Tennis News

For most players, the road to Roland Garros begins as the tour turns from hardcourts of Miami to the clay courts of Charleston. For doubles partners Vitalia Diatchenko and Galina Voskoboeva, it started late last summer.

“I was still dealing with my injury and my foot was hurting so bad, and I was very depressed by that,” Voskoboeva told WTA Insider on Friday. “But then I got a text message from Vitalia, asking how I was doing, and if I want to play doubles at Roland Garros.

“I was sitting in the changing room in such a bad mood and I said, ‘Ok, let’s try!’ We were both deeply injured, but I’ve never made such an arrangement so early.

“The first time we played together was the year when I came back from my first injury in 2011, and we won a 100K Challenger in Astana. We didn’t play again until last week, when I’m coming back from another injury. I should probably play more often with Vitalia, not only after surgeries!”

Diatchenko may have secured a doubles partner nearly eight months in advance, but her own injury issues had just begun.

“I was playing with pain for a year and a half,” the 25-year-old said on Sunday. “It was getting more and more painful, until I just could not walk.”

Overcoming a three-year odyssey to repair an injured anterior cruciate ligament, the Russian rocketed up the rankings, making her Top 100 debut – peaking at No.71 – and winning her first WTA title at a 125K Series event in Taipei.

But an Achilles injury sidelined her last spring, and her haste to return after surgery saw her reinjure her leg a mere hours before she was set to play the highest-profile match of her career.

“I could feel that my injury was very serious, and so it was quite painful to play,” she said, looking back on her 2015 US Open encounter with World No.1 Serena Williams. “I was really sad what I couldn’t finish that match, really disappointed!

“In retrospect, I probably came back too early, but it was only because I wanted to play so much. It was really difficult to be off the tour for so long. A lot of people said that I could not play sports again, or that I would not back on court after so many surgeries and very serous injuries.

“I can’t explain how happy I am to have broken the rules!”

Nine months, a new coach (former WTA No.15 Elena Likhovtseva), and a second surgery later, Diatchenko made her return on a much smaller stage last week in La Marsa, a Challenger event in Tunisia.

“I met Elena at Fed Cup and I liked the way she explained tennis. Of course she has a lot of experience, being such a great player. We started working together in April, and I’ve liked the way we’re starting to practice but, of course, we have a lot of work ahead!”

She won two matches in singles before bowing out to none other than Voskoboeva, with whom she went on to win the doubles event.

“Being back on the court, I was nervous and excited at the same time; it felt crazy inside, to be honest!

“I was listening a lot to Galina, because she came back earlier this year, so I got a bit more experience.”

Herself back in Paris for the first time in three years, the veteran could certainly relate to Diatchenko, one who was also making a second major comeback.

“I can understand everything that’s happening with her now because I had the same feelings a few months before. When she makes mistakes, I understand exactly why. It’s not because she’s playing badly, but because there are some things on the court that she can’t do straight away.

“It’s not like you come to the court and remember how to do everything; you still need time.”

A comeback can’t be rushed, something Voskoboeva learned as she tried to shift too quickly into the clay court swing back in April.

“I had been practicing with Vitalia in Moscow, talking about how I like to play on clay courts and how I usually transition well from hard to clay, but I forgot the fact that the last time I was on a clay court was in Roland Garros, 2013! My muscles weren’t ready because it’s a completely different surface, and so I pulled a muscle a little bit.

“I didn’t even realize it was so bad so I went to the tournament, an ITF in Germany, where the tournament director gave me a wildcard. I arrived four days in advance and thought it would be better, but it ended up taking a week, so I had to miss that tournament.”

Taking two tournaments off to heal her overworked body reminded her of a conversation she’d had with the recently retired Flavia Pennetta a few years prior in Moscow.

Double pose with?? And my doubles partner ?
P.S. It's nice to be back playing again, again and again?? pic.twitter.com/EBe6TDE4TB

— Vitalia Diatchenko (@VDiatchenko) May 17, 2016

“You might train six hours a day and be fine, but play a match for one hour, and your whole body hurts because of the additional nerves and pressure, neither of which you can train in practice. I’ve learned so many different parts of the body because they’re all hurting!

“I know from Flavia, because when I spoke with her two years ago, she told me that the whole year she was trying to come back, her body was hurting. I just need to work harder, to stretch, exercises those inner muscles. They aren’t difficult exercises, but you have to do them every day.

“It’s already a miracle that I’m playing; it’d take another for me to suddenly start beating players who have confidence from playing a lot of matches. I can’t wait for such a miracle; I already have one! I’ll have to make it instead, step by step.” 

Fatigue from 10 matches in Tunisia likely led to Tuesday’s loss to Zhang Shuai, a match that took two days to complete after getting suspended due to darkness, but one from which the Kazakh still felt was an indication of her steady improvement after getting within two points of the opening set.

“I’m really happy when I see myself showing the game I used to play. The way I started the match with Shuai, for example, was probably the best play I’ve shown this year.

“I’m very satisfied to start seeing bright moments; maybe they don’t last as long as I’d like, but the fact that I can show this game is already a good sign. I’m on the right away, and hopefully soon I can show this game for longer periods of time – and more frequently!”

???? #tunis #itf #win #sport #tennis #galinavoskoboeva #sofibella pic.twitter.com/sN9SXIbJqV

— Galina Voskoboeva (@g_voskoboeva) May 20, 2016

For her part, Diatchenko intends to take things slowly following a first round singles loss to 2015 finalist Lucie Safarova.

“Being healthy is my main priority now. I’m not planning to play a lot, but instead to have a good quality preparation before each tournament.

“I’m planning to play some practice tournaments this summer to get back into my match rhythm and improve my ranking, so I hope I’ll be good for the US Open.”

Before she can get to Flushing, the two still have some doubles left to play. They wasted little time on Friday, racing out to a 6-1, 5-1 lead before ultimately dispatching Naomi Broady and Louisa Chirico to set up another meeting with Serena Williams, who has paired with sister Venus in search of a 14th Grand Slam doubles title.

“It’s going to be very interesting,” Voskoboeva said with a laugh. “As you could imagine, it’s such a great experience. We never played against them in doubles, and for us, it’s good to be playing at such a level.

“After we won our match and I was kind of joking with her, saying, ‘Listen, we’re almost half a team, because you have a special ranking and so do I, so it’s not a full team, it’s more like half!'”

.@g_voskoboeva arrives at the @rolandgarros players party pic.twitter.com/zFG5nqhVR8

— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) May 19, 2016

The two halves may need more that 50% to outmatch the Williams sisters, but Voskoboeva and Diatchenko have already had a Roland Garros to remember.

“I took so many photos at the player’s party, and when I came back home I wanted to look at them but I thought, ‘I’ll do it in the morning, because it’s so late,'” Voskoboeva said. “I woke up in the morning, couldn’t find it. I realized, ‘Oh my god, I forgot it in the car!’

“The woman in charge of lost and found was so nice, and said, ‘Sorry, we didn’t find it today,’ and I said, ‘Oh my god, so you’ll never find it?’ She said, ‘No, no, we’ll keep trying.’

“The next day, I met her and asked if she found it. She said she didn’t, but that they found a ring that someone lost five days ago. On the third day, they found a phone that someone lost three days ago, but still no camera.

“She finally called on the fourth day to say they found it, and so this will be my favorite Roland Garros, because this is the one where they found my camera.”

Photos courtesy of Getty Images.

Having seen in action all the clothes bound to bring a new twist to Paris’ reputation as the fashion capital of the world, Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog made a selection of the best styles and now it’s your turn to tell us your thoughts – vote for your favorite outfit right here!

The most striking collection of the tournament has definitely been adidas’ Y-3 Roland Garros collection, better known as the zebra collection, even though the designer Yohji Yamamoto’s inspiration were not the elegant African animals, but dazzle painting used for ship camouflage in World War I and World War II.

The distinctive black and white stripes bring movement and fluidity to the attire and the 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic is the most graceful and elegant zebra on the loose in the adidas Roland Garros Y-3 On Court Dress which features faux red braces at back.

“I actually really like it. The cut is beautiful in the dress, and I think it looks very feminine,” the Serb said about her eye-catching outfit. “The design also supports my favourite club, Partizan Belgrade. I really like it. It was very comfortable to play in.”

Another dominant member of the zebra family is Simona Halep, rocking the printed Y-3 tank and a solid black skirt with layered jacquard mesh overlay.

Players rocking adidas have been equipped with limited-edition adizero Y-3 shoes, which blend style and performance to make players feel confident, ensuring quick, safe and comfortable movement for hours of court wear.

Eugenie Bouchard’s sleeveless polo dress is reinventing a traditional polo look and the fresh approach to the classic style is nothing short of stunning. This NikeCourt Premier Advantage Dress features a lovely mock collar with two-button placket for a personalized fit, while split hem and racerback provide ease of movement. The soft performance pique fabric brings a flowy feel, keeping players dry and comfortable.

The Canadian’s footwear of choice are these unisex Nike Air Zoom Ultrafly shoes, nicely matching the complete hyper cobalt look.

Serena Williams opted to remove the mid-back mesh panel of her NikeCourt Premier Dress, making the outfit extra edgy and no other player could pull off those side cutouts better than the World No.1.

To complete the stunning effect, Nike created these NikeCourt Flare shoes, offering supreme ankle support during explosive, agile and quick movements. The rose details adorning the swoosh are inspired by the tennis icon’s ever-blossoming career.

Venus Williams’ EleVen Geo Swirl Dress has an exceptionally flattering shape featuring a high neckline with an edgy narrow cut, contrast binding at waist and a flowing fit at the skirt. The abstract print features light orange elements, to nicely match the French Open clay.

Agnieszka Radwanska merged her ninja game with the soft feminine energy of Lotto’s limited-edition Lacy line. Technical perforated fabric with a lace effect makes this item fashionable without putting performance in the backdrop, while ruffled skirt brings the extra touch of flirtiness.

The Pole’s vigorous on-court movement is supported by new SS16 Stratosphere shoe model, the latest innovation in Lotto tennis. The speed-oriented shoe studied for high-level players ensures optimal level of cushioning, improved adaptability to different weight of athletes and maximum transpiration.

Double trouble ? time for doubles with @Gibbsyyyy pic.twitter.com/6uMDVyqzyW

— Heather Watson (@HeatherWatson92) May 26, 2016

The New Balance Tournament Dress made my April’s best dressed list, but it’s not too much to include it in the French Open fashion favorites as well, since the item, worn by Heather Watson and Nicole Gibbs in their first-round clash and then when they joined forces in doubles, is truly outstanding.

The classic navy is revived with white stripes, as well as with a subtle functional detail in the form of an “N” houndstooth burnout mesh at back. Modern thin racerback straps, clean finish neckline with mesh and NB DRY technology which efficiently wicks sweat away make this a genuinely refreshing design that stays true to sports fashion while adding just the right amount of stylish touches that rule contemporary tennis clothing trends.

A little bit of color provided by the 996v2 shoes and accessories is propelling this look to the very top of tennis fashion scene this clay-court season.

With Fila’s Jelena Jankovic out in the first round, when the weather was so cold that players wore long sleeves over their dresses, we saw pretty much nothing of Marion Bartoli’s Love Fila Tennis Dress inspired by Paris, but the brand’s Fila Spring Gingham Racerback Dress, as seen here on Irina-Camelia Begu, brought a ton of style with a classic racerback dress in gingham pattern, enhanced by the perfect peacoat navy contrast piping and pleats at bottom hem. Brigitte Bardot famously wore a pink gingham dress at her wedding, making the pattern so popular that France ran out of it. Will Fila manage to emulate the actress’ success?

BOL, Croatia – This week wtatennis.com is offering free live streaming from the inaugural Bol Open, staged on the picturesque Adriatic island of Brac.

Watch free live streaming from Bol all week right here!

Bol is the second of six WTA 125K Series events scheduled for 2016, and, despite coinciding with the second week of Roland Garros, has a few familiar faces in the draw. Heading the list of seeds are Anna Karolina Schmiedlova and Varvara Lepchenko, both of whom will be looking to get their campaign back on track after a difficult few months.

The WTA 125K Series has provided the platform that helped launch the careers of some of the brightest young talents on the tour, as Kristina Mladenovic and Elina Svitolina – the winners of the inaugural events, in Taipei and Pune – proved by establishing themselves in the Top 30.

Vying with Schmiedlova and Lepchenko this week will be a couple of gifted prospects, including Nao Hibino and Ana Konjuh, as well as more established names such as Australian Open quarterfinalist Zhang Shuai.

Watch them attempt to follow in Mladenovic’s and Svitolina’s footsteps all week here on wtatennis.com!

BOL, Croatia – A quartet of Americans shined in the Croatian sun at the Bol Open, a WTA 125K Series event staged in the coastal town of Bol, Croatia. No.2 seed Varvara Lepchenko, Anna Tatishvili, Sachia Vickery and Jennifer Brady took advantage of the famously mild Adriatic climate and all notched wins at the inaugural event.

Watch free live streaming from Bol, Croatia all week right here on wtatennis.com!

The No.2 seeded Lepchenko tamped down a late surge from Croatian wildcard Ana Vrljic on her way to a 6-1, 7-5 victory. Despite Vrljic keeping the score line more competitive in the second set, the American showed more consistency during the key points throughout the match – Lepchenko converted on all five of the break chances she created, compared to Vrljic’s two of seven.

Earlier in the day, Anna Tatishvili survived a two-hour-and-forty-minute battle against Paula Kania to advance 6-4, 6-7(4), 7-5. Her countrywomen Sachia Vickery and Jennifer Brady had a more straightforward road to the second round, advancing past both of their opponents in straight sets. Vickery posted a 6-2, 7-5 win against Croatian wildcard Tena Lukas while Brady scored the upset of the day over No.8 seed Patricia Maria Tig.

Ipek Soylu – who made Turkish tennis history at the French Open when she became one of two players to compete in the main draw of a Grand Slam for the first time – was back to her winning ways in Bol against Israel’s Julia Glushko. Soylu weathered a second-set shutout to come back with a 6-3, 0-6, 6-1 win.

Also through to the second round are Stefanie Voegele, who defeated Andreaa Mitu 6-3, 6-2; Ivana Jorovic, who defeated qualifier Isabella Shiniakova 7-5, 6-2; and Bulgarian qualifier Elitza Kostova, who defeated qualifier Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-1, 7-6(4).

Tomorrow the No.1 seed Anna Karolina Schmiedlova and Croatian favorite Ana Konjuh highlight Day 3 action as they take the court in their Bol openers.