Indian Wells: Radwanska vs. Jankovic
Agnieszka Radwanska takes on Jelena Jankovic in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open.
Agnieszka Radwanska takes on Jelena Jankovic in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open.
An interview with Serena Williams after her win in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open.
Former World No.1 and 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic took the tennis world by surprise when she announced on Facebook Live that she would be retiring from the sport, effective immediately.
“It hasn’t been an overnight decision,” she explained in an exclusive with WTA Insider. “It’s been on my mind for a little bit but I tried to also follow my heart because for me, it’s proven to be the best way.
“I really felt now it’s time to just give back. Coming from Serbia, everything that I’ve been through in my life and my career, so far my parents and my brother with me, they made it all possible. I feel very fortunate and so I want to give back and maybe help others be as fortunate as I was.”
What followed was an outpouring of well wishes from her friends and colleagues who’ve been with her throughout her 13-year career. From WTA founder Billie Jean King, to 2016’s World No.1s Angelique Kerber and Serena Williams, to rising stars like Belinda Bencic and Daria Gavrilova, it was clear Ivanovic was as much beloved by her fellow players as the fans saying #ThankYouAna.
Check out what her fellow WTA stars had to say about the Serb on Twitter:
I will miss one of my best friends on tour @AnaIvanovic ❤️ You've had an incredible tennis career. Best wishes for the exciting new chapter! pic.twitter.com/IUlbkHHGVE
— Angelique Kerber (@AngeliqueKerber) December 29, 2016
@AnaIvanovic Best wishes with your future endeavors. Will miss seeing that spectacular smile! ? Once a champion, always a champion. ? ?
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) December 28, 2016
@AnaIvanovic my goodness I will miss your smile. All my love ❤️❤️
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) December 28, 2016
You were one of my first Idols when I was a small girl ?All the best at your life after tennis @AnaIvanovic ! We will miss you on the Tour! pic.twitter.com/YCMv5G43ic
— Belinda Bencic (@BelindaBencic) December 29, 2016
Will miss you on tour, but excited for you and what your new chapter has to bring? see you soon!!?? https://t.co/twK95j9Dnl
— Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki) December 28, 2016
@WTA @AnaIvanovic #ThankYouAna pic.twitter.com/5magt6K1wy
— Daria Gavrilova (@Daria_gav) December 29, 2016
Ha sido un placer haber compartido contigo tantos años en el circuito @WTA. I will miss you @AnaIvanovic! See you soon! ?? #ThankYouAna pic.twitter.com/LQdj5MEMll
— Anabel Medina (@anabelmedina) December 28, 2016
Awww, sorry to see @AnaIvanovic retire! Will miss that forehand, the smile &the little fist pump. Delightful to all! #happyretirement ????
— Tracy Austin (@thetracyaustin) December 28, 2016
We will miss seeing your smile on the court! Fighter, professional, great person. Enjoy your post-tennis life, Ana ? pic.twitter.com/1FXcBl4C2Z
— Petra Kvitova (@Petra_Kvitova) December 28, 2016
That smile, that grace, that forehand, that class….@AnaIvanovic … Tennis will miss you… BUT, what a rich life you have ahead of you!!!
— Chris Evert (@ChrissieEvert) December 28, 2016
@AnaIvanovic Will miss you on tour! Good luck and enjoy the next chapter. ??
— Laura Robson (@laurarobson5) December 28, 2016
Good luck with the next chapter! https://t.co/wnlGE91Mzg
— Anne Keothavong (@annekeothavong) December 28, 2016
What a amazing athlete, competitor,fighter but most importantly what a great person off court @AnaIvanovic congratulations on everything you
— TamiraPaszek (@tamira1990) December 28, 2016
achieved in your career! You can be proud @AnaIvanovic ??wishing you all the best for this new phase of your life ??? will miss you on tour
— TamiraPaszek (@tamira1990) December 28, 2016
Congrats on your career @AnaIvanovic good luck and have fun on what's coming next! We had some fun matches together ?? pic.twitter.com/95flZJ5whh
— victoria azarenka (@vika7) December 28, 2016
Will miss you and our laughs and chats.. good luck.. best always .. love ❤️ https://t.co/sEWhYkB0dQ
— Sania Mirza (@MirzaSania) December 29, 2016
Congrats @anaivanovic on a wonderful career. Hope you have a great time off court and I hope we'll still see you around!??? pic.twitter.com/yAbd64Xubt
— Roberta Vinci (@roberta_vinci) December 29, 2016
wish you nothing but the best. #ajde! https://t.co/T2sHsL8rDI
— Jamie Hampton (@Jamie_Hampton) December 28, 2016
Amazing tennisplayer and even better person?. Happy retirement @AnaIvanovic ??
— Sofia Arvidsson (@Sofia_Arvidsson) December 28, 2016
They don't come much nicer, prettier or classier than this girl ❤ Thank you @AnaIvanovic for being a Champion on and off the court ⭐ @WTA pic.twitter.com/RrnKYdCjSq
— Michaëlla Emmrich (@MisaKrajicek) December 28, 2016
@AnaIvanovic Ana,congrats on your amazing career!Oh,we will miss you ? ? Good luck in your new chapter,I am sure it will be all fine?❤
— Elena Vesnina (@EVesnina001) December 29, 2016
@AnaIvanovic we will miss you Ana! ?All the best to your family and you ❤
— Alla Kudryavtseva (@AllaK11) December 28, 2016
@AnaIvanovic wishing u the very best in your future Ana! You were truly one of THE NICEST PEOPLE EVER ON TOUR! Beautiful inside & out!!
— rennae stubbs (@rennaestubbs) December 29, 2016
@AnaIvanovic good luck in the future
— Melanie South (@melaniesouth) December 28, 2016
We had couple of battle together, @AnaIvanovic
I will miss seeing you on the tour …
Good luck in your post tennis life and Enjoy it ! ? pic.twitter.com/bnOaxpFsFL— Caroline Garcia (@CaroGarcia) December 28, 2016
Congrats on your career @AnaIvanovic and good luck with what's coming now:) pic.twitter.com/NsJiifeAXE
— Kiki Bertens (@kikibertens) December 28, 2016
イワノビッチ引退かぁぁ、
可愛くて大好きな選手。
寂しいなぁ。#ThankYouAna pic.twitter.com/SfvBS8tZGX— Misa Eguchi / 江口実沙 (@misa_eguchi) December 29, 2016
All the best Ana ??????we will miss u https://t.co/Z6foNyYPAu
— Svetlana Kuznetsova (@SvetlanaK27) December 29, 2016
You can be proud of you @AnaIvanovic ! You are a great champion and a very nice person, now enjoy the real life ? #ThankYouAna
— Alize Cornet (@alizecornet) December 29, 2016
Didn't have a chance to play with you! But still happy I got a chance to share a few years on @WTA tour at the same time with @AnaIvanovic ? https://t.co/iHaPvC8PEF
— Kovinić Danka (@KovinicDanka118) December 29, 2016
had always fun playing with you,playing against you like when we were kids at Eddie Herr and many more!Wish you all the best @AnaIvanovic
— Jarmila Wolfe (@tennis_jarkag) December 29, 2016
What a babe. Gorgeous inside and (obv) out ? tennis will definitely miss you #AnaIvanovic pic.twitter.com/L86hX1InjG
— Heather Watson (@HeatherWatson92) December 29, 2016
Lucky to have shared the court with such a nice person.. good luck in this next chapter of your life @AnaIvanovic .. enjoy!! pic.twitter.com/fU4bf5Vlzx
— Sara Errani (@SaraErrani) December 29, 2016
Agnieszka Radwanska takes on Petra Kvitova in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open.
KEY INFORMATION:
Tournament Level: Premier
Prize Money: $1,000,000
Draw Size: 30 main draw/32 qualifying
Main Draw Ceremony: Friday, December 30- 12 pm AEST
Qualifying Dates: Friday, December 30 – Sunday, January 1
First Day of Main Draw: Sunday, January 1
Singles Final: Saturday, January 7- 7 pm AEST
Doubles Final: Saturday, January 7- following singles
MUST-FOLLOW SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS:
@WTA
@WTA_Insider – WTA Insider, Senior Writer Courtney Nguyen
@BrisbaneTennis – official tournament handle
WHERE TO WATCH:
Click here to select your country and find broadcast details for the Brisbane International.
TOURNAMENT NOTES:
– There have been six different champions crowned at Brisbane since its first staging in 2009: Victoria Azarenka (2009, 2016), Kim Clijsters (2010), Petra Kvitova (2011), Kaia Kanepi (2012), Serena Williams (2013, 2014) and Maria Sharapova (2015).
– With defending champion Victoria Azarenka away from the completion after giving birth to a baby boy and with no former champions in the draw, a new champion will lift the Brisbane trophy this year.
– One to watch: Entering the tournament as a wildcard, Australian Ashleigh Barty returned to tennis in 2016 after a stint in cricket as an all-rounder for the Brisbane Heat. Her return has been highlighted by a quarterfinal run at Nottingham, and she’s also been granted a wildcard into the upcoming Australian Open.
PLAYER FIELD:
Click here for complete singles and doubles draws.
The Brisbane International serves as the only Premier event of the first week of the season and the field is packed with five of the Elite Eight from the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. A finalist last year, Angelique Kerber leads the field along with Singapore champion Dominika Cibulkova, Karolina Pliskova, Garbiñe Muguruza, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Elina Svitolina, and Elena Vesnina.
Also in Brisbane is Roberta Vinci, who recently announced her intention to play through another season, as well as the Gold Coast’s own Samantha Stosur, Olympic Gold Medalist Monica Puig, China’s top-ranked player Zhang Shuai and Eugenie Bouchard.
WILDCARDS:
Ashleigh Barty (AUS), Donna Vekic (CRO)
An interview with Karolina Pliskova after her win in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open.
Karolina Pliskova had Thursday’s shot of the day at the BNP Paribas Open.
ZHUHAI, China – After some seismic shifts to the Zhuhai leaderboard after the US Open, the rankings stayed the same once all was said and done at the Toray Pan Pacific Open.
Madison Keys and Johanna Konta continue to lead the field, but Keys trails Carla Suárez Navarro by just one point on the Road To Singapore leaderboard; a switch could be close and the Spaniard could end up the top seed at the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.
The year’s final tournament will take place in Zhuhai and will run from November 1 to 6. Like last year, the singles draw will feature 11 of the top ranked players and one wildcard, with the winner collecting 700 rankings points.
Here’s the latest leaderboard update for the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai as of September 26, 2016:

Victoria Azarenka takes on Karolina Pliskova in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open.
Agnieszka Radwanska takes on Caroline Wozniacki in the third round of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.