career without limits, and the poignant reason why she has never been one to waste food.

WTA Insider: You’re the first player to do two Champion’s Corners, because we spoke after Brisbane. Are you still kind of basking in the glow of the win?
Azarenka: I’m very happy. I can’t say that I’m over the moon excited – maybe it didn’t sink in just yet – but I’m just very happy that I’m able to do whatever I want to do on the court. I can move the way I want to move, and see improvements in my game. I’m able to take whatever I’m working on in practice and bring it to the court. This is what gets me more excited, keeps me motivated, and seeing that it works against the best player in the world just brings a little bit extra to work even harder.

WTA Insider: Last year your season ended pretty roughly and you said you wanted to focus on fitness. Big payoff, but what were the toughest moments from that training bloc?
Azarenka: I can’t say there weren’t days that I didn’t want to want to lay down and maybe sleep a little longer. The training bloc was very important, but I think what got me to win here was that I kept working during and after the Australian Open. All this time I was setting little goals to improve whatever it is that I want to. I said in Australia, it’s going to be a process, and I still believe that I’m not there where I want to be. I’m getting there and I’m getting closer and I’m improving, but knowing that I could just be better gets me excited. That’s what helps me wake up in the morning and go after it. There is nothing else I want to do in life right now but give myself the best chance I can to be able to chase my dreams. Set my goals and go after them, and then we’ll see what happens. But I’ll know that I’m the best prepared I’ve ever been – mentally, physically, tennis-wise, tactical-wise – the best prepared. Whatever happens out there is more or less not in my control. But knowing that I’m prepared is the key.

WTA Insider: Do you think you’re more prepared now than in 2012?
Azarenka: I believe I’m a stronger, faster, and a smarter player. I find ways to win when some other things don’t work. I’ve improved my serve a lot. I’m mentally way happier, and I have people with whom I see no limitations. That’s also very important, to surround yourself with energy and with people who believe you have no limits, and not just trying to tell you how to stay the same.

WTA Insider: Talking about your renewed outlook, you seem happier and more zen than in the past. Do you feel like a happier outlook has been more positive for your game?
Azarenka: The difference is trying to find the balance. The off-court stuff, the preparation is something where I feel I’ve completely changed. I’m much more relaxed; I know what’s going to make me feel good. But on the court, I’m going to be a fearless, edgy self. I play with a lot of passion because that’s what makes me the best player. I’ve always said there is a difference between frustration and being angry. I think angry and pumped up is good for you; it gives you emotions. Once you get frustrated, you tip over into that bad side. That’s trouble, but being able to control and navigate your emotions, your body, how you feel, is a craft.

WTA Insider: Can you talk about your emotional evolution on the tennis court? How has time molded you into a better competitor?
Azarenka: I’ve always been a fighter, since a really young age. A fighter is something that I think I was born to be. I never give up at any stage.

WTA Insider: Are there stories your parents might have of you as a kid, where you feel you were born this way?
Azarenka: I think I was born this way, and where I came from, there was no other way. It was always, ‘If you want it, you have to fight for it.’ It’s as simple as being hungry. I had no food sometimes, and that’s something that to this day in my life, it leaves an impact on me. You will never see me not finish one of my meals. How you react to every situation as it’s happening in your life, is up to you. Whatever His plan is, I think is going to happen, but you are in control of how you want to handle it. I was struggling with injuries, mentally, with everything, but I was brave enough to do something about it. That sometimes scares people, because it’s not easy to dig down to all of your emotions and talk about that and be open about it. It’s hard, but once you do it, you realize it’s not that bad, and maybe you should do it more.

Nothing is going to happen if you win or lose; the world is not going to change. It can change for a little bit for your situation, for whatever, but it’s not going to change. Everybody’s going to remember it for a little bit and forget about it after. I learned for me to take care of what I want to do, where I want to go, and that’s it. I’m not trying to please someone who thinks what is right for me. Nobody will know what’s right for me better than I know. I think that, as a young player, it’s important to keep learning and to stay open-minded. But you should also have a strong stance on what you believe in, because that’s something that is in you and you have to apply that. But you have to be open-minded.

WTA Insider: What do you think is that kind of core belief that you think you’ve had to stick to in your career?
Azarenka: I think a difficult thing for women in general is that we get manipulated very easily. It happens a lot on the women’s tour – and it’s just my observation, I’m not going to talk specifically – where coaches try to teach you and put their philosophy on you. But I think a great coach and a great listener is one who is adapting to how you feel, and teaching you through that. That is something that I also had to learn, and what young people have to be aware of. Believe in what you think is right, because your first instinct is always right.

WTA Insider: Do you think that the Vika of five years ago was angrier than the Vika of today?
Azarenka: I felt whatever I didn’t feel was right, was wrong. That would make me frustrated because, ‘I wouldn’t do it that way.’ With time and with experience and a few burned hands, you understand that it’s not your way, it’s how you adapt to situations. If people don’t act in a way that you want them to, you can’t control that. I think that allowed me to show my emotions more, and I don’t believe I was an angry person. I just didn’t know how to react to what were, in my opinion, unfair situations. I think I didn’t understand it before, and thinking it wasn’t fair. The world is unfair, so you have to understand that.

WTA Insider: Your team is fairly unique with what are essentially two head coaches with Sascha and Wim. Can you talk about that set-up and how that’s allowed you to settle into your game?
Azarenka: I have a very strong personality, and I have very strong beliefs of what I think I have to do but, as I said, I’m very open-minded and am willing to listen. What they’ve done great is to listen to how I feel and suggest the things that can make me better. It’s a lot of teamwork; everybody has their own role to do whatever is necessary. Having people around you believe that you have no limits is great because they’re encouraging and pushing you to somewhere where you think, ‘I don’t know if I can get there.’ But you can when they’re really pushing you and believing in you.

They’re also not afraid to say whatever they don’t like; I always want honest in my team, because I can handle whatever comes my way as long as they’re honest. JP, my physio specifically, has been just a soldier; he taught me so much to learn on the court, off the court, the listen, to be present every time. So I’m very grateful for him because he really took me out of my injury, got me healthy, and then everyone started putting their pieces together to help me build a new me.

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.