Roddick Talks Fatherhood And Big Four
Roddick Talks Fatherhood And Big Four
Dec172015
Arina Rodionova will be busier than most brides on her wedding day as she attempts to win a wildcard to the Australian Open in the morning before tying the knot in the afternoon.
The Russian-born Australian has reached Saturday’s semi-finals of the Australian Open play-offs which could see her win a spot in the main draw for January’s first Grand Slam of the year.
The 26-year-old had been scheduled to play Storm Sanders in the afternoon, which clashed with her wedding to Australian Rules football player Ty Vickery at 16:00 local time.
But tournament organisers and her opponent have agreed to move the match to the morning.
If Rodionova beats Sanders she will be back at Melbourne Park on Sunday for the final.
She told the Sydney Morning Herald she would be taking it easy at her wedding as a result, if she makes it that far.
“I don’t think brides should be very drunk at the wedding,” said the world number 309. ” That’s not a good look, so I’m definitely not going to be having more than three. It should be good.”
Nick Kyrgios, No. 30 (20 years, 7 months)
The Aussie young gun revolution continued in 2015, with Kyrgios joining Bernard Tomic in the year-end Top 30 of the Emirates ATP Rankings. The Aussie turned in another strong campaign, highlighted by his first ATP World Tour final on the clay of Estoril in late April and a quarter-final run on home soil at the Australian Open. Kyrgios became the first player from his country to reach the quarters in Melbourne Park since Lleyton Hewitt in 2005, and the first teen to advance to the last eight at multiple majors since Roger Federer in 2001. He posted a 24-19 win-loss record overall, with a thrilling 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 7-6(12) upset of Federer at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Madrid also on his résumé.
Borna Coric, No. 44 (19 years, 1 month)
The highest-ranked teen in the Emirates ATP Rankings, Coric soared to a career-high World No. 33 in late July. Currently at No. 44, the sky’s the limit for the 19 year old from Croatia after reaching two ATP World Tour semi-finals, in Dubai and Nice, and notching his first Top 5 victory – a 6-1, 6-3 rout of Andy Murray. He achieved his best Grand Slam result in advancing to the third round at Roland Garros and got off to a winning start in his Masters 1000 debut at Indian Wells, reaching the second round as a qualifier. The Zagreb native also clinched his second ATP Challenger Tour title, triumphing on the clay of Barranquilla without dropping a set.
Read Coric Stars of Tomorrow
Hyeon Chung, No. 51 (19 years, 6 months)
Chung has become Asia’s newest tennis sensation after crashing onto the scene in 2015. Just the second Korean to crack the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, joining Hyung-Taik Lee, he vaulted 122 spots this year to a career-high World No. 51. The 19 year old won his first ATP World Tour match at the Masters 1000 event in Miami and later claimed his first on the Grand Slam stage at the US Open. One of nine different teens to lift ATP Challenger Tour trophies in 2015, Chung was victorious on four occasions – in Burnie, Savannah, Busan and Kaohsiung. He capped his season with a first ATP World Tour quarter-final in Shenzhen.
Read Chung Stars of Tomorrow
Lucas Pouille, No. 78 (21 years, 9 months)
France’s rising star Pouille has enjoyed a steady ascent up the Emirates ATP Rankings since reaching the Round of 16 at the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris last year. The World No. 78 attained a career-high No. 64 spot in early August, following a stunning run to the semi-finals at the ATP World Tour 500 event in Hamburg as a qualifier. Also a semi-finalist as a lucky loser in Auckland, Pouille was calm under pressure, posting a 9-2 record in tie-break sets. He would cap his campaign with a final run at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Mouilleron Le Captif (l. to Paire).
Thanasi Kokkinakis, No. 80 (19 years, 8 months)
Kokkinakis was a key contributor to a history-making season for the teenage contingent. For the first time since 2008, four teens cracked the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings and the Aussie from Adelaide was a dominant force. The World No. 80 broke into the Top 100 for the first time with a maiden Challenger title in Bordeaux and qualified at six ATP World Tour events. Kokkinakis was clutch in Grand Slams as well, winning a match at his home major for the second straight year after saving four match points against Ernests Gulbis. He would prevail 8-6 in the fifth set and proceeded to claim another 8-6 thriller on the terre battue of Roland Garros, rallying from two sets down to defeat countryman Bernard Tomic. In addition, in Indian Wells, he became the first teen to reach the Round of 16 of an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event since Tomic in Cincinnati 2012.
Alexander Zverev, No. 83 (18 years, 7 months)
The youngest player in the Top 100, 18-year-old Zverev was recognised for his sterling 2015 campaign in being awarded the ATP Star of Tomorrow presented by Emirates. The German claimed his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 match win after emerging from qualifying in Miami. Zverev won 14 tour-level matches in total in 2015, reaching his second ATP World Tour semi-final on the clay of Bastad and securing his second Top 20 win (d. Anderson) en route to the Washington quarters. Zverev also won his first Grand Slam match, a 9-7 fifth set thriller over Teymuraz Gabashvili at Wimbledon, and was a doubles finalist in Munich alongside brother Mischa. His shining moment came in cracking the Top 100 with a second ATP Challenger Tour title on home soil in Heilbronn.
Kyle Edmund, No. 102 (20 years, 11 months)
Davis Cup champions Great Britain have a bright future with Kyle Edmund continuing his assault on the Emirates ATP Rankings. Peaking at a career-high World No. 99, Edmund finished the year at No. 102. The Brit enjoyed a strong first half of the season, qualifying at a Grand Slam for the first time at both the Australian Open and Roland Garros. He would beat Stephane Robert in five sets on the clay for the second tour-level match win of his young career. A maiden Challenger title in Hong Kong in late January would be followed by more success on the circuit, hoisting the trophy on the hard courts of Binghamton and clay of Buenos Aires to cap his campaign. In total, Brits posted an 8-0 record in Challenger finals in 2015.
Yoshihito Nishioka, No. 117 (20 years, 2 months)
Nishioka’s 2015 season will be remembered for his audacious behind-the-back hot shot at the Aptos Challenger, but there was much more to the Japanese’s campaign to be impressed with. Closing in on the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, the 20 year old concluded the year at World No. 117 after successful qualifying campaigns in Delray Beach, Roland Garros, Washington and the US Open. He notched his first ATP World Tour main draw wins in Delray Beach, reaching the quarter-finals, and his first at the Grand Slam stage in beating Paul-Henri Mathieu in five sets in New York. Nishioka capped his campaign with a title run on home soil at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Toyota.
Jared Donaldson, No. 134 (19 years, 2 months)
The 19 year old from Providence, Rhode Island, quietly constructed an impressive 2015 season. Donaldson registered his first ATP World Tour match victory in Memphis and would follow that up with a second on the grass of Newport, a third on the hard courts of Atlanta and another at the Masters 1000 level in Cincinnati in August. On the ATP Challenger Tour, the American earned his maiden title in Maui to open the season and reached the final in Sacramento, falling to fellow young gun Taylor Fritz. It was the first Challenger final between two teens since 2007.
Read Donaldson Stars of Tomorrow
Elias Ymer, No. 136 (19 years, 8 months)
In 2016, Sweden will host its first ATP Challenger Tour tournament in 20 years. The Ymer brothers – Elias and Mikael – are a big reason why, putting the Scandinavian nation back on the tennis map. Elias became just the second player (Dancevic, 2011) to emerge from qualifying at all four Grand Slams in one season, securing his spot as one of 10 teens in the US Open main draw. He also won two matches in reaching the Round of 16 at the ATP World Tour 500 event in Barcelona, stunning Nick Kyrgios 9-7 in a deciding tie-break en route. The Swede would get his hands on a trophy as well, claiming his maiden Challenger title in Caltanissetta, Italy.
Others Making Noise
There were four more teens in the year-end Top 200 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, with Russians Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev, and Americans Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe making strides. Rublev made the most noise of the foursome, becoming the first teen to win matches at five different ATP World Tour events since Rafael Nadal in 2004. With Rublev, Coric, Chung and Zverev notching victories at the Masters 1000 event in Miami, it marked the first time in tournament history that four players aged 18 and younger advanced to the second round. Fritz and Tiafoe also won their first matches on the ATP World Tour, with the former advancing to the second round in Nottingham and the latter doing so in Winston-Salem. Also, Fritz became just the second player aged 17 and younger to win consecutive Challenger titles when he triumphed in Sacramento and Fairfield.
Read Tiafoe Stars of Tomorrow | Fritz Feature
From running around on court to getting glammed up for the red carpet. Who was best dressed in 2015? Click here to vote!
Former No.1 Jelena Jankovic has played some of her best tennis on the terre battue; can she overcome a first round loss in 2015 to earn a career-best finish?
CNN came to Singapore during the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, reporting on the on-court coaching innovation unique to the WTA tour.
“I think it’s great for the players and the fans. When you losing, that’s the moment where, ‘what should I change? What should I do better?’ That’s when you call him in,” French Open finalist Lucie Safarova said of coach Rob Steckley.
“Usually he says something funny, and then he tells me the facts and just motivates me.”
New to the on-court coaching dynamic is the SAP tablet, which provides added insight for coaches hoping to give players the edge during their time-outs.
“It backs up the information you’ve already accumulated visually, but it’s hard facts on the tablet that’s explaining exactly what’s going on,” Steckley said of the innovation.
Check out the full CNN Open Court feature below:
Leading the OBI UAE Royals, Kristina Mladenovic thrilled the home crowd at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium en route to a 26-22 victory over the Legendari Japan Warriors.
Up against former Wimbledon semifinalist Kirsten Flipkens, Mladenovic played an impressive trick shot at the net, eventually winning the women’s singles set 6-2, in 21 minutes. Though Flipkens got her revenge in mixed doubles – pairing with Pierre-Hugues Herbert, she Belgian eked out the win against Mladenovic and Daniel Nestor, 6-5(3) – it wasn’t enough to make up the deficit for the Warriors, who won just two sets to the Royals’ three.
Earlier in the day, Agnieszka Radwanska continued to impress on behalf of the Micromax Indian Aces; the Pole defeated Belinda Bencic 6-3 in women’s singles. It was Bencic’s teammate, Karolina Pliskova, who pulled off the biggest upset of the night in mixed doubles. Partnering the always entertaining Dustin Brown, Pliskova defeated top ranked doubles player Sania Mirza. Playing with Rohan Bopanna, Pliskova and Brown won 6-5(5), and won the final two sets to lead the OUE Singpaore Slammers to a 27-16 victory over the Aces, who lost just their second match of the season.
Check out some of the best tweets of the night:
How can you not love @KikiMladenovic? #showgirl #IPTL2 pic.twitter.com/elwHQfxpv2
— Noémie. (@Saschatard) December 16, 2015
HAHAHA finallyy @KaPliskova https://t.co/BHMJPPUgLI
— Belinda Bencic (@BelindaBencic) December 16, 2015
What a rally and a happy @DreddyTennis? #Slammers Vs #Aces #IPTL2 in Dubai pic.twitter.com/tLhEyQxWz7
— Dreddy Updates (@DreddyTennisUpd) December 16, 2015
Could not choose better partner???@DreddyTennis https://t.co/2yxSdhiRtx
— Karolina Pliskova (@KaPliskova) December 16, 2015
@MirzaSania @serenawilliams @Ajlatom you need to ask?!!!?? lucky girl
— Jarmila Gajdosova (@tennis_jarkag) December 16, 2015
Singapore #Slammers 27-16 Indian Aces. ? #MakingOf pic.twitter.com/ywiCjDJslu
— #TeamBelinda (@FanOfBencic) December 16, 2015
The Singapore Saint? #Tenfie @andy_murray @NickKyrgios @marcelomelo83 @DreddyTennis @KaPliskova @BelindaBencic pic.twitter.com/84diruVthw
— IPTL (@iptl) December 16, 2015
Doodles, songs, stop-motion: see how these creative fans got our attention as we round up the best video submissions of 2015!
St Petersburg, Florida – The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) today announced key media metrics from the 2015 end-of-season global audience report, by SMG Insight, which indicate that interest in women’s tennis is at an all-time high.
Excitement around the competitive 2015 WTA season stimulated interest in broadcast coverage worldwide, boosting overall viewership* by 25% year-on-year, with 395 million cumulative viewers in 2015 versus 316 million in 2014. This is the second consecutive year that the WTA has seen a substantial increase in audience; broadcast viewership rose by 23% in 2014.
Digital viewership** for the 2015 season was up 44% year-on-year, with 44.6 million viewers watching women’s tennis through online broadcast platforms in 2015, compared to 31 million in 2014.
The two most-viewed tournaments of the 2015 season were held in Asia, with tournaments in the US and Canada completing the top five. The China Open in Beijing, won by 22-year-old Spanish sensation Garbiñe Muguruza, drew a global viewership of 34.64 million, while the season-ending BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global – where Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska won her biggest career title to date – drew 32.49 million.
Top five tournaments according to global broadcast viewership in 2015:
1) China Open, Beijing (34.64 million)
2) BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore (32.49 million)
3) Rogers Cup presented by National Bank, Toronto (29.70 million)
4) Miami Open presented by Itau (29.37 million)
5) BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells (26.81 million)
The 2015 broadcast viewership growth was matched by increases across the WTA’s own media platforms, with the number of unique users and number of overall visits to the official WTA website up 14% year-on-year and 15% year-on-year respectively. The number of fans following official WTA and player social media pages, meanwhile, was up 16% year-on-year in 2015 and reached 120 million cumulatively, while the number of views of video content across the official WTA website and WTA social media pages hit 48 million in 2015.
Several reasons contribute to the all-time peak of interest in women’s tennis. WTA coverage is being seen by more TV viewers, with the number of households reached by WTA programming*** hitting 954.4 million in 2015, a 38% increase on 2014. The greater number of ways fans can consume WTA content, meanwhile, is adding viewers who consume sport online, or looking to supplement TV coverage with extra content online.
The WTA also remains hugely competitive on the court and is therefore a strong and attractive sporting spectacle for both tennis fans and sports fans more generally. The 21 Premier Tournaments and WTA Finals in Singapore were won by 12 different women in 2015, the same number as in 2014. So too is there a captivating new generation of players: six of the players in the current WTA top 20 are aged 25 or under, and of the 12 women who won tournaments in 2015, four are aged 25 or under.
Additionally, the WTA has invested in a number of youth-orientated social media platforms to reach the fans of tomorrow, including Instagram, WeChat, IQIYI, Snapchat and Spotify. They provide unique content for younger fans hungry to follow WTA players on platforms native to them.
From 2017, when the extended partnership with Perform Group comes into full force, WTA Media will produce over 2,000 singles matches a year and increase news content by 40 per cent. By increasing the amount of content available to fans, the WTA can expect the strong rise in media engagement reported in 2015 to continue to rise in the future.
Steve Simon, WTA CEO, commented, “The continued rise in audiences show the WTA strategy to grow the product and reach more fans is working, and the number of stars coming up through the sport will continue to excite interest. The depth of the playing field in our sport is unprecedented right now, and the competition is outstanding. We have the platform to continue growth in the future.”
* Cumulative audience for live, delayed and highlights coverage on WTA broadcast partner platforms across 2015’s 21 WTA Premier events and the WTA Finals
** Cumulative audience for live, delayed and highlights coverage on WTA broadcast partners’ online platforms across 2015’s 21 WTA Premier events and the WTA Finals
*** Realistic WTA TV household reach, based on existing broadcast takers
Source: SMG Insight
It’s been a big two weeks for Serena Williams – last week she was voted WTA Player Of The Year for the seventh time, and earlier this week she was named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson Of The Year.
And now, the World No.1 has achieved another milestone – a more social kind of milestone.
She’s become the first women’s tennis player ever to surpass 6 million followers on Twitter.
Here are the Top 5 most-followed WTA players on Twitter as of the time of publishing:
1. Serena Williams (6.00M)
2. Sania Mirza (3.24M)
3. Maria Sharapova (1.91M)
4. Venus Williams (1.35M)
5. Caroline Wozniacki (0.98M)
Additionally, Williams is the second-most-followed professional tennis player on Twitter, male or female, with only one ATP World Tour player passing 5 million (Rafael Nadal has 8.80M followers).
And here’s another look at her big SI cover story from Monday – she crossed 6 million that night:
The 2015 #SISportsperson of the year is… @serenawilliams! https://t.co/Zt4QEIl1MY pic.twitter.com/MBVZpWgQiV
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 14, 2015