WTA Finals: Madison Keys Pre-Tournament Interview
An interview with Madison Keys ahead of her participation in the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
An interview with Madison Keys ahead of her participation in the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
SINGAPORE – On the first installment of My Performance at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, hear from the first winner of the night as Simona Halep breaks down her dominant straight-sets victory over Madison Keys.
The match was the fourth meeting of 2016 for Halep and Keys, so the Romanian knew just how to attack Keys’ weaknesses – she explains how she targeted the backhand and how she broke down her opponent’s powerful serve.
It wasn’t just Halep’s great strategy that gave her the win, though, as her return game was also on point throughout the match. Check out the video below to find out just how deadly she was on the return.
An interview with Dominika Cibulkova ahead of her participation in the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
SINGAPORE – How did Angelique Kerber come away the winner of the three-set epic against Dominika Cibulkova in her BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global opener?
On this installment of My Performance, Kerber explains how keeping a positive mentality – and staying aggressive – helped power her to victory in the two-hour-and-seventeen-minute thriller.
Another key to Kerber’s victory: her composure during the big moments, as SAP revealed in this Stat Of The Day.
“Of course, it’s always great to be back in the place that you have a lot of good memories,” Radwanska told reporters during All-Access Hour on Saturday. “As you know, time flies, so I really feel like it was a week ago. It’s always great to come back, especially [as]I really hope that I can still play my best tennis here and try to do the same [as last year].”
While much of the focus on Radwanska’s recent surge has been on her success through Asia, her initial improvements began over the summer on North American hardcourts. She is 21-4 since the Olympic break, winning two titles at the Connecticut Open and Beijing. She comes into Singapore on an eight-match win streak.
.@ARadwanska came to @WTAFinalsSG early, feels the court's gotten faster through a week of practice, esp compared to last year. pic.twitter.com/7lEGgkXd3P
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) October 22, 2016
“I think I had really great couple of weeks in Asia, so I’m feeling good. I’m pretty confident,” she said. “I just hope I can keep it up and really play the same good tennis that I was playing especially in the China Open.
“There is always a little bit more pressure when you really have to defend a big title, a lot of points. But on the other hand, when you’re Top 5, Top 10, you’re pretty much defending every week, more or less. So just trying not to really think about it and of course just try to repeat what I did last year.”
Radwanska will begin her campaign on Monday when the White Group gets underway, but as of Saturday morning she did not know who she would be playing. Radwanska is set to play the No.8 qualifier, which will be either Johanna Konta or Svetlana Kuznetsova. The Russian can knock Konta out of the eighth qualifying spot if she wins the Kremlin Cup on Saturday. The uncertainty shouldn’t bother the Pole. Tennis players regularly get less than 24 hours’ notice of their opponent during regular tournament weeks.
In addition to either Konta or Kuznetsova, Radwanska will also face Roland Garros champion Garbiñe Muguruza and US Open finalist Karolina Pliskova in round-robin play.
“I think it’s always very interesting because pretty much every match is 50/50 and you’re really going to see good tennis,” Radwanska said.
And will there be any more trick shots on tap in Singapore for the WTA’s Hot Shots leader? Radwanska explained the technique behind her signature style.
“Well, I think sometimes when you have this half a second to think what you going to do with the shot, I think most of the players maybe will hit as strong as possible,” she said. “I’m the one maybe just to want to do something else, because I can’t really hit as strong as the others. So that’s why I was always trying to do something else. Just use my hands.”
SINGAPORE – The BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global draw was completed on Friday night, with top seeds Angelique Kerber and defending champion Angieszka Radwanska headlining the Red and White round robin groups set to begin on Sunday.
Click here to check out the full Insider Draw Analysis.
Senior Writer Courtney Nguyen and WTA Web Editor David Kane reunite after an impressive Asian Swing to break down the two groups, and who has what it takes to pull off a surprise run to the semifinals in the latest WTA Insider Podcast:
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Svetlana Kuznetsova has Saturday’s shot of the day at the Kremlin Cup.
SINGAPORE – Following a full Asian Swing, No.3 seed Simona Halep opted to travel home for the fortnight between Beijing and the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, both to relax and to welcome newborn niece Tania.
“I needed some rest with my family, with my friends,” she said at Saturday’s All-Access Hour in Singapore. “I played a lot of tennis. I did the training. I was pretty professional before this tournament.
“The previous two years I had my family here [at the WTA Finals], but now I’m not that important anymore,” she added with a laugh. “My niece is the most important person in my family. They are home, so I’m alone, just with my team.”
That team, which includes coach Darren Cahill, has largely been a winning combination in 2016, helping Halep to three titles, including the Mutua Madrid Open, a place she calls her “special tournament.”
“I do the same preparation for every tournament. This one is a little bit tough because it’s the last one and you have to still be focused. So it’s not easy, but it’s nice. It’s a nice atmosphere here, and I always enjoy playing here. I have great memories from 2014 [when she made her Singapore debut and reached the final]. I hope to repeat that.”
The biggest shifts the Romanian hopes to make are largely mental, with the former World No.2 chalking up her biggest disappointments to that aspect of her game.
“With Serena at the US Open I think was a mental reason that I lost that match. At Wimbledon, too, I was close to winning that match against Kerber. I will speak with [Cahill] about these mental things more.”
.@Simona_Halep doing double duty @WTAFinalsSG, chatting with Romanian press after a full AAH: pic.twitter.com/5drfsOOd3L
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) October 22, 2016
Technically, Halep feels better than ever, particularly off the forehand side.
“I feel more confident when I hit it and I can make winners now with it.”
Kicking off group play against No.6 seed Madison Keys on Sunday evening, the 2014 runner-up hopes the third time will be lucky, especially with a 10-7 record against fellow Red Group players Dominika Cibulkova and World No.1 Angelique Kerber.
“Every year is different. Every year you are nervous. Every year you are excited to be here. Of course, in first year you might have more energy, like, ‘Wow, let’s see how it’s going to work.’ I felt this in 2014.
“Last year I was a little bit tired; now I’m better than last year. When you get experience it’s easier for you to handle the situation.”
No matter what happens, however, “Aunt Simo” is undoubtedly looking forward to a relaxing off-season with her growing family.
“I will go home to spend some time with my niece, to see her starting to grow up.”