Google Play App Download

Tennis News

From around the world

News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Former World No.1 Maria Sharapova has picked up one of the wildcards for May’s Mutua Madrid Open as she plans her WTA comeback.

“Sharapova requested an invitation to play in the tournament and after considering it, we decided to give her a wildcard,” said Manolo Santana, the tournament director, in a statement.

“Maria is one of the best players of the last 15 years and also a past winner of our tournament. In Madrid she always plays well and I’m sure she will come back to the courts highly motivated and hoping to do well in her first tournaments.”

Sharapova, 29, last won the event in 2014, beating Simona Halep, 1-6 6-2 6-3, in the final.

“Sharapova is one of those players that all tennis fans want to see,” added Mutua Madrid Open CEO and President Gerard Tsobanian. “Her presence in the Caja Mágica is great news for the tournament, for the fans and also for the city of Madrid.”

The Russian makes her return to the tour in Stuttgart in April following her positive test for a banned substance in 2016.

Tickets and season tickets for the Mutua Madrid Open can be purchased at www.madrid-open.com and entradas.com.

Source link

News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

TALLINN, Estonia: Heather Watson soared to a straight-sets win to give Great Britain the best possible start in the Fed Cup opener against Portugal.

Under the watchful eye of new captain Anne Keothavong, Watson made an impressive start to her country’s campaign, beating Ines Murta 6-1, 6-1.

The 2016 Wimbledon mixed doubles champion then assumed her role as “chief supporter”, ready to cheer on her teammates – first Johanna Konta in the singles, then Jocelyn Rae and Laura Robson in the doubles. “I’ll get the pom-poms, and the tambourines!” she joked.

Her cheerleading obviously worked – Konta cruised through her singles rubber 6-2, 6-4 against Michelle Larcher de Brito, giving Great Britain an unassailable 2-0 lead in the tie. It was good preparation for the British No.1, who will be seen in WTA Tour action next in Dubai from February 19.

Source link

News | WTA Tennis English

News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MOSCOW, Russia – Ekaterina Makarova is looking forward to Russia’s Fed Cup tie against Chinese Taipei this weekend for a very special reason.

It’s hosted at the Druzhba Sport Complex, in Moscow – the venue in her hometown where she first began playing tennis herself.

“It’s in the stadium where I grew up,” she told the official Fed Cup site. “I was practicing for 12 years there – I took my first steps in tennis in that stadium so it’s a special place.”

Makarova, 28, is the senior player in a young Russia squad; this will be her eighth appearance in the competition. It is an experience she enjoys.

“I love to play for a team, for Russia,” she added.

The World No.39 comes into the tie after losing to good friend and doubles partner Elena Vesnina 6-3 6-1 in the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy round of 32. The pair were the 2016 doubles champions at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.

Ekaterina Makarova, Elena Vesnina

They were seeded third in this year’s Australian Open doubles competition, but were knocked out in the quarterfinals by Andrea Hlavackova and Peng Shuai, 7-5 7-6.

In the singles competition, Makarova boasted a stunning win against Dominika Cibulkova in the third round, coming through 6-2 6-7 6-3, before falling at the hands of Johanna Konta, 6-1 6-4.

Source link

News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

A new UK-wide campaign to promote gender equality in tennis has just launched – and coach and former Great Britain Fed Cup captain Judy Murray is right behind it.

Murray, a strong supporter of women in tennis, is running ‘She Rallies’ in partnership with the Lawn Tennis Association, which aims to encourage more girls into tennis by providing more female coaches.

The project launched last weekend with a conference in Birmingham attended by key figures from sport and business – and Murray urged them to get behind the scheme’s objectives.

“We have now trained a team of female ambassadors to go out and empower women and girls to play, compete and deliver tennis,” Murray told the audience.

“This is our first step to addressing the gender imbalance in our sport.”

 

Source link

News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

The Fed Cup gets underway this week – and the WTA players are enjoying getting together with their compatriots.

Kristina Mladenovic and her France teammates Alizé Cornet and Pauline Parmentier posed alongside captain Yannick Noah after their press conference.

Mladenovic, fresh from her win in St. Petersburg last week, lifted the Hopman Cup last month alongside Richard Gasquet.

The France squad were speaking to the media ahead of their tie against Switzerland.

Meanwhile, Anita Husaric tweeted a picture of the Bosnia and Herzegovina players on court as they prepared to take on Croatia.

And Casey Dellacqua and Ashleigh Barty were pleased to know they weren’t expected to take on Ukraine on this particular court.

Source link