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Olympic Memories: Atlanta

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Twelve years after tennis was relaunched as an exhibition event during the 1984 Los Angeles Games, the sport returned stateside for the centenary Games in Atlanta…

Atlanta, United States, 1996
Stone Mountain Tennis Center
Hardcourt

Now appearing in its third consecutive Games, tennis was beginning to come of age as an Olympic sport by the time it arrived in Atlanta. And by the time the flame had died out above the Centennial Stadium, one of the game’s bright young things had completed her own rite of passage.

Aside from an injured Steffi Graf, all the big names were present in Atlanta. America’s Monica Seles topped the seeds and after a stellar year was many people’s favorite for gold at the recently completed Stone Mountain Tennis Center.

However, by the time the business end of the tournament had arrived, it was another American who was podium bound and winning the hearts of the American public.

Up until then, Lindsay Davenport was known as the big-hitting Californian who had struggled to convert her prodigious talent into titles that mattered. Still just 20 by the time the Games rolled around, Davenport had been a near-permanent fixture in the Top 10 for two years, but still only had a handful of minor titles and Slam quarterfinals to show for her efforts.

Yet at an Olympics where so many of her compatriots were shining on the track and in the pool, Davenport couldn’t help but be inspired, producing some of the best tennis of her career to defeat Anke Huber, Iva Majoli and Mary Joe Fernandez to reach the final.

“For the last two weeks, I’ve been hearing “The Star-Spangled Banner” so much for the other athletes,” Davenport said after defeating Fernández. “And only last night did I really think I could hear it for myself.

“I realized that actually when Michael Johnson was on the stand, and Dan O’Brien. I thought, ‘I want to hear that song so badly now.'”

And hear it she did.

Taking on the tour’s toughest competitor in Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario, the old Davenport may have succumbed to the pressure. The Atlanta version came out fighting like a lion.

With neither player able to break serve, the first set went to the tie-break. Davenport moved ahead, 6-4, only to let Sánchez-Vicario back into it with a backhand that sailed wide and a lob that drifted long.

The American responded with a strong serve and deep volley to go back ahead before taking the set with a touch of good fortune when a backhand drive hit the tape and trickled over.

From here there was no looking back; Davenport secured two early service breaks in the second and soon after was serving out for an emotional 7-6(6), 6-2 win.

“This means everything for me,” Davenport said. “No matter what else happens in my life, I’ll always be a gold medalist.”

——

Olympic Memories: Barcelona
Olympic Memories: Seoul

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WTA Stars Ready For Rio

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – The tennis Olympians are making their way to Rio for next week’s Summer Olympic Games. While first ball won’t be hit until Saturday, the WTA stars are arriving early to acclimate to their new and exciting surroundings and have the chance to explore the city.

Check out what some of your favorite players have to say about their Rio arrival on Twitter:

Kiki Bertens earned her spot onto her country’s Olympic team after her inspiring run to the French Open semifinals, but the Dutch powerhouse still has some packing to do…

Galina Voskoboeva will headline the Kazakh team in both singles and doubles, and is giving fans an in-depth – and bilingual! – look into the Rio experience on her official Facebook page:

The Olympics won’t be complete without Svetlana Kuznetsova, but the Russian admitted to having some difficulty securing a flight from the Rogers Cup – where the two-time Grand Slam champion reached the quarterfinals – but appears to have sorted out her travel issues after a short stay in New York City:

UPDATE: Kuznetsova is on the ground with Team Russia in Rio!

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Ranking Watch: Halep Climbs North

Ranking Watch: Halep Climbs North

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Simona Halep was ranked as low as No.7 after lingering Achilles and nasal issues hijacked the first three months of the season, but the Romanian is back to her best ranking in nearly six months, up to No.3 on both the WTA rankings and the Road to Singapore leaderboard thanks to her Rogers Cup victory.

“Here I won matches with top players,” Halep said after winning her 10th straight match, having come to the Rogers Cup with a title in Bucharest. “That makes me more happy and relaxed that I have a good level of tennis in this moment.”

One off from a career-high ranking of No.2 Halep aims for a strong second half of the season, one that will help her qualify for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global for a third straight season.

“It’s a goal to go to Singapore every year,” she told WTA Insider in the latest Champions Corner. “I have great memories from [reaching the final] in 2014. I like the court there, and the atmosphere. I just have to do my job until Singapore.”

Madison Keys also made a big leap thanks to her runner-up finish in Montréal, returning to the Top 10 at No.9 and moving back into the Top 8 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard.

Who else made gains after a thrilling week up north?

Svetlana Kuznetsova (+1, No.11 to No.10): The Russian veteran moved back into the Top 10 after reaching the quarterfinals of the Rogers Cup, pushing Halep to three sets.

Johanna Konta (+1, No.14 to No.13): Konta fell one match shy of making her Top 10 debut, but still had a solid week in Montréal before falling to Cinderella story Kristina Kucova.

Kristina Kucova (+44, No.121 to No.77): Speaking of Kucova, the former junior US Open champion made her long-awaited Top 100 debut, knocking out Carla Suárez Navarro, Eugenie Bouchard, and Konta before the qualifier ran out of gas against Keys in the semifinals. Kucova became the first qualifier to make it that far at the Rogers Cup since surprise semifinalist Zi Yan in 2007.

Daria Kasatkina (+6, No.33 to No.27): The teenaged phenom continued her meteoric rise in Montréal, reaching the last eight and hitting a new career-high ranking.

Check out the latest Top 8 line-up on the Road to Singapore leaderboard:

RTS Leaderboard

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Bouchard, Vesnina Go To Celine Dion Show

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MONTRÉAL, Canada – For the players taking part in the 2016 Rogers Cup, it was more than just ranking points and prize money at stake in the competition: there was an extra prize up for grabs for the tournament winners.

Though Roberta Vinci didn’t reach the final (and we didn’t get to hear her sing), plenty of WTA players were in attendance on to see Celine Dion’s triumphant return to Montréal, where she was kicking off the first of 10 concerts in the city.

Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova, who teamed up to win the Rogers Cup trophy in doubles, didn’t miss the chance to see the singer live, making sure to record every moment.

The tournament’s other champion, Simona Halep, who featured in both the singles and doubles finals, was too exhausted to make the show. She wasn’t too cut up about it though, having already seen the Queen of Pop live a few months ago.

Q. If you make the final, you get tickets to a concert tonight.

SIMONA HALEP: You think I’m able to go? I have one more match. I saw Celine in March when I was in Vegas. I will see her soon, but not tonight.

Meanwhile, Canada’s No.1 Eugenie Bouchard was at the concert, too, and she nabbed the ultimate selfie with her iconic countrywoman before the show began.

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ITF Unveils Updated Olympic Field

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Following last week’s withdrawals, the International Tennis Federation has updated entry lists for the upcoming Olympic Games, adding Magda Linette and Polona Hercog to the singles competition.

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