Tennis News

MELBOURNE, Australia – When Angelique Kerber steps on court for her opening-round match at the Australian Open next week, she will be the first woman to attempt to successfully defend her maiden Slam since Victoria Azarenka did so here in 2013. Much like Kerber, Azarenka came into the Australian Open that year with the No.1 ranking under threat, but the Belarusian came through an emotionally fraught campaign to raise the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy once again, beating Li Na in a three-set final.

One of the keys to Kerber’s breakout run in Melbourne last year was her ability to keep the distractions at bay and keep her fortnight simple. Along with coach Torben Beltz, Kerber went out of her way to downplay the significance of the tournament as a major. It was just another tournament, Kerber told herself. She eschewed the fancier boutique lodging options in Melbourne and stayed at the tournament hotel.

Instead of escaping the site as soon as she could after her matches or practices to get away from the noise and chaos, she chose to eat her meals on-site. She went with the flow. She didn’t fight it. It worked.

After all, in case you forgot the legend of Angie Kerber, she was a point away from being on a plane back to Germany in the first round last year. After escaping with a win over Misaki Doi, Kerber was playing with house money for her next six matches, completely unencumbered by pressure or fear. It all culminated in a gutsy performance that stunned everyone, as she took down Serena Williams in three sets in one of the most thrilling major finals of the last decade.

A year on and Kerber is now a two-time major champion and World No.1. While the No.1 ranking is theoretically at stake in Melbourne, World No.2 Serena would have to reach the final in order to have a chance at overtaking the German, and the path for Serena to that final is a tough one.

The biggest question facing Kerber as she prepares for her Melbourne campaign is simply her state of mind. The concept of “defending a title” is an illusory one. Kerber’s task is not to defend but to do what she does every week she takes the court: try to win the title. No one gets extra points for defending a title.

Whatever accolades they may receive for “defending” is no more than for simply winning yet another major, an incredible accomplishment that stands on its own. In other words, Kerber’s task for the fortnight is not complicated.

So…does she believe that?

Kerber has started her season on a 1-2 clip, taking losses to Elina Svitolina and Daria Kasatkina, neither of whom are bad losses. She looks as fit as ever, but her game has been a touch loose. She’s been prone to leaking untimely errors and double-faults, the types of errors that are more indicative of rust and nerves in tough moments. If she can get on a roll through the first week of the tournament, those nerves should subside and her physical, grinding game should click into place.

The good news for Kerber is that her draw through the first week almost looks designed to help her find her rhythm. She opens against Lesia Tsurenko, who withdrew from the semifinals at the Hobart International with a viral illness, then either countrywoman Carina Witthoeft or a qualifier, with her first seed potentially being Irina-Camelia Begu in the third round. Those are three opponents Kerber should be able to find some rhythm against and gain some confidence.

For her part, Kerber is not an intrinsically complicated personality. She craves simplicity, to just work, and play, go to sleep, and do it all again. This is a new experience for the 28-year-old and a big test of her ability to focus on the task at hand and not get distracted by the white noise that surrounds any World No.1 who is asked to prove themselves week-in and week-out. It is impossible to hide or fly under the radar.

There is no circus like one that surrounds a World No.1 at a Slam. The question for Kerber is whether or not she can tame it in her first go-round.

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Dozens of children and fans in Kuala Lumpur got their first taste of tennis as the WTA Road To Singapore rolled through Malaysia, where they got to meet and practice against their regional hero Hsieh Su-Wei and hit with World No.10 Roberta Vinci.

“It was great to come out today to play with the children because I think it is important to encourage the next generation,” Hsieh shared after hosting the WTA Future Stars Clinic. “I started playing as a kid myself when I was five years old so I was glad to be able to share my experiences with them.”

Hsieh, Taiwan’s No.1 player, put on a clinic for young fans and also took the chance to share some tips with a group of local competitive players. She was joined on court by Belinda Chai, who represented Malaysia in the WTA Future Stars Tournament in 2014 at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. The tournament brings together players from 17 Asia-Pacific markets to compete against each other at the WTA Finals.

The goal of WTA Future Stars is to promote tennis among children throughout the Asia-Pacific region and encourage them to take the next step in their interest in tennis, as well as to inspire players who are already playing competitively to continue to pursue their passion for tennis through an opportunity to hear from a professional.

Located in Kuala Lumpur, the BMW Malaysian Open is a stop on the Road to Singapore and the closest event geographically to Singapore, the home of the WTA Finals taking place October 23-30, 2016. As a part of the community outreach to promote tennis in the region, No.10-ranked Roberta Vinci and 2015 WTA Future Stars participant Zhu Lin took to the heart of the city to play tennis on a pop-up court at the KLCC Esplanade against the backdrop of the iconic Petronas Towers.

Fans and members of the public got the chance to pick up a racquet and try their hand at playing against the pros. Check out the photos below to see how they did:

NEW YORK, NY, USA – No one knows Angelique Kerber’s game as well as Torben Beltz. The 39-year-old has coached the now two-time major champion and new World No.1 since she was 16-years-old, and though they’ve had their breaks apart, the decision to resume their partnership in the Spring of 2015 has paid nothing but dividends.

After reuniting before the BNP Paribas Open last march, Kerber went on to win four Premier titles in Charleston, Stuttgart, Birmingham, and Stanford. By the end of the year, no one had won more matches than Kerber. But after a disappointing season at the Slams and a pressure-soaked loss to Lucie Safarova at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global to end the year, the two set their sights on the majors.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

WTA Insider caught up with Beltz the day after Kerber’s New York triumph, to discuss how Team Kerber got to this point, the keys to their success, and what they’re looking to build on going forward.

Listen to the full interview on the WTA Insider Podcast:

On trying to keep a relaxed atmosphere around Kerber:

I think it’s very important to keep her relaxed, especially here. When she was playing against Caroline Wozniacki, it was clear she was already No.1, but I thought it wasn’t good to make a big deal out of this because she had to play Caroline in the next five minutes. We really tried to keep it relaxed then, which was not so easy to be No.1 and be relaxed!

But we kept it easy, and I told her, ‘You have to focus on the match, because against Caroline, it’s going to be a very tough match.’ You could see there were a lot of long rallies and she had to play her best tennis. But she was focused again, and I think it’s working out very good.

On whether Kerber’s 2016 was a surprise:

We all knew that she was going to be a very good player. I knew that before. But I have to say after this year, it’s for sure surprising to be in three Grand Slam finals. We cannot take that for granted. I knew she could play very good tennis; I knew her when she was young and outstanding in Germany. We all knew she could play very good, but it’s incredible and amazing for me. It’s a good story.

On Kerber’s work ethic:

Success doesn’t come from nothing; you have to work every day. As a player, you have to sacrifice and a lot, and I think she’s earned what she’s getting now. It’s a day-to-day process, as well, like in the off-season, we worked on the serve. We tried to work hard every day, trying to figure out new things, something special so it’s not too boring after eight weeks. But we did a good job, and we’re happy.

On how he came to be Kerber’s coach:

Our first meeting was when she was 12 or 13 in Germany. She was winning U18 Nationals at 15. She was outstanding, but in the beginning, she was such a talented girl, who knew where the ball was coming. She wasn’t working that hard at the time, when she was young. But it really changed, and that’s why she’s playing so well at the top level.

The first time we met, the family and coaches were looking for somebody who would help her take the first steps onto the pro tour. She was ranked around No.300 and finished with school, so they needed someone who was young and liked to travel, and could play decent tennis! So I came in to help her play some 25Ks, some junior tournaments. We started when she was around 16, 17, for one or two years. Then she had a shoulder operation, and we stopped. We came back around 2011, after being on and off for quite a time. It’s fun to work with her; she’s pretty good.

On the challenges of coaching Kerber:

“It’s a big challenge, and never gets boring. We’re always looking at new things, every day. There are always improvements to make, where for me as a coach, the job is never finished. She’s No.1, won Grand Slams, but it’s not finished; there are still things to work on. For me, it’s perfect to see that, and we’re happy to go to the next step. Right now, she’s won a Grand Slam and I can say it’s easy, but when she’s frustrated in practice or losing, it’s not always easy. But we have a good way to talk about things; we solve problems together. Our communication is good.”

On losing a “hairy” bet with Kerber:

I saw two players at a golf tournament, where they had a bet not to shave, and I told Angie that if she won the US Open, I wouldn’t shave my mustache for the five or six weeks of the Asian Swing. So, it’s not going to look that great, but let’s see. It’s worth it for the Slam. We’ll see what happens.

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

MELBOURNE, Australia – No.7 seed Garbiñe Muguruza survived a scare in her opening match against Marina Erakovic to move into the second round at the Australian Open in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4.

“Marina and I played a couple of times and it’s always a tough match,” Muguruza said in her on-court interview. “I’m happy, even with my body, that I won. It was very tough.”

Earlier in the season in Brisbane, Muguruza was forced to retire from her semifinal against Alizé Cornet due to a right thigh injury, and it seemed like the pain still lingered in her Melbourne opener.

Despite taking a close opening set, Muguruza’s movement appeared to be hampered and she struggled with her timing, her usually powerful groundstrokes at times lacking their bite.

The Spaniard’s problems multiplied in the second set, as Erakovic took every opportunity Muguruza’s condition handed her and went up a 4-1 lead.

“It was very tough. You’re playing, then suddenly you start to feel pain in your body,” Muguruza explained. “Obviously I was nervous, so I just tried to be calm, to have a good attitude and keep fighting for the match.”

The New Zealander wasn’t able to hang on to that lead for very long, as Muguruza – with great effort – came roaring back. Erakovic seemed to lose her confidence as Muguruza climbed back up the scoreboard, finally rattling off five straight games to take the match.

Through to the second round in the Australian Open for the fifth straight time, Muguruza awaits the winner of the match between Samantha Crawford and ASB Classic champion Lauren Davis.