A Rivalry Renewed: Serena vs Venus, In Photos
For the 28th time in history Venus and Serena Williams will compete against each other. Take a look back at every single encounter of their historic rivalry, right here!
For the 28th time in history Venus and Serena Williams will compete against each other. Take a look back at every single encounter of their historic rivalry, right here!
Venus Williams had nothing but praise for her younger sister Serena Williams after their Australian Open battle, and is taking only positives from her run to the final.
MELBOURNE, Australia – Following her record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam triumph at the Australian Open, newly re-crowned World No.1 Serena Williams sat down with a small pool of reporters after her non-stop media duties, reflecting on her fortnight and look ahead at what’s to come:
Q: Setting aside Slam No.23, World No.1, how do you assess your two weeks here in Melbourne? How do you feel it sets you up for 2017?
Serena: I feel like my game is good. I was thinking yesterday on the practice court, ‘Gosh, I’m playing better than I have, maybe ever.’ I’m moving better – I’ve always been a fast mover, but I kind of stopped moving in the middle [of my career] thinking, ‘I don’t really have to move.’ But I was like, man, I’m hitting pretty well. So it felt pretty good to know that I’m playing better. I’m here to take this game pretty seriously.
Q: What’s the key difference? Is it a physical thing or a mental thing?
Serena: I don’t know. Every year I sit down with Patrick, and look at the things I want to improve. I want to do something better, and so we sat down this year to do the same thing. We said we wanted to do better, and we did better; we don’t want to stop, we want to continue to do better.
#SAPStatOfTheDay: @SerenaWilliams wins SIXTH Grand Slam without dropping a set all tournament! First time at the #AusOpen! pic.twitter.com/qpIhS4MiTy
— WTA (@WTA) January 28, 2017
Q: Did being No.2 motivate you at all to want to get back here and play your best? Did it piss you off?
Serena: It didn’t piss me off. I didn’t deserve to be No.1; I think Kerber played unbelievable. She was the most consistent, and she definitely deserved to have that position. That’s one thing about me, that when credit’s due, you have to give a person credit. She absolutely deserved it; it looked weird, because I never felt like No.2, but I think she definitely deserved to be No.1, she played well.
Q: We saw the genius of your father expressed this week. What was so special about him? What did he bring to your family, and as a dad?
Serena: Well, he’s brought everything. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him; this was his vision. It’s literally his vision, and he wrote this. He knew this would happen, us playing each other for yet another Grand Slam. He gave us the best games possible, that we could always build on; he gave us the best techniques possible. It’s crazy, really crazy. Another thing that’s so great is how our family is so important, and realizing that above all, we have to put each other first, way in front of a tennis ball. I think that’s something that I’ve always been able to appreciate. The older you get, the more you appreciate this.
Q: This is still very fresh, but after a performance, like that, how many more Slams do you think you can win?
Serena: I don’t think about that any more. At the next Grand Slam, I’m going to request you guys not to ask me about it again, because I just have to take it a day at a time [laughing].
What is a champion?
World No.1 and 23x Grand Slams, @SerenaWilliams! #MakeHistory pic.twitter.com/bUkH5Tbyto
— WTA (@WTA) January 28, 2017
I’ve been saying this since this tournament began: this is a bonus for me. I don’t have anything to prove; I don’t have to win another match. I can just relax, and that’s what I’m doing now. I’m going out there, relaxing and playing hard. I’m just enjoying my time, like this little fly over here [Note: A fly was buzzing around the small interview room].
Q: Talking about the last couple of years, you’ve been saying you have nothing to prove, and playing with house money. It seems like this tournament has been the one where you really lived that, as opposed to the last few tournaments where you’ve felt the tension.
Serena: I’ve been trying to live it for quite some time, but I definitely agree. I was really able to do it at this tournament. I’ve been trying to do it, and trying and trying. I don’t know why it worked now. I think having to play those matches in the first two rounds, I was like, ‘I have no choice but to be better.’
I was really just ok with, not losing, but I knew that I didn’t have to win here to make my career. For whatever reason, that settled with me this time. I don’t know why; I wish I could tell you, but I want to know because I definitely want to do it again next time. I need to figure that one out.
.@SerenaWilliams 23 Grand Slams!
7x @AustralianOpen ?
3x @RolandGarros ?
7x @Wimbledon ?
6x @USOpen ? pic.twitter.com/s5Bwpl35VG— WTA (@WTA) January 28, 2017
Q: By regaining the No.1 spot, do you think trying to stay No.1 will be more of a priority, and will you play extra tournaments outside of the regular schedule?
Serena: I don’t know. I honestly was thinking, ‘I should go to Dubai and try to get my No.1 ranking back.’ I had no idea I was going to be No.1 after this. I was thinking about it, but I’m enjoying my time on the court, my game, the style I’m playing. It’s been kind of refreshing, and I definitely want to keep the momentum going. I don’t know; I’m going to go home, take a deep breath, and then start from there.
“Your mindset is worth more than your body.”
Well, at least it is according to Heather Watson, Great Britain’s No.2 and one of the most consistent British women’s tennis players.
Earlier in the season, Watson sat down with Women’s Health UK as a part of New Balance’s Toughest Opponent series, which discusses the inner battles that athletes have to fight within themselves. She shared her personal tips for how to ace the most important aspects of training and unlocking a positive mentality.
“Tennis, like running, is one of those sports where there’s so many factors you can’t control,” she said. “You need to be prepared for anything that hits you.”
Read on to hear what she had to say on how to improve your speed, stamina, and much more.
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – Unseeded and looming Daria Gavrilova enjoyed a strong start at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy, dispatching Russian wildcard Anna Kalinskaya, 6-4, 7-5, to reach the second round.
“It was a tough match,” the Aussie said after the match. “I felt like I didn’t play my best tennis but I’m happy with the way I fought. I got the win but I think that I need to up my level.”
Gavrilova burst onto the scene as a junior prodigy, winning the 2010 girl’s singles title at the US Open and the Youth Olympic Gold medal; it was a full circle moment then for the now-22-year-old to face Kalinskaya, a runner-up at 2015’s junior Wimbledon.
“She’s four years younger than me. I didn’t actually know before that the gap was that big – I asked her and was surprised.
“I asked around because didn’t know how she played, which isn’t very easy. I asked a few girls but they didn’t give me much! My coach watched some videos and gave me some notes.”
Coming off another run to the second week of the Australian Open, Gavrilova battled through several long games to seal a 52-minute opening set, and recovered from a 3-5 deficit in the second to win the final four games and book a meeting against No.3 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova.
“It’s not easy but I felt that I should be confident with my game. I had some long matches in Australia so I was feeling pretty confident.”
Gavrilova last played Kuznetsova last fall in Russia, where she made the final of the Kremlin Cup in singles and doubles; this is her first time the Moscow native is playing in St. Peterburg, which celebrated its inaugural event last year.
“I actually don’t remember when I was last in St. Petersburg. But I’m really enjoying being here and the organizers and sponsors did well with the hotel – it’s one of the best I’ve stayed in.”
Earlier in the day, Andrea Petkovic booked her spot in the main draw with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Anastasiya Komardina, while Kirsten Flipkens needed three sets to dispatch Donna Vekic, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5.
As the tour turns from clay to grass, the WTA Insider team is applying its surface-specific ranking formula to help determine who has the best chance of winning big at Wimbledon.
Last season was the first in which a third week was added between the second and third majors, adding an extra week of tournaments and giving players who prefer the slick grass courts an opportunity to rack up even more points and momentum heading into the third Grand Slam of the season – or the chance to rest from an exhausting clay court swing.
Compared to the much-longer string of clay court tournaments, however, the most points up for grabs ultimately come from Wimbledon itself, with the highest ranked grass court performers being players who’ve proven capable of getting the job done at the All England Club. In fact, 10 of the Top 12 can boast at least one Wimbledon semifinal appearance to their name.
Looking back over the last three seasons, using 100% of their points earned at all grass court tournaments earned in 2015, 75% earned in 2014, and 50% earned in 2013, here are the official WTA Grass Court Power Rankings:
Takeaways:
– Serena remains Queen of Wimbledon: The six-time champion stumbled early in 2013 and 2014, but her title run last year reminded everyone that the World No.1 is, in fact, the one to beat at the All England Club. Capturing her second Non-Calendar Year Grand Slam in 2015, Williams defeated sister and five-time winner Venus along with former No.1s Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova en route to the final, where she held off first-time Grand Slam finalist Garbiñe Muguruza for her 21st major title with the help of her near-perfect serve and all-court invincibility. Wimbledon is historically Serena’s sole grass court event each year, meaning her ostensibly slim 252.5 lead over the field could be even larger had she not opted out of warm-up events since 2011.
– Kvitova close behind: Outside the Top 10 following a middling clay court swing, Kvitova is a proven commodity on the lawns of Wimbledon, having twice held the Venus Rosewater Dish aloft in 2011 and 2014. Once a stalwart at the Aegon International Eastbourne, the Czech star didn’t play any warm-up events in 2015, and looks likely to repeat the pattern this season. Similar to Serena, success on this surface is likely all in her hands, but fatigue led to a third round loss to Jelena Jankovic in 2015 and a virus interrupted her campaign in the quarterfinals to Kisten Flipkens in 2013. Should she remain healthy through the first week, Kvitova can definitely be considered a threat to grab a third Wimbledon trophy.
– Radwanska on the rise: Agnieszka Radwanska’s march back towards the upper echelons of the game didn’t kick into high gear until after the US Open, but it could be argued that her run to the semifinals of last year’s Wimbledon Championships reignited a flagging career. At a loss through much of the first two quarters of 2015, the 2012 finalist turned things around in a big way at the All England Club, reaching her first Grand Slam semifinal after a quintet of disappointing major defeats and narrowly losing to Muguruza in three sets. A finalist last year in Eastbourne, Radwanska is set to play there again in 2016 in preparation for the Grand Slam where she’s reached the semifinals or better in three of the last four years.
– Germans poised for a rebound: Sabine Lisicki has made a comfortable career for herself almost exclusively from her ability to deliver the goods at Wimbledon. Runner-up in 2013, she has made it to the second week in five of her seven appearances in SW19, defeating the reigning French Open champion in four of those runs. The spell appeared to be broken last year at the hands of Timea Bacsinszky, who schooled her in straight sets in the third round, but the German’s roots run deep at Wimbledon, and is an easy darkhorse pick as she rounds out the grass court Top 5 despite her current ranking of No.63.
By contrast, Angelique Kerber has had a season of high highs and low lows, following up her Australian Open title with a first round defeat at the French Open. A semifinalist in 2012 and a quarterfinalist in 2014, Kerber could be ready for another even-year success at SW19. Narrowly losing to Muguruza 12 months ago, the grass courts help mask her technical weaknesses and amplify her strengths; with lowered expecations, shouldn’t feel too much pressure after a quiet clay court seaon.
– Azarenka missing in action: Absent from the Power Rankings Top 20, the former No.1 has been plagued by injuries since the start of the clay court season, and her longterm struggles can be traced back to this very tournament back in 2013, when she injured her knee in the early stages of her first match – eventually withdrawing in the second round. Coming back from a foot injury in 2014, she bowed out in the second round once again, to Bojana Jovanovski in three sets.
Her quarterfinal battle against Serena in 2015 was one of the best matches of the year, but a new knee injury already forced her out of the French Open and the Aegon Open Nottingham, and may need to return to her beloved hardcourts to return to major title consideration.
– Notable grass court darkhorses: Muguruza proved the next generation can win the big titles when she conquered Serena in the French Open final; ranked No.4 on the Power Rankings, the Spaniard will be playing in the WTA’s newest grass court event at home in Mallorca, hoping to make the difficult surface switch in time for Wimbledon, a tournament at which she had only won one main draw match prior to 2015. Rounding out the Top 10 are fellow youngsters Eugenie Bouchard, Belinda Bencic, and Madison Keys, all of whom have reached the second week in the last two years. Bouchard finished second to Kvitova in 2014, while Bencic and Keys reached the fourth round and quarterfinals, respectively.
Veterans like Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova have also enjoyed deep runs at Wimbledon, with the latter in particular seemingly due for a big result at a major tournament, having played some of her best tennis in 2016.
Finally, back-to-back first round losses kept her out of the Power Rankings Top 20, but attention must be paid to the legendary Tsvetana Pironkova, who was a set from the Wimbledon final back in 2010, and is coming off a quarterfinal appearance at the French Open.
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
No.2 seed Dominika Cibulkova rounded out St. Petersburg’s last eight line-up with a decisive win over Donna Vekic to book a quarterfinal encounter with No.5 seed Elena Vesnina.
Sam Stosur was impressive in Taipei City – check out her shot of the day as she moved into the quarterfinals at the expense of Dalila Jakupovic.
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – Yulia Putintseva made another thrilling comeback at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy, shocking BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global champion and No.2 seed Dominika Cibulkova, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. The Kazakh’s first Top 5 win helps reach her first WTA final where she’ll face Kristina Mladenovic, who also triumphed in three sets against Russia’s Natalia Vikhlyantseva, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.
“It’s unbelievable,” Putintseva said after the match. “I’m very happy that the crowd was behind me this time around. Yesterday they supported more Svetlana and today they cheered for me. I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart.”
Putintseva was playing her first Premier-level semifinal and coming off her third career Top 10 win over No.3 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, giving the more experienced Cibulkova the upper hand from the start. The Slovak worked through a few tense opening games to edge ahead by a break and take the opening set with the help of nine winners.
A well-executed drop shot by @PutintsevaYulia! ? pic.twitter.com/dJmVkAx15E
— WTA (@WTA) February 4, 2017
Cibulkova fell behind a break to start the second, but after winning three straight games to level the set, a first final of 2017, a career-high ranking of No.4, and a 399th career win all appeared on the cards for the reigning WTA Finals champion.
But the unseeded 22-year-old had other ideas, holding and breaking serve in quick succession to level the match, cleaning up her side of the stat sheet with 12 winners to only eight unforced errors; Cibulkova maintained an almost exact inverse, hitting eight winners to 13 errors.
.@PutintsevaYulia is pumped ? ? pic.twitter.com/W6ZBkZdqVB
— WTA (@WTA) February 4, 2017
The final set was reminiscent of Friday’s quarterfinal between Putintseva and Kuznetsova, as the World No.5 twice led by a break, getting within two points of a 5-3 lead.
“I never give up and always try to dictate my game no matter what. And this is what I was trying to do throughout this match.
But Putintseva continued to play her best tennis when her back was up against the wall, winning four straight games to book her first-ever WTA final in two hours and 19 minutes.
First #WTA Premier Final!
Knocks out Dominika Cibulkova 3-6, 6-4, 6-4! pic.twitter.com/1qCILGIjIG
— WTA (@WTA) February 4, 2017
By match’s end, it was clear that consistency had gotten the job done for Putintseva, who matched Cibulkova in winners (27 each), but hit 11 fewer errors (43 to 32).
“It’s my first WTA final, but actually I don’t feel any pressure here. I am enjoying every moment I spend on the court.”
Waiting for her in the championship match will be Mladenovic, herself enjoying a career-best run that began with an emphatic win over Australian Open runner-up Venus Williams. The Frenchwoman back up the upset by dethroning defending champion Roberta Vinci and remained composed after losing the first set to Vikhlyantseva, a rising Russian set to make her Top 100 debut after reaching her first semifinal at a WTA Premier event.
“She’s really powerful, and all credit to her in the first set,” Mladenovic said after the match. “I was like, ‘Geez, this is going very fast.’ She was playing very heavy with her groundstrokes, and hitting a lot of winners.
“I just dug really deep and I was trying to stay positive. I said to myself that if she managed to maintain this high energy and intensity for the whole match, good job. But I’m very happy to have stayed in the match long enough to turn it around.”
Superb slice by @KiKiMladenovic! ? pic.twitter.com/pgmFWGqdDx
— WTA (@WTA) February 4, 2017
An unfamiliar opponent to many, Vikhlyantseva had previously pushed Mladenovic to three sets in ‘s-Hertogenbosch last summer, helping the unseeded Frenchwoman prepare for what became a three set battle.
“I think it was a very good match, high intensity from both of us. I think the difference today was my ability to maintain that intensity from first point to last. I felt that way mentally the whole match, but I could sense her start to drop her level physically, be it with footwork, and the legs. She became less precise, and because she takes so many risks from the baseline, she started to make more unforced errors.
.@KikiMladenovic advances to @Formula_TX Final!
Makes 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 comeback win over Vikhlyantseva! pic.twitter.com/uvDMsiXKr8
— WTA (@WTA) February 4, 2017
Mladenovic and Putintseva have played four times before, splitting their head-to-head at two wins apiece; Putintseva won their most recent meeting last year at the BNP Paribas Open in straight sets.
“She’s in great form, playing really well. She’s a big fighter, who runs down a lot of balls. I’ll have to keep playing the same way I have all week, being aggressive, coming forward, and trying to dictate play with my forehand. I’ll try to find angles and try to find my game towards the net.”
“I feel well, I feel fresh. I think that's a big improvement on my side.” -@KiKiMladenovic pic.twitter.com/bmxzehRxoV
— WTA (@WTA) February 4, 2017
In keeping with her style on court, Flavia Pennetta’s wedding to long-term boyfriend Fabio Fognini was a classy affair.
The couple, who have been together since 2014, tied the knot on Saturday in Pennetta’s hometown of Ostuni, Italy.
Among the guests were many of the tennis family, including Pennetta’s former doubles partner Gisela Dulko and her teammates in the all-conquering Italy Fed Cup team, Francesca Schiavone, Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci.
