Tennis News

BRISBANE, Australia – Victoria Azarenka rang in the new year with a new attitude and new title. It had been over two years since the former No.1 lifted a trophy, an inordinately long drought for a player that once dominated the tour alongside Serena Williams. En route to her 18th title, Azarenka lost just 17 games, tying Serena for the fewest games lost en route to the Brisbane title.

Her biggest test came in the final against No.10 Angelique Kerber, where she withstood Kerber’s early charge to run away with a 6-3, 6-1 win. This is the Vika we’re used to seeing.

“I wanted to win the title, but I didn’t feel, ‘If this doesn’t happen the world is going to end,'” Azarenka told reporters. “I think that’s when you [feel] relief. I just feel really excited and happy that I’m doing the right things. I’m excited to keep working hard. Just gives extra motivation to keep working hard and achieve better things. When you’re on the right direction, I think it’s kind of cool.”

Azarenka’s dominant run to the title immediately puts her on the short list for the Australian Open, where she is a two-time champion. But this year Melbourne will see a different Vika. It was there two years ago that Azarenka aggravated a foot injury that kickstarted her two year battle to get back to her top form.

“I was hurt the whole year actually,” Azarenka said of her 2015 season. “There was not a moment where I felt, I feel good. I have no pain. There was a lot of medication last year which made me feel crazy actually at some moments. I don’t respond well to medication.

“So it didn’t feel like this last year. It was a constant battle with pain, with my own fear. Like is it going to hurt again? I don’t want to go through that. But it took me to a point where I decided, Okay, I got to stop and try to figure out and actually change my life around the tennis court.

“I had a lot of changes last year, so it took a little bit of time to regroup, reorganize, mature a little bit, understand how to organize yourself. I’m like a freak right now. Like I’m super organized. Like my bag has to be a certain way. This has to be a certain way. I’ve never been like this. I was a little bit messy. I just didn’t care. I would throw things around. My mom was getting so pissed off with me.

“Now I found what works for me, what makes me feel comfortable, calm, at peace. So it’s good.”

After a tough off-season, Azarenka says she’s as fit as she was in her dominant 2012-2013 seasons and based on her form in Brisbane, her tennis looks locked in for 2016. “For me, it’s like you’re reading a book and you just turn the page,” Azarenka said. “That part of it was over. You just flip the page. I think that’s exciting. I can’t wait the to read the next page.”

WTA Insider sat down with Azarenka after her big win to talk about her week in Brisbane and she shed light on just how far she’s come in the last three months.

WTA Insider: What’s your reaction to this week and how it tees you up for the rest of the month?

Azarenka: I’m very excited. I think the difference between my excitement and other people’s excitement is that they want me to win and have the results. Of course I do too. But for me the excitement of doing it is really special. I really enjoy myself on the court. Whatever I do I just have fun with it. When I practice, when I’m on the court I’m really in the space that this is where I want to be. I don’t want to be anywhere else in this particular moment. I’m excited to win obviously, but the journey, the process has been way more exciting for me.

WTA Insider: The last time I talked to you was in Wuhan. You had to retire with injury there to end your season and you were pretty down.

Azarenka: That was tough. Before I even went there, it was really tough and I really shouldn’t have gone there.

WTA Insider: Did you make that trip in an attempt to qualify for Singapore?

Azarenka: Yeah, I still had a chance. Playing at the US Open I was playing well but I was still hurt. At the US Open I decided I’m going to use that trip to work for the next year. But I couldn’t skip steps. I didn’t get healthy. I tried to skip steps and you can’t do that. That was a big mistake for me to do. It was draining and I really didn’t want to be there. I think you could tell by how I was practicing. I wasn’t excited. It’s still a process. It’s still something that I’m not sure I want to take back but I definitely don’t want to repeat that.

WTA Insider: Was there a moment in the off-season when you felt it click?

Azarenka: 2015 finished for me after I started training. It really did. I didin’t want to look back. I just wanted to focus on what I can do right now that can help me. There were a lot of things that didn’t work at first.

The moment that I started to understand that I don’t know how to move right because I compensated so much that I do not know how to move the right way. I had to start from almost walking. It’s not like you’re doing rehab like you’re learning how to walk because you’re unable to walk. It’s really about being more efficient when you’re being on court where you’re not doing those extra steps and you know how to decelerate. I had no idea how to decelerate in that moment. I took a lot of work. It took a lot of focus on paying attention to every single detail, from what I eat, how much I sleep, what I do, how many practices. I had a full schedule. In my day I know exactly what I’m going to do that day.

That experience for the young players is very important to learn. It definitely puts you in the mindset that when you go on the court, that’s all you think about. Last year it was a lot of things on my mind that were not necessary when I went on the court.

WTA Insider: You’ve evolved quite a bit since I first started covering you and you’ve been open to talking about that. What’s been the most important lesson you’ve learned to put you in the position you find yourself in today?

Azarenka: Listen. To listen more. Try to see situations from another person’s perspective.

WTA Insider: Do you think you didn’t do that when you were younger?

Azarenka: I come from a culture that is completely different. For people it’s difficult to understand. Whatever seemed arrogant or rude, those negative emotions, to us it doesn’t. Not that we do it on purpose. It’s just different. For me to learn that I have to sometimes understand how people are around me and observe, I didn’t do that. It was a lot about me, me, me. In an individual sport it will always be, but I just tried to open my mind a little bit and look outside of me.

I think my ego dropped a lot. I dropped it. I didn’t want to be the type of player that is so full of themselves. I want to be understanding. I want to be available. Because tennis is more than just about results to me. It’s the process. I will always feel this way because I found myself to enjoy that.

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

MIAMI, FL, USA – South Florida’s own Monica Puig took to Crandon Park to have fun with the next generation of tennis stars at the Miami Open Kid’s Day.

The Olympic Gold medalist was joined by ASB Classic champion Lauren Davis and ATP stars Jack Sock and Grigor Dimitrov, as well as legendary tennis coach Nick Bollettieri. Hundreds of kids got the chance to learn tennis from the professionals with interactive drills across eight different stations.

“If you do everything you can and give everything you have, then you’re a winner,” Bollettieri told the kids. “That’s the attitude. No matter the result, you’re a winner.”

Check out the best photos from Miami Open Kids’ Day right here!

– Photos courtesy of the Miami Open

MIAMI, FL, USA – What did the top seeds have to say before the Miami Open? From Dominika Cibulkova and Garbiñe Muguruza’s memories of Miami breakthroughs to Simona Halep’s “weird passions,” WTA stars told all at the pre-tournament Media Day…

Dominika Cibulkova:

On coming back to Miami, which was the springboard to her career…
“From the first time I played here as a tournament, it was my favorite tournament. And it still is, because I have so many great memories here at this tournament.

“I can’t forget some of the matches I’ve played here. The first time I was 18 years old, and I played here a third round against Elena Dementieva. That was the first big match for me, and I lost in three sets. Actually this match was a turning point, when I realized I could really play with the best of the best. Since that I beat Agnieszka Radwanska here to reach Top 10 for the first time. So, I really have great memories.”

Surprisingly strong Slovakian support in South Florida…
“I like hockey, and I remember because there were a lot of Slovakian hockey players playing in [the Panthers]. I remember they used to come and cheer me on here in Miami. But I think now there are not any. But these are the little details that make your stay much better.”

Garbiñe Muguruza:

On receiving a Miami wildcard as a teenager…
“This is such a great tournament for me because this was like my breakthrough. I got a wildcard and I beat two Top 10s and went to fourth round, which was quite amazing. Plus I love the environment, I love the Latin American people, so I feel very at home here.

“I came here just for the wildcard in the tournament, I didn’t come to Miami at all before that. And I remember seeing all these tennis stars at that time, because I was playing other kinds of tournaments, and it was amazing for me. I will never forget it.”

Simona Halep:

On her newly-minted partnership with Mercedes in Romania…
“I have weird passions. I love watches and cars. Maybe that’s a little bit weird, but I love cars, and I’m really happy with this partnership.”

Putting her injury woes behind her…
“It’s not easy. Last year I also had problems with my nose and ears. This time was an injury and it was really tough to accept because I’d never been in this situation, where I had to take five weeks off completely. It wasn’t easy, but I had to accept that everyone struggles with injuries sometimes. I’m just trying to get back soon, but slowly.”

Angelique Kerber:

Accepting the ups and downs…
“I think you cannot play one year at the top level. You always have up and downs. I had it last year as well but I was not making a big deal of it. I’m still feeling good on court of course, and you just have to go out and play your best tennis. The others they would have nothing to lose against you, and this is a completely new situation for me.”

On feeling no pressure at World No.1…
“No, I think the pressure is not there anymore, I think it’s more like motivation for going out there and playing again my tennis. I know the situation already and it’s more going out, playing tough again and having my feeling back.

“Of course, nobody has nothing to lose against me. But, it’s actually a good challenge for me. It’s a completely new challenge, but I think that I’m ready for that.”

Svetlana Kuznetsova:

On learning to love – and study – the game…
“Up until 14 years old I didn’t really like tennis, but when I moved to Spain that’s when I really liked it. I didn’t Spanish TV because I didn’t understand much of it. I haven’t been living back in Moscow. So I haven’t been watching much of tennis in my life. But just now I really enjoy it.

“I love about United States, it’s that people and commentators are really positive. I love how they commentate and I always listen, because the great players are commentators and it’s amazing to hear it. It’s always something interesting even for people who know a lot about tennis. I’m always curious.

“Lindsay Davenport was commentating last week, and I was curious to listen to her view of tennis and the game. Because we came to play against each other but I never know how the people think and what they think about the game, and everybody has a different view about the game. The same when I listened to Kim Clijsters when she was commentating the Australian Open a couple of years ago. I said, ‘Kim, I like whatever you say.’ It’s very interesting for me, I always like to learn more about the game.”

Karolina Pliskova:

On backing up her Indian Wells results…
“I had this last year as well – I did semis last year and then I lost in first round here. So I just want to change this. I know I struggle after I do a good result in one tournament and then coming to a different tournament after.

“Obviously there is not much time as I would like to have to practice, but still I have three days. I’m starting on Thursday so I’m just trying to get ready. I think I’m in good shape this year, so hopefully I can change it in this tournament, to not lose in the first round.”

– Photos courtesy of Getty Images

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