Tennis News

The 2016 US Open draw features seven former finalists, including Svetlana Kuznetsova, the first Russian to take home the trophy in Flushing. Kuznetsova’s countrywoman and fellow former World No.2 Vera Zvonareva reached the final back in 2010; absent from the Open since 2012, Zvonareva will be part of the action for the first time in four years, if only from a distance.

“I’ll be commentating for Eurosport Russia for a few matches,” she told WTA Insider by phone on Wednesday. “It’ll be a huge opportunity for me. I like to watch tennis and different matches, so it will be exciting.

“I don’t know if I’ll be good at it or not, but it’ll be something good to try. I’ve only ever been in the radio booth, but not on TV. It’ll be a new experience for me, but I’m ready for the challenge.”

The gig comes as just the latest in a series of fun and exciting challenges for the Beijing Bronze medalist, who announced her marriage and newborn daughter Evelyn (Evelina in Russian) in a lengthy post on Instagram.

“I’ve had so many injuries over the last few years. I tried to come back a couple of times, first after my shoulder surgery, and then I had an Achilles injury. I needed to take a break and my physio told me I’d need six months to get back on court again.

“During that period of time, I thought maybe it’d be great to have a family, because I couldn’t do what I love to do; I couldn’t do any sports. It happened really fast, and then I became a mom this summer.

“It’s all different, being away from tennis and being a mom, but it’s great as well.”

Zvonareva’s injury struggles began not long after she and Kuznetsova won the women’s doubles title at the 2012 Australian Open. Two truncated comeback attempts – the most recent ending last spring – sent her back towards more pursuable passions like academics and athletics, the latter of which she shares with husband Alexander.

“I met my husband about four or five years ago; we met during a run. I love running, and I had been taking part in different competitions in Moscow, but for fun, not professionally, just different five or 10K runs. I was doing those and he loves running as well, so that’s how we met.

“He came with me to a couple of tournaments, but then I couldn’t continue. He would love to see me play more because he loves tennis and to watch me play, but I got injured.”

She discovered she was expecting while studying for her Master’s degree in Political Science, applying her typically studious approach to the news as her due date drew nearer.

“During the pregnancy, I tried to juggle studying and being pregnant. I took birthing courses for four months, because I’d never had sisters or brothers; my family was quite small. For me, it’s something new, so my husband and I took the courses together.

“My close friends knew, of course, but I never made it public because I prefer to keep my personal life to myself.”

Following fellow WTA stars Ana Ivanovic, Dominika Cibulkova, and Tsvetana Pironkova down the aisle, Zvonareva is able to rely on a network of compatriots who’ve began families before her.

“I heard Victoria’s news, and of course it’s great to hear she’s expecting. I’ve been in touch with some friends from the tour, especially the Russian girls and former players like Elena Dementieva, Alina Jidkova, Tatiana Panova. They all have babies by now and it’s great. We have a big community of tennis moms!”

Whether she can emulate rival and former No.1 Kim Clijsters, who won three major titles after starting a family of her own, depends on how her body responds to its return to the gym.

“I’m going to start trying to get back into shape because sport is part of my life and I want to get back in shape. I don’t know if I’ll be back on the tour or not; it’s tough to say at the moment, but for myself, I want to back into the shape I was in before and play tennis again – even if it’s just for fun.

“I want to start going to the gym three times a week, and I’ll probably start in about a week. Hopefully by October, I can start running a little bit. My first goal will be to participate in some of those five or 10K runs, because I like those a lot. From there, we’ll see, but definitely being an athlete for all of my life, I want to get back in athletic shape. I don’t know if I’ll ever come back to tennis, but I want to be in a good shape, no matter what!”

No matter what, Zvonareva has already had a career to remember, reaching a pair of Grand Slam singles finals in 2010 and winning four majors in women’s and mixed doubles. But her greatest memory remains rounding out an all-Russian podium at the 2008 Summer Games.

“For all the girls in Russia, the Olympics gives a lot of motivation. When I was younger, I watched Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Elena Dementieva when they were playing in Sydney. Yevgeny got the gold medal and Elena got the silver; it inspired all of us to continue doing what we like and to continue dreaming. It was an exciting moment for Russian tennis.

“We saw how many Russians came on tour afterwards; there was a time when we had five players inside the Top 10. It was great.”

Watching a new wave of Russians rise in her absence, she has high hopes for another strong showing at the Summer Games, especially after 2016’s gold medal in women’s doubles, won by Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina.

“I think Russian tennis has a great future. We have names like Daria Kasatkina and Margarita Gasparyan; they’re already inside the Top 100, and Daria’s been doing really well this year. I never played against her – because she was still a junior when I was playing! – but I’ve seen a couple of matches on TV, and I think she’s been doing great.

“There are also junior girls winning Wimbledon like Anastasia Potapova, so maybe we’ll yet have another Golden Era of Russian tennis.

“I’ll be happy to see a new generation of Russian players on tour, and I’ll be happy to see if they can produce the same results and maybe win gold, silver, or bronze medals in tennis as well.”

She’ll continue to enjoy the game from afar for now, and though Zvonareva admitted that little could compare with the emotions of being on court herself, the memories will always remain close to her heart – however this next chapter ends.

“I got the chance to travel around the world, and meet different people and athletes the world over. It’s not easy being a professional athlete, but tennis taught me a lot and gave me a lot. It taught me discipline, how to fight, and all different things that help me in life.

“I miss the feeling of being on the Centre Courts and the big crowds. That’s something that’s very difficult to get in life, those feelings of when you walk onto a big court at a Grand Slam to play a big match, get through tough challenges to win in the end. That’s a feeling I miss a lot, but they will always be inside me. I can always remember them, and they make me smile, and proud of my career.”

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

NEW YORK, NY, USA – Main draw action begins for the US Open women’s doubles event on Wednesday; in the first major not to feature Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza playing as a pair since last year’s Australian Open, which teams are ones to watch in the final Grand Slam of the season? 

French Connection In Sync After Santina Split: French Open winners Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic are top seeds in the doubles event, opening against alternates Kurumi Nara and Naomi Osaka.

“It feels great; it’s not every day that you get to see your name as the top seed,” Mladenovic said after her win over Nao Hibino. “For Caroline and I, it’s a bonus to play doubles and compete at such a great level.”

Ranked No.3 and No.4, respectively (and No.2 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard), Garcia and Mladenovic lead the field following the surprising split of Hingis and Mirza, who announced their plans to play apart after a quarterfinal loss at the Rogers Cup.

“I think everyone was surprised,” Garcia said after her first round singles win over Pauline Parmentier. “But of course everyone wants results, and when you don’t have any more results, you want to change. But still, now there’s two big teams.”

Indeed, doubles teams don’t merely divide; they multiply. Hingis and Mirza were in the final of their very next WTA event, though the Western & Southern Open served as the stage for their newest permutations. Hingis is seeded No.6 with CoCo Vandeweghe and opens against Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Kveta Peschke, and Mirza at No.7 with Barbora Strycova, opening against American wildcards Jada Hart and Ena Shibahara. Mirza comes into the US Open as the sole No.1 in doubles with back-to-back titles in Cincinnati and New Haven, the latter with Monica Niculescu.

Speaking in press on Tuesday, Mladenovic mused on whether her and Garcia’s back-to-back wins over Santina in Stuttgart and Madrid marked the beginning of the end for a team that road a 41-match winning streak into the start of the season.

“I know both of them, and they’re both great champions and perfectionists. Maybe it started against us when they didn’t keep on winning, and maybe they were expecting way too much from themselves. I’m not sure about their reasons, but maybe they just wanted to split for some time and maybe come back together.

“It was probably the right decision for both of them. I think they made great moves with partners that they chose because they complement each others’ game.”

Garcia and Mladenovic were the Queens of Clay in 2016, winning 15 matches of their own and four titles in Charleston, Stuttgart, Madrid, and Paris for their home Grand Slam. Even with singles as the main priority, early losses at Wimbledon and the Olympic tennis event will likely leave the French pair eager for redemption in New York.

“It’s a long way until the end, but the first match will be very important to get confidence,” Garcia said. “We know we can do it, but we have to play our best every single match.”

Fire & Ice: No.2 seed Chan Yung-Jan and Chan Hao-Ching anchor the bottom half of the draw; set to begin their US Open campaign against Hsieh Su-Wei and Christina McHale, the Chans could face No.3 seeds Timea Babos and Yaroslava Shvedova in the semifinal. Babos and Shvedova were a late addition to the doubles landscape, starting at the BNP Paribas Open after successful seasons with Mladenovic and Casey Dellacqua in 2015. But the pair nonetheless had some history, playing just once in 2013 to win a title in Tashkent.

“We didn’t know each other that well there,” Shvedova said after her win over Lara Arruabarrena. “I knew she was a great, aggressive, and strong player. She knew I had some good success. But it was just kind of an accident; we won that week and weren’t even thinking of continuing together.”

Babos remembered the week just as well, and relished the opportunity to reunite after discussing the possibility of pairing up in Australia.

“It all worked out that she asked me while I was debating what I should do,” Babos said after beating Barbara Haas. The Hungarian began the year trading partners with Garcia’s 2015 partner Katarina Srebotnik, but the two split after the Australian Open. 

“We decided to try in Indian Wells, and we made the semifinals already, then the finals of Miami and Wimbledon. We’ve had many, many good results, and so we’re definitely in the race, and I’m really hoping to be in Singapore again.”

Shvedova and Dellacqua were the third team to qualify for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global a year ago, but Dellacqua’s concussion in Beijing left the Kazah without a partner and out of the race.

“I went to Singapore, and as soon as I landed she decided she couldn’t come,” Shvedova said. “So I was there for a day and half. I know we qualified and deserved to be there; we proved that we’re a very good team, and a successful team. From my side, it was more important how she was feeling. Tennis goes to the side when health is involved.”

The most memorable doubles teams have blended a contrast in styles, but Babos and Shvedova play such similar games that they both stood on the backhand side with previous partners. But Babos sees a clear contrast.

“She brings experience and calm. I’m more the energy and emotion. Sometimes, it happens where I have a match and I can’t put one ball in the court; she’s there for me then. Other times the roles reverse and I’m there for her. We complement each other emotionally.

Babos and Shvedova play American wildcards Catherine Bellis and Julia Boserup in their first round.

Better Together: No.5 seeds Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina take a nine-match winning streak into the US Open, having won the Rogers Cup and the gold medal at the Olympic tennis event. Though the pair of four years only reunited at the Mutua Madrid Open, Makarova and Vesnina are already No.3 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard, and a spot in the WTA Finals is high on their mind in Flushing.

“We’re really aiming to qualify for Singapore, especially after last year, and the year before we went with my shoulder injury,” she told WTA Insider on Tuesday. “We’ve never been healthy together at the WTA Finals, so I was laughing with Katya before saying, ‘We have to be healthy together at Singapore,’ because we really love it there. It’s an amazing tournament, amazing city, the hotel, and everything around; it’s such a nice place to be at the end of the year.”

The 2014 US Open champions are already into the second round when Germans Laura Siegemund and Mona Barthel were forced to retire in the second set, and Vesnina credits doubles with helping sharpen her competitive instincts on a weekly basis.

“I played singles and doubles in Montréal, for example. I was ranked No.24, and I played Madison Keys, who is Top 10, in the first round. I lost easily – she just killed me the whole match – and she went on to make the final. But I won the doubles with Katya; it’s a big tournament. So it’s great because even when you lose, you’re still ‘in.’

“You can practice your singles game in between, and you have some time for that. But at the same time, you’re still in the tournament, and you’re competing. It’s challenging, and you’re fighting for a title, and it’s always great to have one in your hands at the end of the week.”

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

NEW YORK, NY, USA – Venus Williams began her record-breaking 72nd Grand Slam campaign with an eventful win over Kateryna Kozlova on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Father time remains undefeated, or so the saying goes. However, a couple of months on from her 36th birthday, Williams continues to defy the aging process, taking the best part of three hours to defeat Kozlova, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.

The tennis landscape is much changed since a teenage Williams – accompanied by beads and garish outfit – made her Grand Slam bow against Naoko Sawamatsu at the 1997 French Open. Remarkably, the American, now an iconic figure in the sport, remains a threat at its four flagship events.

Last year, quarterfinal appearances at both the Australian and US Opens – backed up by no little success elsewhere – propelled Williams back into the Top 10. And this campaign she has maintained the momentum, reaching the semifinals at the site of her greatest triumphs, the All England Club.

At Wimbledon, Williams matched Amy Frazier’s Open Era record of 71 Grand Slam appearances, marking the occasion with rollercoaster victories over several of the game’s brightest young talents. Against Kozlova – who was just three years old when Williams made her US Open debut – she was once against forced to draw on her wealth of experience.

Venus Williams: Improves to 18-0 in US Open 1st round. Only Chris Evert (19-0) has a better record in the 1st round at US Open (Open Era)

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) 30 August 2016

The 2000 and 2001 champion has never lost an opening round match at Flushing Meadows, a statistic that looked in little danger when she pocketed the first set and moved 4-2 ahead in the second.

Kozlova, though, had other ideas, silencing the partisan crowd by rattling off five of the next six games to take the match the distance. A similar story looked to be unfolding in the decider, the Ukrainian falling 5-2 behind only to produce an unerring down-the-line backhand to break back in the ninth game. This time she was unable to complete the comeback, erring on the backhand to succumb the following game.

Despite a messy afternoon the No.6 seed, who finished with 63 unforced errors, was characteristically upbeat afterwards. “The errors told the story today,” Williams said. “Once you’re at this level everyone can play. Today I had to hit a lot of balls and I think that will help me going into the rest of the tournament.”