Tennis News

ZHUHAI, China – Huanjin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai Ambassador and 22-time Grand Slam champion Stefanie Graf had a front row seat to the rise of World No.1 Angelique Kerber.

“She would take little breaks in the year and come to Las Vegas to train and prepare herself,” she told WTA Insider during a media Q&A on Sunday. “I had a chance to watch and help a little but, but she’s the one doing the hard work. She’s the one showing that determination and commitment.

“I felt she always had the talent and the strengths; she’s been working hard. She just needed that one win to get her mindset changed to where she could start believing in herself. She was really able to do that in the last year or two, where she started realizing that she can beat top players. That belief really changed her game around; she’s been playing with a lot more confidence, and you can see that she’s a different player on the court. With each victory, it seemed like she got stronger and more comfortable with herself on the court.”

With Kerber leading a strong German contingent – one that already includes Julia Goerges, Andrea Petkovic, Sabine Lisicki, and Laura Siegemund – Graf is hopeful for a surge in national interest in the sport she once dominated.

“I think we’ve had such strong talent in Germany over the past few years; we had a lot of great players pushing each other. For her to push through has been really important for German tennis because where we’ve seen a lot of growth here, we’ve seen fewer tournaments in Germany where we used to be really strong.

“For her to have that success, and a lot of the other players being strong behind her, that should hopefully strengthen tennis in Germany and Europe again.”

Graf wouldn’t count out former No.1 Serena Williams, who matched her Grand Slam total this year at Wimbledon, as Kerber’s biggest challenge in 2017.

“With Serena, she’s definitely had a little bit of a harder year; she wasn’t able to play as many tournaments as she might have wished to be ready for the Grand Slams. But she’s too incredible of a player to be underestimated in the coming year.

“Consistency is what we’re all striving for on the court; it’s difficult with different surfaces, different time zones and different climates. It’s a long year in tennis.”

Serving as WTA Elite Trophy Ambassador at the end of the season proved to be an easy decision for Graf; the German had never before traveled to China and has thoroughly enjoyed taking in the sights throughout the region. She arrived late Friday night and was greeted by a throng of fans at her hotel, and has since participated in several clinics with junior players, a trip to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge with Caroline Garcia, and the coin toss for the final between Petra Kvitova and Elina Svitolina.

“The desire has always been there to come visit China. I can say I’ve traveled the world, but there’s a few places I haven’t been but have the wish to go. I love to travel and experience different cultures. Tennis is such a great and growing sport in China; to be part of it, and hopefully help just a little bit bring the sport to our young talents, it’s a great opportunity.

“I do enjoy a coastline, and even having the possibility to drive around and get the chance yesterday to be playing a little bit of tennis on the longest bridge in the world. That was an incredible sight. The city has a lot of beautiful parts I’ve seen just by driving along, but also looking at little mountains and hills. We’ve enjoyed taking walks in the morning, jogging along the water and seeing people on early strolls of their own.

“You have so many possibilities here, so it seems like a vibrant city everyone can enjoy.”

Check out more quick hits from Graf on what she makes of the tournament, how tennis can continue growing in China, and even what she makes of new ATP World No.1 Andy Murray.

What an honor to meet & play with the Legend, Steffi Graff! And why not do it on the longest cross sea bridge in the World! #WTAEliteTrophy pic.twitter.com/LzFOGlqGtN

— Caroline Garcia (@CaroGarcia) November 6, 2016

On the Zhuhai venue…

I’m looking at an incredible facility right now. The center court couldn’t be nicer; I got a chance to play a little bit on the outside courts yesterday, and they play beautifully. In terms of the environment – from locker rooms, to physiotherapy to massages – I thought the organization has been exceptional. I feel there’s a strong passion for tennis here, and you can feel a high level excitement from everyone on the grounds. Everyone has been so accommodating and able to help whenever you have questions. There’s a really cute conversation card in the tournament transportation vehicle, where if a driver doesn’t completely understand you, there’s a list of different questions you could have in different languages. It’s all extremely well thought through. I’m sure all the other players will agree that the organization has been top notch.

On the city’s plan to further integrate tennis into the Zhuhai landscape…

I just learned quite a bit last night and this afternoon, sitting down with some of the CTA members, as well as the mayor and vice-mayor. Just from those discussions, it seems that there’s a lot of vision already in hand, where they’re already in the second and third stages of development. They’re talking about developing a tennis academy as well as increasing the amount of tennis played in schools. It seems that there’s a lot of planning going on. With the interest and passion that I’ve seen around this tournament, I believe that there’s going to be fast growth.

It seems that everyone is very enthusiastic about it. I think from what I hear, it’s still a very new sport, because for long periods, China couldn’t watch a lot of tennis on TV. The enthusiasm is there, and just seeing the growing tournaments over the last few years has been great. During my career, we didn’t have a big women’s tournament here, so the growth in this sector is clearly immense. So the industry and fans are here; I believe that from what has already been done that we all need to be on the lookout for even more growth.

On Andy Murray ascending to World No.1…

I didn’t even know until you told me just now! It happened last night, so I hadn’t caught the news. It’s the result of some incredible tennis that he’s been playing over the last few years, and so it’s well deserved. When you look at men’s tennis, the level has been so phenomenal for such a long time; it’s still a tight race with Djokovic, players like Federer and Nadal. It’s fascinating to watch men’s tennis with how close it is. How long will he be able to hold on? I don’t know, but I’ll be looking forward to seeing what next year will bring.

On the importance of consistency throughout a long season…

Consistency is what you strive for. It’s pretty difficult to achieve in the world of tennis. There are very few sports played all year long. In my career, it was an 11-11.5 month long season; now it’s gotten a little short, more like 10 months. But it’s really difficult to hold the highest level throughout the year. Ideally, you try to pace yourself through it, meaning you pick and choose your tournaments, and take time in between. With Angie, she did a fantastic job peaking at the big tournaments this year, with strong showings at the Grand Slam tournaments.

On the next generation of players…

I think it’s important for everyone to find their individual way, their presence, and their style. I think in terms of my style of play, it’s not around so much anymore with one-handed backhand slice, and keeping the ball low. That’s a very unusual thing; I think tennis has changed quite a bit through the last few generations. But the good thing is that everyone finds their own way to become who they are.

.@WTAEliteTrophy Ambassador Stefanie Graf was on hand for a fan activity and Media Q&A in Zhuhai pic.twitter.com/ndblZTBc5y

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) November 6, 2016

All photos courtesy of WTA Elite Trophy.

Following an Achilles surgery that kept her off the tour much of last spring, 2014 Australian Open runner-up Dominika Cibulkova was ranked as low as No.66 in the world back in January. The once odds-on darkhorse to pull off early upsets was left ruing missed opportunities in Indian Wells and Miami, both times losing to big names like Agnieszka Radwanska and Garbiñe Muguruza from winning positions. 

But a title at the Katowice Open turned everything around for the Slovakian dynamo, who roared into her biggest final since Melbourne at the Mutua Madrid Open, and pulled off a second straight win over Radwanska en route to her first grass court title at the Aegon International.

Chatting with WTA Insider less than 24 hours after arriving at the All England Club, Cibulkova discussed the stabilizing influence of her team – one now flanked by a new physio and sports psychologist – and the importance of playing free of expectations, even as the pressure heats up for the latest addition to the Road to Singapore’s Top 8.

WTA Insider: First grass court title for you, back in the Top 20 and the Top 8 on the RTS. Talk about what the title means to you.
Cibulkova: It’s very special because it’s on grass, and I never saw myself as a grass court player. After such a great win in Eastbourne, it gives me a lot of confidence and it feels so good. Yesterday, I was saying, ‘No, I cannot believe that I won such a tough tournament on grass.’ Many top girls played and it was a tough competition, but I managed with all the conditions and everything. It feels so great. Today, I’m a bit tired, so I’m lucky I’m playing on Tuesday so I can have some rest.

WTA Insider: Talk about your relationship with grass. You’re a big hitter and you can hit the ball really flat. So on one level, we’d say you should be dangerous on grass, but what was your feeling about it?
Cibulkova: Before, I’d made the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, and that was my first ‘something’ on grass, so after I thought, ‘Come on, I can play on this.’ Then, I played some third rounds and it was fine, but I didn’t have expectations for grass because I didn’t feel at home. That’s why I came to Eastbourne this year.

My coach told me, ‘Domi, every grass court match you play before Wimbledon will be good, so relax and play your game.’ We practiced just five days on grass, and that was a really good warm-up for me, and I was playing so well from the first round. It’s not easy to play against the taller girls who have such big serves like Pliskova. But I managed to play against them, and even beat them. I think my game improved a lot from the last few years; my serve and return improved, and those are the most important things on grass.

WTA Insider: What was it about grass that made you uncomfortable?
Cibulkova: At most, you really only have two or three tournaments on grass, and one is Wimbledon. You never get to practice on grass, so it’s not usual. For me, it’d be like one big question, ‘How will it be?’ It’s not like, I want to come here and do well, because I’ve trained and feel good. It’s more like, ‘I came here and, ok, we’ll see what’s going to happen.’

WTA Insider: A lot of players talk about the movement being the primary source of discomfort on grass; is that also the case for you?
Cibulkova: I don’t have this problem, but I know what you’re talking about because it’s very different and very difficult to move on grass. But everything is different: the bounce of the ball, very short rallies. It’s different tennis than any other surface.

WTA Insider: The first set of the final against Pliskova went back and forth, very tough to call. How were you able to pull that out?
Cibulkova: It was so difficult and so windy, so it was really tough to play. I made some unforced errors in the first few games because I was thinking about the wind and how it’s so hard to play, that it’s not nice tennis and I don’t feel comfortable on the court. My couch came and said, ‘Domi, don’t worry about the wind, just focus on the game,’ and from there I was serving much better. The most important ganme was 4-2 in the second set, when she had some break points to come back. That was the game where I won the match, because had I lost it, it might have gone quickly the other way around. But I was playing free and was really enjoying it.

WTA Insider: Did you come into Wimbledon this morning?
Cibulkova: No, we drove last night; it’s just a one and half hour drive, so it was fine. I’ve never had a good experience playing too long at a tournament the week before because I like to practice at the Grand Slam for a few days. But I cannot complain; I just won a tournament, so it’s going to be good, for sure.

WTA Insider: What is it like being back here? Does it bring any specific memories up for you, or is it different having just won a tournament?
Cibulkova: I’d never won a tournament the week before a Grand Slam, so of course, it’s a little bit different because of all the emotions and then, from one day to the other, you have to be focused on another big thing. It’ll be a little bit different this year, but I’m sure I’ll handle it good. I have a very tough opponent in the first round; I played [Lucic-Baroni] here once and it was a very tough match, so I’m prepared to have another tough one on Tuesday.

WTA Insider: Do you remember the first grass court match you ever played?
Cibulkova: No, I think it was in Roehampton when I played juniors, but I don’t remember that.

WTA Insider: So grass really does sound like a short, specific time of the season.
Cibulkova: Exactly, it’s just two-three weeks, maximum, during the year. We never used to have a grass court at home, and it was always something so different.

WTA Insider: Stepping back a little bit, let’s talk about your season. In the last 12 months, you’re pretty much almost where you were when you left off. That has to be an incredibly satisfying feeling.
Cibulkova: It is. It’s what motivates me, because I was working really hard after that, and it wasn’t easy to come back. I was around No.60 or No.70 in the world, and facing top players in the first round because you’re not seeded. You really have to play well to get back to where you were before, and I think that’s the hardest part. If you can manage that, then I think it shows you’re a good player.

WTA Insider: What was the most important thing to get back; was it just a matter of getting the game back together, or was it mental?
Cibulkova: It was everything all together. Physically, I was working out even when I was injured, at the gym almost every day. But I lost some matches to players I didn’t think I’d lose to, and sometimes it was tough. You start to think you want to come back, but this isn’t where you should be, or that you should have a better ranking. It doesn’t go that fast, so when I stopped thinking like that and just playing, really focused on tennis, it all came together.

WTA Insider: Do you feel you’re playing better now than before the injury?
Cibulkova; Yes. I would say tennis is very mental, and I started working with a mental coach. Actually, before my operation, I started working with him, and I’ve seen it really help me. It’s not like I talk with him once a week on the phone and he tells me what to do; it’s not easy like that. I realized that I have to work on this side, like regular practice.

We have mental training sessions, and we work that way also with my coach in practices. It’s something that’s helped a lot. Now I realize everything I’m doing on the court, and I’m doing it with purpose. I don’t lose my emotions so much. I’m not saying it’ll be like this all the time because nothing is perfect, but I hope to keep it like this as long as I can.

WTA Insider: Talk a little bit about your team, because obviously your coach is always there, your boyfriend/fiance is also always around. We see them all the time. That must be very nice to have a traveling team with you, to give you more stability.
Cibulkova: It is. For me, this is the most important thing. Now we have a new physio on the team as well, and we’re all having a really good time. We all live and work for me to be good, so it’s very nice.

WTA Insider: What do they do for you to be good?
Cibulkova: It’s personal, and not business. They care. When we’re at tournaments, we go for dinner together and spend almost all our free time together. It’s very nice. We can talk about everything because we’re like a family.

WTA Insider: I saw a quote that came out of Eastbourne that you had posters of the Spice Girls on your wall, and not tennis players.
Cibulkova: Yes! They were asking me who motivated me to play tennis growing up. I said, ‘I have to tell you that I never had any athletes on my wall, just Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys.’

WTA Insider: Do you still listen to the Spice Girls?
Cibulkova: No, I like more Rihanna (laughs). She’s like the new Spice Girls!

WTA Insider: You’re on the Top 8 on the RTS. What would it mean for you to qualify?
Cibulkova: Right now I’m not thinking about it because in 2014 I was very close, and that’s what made me very intense and want it too much. I was over-motivated and it didn’t happen. So, I’m not thinking about it. It’s really far and I want to learn from my mistakes and really enjoy what I’m doing on the court. I’m really happy right now on the court, and when I’m playing free is when I’m at my best.

WTA Insider: It seems like you’ve learned to let go over the last 12 months, the concept of wanting something too much was holding you back.
Cibulkova: Yes, exactly. I realized that, even if I hadn’t won Eastbourne, when I woke up this morning, it’d be the same. It’s nice, but life goes on. I have a great boyfriend, family, friends, and I’ve already done a lot in my career. I want to be stressed so much because it’s not helping. It’s easy to say, but not easy to do. This week I was able to do it, and I played well.

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

It’s time to vote for October’s WTA Player of the Month!

Have a look at the nominees and cast your vote before Thursday at 11:59pm ET! The winner will be announced Friday, November 11.

October 2016 WTA Player Of The Month Finalists

Dominika Cibulkova: Cibulkova needed to win the Generali Ladies Linz to qualify for her debut appearance at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. The Slovak did just that, defeating Viktorija Golubic in straight sets in the final and clinching what became a winning berth in Singapore. From 0-2 down in round robin play, Cibulkova stunned 2014 finalist Simona Halep and outgutted Svetlana Kuznetsova in the semifinals before putting on a masterclass against World No.1 Angelique Kerber to win the biggest title of her career.

Angelique Kerber: Kerber didn’t walk away with the title in Singapore, but nonetheless impressed as she clinched the Year-End No.1 ranking. Undefeated in round robin play, she brushed aside defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska before falling to Cibulkova in a high-quality final.

Agnieszka Radwanska: The Pole ended another solid season with a Premier Mandatory title at the China Open, where she defeated Johanna Konta in the final. Playing to defend her Singapore crown, Radwanska put down a pair of quality wins in round robin play, ultimately bowing out to World No.1 Kerber in the semifinals.

2016 Winners

January: Angelique Kerber
February: Carla Suárez Navarro
March: Victoria Azarenka
April: Angelique Kerber
May: Garbiñe Muguruza
June: Serena Williams
July: Simona Halep
August: Monica Puig
September: Petra Kvitova

How it works:

Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com

STRASBOURG, France – Karolina Pliskova overcame France’s Kristina Mladenovic in the longest set in Fed Cup final history to give the Czech Republic the first victory, 6-3, 4-6, 16-14.

“I heard that it’s the longest one!” Pliskova told FedCup.com after the record-setting match. “I was just looking at the score and just counting the games and we were still continuing.

“Unbelievable match from both of us. My tennis was maybe not 100 percent, but it still counts as a win. Really happy that we got the first point.”

Walking into the first rubber of the 2016 Fed Cup final, Pliskova and Mladenovic’s head-to-head record was split at one win apiece and the pair had to set their long friendship aside in hopes of giving their team the early advantage.

Watch how Karolina Pliskova won the first set in the first rubber of the 2016 #FedCupFinal! pic.twitter.com/2IV046sEFk

— Fed Cup (@FedCup) 12 de noviembre de 2016

Mladenovic suffered a break of serve in the nerving opening game, misfiring a backhand and later double faulting to hand Pliskova the first lead. The surface seemed to suit Pliskova as well, as the Czech enjoyed the high bounce of the court at the Rhenus Sport Arena to wreak havoc with her big serve.

After Mladenovic leveled the set at 3-3, Pliskova found another gear and dropped just one point on her serve as she broke twice to take the first set 6-3.

The Frenchwoman had the home crowd roaring as she charged back in the second set. Mladenovic earned the first break at 4-3, and then weathered two consecutive breaks to emerge with the edge and the set.

Pliskova wrestled the momentum away as she quickly climbed to a 5-2 lead in the final set. Mladenovic was two points away from losing the match as Pliskova continued to hammer her vulnerable second serve and run her around the court, but she fended off the assault to claw her way back into the match and get back on serve.

With her back against the wall, Mladenovic rallied the French crowd and kept herself in the match time and time again and, with no final set tiebreak in Fed Cup, the match continued. Mladenovic fought past fatigue and cramping – and saved two match points with a gutsy dropshot and a zinging crosscourt backhand – to hold for 9-9, but the final set was barely getting started.

WHAT A THRILLER! ?@KaPliskova edges Mladenovic 6-3, 4-6, 16-14!

Gives Czech Republic a 1-0 lead over France! #FedCupFinal pic.twitter.com/qp1KRJjcyJ

— WTA (@WTA) 12 de noviembre de 2016

Pliskova stayed cool despite it all, trading breaks at 12-12 as the pair broke the Fed Cup final record for longest set ever played. After a monumental three hours and forty-eight minutes (two hours and 23 minutes in the final set), Mladenovic finally blinked in the last game, being broken to love to but an end to the thrilling match and hand the Czech Republic a vital 1-0 lead.

“I feel fresh, actually! But no it’s my longest match that I’ve played ever, so I’m really happy with the way I ended,” Pliskova laughed afterwards, speaking to FedCup.com.

“I was really waiting for my chance. And she was serving so well in the third set that I didn’t really have that many chances. I’m just happy with the win.”

– All photos courtesy of Getty Images