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WTAi Podcast: The AO Ker-Boom

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

WTA Podcast Episode 15: Ker-Pow! Angelique Kerber wins the Australian Open

On this Episode 15, WTA Insider Senior Writer Courtney Nguyen recaps the stunning result Down Under, as New World No.2 Angelique Kerber became the first German woman to win a major since Steffi Graff in 1999, stunning No.1 Serena Williams 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to win the Australian Open.

Joining Courtney to discuss Kerber’s mind-bending run to her first major title as as well as the two weeks that were here in Melbourne, is Reem Abuleil, tennis correspondent for Sport360, a daily sports newspaper based in Dubai.

Finally, in the Champion’s Corner you’ll hear from the Kerber herself. She spoke to Nguyen a day after winning the title about what inspired her chilly jump into the Yarra River and how her work ethic and perseverance made the victory all the sweeter.

Kerber: “I think I’m a person that needs a little bit of time. Of course, I believed in myself, but I had a lot of up and downs in my career where I was thinking, is this the right way? Could I reach my goals? But I had a great team around me always telling me that, ‘You’re a great player and you’re practicing and working so hard. One day you will deserve it.’ I was trusting my team more than myself.”

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or any podcast app of your choice. Reviews are always helpful so if you like what you’re hearing, leave us a review. You can also get new episode alerts by following us on Twitter @WTA_Insider.

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Wozniacki Named Olympic Flag Bearer

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Two-time Olympian Caroline Wozniacki will make a third trip to the Games this summer in Rio, and this time will be leading out the Danish team during the opening ceremony.

Former World No.1 Wozniacki was unveiled as her nation’s flag bearer during a press conference at Copenhagen City Hall on Friday afternoon, where she was presented with the Danish flag by Crown Prince Frederik.

“It’s an honor for me! The Olympics mean a lot to me, and I have some fantastic memories from my two previous appearances,” Wozniacki said. “I enjoy competing for the Danish team and feel the team spirit, which I do not get to experience in my everyday life.

“Carrying the flag in Rio will be one of the highlights of my career and something I will never forget.”

In both of her previous Olympic appearances, Wozniacki fell to the eventual Gold medalist: Serena Williams at the 2012 London Games in the quarterfinals, and Elena Dementieva in the third round in Beijing four years earlier.

Wozniacki, 25, will be the fifth WTA player to carry their country’s flag at the Games, following in the footsteps of Maria Sharapova, Agnieszka Radwanska, Stephanie Vogt, and Claudine Schaul.

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Vote: March's WTA Shot Of The Month

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Kirsten Flipkens, Elena Vesnina, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Venus Williams, and Caroline Wozniacki – who will win March’s WTA Shot Of The Month presented by Cambridge Global Payments? Vote now!

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News | WTA Tennis English

News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

The 2017 Aces For Humanity campaign was launched by USANA and the WTA at the BNP Paribas Open and continued at the Miami Open, where every ace hit by a WTA player at Premier-level events translates into a donation to the USANA True Health Foundation, whose mission is to provide the most critical human necessities to those who are suffering or in need around the world.

For every ace hit by any player the WTA donates $5, and for every ace hit by a USANA Brand Ambassador, it’s $10.

USANA Brand Ambassadors Caroline Wozniacki, Eugenie Bouchard, Monica Puig and Zheng Saisai hit 25 of the 407 aces in Miami – raising a grand total of $2,560 throughout the fortnight. Wozniacki hit the most with 17 aces.

Read more about the campaign here and see below to find out who’s hit the most aces so far!

Caroline Wozniacki

USANA

#AcesForHumanity Fan Giveaway

It’s simple: before each WTA Premier tournament guess how many total aces will be hit.
Next up is the Volvo Car Open in Charleston. Last year there was a total of 196 aces hit. It’s now your turn, take your best guess of how many will be hit this year.

How To Enter:
• Follow @WTA and @USANAFoundation on Twitter and before each WTA Premier tournament tweet the number of aces you predict will be hit during the whole tournament (Singles, Main Draw)
• Include the hashtag #AcesForHumanity
• Beijing deadline is April 4 at 11:59pm ET
• The winner will be announced April 10th

Aces For Humanity is a joint WTA and USANA initiative that benefits the USANA True Health Foundation, which provides critical human necessities to those in suffering or in need around the globe.

For full rules on how to enter, click here.

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Insider Notebook: Olympic Race Heats Up

Insider Notebook: Olympic Race Heats Up

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

– Maria Sharapova pulls out of the Qatar Total Open: The two-time champion has withdrawn citing the ongoing left forearm injury that has plagued her since the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open. The withdrawal is not much of a surprise if you’ve been paying attention. Sharapova told me in December that she had an eye on February as being a good time for a break.

“I’m going to go and take care of my forearm first,” Sharapova told reporters after losing in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open. “I think that’s really important. I’m going to go to Moscow [for Fed Cup], be part of the team. I don’t think I’ll be playing. Then I’m not sure.

“But I think this will be a time to just get myself ready for a long year. I don’t see myself playing anything before Indian Wells.”

– Other entry/withdrawal news: Agnieszka Radwanska has withdrawn from the Dubai Duty Free Championships citing the left leg injury she carried through the Australian Open. Lucie Safarova is also out of Dubai due to ongoing illness, though it looks like she’s already in Doha training for her return there. Safarova is the defending champion.

In their stead, No.3 Simona Halep and No.9 Petra Kvitova have taken wildcards into Dubai.

– Justine Henin jumps into the coaching pool: Ukrainian press are reporting that Henin will join Elina Svitolina’s team as a coaching consultant at the Slams.

– Tale of two juniors: Belinda Bencic and Daria Kasatkina are both 18-years-old and competed alongside each other on the junior ranks. Bencic made her jump to the senior tour first and is the top seed at this week’s St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy. Kasatkina is just starting her first full season on the tour. Both have been incredibly complimentary of each other’s games. Good to see their friendship endures:

– Injury sidelines Victoria Duval: Already in the early stages of her comeback from Hodgkins lymphoma, Duval underwent knee surgery this week for a torn meniscus.

– The hottest Olympic qualifying races: Last week I put together an explainer on the qualifying rules for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. One notable rule: No country can send more than four singles players and two doubles teams. If a country has more than four players who meet all the eligibility criteria, the top four ranked get the nod.

This rule has little impact on countries that lack depth in the Top 100. Those players will be aiming for a Top 56 ranking on June 8th. But for four major nations — the United States, Germany, Russia, and Czech Republic — it creates a race within the race to qualify. Being Top 56 may not be enough. You also need to be one of the top four women from your country.

Here’s where things stand right now:

United States
1. Serena Williams (No. 1)
2. Venus Williams (No. 12)
3. Madison Keys (No. 24)
4. Sloane Stephens (No. 25)
—
5. CoCo Vandeweghe (No. 46)
6. Varvara Lepchenko (No. 49)
7. Madison Brengle (No. 57)
8. Christina McHale (No. 62)
9. Irina Falconi (No. 75)
10. Bethanie Mattek-Sands (No. 77)

Germany
1. Angelique Kerber (No. 2)
2. Andrea Petkovic (No. 23)
3. Sabine Lisicki (No. 32)
4. Annika Beck (No. 39)
—
5. Mona Barthel (No. 45)
6. Anna-Lena Friedsam (No. 52)
7. Julia Goerges (No. 53)

Russian Fed Cup Team

Russia
1. Maria Sharapova (No. 6)
2. Svetlana Kuznetsova (No. 17)
3. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (No. 26)
4. Ekaterina Makarova (No. 31)
—
5. Margarita Gasparyan (No. 43)
6. Daria Kasatkina (No. 63)
7. Elizaveta Kulichkova (No. 95)

Czech Republic
1. Petra Kvitova (No. 9)
2. Lucie Safarova (No. 10)
3. Karolina Pliskova (No. 13)
4. Barbora Strycova (No. 41)
—
5. Denisa Allertova (No. 59)
6. Lucie Hradecka (No. 71)

– April’s Fed Cup ties are set: The Fed Cup semifinals will feature the Czech Republics vs. Switzerland in Switzerland, while the French will host the Netherlands.

The World Group Playoffs are more complicated. The United States will have to fly to Australia just as the European clay season is set to begin. In another blockbuster tie, Germany will go to Romania, Belarus will go to Russia and Italy will go to Spain. As a reminder, the losing teams will be relegated to World Group II in 2017.

Hot reads: A selection of great reads from around the web.

– In Jon Wertheim’s SI.com mailbag: Acclaimed director Peter Berg is involved in a Serena Williams documentary, plus more interesting tidbits. 

– Is tennis’ unique scoring format fundamentally flawed? Gabe Allen at The Cauldron wants the six-game set replaced by a 24 point set.

– Steve Tignor on the evolution of Madison Keys.

– Another great Tignor read, this time on “Renaissance Woman,” Martina Hingis.

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

While some stars are still working hard on the tennis court, others are enjoying a well-deserved break…and some amazing gifts.

Defending champion Heather Watson is using her time off at the Abierto GNP Seguros wisely – by sitting in the stands and recording the performance of her friend and Great Britain Fed Cup teammate Naomi Broady.

Ace ace baby ? Thanks to bae @heatherwatson92 for the video

A post shared by(@naomibroady) on

Alizé Cornet is having fun in Mexico.

Elsewhere, thrillseeker CoCo Vandeweghe is in deep water.

?????

A post shared by (@cocovandey) on

And new World No.7 Johanna Konta is ready for a very special delivery…of her favorite food.

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The Perfect Player: WTA Legends

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

We asked WTA Legends like Li Na, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova to create the perfect players – here’s who they think has the best serve, forehand, mental ability and more!

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

CHARLESTON, SC, USA — Caroline Wozniacki won all four sets she played as day turned to night on Thursday in Charleston, as the 2011 champion ousted Anastasia Rodionova, 6-3, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals for the fifth time at the Volvo Car Open.

“It was tough conditions to play in this wind, a little chilly tonight as well and then playing someone who doesn’t give you any rhythm,” Wozniacki assessed at the close of her second match of the day. “Obviously she plays a lot of doubles, so she was coming in, doing drop shots and hitting the ball hard and then slow. She was definitely trying to break my rhythm up, and it was difficult. But I managed to pull through.”

The No.5 seed defeated Annika Beck in straight sets earlier on Thursday, and showed no ill effects of having to play two matches in the span of a few hours. The Dane has never lost before the quarterfinals in five career appearances in Charleston, and advances to face Jelena Ostapenko in Friday’s quarterfinals.

The former World No.1 won 15 straight points over the first four games of the match to take command before the qualifier got on the board and a foothold in the match. The Australian broke and held serve in a lengthy game, saving five break points in total, to close the deficit to 4-2, but Wozniacki held on from there to take four of the next five games to lead by a set and a break.

Rodionova saved a trio of break points in the fifth game of the second set, and broke the Wozniacki delivery at love to level the match. Nonetheless, the qualifier who scored upsets against Duan Ying-Ying and Sara Errani to reach the third round was unable to conjure another stunner as the Dane secured the final three games to move safely through to the last eight.

Looking ahead to Friday night, Wozniacki lost the only match she’s played against the Latvian teenager at the Connecticut Open last year, as she attempts to reach the semifinals in Charleston for the first time since raising the trophy in 2011.

“I think I’m well-prepared for tomorrow. I got some clay tennis in today and feel like I’m just going to go out there and have fun and do my best and see how it goes,” Wozniacki said. “I’m just playing right now. I had one practice session before the tournament started for me, and that was it. I just kind of run on experience and try and figure it out.”

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