Stanford: Konta Interview
An interview with Johanna Konta after her win in the semifinals of the Bank of the West Classic.
An interview with Johanna Konta after her win in the semifinals of the Bank of the West Classic.
Elina Svitolina came to the Dubai Duty Free Tennnis Championships on a winning streak from winning her fifth title at the Taiwan Open, and on the cusp of a Top 10 debut.
The young Ukrainian made her first leap into the big time in the desert, scoring back-to-back wins over Angelique Kerber and Caroline Wozniacki to win the biggest title of her career.
“I always try to take one step at a time. It’s very important for me to not rush things, and to stay very positive with myself,” she told WTA Insider in her Champions Corner Interview. “I did a lot of work with all the coaches I’ve had and my new team, so it’s always nice to have different opinions on my game. With Justine as well, it was an amazing year.
“I’m very happy with the way I’m playing now. Of course, there’s so many things that I need to work on, and I’m looking forward to new challenges.”
Svitolina had shown flashes of brilliance in the past, reaching the final of the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai and earning a pair of wins over World No.1s in 2016 – knocking out Kerber in Beijing and Serena Williams at the Olympic tennis event – but the 22-year-old is really on a roll now, winning 13 straight matches, breaking into the Top 10, and rocketing up to No.2 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard.
“Of course there’s been ups and downs with me, with my game and with my career. There will be more in the future. The only thing I can do is accept this and work hard and go on court, the gym, work even harder and always have this goal in my mind. That’s what drives me. I think I’m very lucky that it’s been going very consistently.”
All that success certainly helped her earn her the mantle of February’s WTA Player of the Month!
Final Results for February’s WTA Player Of The Month
1. Elina Svitolina (63%)
2. Kristina Mladenovic (27%)
3. Karolina Pliskova (10%)
2017 WTA Player of the Month Winners
January: Serena Williams
How it works:
Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com
BRISBANE, Australia – If Simona Halep has her way, get ready to see a more relaxed Romanian in 2016. The World No.2 has a new outlook on her life and career to go along with a coach who’s more than game to guide her through it.
“I can say I feel stronger mentally because I’m more relaxed,” Halep told WTA Insider on Monday at the Brisbane International. “Now I feel stronger, I feel more relaxed. I feel I have the game, a good game to start the year.
“I improved a lot in the off-season. I worked hard. Now I’m looking forward to start this tournament, to start this year and see if I can stay in the Top 5 again and see if I can do good results at the Grand Slams because I [didn’t] at two of them last year and I [regret that].”
To assist in her cause is her new full-time coach Darren Cahill. The veteran Australian coach worked part-time with Halep last season but was still under contract with Adidas as part of the company’s Player Development Program. Under the program, Cahill offered his coaching assistance to Adidas players. But there was a catch. If two Adidas players faced off Cahill couldn’t offer coaching advice to either player. That proved problematic at the US Open, where Halep lost to fellow Adidas-wearer Flavia Pennetta in the semifinals.
“I can say that was a little bit difficult also in US Open because he couldn’t show up for Pennetta’s match,” she said. “I knew that and accepted before, so it was okay.”
But with the Adidas program shutting down at the end of last season, Halep was quick to get Cahill on her team. She announced the hire shortly after the season ended and Cahill flew to Bucharest for a three-week off-season training session.
Don't forget to bring the balls for practice @Simona_Halep. I booked the court ? #romania ☃? #beautifulhere pic.twitter.com/Xitc43hUOi
— Darren Cahill (@darren_cahill) November 24, 2015
“Now he’s mine, only mine,” she said with a laugh. “No more players around. It’s good. It’s a good feeling… It’s good to have him close to me and to learn things from him.”
The two have been working to improve all facets of her game with particular focus on her serve and strength. But aside from techniques and tactics, Halep credits Cahill with her new outlook on life. The 24-year-old broke through with six titles in 2013 to finish that season at No.11. She backed it up by making her first Slam final at the French Open in 2014 and finished at No.3. Last year, in a season that she admits wasn’t her best, she still managed to do one better and finish at career-best No.2. The winning has been fun. The tension? Not so much.
“I was too tight and I was very focused just for tennis,” Halep said. “I think if I’m more relaxed I can play better tennis.” To keep things loose Halep has gone out of her way to break old habits. Even if it means a little body surfing.
“Yesterday I went with Darren and my team to Surfer’s Paradise,” she said. “It was the first time in my life that I went out of the tournament to go enjoy something.”
Learning to let go may be precisely what Halep needs to make her Grand Slam breakthrough. She has played well in Australia in the past, making the semifinals as a junior and now back-to-back quarterfinals. She says the court suits her game.
“I feel good in Australia,” she said with a smile. “Now I’m part of Aussie, no? Because I have an Australian coach.”
Hope you're having a good day @Simona_Halep ? #andreicociasu @CercelT #andreicristofor #badsign ? pic.twitter.com/oKJZy5HPWv — Darren Cahill (@darren_cahill) December 13, 2015
Despite that Aussie comfort, nerves have been her undoing here the last two years. Having now established herself as part of the game’s best, Halep hopes to craft her breakthrough by retreating. Looking back at her tennis career, Halep highlighted her tendency for an adjustment period. Maybe the solution is to stop pressing.
“Since I was a kid I didn’t do the results straight away,” she said. “It was difficult for me in juniors to change everything to go to the [senior] tournaments. I was not very young when I did my best results in the WTA. I was 21, 22. I feel like I have enough time. Many players are winning Grand Slams at 30, 31, 32. It’s not a big deal if you win now or [later].”
“Now I met Darren and he made me more relaxed, that I have enough time in this life to win titles, to win Grand Slams maybe. I have to enjoy the life. I know the time goes very fast.
“Life is too short and we just have to be happy and to do everything we could in that day to give 100 percent what we have.”
Halep is set to play former No.1 Victoria Azarenka in her first match of the season, a rematch of their tightly contested US Open quarterfinal from a few months ago. It’s a brutal draw for both women as they shake off the off-season rust and ready themselves for a run at the Australian Open.
Highlights from semifinal action at the Bank of the West Classic.
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA — Ajla Tomljanovic is just happy to be back. The 23-year-old was speaking to reporters less than an hour after a 7-5, 6-2 loss to Julia Goerges in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open. Indian Wells was just her second tournament back after undergoing shoulder surgery in March of last year, with her first tournament coming last week in Acapulco, where she defeated Eugenie Bouchard in her first match.
Currently ranked No.664, Tomljanovic could finally breathe a sigh of relief knowing that after nearly a year away she could still hang with the best.
“A loss has never felt so good,” Tomljanovic said. “I’ve never been this upbeat after a loss, so that’s a good sign.
“I’d be so unfair to myself to be disappointed in myself at this point. Of course you’re disappointed at a loss. You’re a competitive athlete. But it lasted for 30 seconds.”
That was more than fun ??? pic.twitter.com/VL8JkoezcH
— Ajla Tomljanovic (@Ajlatom) March 2, 2017
With her return to the tour, Tomljanovic brings a new perspective and appreciation for life on tour. Prior to her surgery, the Croatian reached a career-high of No.47 in 2015, making her first final in Pattaya City that year and notching her first top-five scalp, beating Agnieszka Radwanska at the 2014 French Open to make the Round of 16.
“It just feels like I’ve been away for decades,” she said. “This time last year I was supposed to play here and I had surgery when it started. My surgeon told me, ‘You’ll be back next year at that tournament.’ I thought my level, is it ever going to be there again?
“Just to be here and be competitive with these girls, I’m not far off. It’s the little things now that are important. It’s just encouraging.”
This was the best thing that I've seen in a long long time https://t.co/PHRzvtkE9E
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) March 1, 2017
Tomljanovic admits her time away from the game was difficult. She was unable to play tennis for six months after her surgery but could not bring herself to use the time purposefully.
“I probably wasted a good four months being depressed,” she said. “Not depressed, but not doing anything with my life. Now I probably regret it a little bit. My dad was like, ‘Take classes, go do stuff’. But at the same time I’m constantly doing rehab. I couldn’t shut off completely that part of my life. I wasn’t mentally able to start something new. I had no motivation. My parents didn’t push me because I’m not a kid anymore. Now I kind of wish they did.”
But Tomljanovic slowly came to terms with life without tennis. Paradoxically, the realization that she did not need the sport allowed her to appreciate the opportunity to play again.
“Honestly, yeah, I could totally be super happy without playing.
“I know tennis is not your whole life, I know there are so many things in your life that are more important. But at the same time, it’s so precious. The 10 years in your life you can spend like this, look at how many people can do it. I probably appreciate it way more. I’ll never say I hate tennis ever again.”
Tomljanovic’s game is built around her booming serve, and that’s the shot that will take the longest time to get back online. Her consistency off the ground and her return game in particular have exceeded her expectations so far. “Even I was like, whoa,” Tomljanovic said, when asked about how well she returned against Bouchard in Acapulco.
The road ahead will not be an easy one. Tomljanovic earned a spot in the main draw of Acapulco via a special ranking of No.75, and entered Indian Wells similarly. She has also received a wildcard into the Miami Open. Unless she racks up immediate results, she’ll be back to battling it out on the ITF circuit to build her ranking back up.
“It’s gonna be a grind,” she said. “I’m going to have to play a lot, lose a lot, win a lot hopefully, in the end. But it’s going to be a long way back. Even though I had an okay match here, I won one match last week, there will be a lot of matches where nobody is watching. It’s okay. I’m happy to play anywhere.”
An interview with Carla Suárez Navarro after her first round win at the Brisbane International.
Venus Williams had Sunday’s shot of the day at the Bank of the West Classic.
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – No.3 seed Karolina Pliskova roared back from a set down to dispatch Olympic Gold medalist Monica Puig, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, to complete the top half’s third round line up at the BNP Paribas Open.
“I’m definitely happy I had my serve today; it was working with me, especially in the third set when I was 0-3 down,” she noted during her on-court interview. “I’m happy with the win. It wasn’t easy; she was playing really well, hitting the balls really fast and deep, making it tough for me to play my game. But I’m happy.
“It was far from what my plan was to play, and how my game should be,” she added to WTA Insider. “I don’t think I deserved to win tonight, but it happened.”
Beautiful backhand winner from @MonicaAce93! #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/IHsKnDmWm5
— WTA (@WTA) March 11, 2017
Puig had never taken a set from her Czech rival, but nonetheless began the night session in the sort of form that helped her win the Olympic tennis event in Rio de Janeiro, breaking Pliskova four times to sweep the opening set.
“The whole match was more about her; the one thing on my side was my serve, which is definitely better than hers. The baseline game was off for me and she was hitting so well. I couldn’t play aggressive, or play my game. When I put in a second serve she was being aggressive.
“I wasn’t feeling this bad in a long time!”
Excellent backhand return from @KaPliskova! #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/a8N0O8NLDi
— WTA (@WTA) March 11, 2017
Undaunted, the Brisbane International and Qatar Total Open champion dug in her heels from there, earning several service breaks of her own and serving out the second set to level the match.
“I was just waiting for my chances; I know she can miss some shots when things get closer, and that’s what she did. But then I started terrible in the third set; at least it was just one break there.”
The Puerto Rican No.1 took another quick lead to start the decider, racing out to 3-0 as the upset appeared inevitable. But Pliskova fought through a long sixth game to help turn the tide once and for all, winning six of the last seven games to book her spot in the third round.
“First rounds are always tough, especially for the seeds because of the pressure. She’d had a match already, so that helped her. I was also practicing during the day, so the conditions were definitely different. Hopefully I got something from this and I can learn and move on.
“It can’t get any worse than today!”
.@KaPliskova reels off FOUR straight games and takes a 4-3 lead over Puig in the deciding set! #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/JVsd9Ljz2e
— WTA (@WTA) March 11, 2017
In all, Pliskova hit 19 winners to 34 unforced errors and converted five of her seven break point opportunities. Puig proved the greater aggressor in the match, but 37 unforced errors canceled out her 32 impressive winners.
“All my practices were good, and nothing was close to this. I surprised myself with how I was playing. She was playing fast, plus the conditions, and I ended up framing so many shots.
“I’d beaten her three times before, but she can play really good tennis. She maybe gave me a few games and that’s why she lost, but otherwise she was playing great.”
Up next for the World No.3 is No.28 seed Irina-Camelia Begu, who defeated American Louisa Chirico, 6-1, 7-5.
“My sister played her in Australia. I know she can hit good shots; her backhand side is really good. I have to be more aggressive and bring more power; today was so bad!”
Comeback complete!@KaPliskova battles past Puig 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 for a spot in @BNPParibasOpen Third round! #BNPPO17 pic.twitter.com/SD6sVy10If
— WTA (@WTA) March 11, 2017
SHENZHEN, China – World No.5 Agnieszka Radwanska registered an expected win, in unexpected circumstances, to get her 2016 campaign up and running at the Shenzhen Open.
Heavy rain forced the tournament organizers to move the majority of Tuesday’s order of play indoors, although the change of venue failed to distract Radwanska, who needed little over an hour to outfox Krunic, 6-4, 6-3, in her first match since lifting the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
“Of course we all saw the weather and knew it would be difficult,” Radwanska said. “There was not much time to wait and I was prepared for that. Of course I came here to play outdoors, but we both had the same conditions and I’m happy I played my match today.”
With memories of Singapore fresh in her memory, Radwanska did not take long to knock off any rustiness, saving three break points in the second set to keep another of the game’s more cerebral competitors at arm’s length.
“I feel like I played my last match in Singapore a week ago! It’s always tough to come back to the match rhythm, but actually I was feeling really good and didn’t have any problems doing what I wanted to do on court and for the first match I played good tennis so I’m happy with that,” she added.
“I think the first matches are always the worst and the toughest. Every tournament has different conditions, especially here – I’ve never played indoors at a tournament that was outdoors. It’s a little bit of a new experience but everything went well so that’s the most important thing.”
In the second round the Pole will face wildcard Zhang Shuai, a 6-3, 6-3 winner earlier on over Irina Khromacheva. Elsewhere, there were mixed fortunes for three of Radwanska’s fellow seeds, Petra Kvitova, Eugenie Bouchard and Johanna Konta.
No.6 seed Bouchard put her difficult 2015 season behind her with a determined performance against Donna Vekic, overcoming a mid-match blip to come through, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5.
Unlike Bouchard, Konta, the No.5 seed, arrived in China with plenty of momentum after a brilliant second half to the previous campaign. However, in her first seeded outing at a WTA event, she slipped to a surprise defeat to Wang Qiang, going down to the World No.110, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
In the final match, Kvitova’s Australian Open preparations suffered a setback when she was forced to retire midway through her match against Zheng Saisai with a gastrointestinal illness. Zheng, who took the first set 6-2, will now meet Anett Kontaveit for a place in the quarterfinals.
An interview with Petra Kvitova after her win in the first round of the Rogers Cup.