Indian Wells: Venus Williams vs Peng Shuai
Venus Williams takes on Peng Shuai in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open.
Venus Williams takes on Peng Shuai in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open.
Victoria Azarenka takes on Roberta Vinci in the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International.
Svetlana Kuznetsova takes on Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open.
An interview with Angelique Kerber after her semifinal win at the Brisbane International.
Kristina Mladenovic takes on Caroline Wozniacki in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open.
January 11, 2016
A leaner-looking Samantha Stosur saw off a determined Roberta Vinci, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, to book a place in the second round of the Apia International Sydney on Monday afternoon.
Elena Vesnina takes on Kristina Mladenovic in the semifinal of the BNP Paribas Open.
Belinda Bencic takes on Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in the first round of the Apia International Syndey.
Top 20 players’ schedules, upcoming tournaments, birthdays and more – check out what’s on tap for this week as the WTA’s top players head to Miami.
Venus Williams’ rise back to the Top 10 last year laid to rest a lot of the big questions surrounding the former World No.1 – except for one.
After her resurgent 2015 season – which saw her claim titles at Auckland, Wuhan and the WTA Elite Trophy at Zhuhai and be named WTA Comeback Player Of The Year – the biggest question now is whether or not the seven-time Grand Slam winner can add an eighth major title to her already impressive career haul.
It’s been a long road for Williams since the last time she won a Grand Slam, at the 2008 Wimbledon Championships. She’s gone from World No.2 to – at her lowest point – No.137, then found her way back to the Top 10. She’s fought through injuries and an energy-zapping chronic illness to end her title drought and reestablish herself at the top of the game – but she’s nowhere near satisfied.
“It’s a great thing to be Top 10 now with the level of the game, but I’m still very hungry. I’m ready for more,” Williams said in Zhuhai. “I’ve had so many experiences in tennis and I still expect a lot from myself. So I’m very happy to be moving forward, but I also want to continue, and not stop here.”
First up for Venus is the Australian Open. Though she’s made the quarterfinals or better in eight of her last 15 attempts, the Happy Slam remains one of the toughest majors for Williams. Her best result, a final, came in 2003.
The Melbourne field will be stacked with younger players gunning for a chance at the top, but Williams has been down this road before. It’s not the first time critics have tried to write her off, and it’s not the first time she’s silenced them, either.
“It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, everyone is willing to write you off,” Williams said.
“No one thought I would win Wimbledon in 2005 – I was 24 years old, and in sports people always think you’re done. But you’re not done until you say you’re done. I won that title that year, and it meant everything to me.
“I believed in myself.”