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Ranking Watch: Vinci On No.10 Bus

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Top 10 debuts on the WTA these days are like London buses: wait ages for one, then two come along at once.

Hot on the heels of Belinda Bencic onto the Top 10 bus is the evergreen Roberta Vinci, who – in spite of an early exit at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships – hopped aboard on Monday.

Having closed in on the Top 10 with victory in St. Petersburg, Carla Suárez Navarro’s second-round loss in Dubai and the absences of Lucie Safarova and Venus Williams saw Vinci leapfrog her previous highest ranking of No.11.

It is the latest highlight of a remarkable return to form for Vinci, who last summer was ranked as low as No.58 before reviving her career with that run at the US Open.

The Italian, who turned 33 last week, is the 117th – and oldest – player to make their Top 10 debut and on Monday celebrated her ascent by dismissing Lesia Tsurenko, 6-2, 6-1, in the first round of the Qatar Total Open.

At the Australian Open, Vinci dropped hints on potential retirement dates, but with relatively few points to defend between now and August, this topic of conversation is likely to be shelved for the foreseeable future.

And Vinci is not the only upwardly mobile Italian.

Sara Errani (+5, No.22 to No.17): On Saturday, Sara Errani defeated Barbora Strycova in the Dubai final to lift the ninth, and most significant, title of her career. After slipping down the rankings following two wins in her first three tournaments of the year, the 28-year-old’s return to form takes her back into the Top 20.

Barbora Strycova (+9, No.47 to No.38): Errani’s victim in the final also enjoyed a productive week, victories over Ana Ivanovic and Caroline Garcia taking her back into the Top 40 for the first time since August.

Francesca Schavone (+38 No.132 to No.94): Having been an ever-present just shy of 15 years, last summer, Francesca Schiavone finally surrendered her place in the Top 100. However, at the Rio Open the 36-year-old rolled back the years to lift her first title since 2013 and jump back to No.94 in the rankings.

Shelby Rogers (+23, No.131 to No.108): Also enjoying a productive first outing of the year on clay was Shelby Rogers, who saw off No.8 seed Andreea Mitu and former World No.21 Sorana Cirstea before being edged out by Schiavone in the final.

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Doha: Practice Makes Perfect

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Agnieszka Radwanska, Petra Kvitova, Simona Halep and more of the top seeds at the Qatar Total Open hit the practice courts before the start of the tournament.

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All In With Alla: Up In The Air

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Catch up on Episode I of Insider Diaries here.

Alla Kudryavtseva began her Australian Summer hoping to revive her singles ranking and reach new heights with good friend and doubles partner, Vania King.

But first, she had to brave the 16-hour flight.

“I cannot stand air travel,” she told WTA Insider. “Maybe I chose the wrong career, but it actually developed through the years. I didn’t start out that way; I was never particularly comfortable, but recently it’s been very hard.”

Kudryavtseva was far more comfortable once she landed on the court with King; in their first tournament together in almost seven years, the dynamic duo reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open with back-to-back upsets over No.11 seeds Samantha Stosur and Yaroslava Shvedova and No.5 seeds Elena Vesnina and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

“I feel like we’ve been on the court this entire time. There was only one point in our first match where we got caught on the same side of the court, but that happens in doubles – someone is crossing or your opponent plays a drop shot.

“I thought Vania was behind me, but we got passed. We just looked at each other and started laughing, ‘That’s not so bad for our first match!’ That also speaks to our confidence; we knew we still going to win. We were just like, ‘Oh my god, look at us, after six years getting caught on the same side of the court, like two amateurs!’

“Otherwise, I think we move in sync, and have a good understanding of doubles. Both of us are comfortable at the baseline and the net. I would imagine it’s not so easy to play us, because there’s not one person that you’d pick who might break down.

“Bethanie and Lucie kind of ruined it for everyone, though, right?” she added with a laugh. “In their first tournament together, they won the Australian Open and we’re like, ‘Oh, we only made the quarterfinals.’ But it’s working.”

For a player resolved to take a more positive approach to tennis, the Russian couldn’t have picked a better partner than King, who was playing in just her second major tournament after a back injury sidelined her for most of 2015.

“I’ve never played with someone who celebrates this much! She was so happy to win every single match; that’s a lot to do with being away from tennis, but it was so contagious.

“After our first round, I was still treating it like it was a job. I told her, ‘We got through it.’ But she said, ‘We didn’t get through it, we WON! Oh my god!’ It was such a refreshing feeling. She doesn’t take anything for granted, she takes every match we win at full value.

“I fed off of that energy. Being so much on the tour – god bless! – I haven’t had a big injury or missed time on the court, so I don’t remember what it’s like to have that excitement for every single match. But we should be excited.

“I’m really thankful that we are able to play right now because it gives me that different outlook and feel for the game, that different kind of vibe.”

As the pair honed their own vibe, they had to face down familiar opposition in Shvedova, with whom King won Wimbledon and the US Open in 2010, and Pavlyuchenkova, who had played with Kudryavtseva throughout last season and were first alternates together in Singapore. Looking ahead proved crucial to victory – in more ways than one.

“When you’re on the same side of the court, you shouldn’t be looking back. You shouldn’t know whether your partner is hitting a forehand or backhand; you should feel it and go where the ball flies.

“So when Vania asked, ‘What are our tactics?’ I said, I can tell you what she’s like a singles player because I’ve played her, but as a doubles player, I was on the same side! I wasn’t trying to analyze what doesn’t work for her; I was trying to analyze how we could build on our strengths.

“It’s never easy to play your friend or your ex-partner, but I focused on my team and our chemistry, what works for us, and the positives that we took from that match. After a very long career on the tour, you learn to let things go, and let people go. You just move on and play tennis; you can’t focus on whom you’re playing.”

The win over Pavlyuchenkova and Vesnina proved to be their best of the week, one that gives them even more confidence as they prepare to reunite for Indian Wells and Miami.

“It was a good test for us to lose that first set and see how we work as a team when things don’t go our way. In the previous two matches we won the first sets quickly; it’s easy to get along when things are going well.

“I love the fact that we kept communicating and talking on the changeovers, trying to find the tactics that would work. We kept trying to find that extra energy that would bring us up in the match. That was huge for us, just to be able to come back from behind.

“I’m really excited for us to continue testing ourselves against the best teams in the world; that’s where I want to be and that’s where Vania wants to be as well. I’ve already tried to talk to her about Singapore – she played in Doha with Slava – so I tried to be like, ‘Well in Singapore, they have the Infinity Pool!’ It’s really far away but it was great to be on the court with her and I’m looking forward to that again; she has a great spirit about her and we’re both very motivated.”

Following a tight two-set loss to No.13 seeds Karolina Pliskova and Julia Goerges, Kudryavtseva and King traveled to an ITF Challenger in Launceston; despite not playing doubles, the two friends still managed to find their way onto the same court when they met in the semifinals.

“She watched me play my quarterfinal, and she cheered for me. After the match, she came up to me in the gym and gave me a huge hug. I actually asked my coach to take a picture; I said, ‘Look at us; we’re playing against one another tomorrow but now we’re hugging! It’s so cute!'”

Their first match in four years came down to the wire, with the Russian emerging victorious after a final set tie-break and going on to finish runner-up in her first singles final since June. A tough loss in Australian Open qualifying ultimately led to her first wins of the season in Launceston, an important step in her singles comeback.

“They say hard work pays off, but unfortunately, I haven’t ever really felt that. It probably does pay off in the long run, but you want that instant gratification, and for the results to come faster.

“So it was actually nice to get some early singles results, because there has been a certain degree of insecurity. I’ve asked, ‘Am I doing the right thing? There is Dubai and Doha, a lot of doubles points to defend, money to make.’ Your coach is there to help you look at the bigger picture, and you trust that person, but you can’t help but have some doubts.

“Being in the finals of Launceston was a reminder that I really can do it. I can be out on the court for three hours, compete and run and cover the whole court – not just half!”

Active as ever on social media, Kudryavtseva enjoyed having the news of her resurgence hand-delivered – in 140 characters or less.

“The result helped me jump those 49 spots. Someone told me that on Twitter; I love how fans tell you where your ranking goes, or sometimes they’ll let you know things like, ‘Hey, did you know you lost your last nine matches on clay?’ You’ll reply like, ‘No, I didn’t know that, but thanks! That’ll give me confidence!'”

A brief respite allowed the Russian to recharge ahead of a six-week stretch in the States, first a flight to another Challenger in Rancho Santa Fe – where she is due to play King in the second round – then the chance for a singles wildcard in Indian Wells qualies should she win the BNP Paribas Open’s pre-qualifying tournament.

“Tennis is tennis, and singles is singles, and I’m just trying to get as many matches and as much confidence as I can. I thought it was a good opportunity for me to play, especially considering that during those four weeks of Indian Wells and Miami, it’s unlikely I’ll get to play any singles otherwise.”

Two months into her turnaround season, the OG Austin Ace is indeed getting her groove back, surrounded by a supportive team and making new strides both personally and professionally.

“It’s great to have friends on tour. It’s even greater to be playing doubles with your friends on tour. I think I have a really nice thing going; my coach is great, my doubles partner is great, her coach is great. We’re laughing all the time; even when we’re not together, we’re still messaging, keeping in touch.

“It’s just nice to have those kinds of connections, like when it was Vania’s birthday, we went out for dinner in Launceston; two days later it was her coach Tarik Benhabiles’ birthday too; he was my old coach, as well, and so we went out for dinner again! It’s just been a really good time.

“Life on tour is hard, there’s a lot of pressure, travel, and stress. It’s nice to have people who are there for you and give you hugs, even before you have play each other the next day. Results are important, but I think as long as I keep this energy, results will manifest.”

Catch up on the first installment of Insider Diaries here and follow Alla on Twitter @AllaK11!

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Voskoboeva Vaults Into WTA Return

Voskoboeva Vaults Into WTA Return

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

There are two sides to every comeback. Long layoffs may leave a player rusty and out of rhythm, but they have an undeniably refreshing quality that can sometimes lead to stretches of top-level tennis.

Out for over 22 months rehabbing multiple stress fractures and a bruised bone in her foot, former World No.42 Galina Voskoboeva makes her WTA return at this week’s Abierto Mexicano TELCEL unranked and in search of the form that made her last comeback so successful.

“This is my second comeback, so in the beginning it’s very difficult, but I didn’t expect it to be any other way,” she told WTA Insider from an ITF Challenger in Surprise, Arizona.

“The most difficult part of this comeback is not having a ranking; I’m playing small tournaments because I’m at zero, but it’s very difficult to even enter tournaments, and you’re always stressed because you don’t know if you’ll get in or not.”

If anyone knows how to come back, it’s the Kazakh, who made a major splash in 2011 following a seven-month shoulder injury. A qualifier at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, Voskoboeva reached the quarterfinals with wins over Marion Bartoli, Flavia Pennetta, and Maria Sharapova. She cruised into her first WTA final later that fall in Seoul en route to a career-high ranking in 2012.

Galina Voskoboeva

“It does give me some more confidence because my last comeback was really good. It was very difficult in the beginning; I probably didn’t show my best tennis right away, but the second part of the year in 2011 was great.

“I don’t know if I can expect it to be that good this time, but of course I already have some ideas of how it will be. I know it’ll be very difficult in the beginning to show your game the way you used to play.”

Ranked just outside the Top 50 in the spring of 2014, Voskoboeva had recently won a doubles title – in Acapulco of all places – but was starting to feel a pain in her foot that would take her on two-year odyssey of rehab and recovery.

“I had a surgery where they had to take one bone out because it had three fractures; the bone was dead and couldn’t heal. Another bone was also fractured, but they left it in, because they can’t take out two bones!”

She laughs. before adding, “Well, they can, and you could still run, but not fast, and you can’t jump, so I definitely didn’t want that. I have one bone left, and it’s still fractured – it’s not going to heal.”

She spent the summer doing physical therapy in Amsterdam, where the veteran took her time as a tourist in stride, enjoying the funny moments that occurred along the way.

“I came there one month after my surgery, when I was on crutches and in a cast. You can’t walk for a long time on crutches; I don’t have very strong arms, so it’d be like 10 minutes, and I’m dead! My mom bought me a wheelchair, and it was funny, because if we wanted to have a walk, I’d start on crutches and then move to the wheelchair! It was quite an adventure.

“I also got some benefits from that because there are a lot of good museums there, and there are huge lines. But when people saw me in a wheelchair, I was first in line and never had to wait!

“You should always take something good, even from the worst of days.”

Voskoboeva returned to her base in Florida to train through the fall, initially aiming to return at the start of 2015.

“I didn’t expect to be away this long! I was thinking that it would be similar to the shoulder injury; this one was much, much longer and it was much more difficult.

“Everything was going well but suddenly I started feeling pain straight away during a practice and it swelled. I had another MRI, and we found there was a bruise on the bone. I don’t know how it happened; nobody can say – even the doctors! It could have been from jumping or running, but the result was a bruise on the bone, and I needed to have a rest.

“I had to start from the beginning, like I never did rehab before. I was very disappointed with that, and for a long time, the injury didn’t heal. I was working and working, but nothing was happening. I wasn’t sure if I’d even be able to come back after that.”

This second season away proved to be one of self-discovery for the Kazakh; she traveled to Indian Wells and Miami and enjoyed the game from afar, embracing the role of enthusiastic spectator.

“I wouldn’t like to watch tennis while I was participating in the tournament and, let’s say, I lost. I’d be frustrated and wouldn’t want to see more tennis. This time, I hadn’t seen it in so long that I took all the benefits from that. I found out that I’m a very active fan! I love to cheer and I was so relaxed.

“I could spend the whole day on-site; I saw so many friends there, talking, the things you can’t do as a player. I saw so many different matches. I cheered for the girls, and I could be loud as a spectator. When you’re participating as a player, you can’t spend many hours watching in the heat and you don’t want to get tired. This time, I could come from the beginning of the day and leave after the last match. I didn’t feel bad at all. I was a fan, and it’s really a cool part of the game.

“When you’re outside, you’re watching the player and ask, ‘Oh my god, why are they so nervous? They should be more relaxed; it’s just a game!’ But once you’re coming back on tour, those memories of why they’re so stressed come back very fast!”

She took classes in Moscow and also successfully completed the WTA/ATP Professionals Course in Miami, a career transitions course where she earned USPTA and PTR Coach Certifications in preparation for a future coaching career, one that felt closer to coming to pass the longer she spent off the court.

“I had a lot of good coaches, and I took the best things from each of them. It was a little bit difficult because I was still trying to come back and so I was still doing my rehab, so I couldn’t study full-time. In Russia, they have a new rule; before you could be a coach just by having been an athlete, but now you need a special education. In our group, I met another athlete. She was a retired runner, but I found out that we were at the same Olympic Games.

“There were good coaches and athletes in my group, and it was really interesting to be with them, learn something new by speaking with them. I’m still in touch with some of them, and it was a good time.”

Voskoboeva retained her own international coaching team for this latest comeback, hoping the three of them can pick up where they left off.

“I have two coaches because neither of them can travel full time: Erwan Leridant – he used worked with Vania King. When I’m in Russia and that part of the world, I have a great coach there: Alexander Zlatoustsov. He used to work with Dinara Safina. I also have the same fitness coach, Liliya Nurutdinova.

“When the injury happened, I was in good shape and was very disappointed because my ranking at that time was No.64 but for a very long time – for maybe two-and-a-half or three months – I didn’t have any points to defend. I was in position to, with a good result, make my best ranking. That’s why I think there’s nothing to change because I played well and I was satisfied with my team.

“It was actually quite funny that I didn’t have any points to defend. At that time I was No.2 in Kazakhstan, Yaroslava Shvedova was No.1. After the surgery, I went to rehab one or two months later, and I logged onto the Internet and saw the headline: ‘Galina Voskoboeva became No.1 in Kazakhstan!’ So after two months and a surgery I became No.1; I said, ‘Ok, not bad. I should be in the cast longer!'”

Out of the cast and back on the tennis court for a comeback she herself describes as a “miracle,” Voskoboeva quickly earned her first WTA win in exactly two years playing doubles with former partner Anastasia Rodionova in Acapulco. Aware she will have to hit the ground running in Indian Wells and Miami, she plans to make her full-fledged singles return with high spirits and a sense of humor.

“This level of tennis, for the last two years, I saw it only on TV! When I’m at that level, I can talk about goals, but for now I’m not there. I’ve played so few matches after two years, it’s like nothing, and every time, I realize something is missing: maybe a shot, or I’m not moving that fast, or in the wrong direction! There are a lot of things I have to improve. You can see them only when you compete; you can’t really see them in practice because it’s a completely different level of concentration.

“The main thing is to be healthy and to take care of my body, and not to be too crazy about playing everything in a row and forget that I was injured! I still have to remember to treat myself: my body, my foot. Between the foot and the shoulder, I have many parts of my body that I have to treat well!

“I came to Fed Cup, and hadn’t played doubles the whole two years. When our captain was asking, ‘Galina, are you ready?’ I said, ‘I don’t know because I have no idea how I will play!’ Can you imagine? I have no idea if the level that I played last time in 2014 will be there in Indian Wells. I know I will do my best and try to prepare.

“I feel like Scarlett from Gone With the Wind: I will think about this tomorrow!”

Follow Galina as she continues her comeback on Twitter @g_voskoboeva!

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

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