Tennis News

In a draw of 128 players, which players could pull off a plot twist or two at this year’s French Open? WTA Insider takes a look at the young and the restless who will reside between the biggest seeds in the forthcoming draw:

The Americans: Typically overlooked at this time of year, Internazionali BNL d’Italia runner-up Madison Keys leads a talented team of Americans who can definitely do some damage on the dirt. Keys unlocked her clay court potential last week in Rome as she found her timing and maintained her patience through a winning week in the Eternal City, outlasting Petra Kvitova and Garbiñe Muguruza en route to the final.

.@SloaneStephens receives a BIG surprise in Episode 3 of @DDFTennis' “Always Full of Surprises!” ?https://t.co/Got3BfEqZ3

— WTA (@WTA) April 27, 2016

It’s hard to predict exactly what will come next with Sloane Stephens, who has risen to the highest of highs – winning three titles – and sank to the lowest of lows – going 1-4 at the first three Premier Mandatory tournaments and Australian Open – in 2016.

The French Open, however, has been her haven for consistency, reaching the fourth round in four of her five appearances – defeating Venus Williams and pushing sister Serena to three sets last year. Stephens has made a career out of saving her best tennis for the biggest stages, and will certainly feel she has something to prove next week in Paris.

Irina Falconi won her maiden WTA title this season on red clay in Bogota, while Christina McHale is coming off a second straight quarterfinal finish in Rome.

18 Americans – including Madrid semifinalist Louisa Chirico, who qualified for the main draw on Friday – are set to face off at the French Open – the most of any nation.

The French: Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic have soared to new heights as a pair, riding a 15-match winning streak through three titles in Charleston, Stuttgart, and Madrid. Apart, they’ve largely struggled to translate that success to singles, but both Garcia and Mladenovic are in the semifinals at the Internationaux de Strasbourg, making up two-thirds of the largest French representation in the final four of a WTA tournament since 2006 at the Paris Indoors.

Garcia made her breakthrough in Paris as a teenager in 2011, getting within two games of defeating Maria Sharapova. Mladenovic won the title as a junior, and upset Eugenie Bouchard en route to the third round last year. The latter lin particular has looked buoyed by a bump in confidence in Strasbourg, building on a second round win over Alison Riske, which she won a in a third set tie-break, to looking all business in the quarterfinals against Alla Kudryavtseva.

Ranked in between the two is Alizé Cornet, who flew into the fourth round for the first time in 10 previous French Open appearances last year. The veteran enjoyed a fast start to 2016 with a title in Hobart, but while a back injury has slowed her since, she will likely be appointment television should she headline one of the show courts to start the week.

Pauline Parmentier reached the quarterfinals in Strasbourg this week with a win over Stephens, and beat Roberta Vinci to reach the fourth round in 2014.

The Romanians: Simona Halep reasserted her presence as one of the biggest names in tennis this spring, and not a moment too soon, as her countrywoman were right at her heels for most of the clay court season. Irina-Camelia Begu took the only set Halep would lose in Madrid, pushing the former World No.2 to three sets in the quarterfinals.

Begu backed up that result – where she also ousted Muguruza in three grueling sets – in emphatic style a week later in Rome, reaching her first career Premier 5 semifinal.

Monica Niculescu may prefer the faster courts, but she nonetheless had a strong start to her clay court swing, defeating Garcia and holding a pair of match points on Petra Kvitova in Stuttgart. Edging into the seeds at No.31, her unique ground game could cause problems for whomever she may face in her opening rounds.

Sorana Cirstea qualified for the main draw and is a 2009 quarterfinalist in Paris – defeating former No.1 Jelena Jankovic that year – and was one of four Romanian women to reach the last eight in Madrid. Along with Chirico, Cirstea is among the most dangerous qualifiers a big name could face.

The Dashas: Two of the most compelling counterparts since Jane Austen’s Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, Daria Kasatkina and Daria Gavrilova are a pair of dynamic characters who have proven to be highly capable on clay.

Kasatkina is the embodiment of “sense.” The teenager has, with the swiftest of prudence, built up quite the resumé in her still young career. Looking to reach a third straight Grand Slam third round, the Russian reached the quarterfinals of the Volvo Car Open, falling to Stephens from match point up.

Another junior French Open champion, Kasatkina employs excellent court sense and a heavy topspin forehand that could reverse the blips she endured in Rome and Madrid.

Gavrilova, by contrast, is “sensibility” incarnate. The emotional Aussie began the year with a bang, roaring into the round of 16 at the Australian Open with a thrilling win over Mladenovic in the third round. Rebounding from a slump that started in the Middle East, she upset Kvitova to reach the quarterfinals of Madrid and battled past Halep in Rome, where she reached the semifinals a year ago.

Gavrilova finds herself unseeded, while Kasatkina is in the Top 32 for the first time in her career; might both carve out a happy ending in Paris?

Click here to keep up with WTA Insider’s pre-French Open coverage!

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

Which players have the best chance of playing spoiler to the top tier of Roland Garros contenders? WTA Insider compiled a list of seasoned veterans and dangerous floaters who could do some serious damage on the terre battue.

Victoria Azarenka: The most in-form player through the first quarter of 2016, Azarenka is hard to beat once she gets on a roll, completing the Sunshine Double with titles in Indian Wells and Miami. Her lone hardcourt loss was to eventual Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber in Melbourne.

Coming into what has traditionally been her least favorite time of year, Azarenka appeared keen to disprove the doubters – not that she listens to what they have to say – and continue her winning streak through the clay court season. Injuries have played their part in disrupting that rhythm, as a lower back injury forced her to withdraw from Madrid and didn’t seem fully healed in a second round loss to Irina-Camelia Begu in Rome.

Should she be healthy in time for Paris, her consistency can certainly take her places, having reached the semifinals back in 2013.

With comfortable head-to-heads against three of the four top seeds, it will be interesting to see who will be projected to face the Belarusian come the quarterfinals.

Agnieszka Radwanska: Seeded No.2 at this year’s French Open, Radwanska would be an all-out contender were this any other major tournament, but red clay of Roland Garros has proven the Pole’s kryptonite on too many occasions for her to feel truly comfortable coming into the fortnight.

The 2012 Wimbledon finalist eased into the semifinals of Stuttgart before getting dismantled by qualifier Laura Siegemund, and an unlucky draw saw her face one of her fiercest rivals in Dominika Cibulkova early on in Madrid. Opting not to play the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, it’s anyone’s guess how Radwanska will play in Paris, but like Azarenka, her long resumé of consistency should give her confidence to start the week. Since the US Open, the WTA Finals champion has made the semifinals or better at all but three of her last 12 events, including the semifinals of the Australian Open, which she reached dropping just one set along the way. Conserving energy will also be critical for a player who was once all too often drawn into wars of attrition.

Petra Kvitova: With a new coach and new philosophy when it came to clay courts, the two-time Wimbledon winner looked poised to build on last year, when she won her second Mutua Madrid Open title.

A run to the semifinals in Stuttgart saw her battle with eventual champion Kerber, but a pair of early losses to Daria Gavrilova and Madison Keys may have shaken her confidence ahead of the French Open. Kvitova is another former semifinalist, reaching that stage back in 2012, but has only made it to the second week once since then – last year, when she lost to Timea Bacsinszky in the fourth round.

Carla Suárez Navarro: If clay court comfort holds back the first three, the next three will need intangibles on their side. The Spaniard has all the skills and “traditional” clay court guile to succeed at the French; her breakout run came back in 2008, when she reached the quarterfinals as a qualifier.

But for Suárez Navarro, it’ll come down to what’s between the ears. A game from the semifinals in 2014, the Spaniard succumbed to nerves and a determined Eugenie Bouchard. She appeared in good form at home in Madrid, but a cold kept her from closing the door against Samantha Stosur.

If she can replicate the form that took her up to No.6 in the world just two months ago, the Qatar Total Open champion will be in good shape in the latter stages of the fortnight.

Dominika Cibulkova: The 2014 Australian Open finalist was a woman in need of a big win, and she got it in Madrid, taking out top seed Radwanska and battling all the way into the final with three-setters against Caroline Garcia, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and Sorana Cirstea.

The Slovak missed last year’s French Open to have surgery on her Achilles, and will be looking to back up her best result at a Premier Mandatory with another deep run at a major tournament. The dynamic veteran burst onto the scene back in 2009, when she blew past Maria Sharapova to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal at the French, following the feat five years later in Melbourne by going one better, again by beating Sharapova and Radwanska en route.

Seeded No.22, Cibulkova will be in position to face down another big name in the first week; unless the nerves that kept her from early round upsets in Indian Wells and Miami reappear, she is all but a shoo-in to reach the second week.

Svetlana Kuznetsova: The tour’s most enigmatic figures had a solid, if unspectacular, clay court swing; though she failed to defend her runner-up points from last year’s Mutua Madrid Open, she rebounded nicely in Rome, defeating Samantha Stosur and Daria Gavrilova before bowing out to World No.1 Serena Williams in the quarterfinals.

The 2009 champion still has the game to compete with the best in the world, as her run to the finals of the Miami Open proved, but everything else has so often been up in the air. Seeded in the Top 16, Kuznetsova will be able to work her way through the first few round without facing a top seed, but will have to hit the ground running should she reach the second week.

Her win over Williams in Miami showed she could close out a big name when given the opportunity; whether she can still seal the deal at a Grand Slam remains to be seen.

Lucie Safarova: Which Safarova will show up in Paris? The 2015 runner-up looked to have shaken off the rust with a much-needed title run at the J&T Banka Prague Open, but food poisoning derailed her in Madrid and Rome. The Czech star was ruthless through six matches 12 months ago, and it took a return to red clay for the former World No.5 to win her first matches of the season after coming back from injury and illness.

A tough draw may help her feel less pressure, and she proved she could take out the best clay courters around to reach the final last year, including Sharapova, Garbiñe Muguruza, and Ana Ivanovic. A healthy and confident Safarova is not one to underestimate, particular for a top seed looking to reach the last eight.

Click here to keep up with WTA Insider’s pre-French Open coverage!

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

Stefanie Graf, former WTA World No.1 and 22-time Grand Slam champion, will serve as the Tournament Ambassador for the 2016 WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai. The tournament is entering its second year on the WTA and is the final event of the 2016 season.

The WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai, established in 2015, features 11 of the top ranked singles players along with one wild card and four of the top ranked doubles teams, along with two team wild cards. Held November 1-6 at the Hengqin International Tennis Center, the $USD 2.21 million event with 700 ranking points awarded to the winner, will feature some of the top players in the world, with Venus Williams serving as the defending champion.

“I am so pleased to be the ambassador for the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai in 2016,” said Graf. “Such a prestigious event in the beautiful city of Zhuhai will go a long way towards supporting the expansion of women’s tennis. I have heard great reports from the players and through the press about the 2015 event and I can’t wait to visit and be a part of the event this year.”

“It’s exciting to see Stefanie Graf as the official ambassador of WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai,” said WTA CEO Steve Simon. “Stefanie continues to be one of the greatest and most respected players on the WTA with so many players viewing her as their role model. Getting Stefanie’s endorsement is another solid testament to Zhuhai’s prestigious status. We are confident that WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai will achieve a bigger step forward in 2016 based on their success in the inaugural event last year.”

Graf is regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. During her career, she won 107 WTA singles titles, including 22 Grand Slam singles titles, the record for most major wins by a tennis player (male or female) in the Open Era. Graf was the No.1 player on the WTA for a record 377 weeks – the highest total for any player since the WTA (and ATP) began issuing rankings. In 1988, she became the first player to achieve the Golden Slam by winning all four Grand Slam singles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year. Furthermore, she is the only tennis player to have won each Grand Slam event at least four times. Because of her great achievements and her contributions to the sport of tennis, she was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004.

“We are absolutely delighted that Stefanie has agreed to become the Global Ambassador for the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai for 2016,” said Tournament Director Peter Johnston. “Throughout her life, Stefanie has displayed the qualities both on and off the court that make her one of the greatest and most respected athletes of all time. As the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai continues to grow and its global profile increases, it is another important milestone to have the endorsement of such a great champion. We look forward to working with her in lead up promotions and welcoming her during the event week.”

Due to its special qualification rules, the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai is a competition mixed with established and rising stars. At its inaugural year in 2015, the event featured three former WTA World No.1 players of Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, and Jelena Jankovic, along with next generation players of Karolina Pliskova, Madison Keys, and Elina Svitolina. The WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai is managed by the renowned Huafa Group in conjunction with APG.

PARIS, France – Just as Sania Mirza begins her quest for the “Santina Slam” alongside fellow Co-No.1 Martina Hingis at the French Open, the most influential woman in Indian tennis will be featured in a profile as part of the Sports Insider series on Eurosport.

“Sports Insider: Sania Mirza Superstar” is a 24-minute long documentary following Mirza through the first half of the 2016 season, playing at the Miami Open and Mutua Madrid Open with Hingis, and returning home to India. The short film will premiere on Eurosport Friday, May 20th at 11:00 AM CET, just before the French Open Draw Ceremony.

“To dream of becoming a professional tennis player, being a girl from that side of the world, we were fighting one billion odds, because it had never happened before!” Mirza says in a teaser.

Check out the teaser and stills from the documentary here on wtatennis.com!

Photos courtesy of Eurosport.

WTA players are going to give all they’ve got to perform well at the 2016 French Open, leaving it to their clothing sponsors to make sure that comfort and style are not compromised during strenuous matches. Let’s hand over to Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog and see the outfits ready to rock the world of sports fashion during the most prestigious tennis tournament on clay.

Last year adidas made noise with designer Yohji Yamamoto’s avant-garde styles and this year the standout collaboration is again bringing us a daring one-of-a-kind range. The Roland Garros 2016 collaboration between adidas Tennis and Y-3 has produced an eye-catching print, inspired by dazzle camouflage from the 40s and 50s.

Like @AnaIvanovic, everybody faces challenges growing up. It’s up to you to overcome them and #CreateYourMark pic.twitter.com/6Fyio0GXPO

— adidas tennis (@adidastennis) May 5, 2016

Ana Ivanovic, Angelique Kerber, Simona Halep and Kristina Mladenovic will all go for these zebra-like stripes, which evoke a sense of movement even when players are standing still between points.

For @KikiMladenovic, fear is just another opponent to beat. Free your game and #CreateYourMark pic.twitter.com/VveEr2Opdl

— adidas tennis (@adidastennis) April 30, 2016

Players can opt for the visually-striking adidas Roland Garros Y-3 On Court Dress or a dazzling combination of the adidas Roland Garros Y-3 Tank to be paired with a black skort featuring layered jacquard mesh overlay.

The adidas adizero Y-3 2016 Shoes are promising to deliver incredible resilience and energy return during intense rallies, providing ultimate traction, as well as the feeling of comfort.

Nike is honoring the tournament’s host country by clothing its players in a spectrum of blues, France’s signature color, with world number one Serena Williams sporting a light photo blue NikeCourt Premier Dress, which captivates with its modern take on a classic vibe. Dropped back hem, box pleats and mesh back panel ensure comfortable fit and captivating design.

Madison Keys‘blue outfitincludes the collared NikeCourt Premier Advantage Sleeveless Polo and the pleated NikeCourt Victory Skirt, which ensures photogenic movement and minimal distractions thanks to an inner ball short.

Caroline Wozniacki‘s planned adidas Summer Stella McCartney Tour Dress included all the fashion elements we’ve loved so much, like the figure-slimming frontal colorblock, T-shaped racerback, oval mesh inset at back and floral print, bringing all the features together with a nice lilac shade. Such a pity the Dane has withdrawn from Roland Garros!

The range also includes a variety of tops and bottoms, allowing for a number of stylish combinations, my favorite being Garbiñe Muguruza‘s combo that made my March’s best dressed list: the fresh yellow adidas Summer Stella McCartney Tour Tank and its matching adidas Summer Stella McCartney Tour Skirt with four rows of laser-cut hexagons.

Jelena Jankovic will choose from these four colorful dresses, part of Fila’s limited-edition Spring 2016 collection designed by Wimbledon 2013 champion Marion Bartoli. The Serb has already debuted the dotted “eye dress” at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, becoming the top fashion talk of the tournament, and we can only look forward to seeing the rest of “Love Fila by Marion Bartoli” cooperation, especially the lavender dress with the Eiffel Tower print, inspired by the Frenchwoman’s hometown of Paris.

“I’m happy to wear something that’s different, you know. You can also go out of the comfort zone and the classic ones. I like the classic, you know, as well. But it’s also nice to sometimes have a changeup and just wear something that’s not really typical print for a tennis dress,” Jankovic said about the collection in Rome.

Other Fila athletes, most notably Karolina Pliskova and Yaroslava Shvedova, will sport the Gingham collection, celebrating the quintessential print with peacoat navy and white checks. Shvedova’s promotional image showcases the Fila Spring Gingham Racerback Tank, one of five available silhouettes of tops, and the Fila Spring Gingham Skirt, which exists in navy, gingham and white, and is designed to match all the shirts from the range.

Venus Williams prepared the EleVen Geo Swirl Dress for Roland Garros. The cut is highlighted by the narrow high neckline and thin white straps at waist for a figure-flattering effect.

Lacoste‘s WTA players, most notably Elena Vesnina and Dominika Cibulkova, will wear the Spring 2016 collection, including the above-shown Lacoste Spring Dress, specific for its quarter-zip entry at chest and keyhole cutout at center back, the Lacoste Spring Mesh Back Tank, a traditional design with mesh panels at upper back and underarms that provide breathability and visual interest, and the Lacoste Spring Contrast Tipped Skirt, a classic piece with stylish contrast binding.

Agnieszka Radwanska will wear a coral dress from Lotto’s limited-edition Lacy line, a feminine piece whose elegant lace takes on unique forms, bringing Paris runways to the courts without compromising comfort and performance. The new SS16 Stratosphere speed-oriented shoes will help Radwanska move confidently on clay, as the innovative technology provides optimal cushioning and responsiveness with every step.

Heather Watson will wear the New Balance Tournament Dress, which made my April’s best dressed list, as seen on Sorana Cirstea at the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Cup. Strappy racerback, “N” houndstooth burnout stretch mesh back panel and NB DRY technology ensure a good range of motion and comfortable performance with minimum sweat. The Brit will be competing in the New Balance 996v2, a lightweight performance tennis shoe made with PROBANK stability technology.

Thank you @lecoqsportif for letting me design and wear another jumpsuit at @rolandgarros this year #overalls #RG2016 pic.twitter.com/8N6R7npsr1

— Alizé Lim (@AlizeLim) May 17, 2016

Paris native Alizé Lim will try to make the second round of a Grand Slam for the first time, wearing a jumpsuit designed according to her guidelines. Another bold move by Le Coq Sportif!

There’s more to play for at this year’s French Open than just the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen. With the Rio Olympics less than 80 days away, this year’s French Open also serves as the last chance for players to earn ranking points to shore up their Olympic qualifying prospects. The ITF will use the singles and doubles rankings as of the Monday after the French Open to determine who’s in and who’s out. For the players who are still on the bubble, that adds a completely different set of pressures in Paris.

Ranking is just one element of the qualifying process. A player must also be in good standing with her federation and, fulfilled her Fed Cup responsibilities. The Top 56 eligible players will qualify for Rio, with a maximum of four singles players from a single country. Read more about the qualifying rules here.

On the bubble for Olympic qualification…

Below qualification line…

*outside country’s Top 4

Britain’s Heather Watson said she can’t stop thinking about the qualifying process. Currently ranked at No.54, Watson has been on cusp of the Top 56 for a few weeks but with so many points on offer in Paris, the threat of being overtaken in the rankings is real.

“I’m borderline and I need to move 10 more places and I’m in for sure,” Watson told WTA Insider. “I didn’t have a great clay court season last year so I’m hoping to make the most of the next couple of weeks.”

Speaking at the Mutua Madrid Open earlier this month, Watson said every match looms large. “Last night I slept terrible because I’m just thinking about the match,” she said. “Because in my mind it’s not just about this match to move into the next round. It’s a lot more on it right now.”

For Daria Gavrilova, the qualifying process is completely out of her hands. The 22-year-old Australian is in the midst of her best season so far but her recent change in citizenship from Russia to Australia has complicated her eligibility status and as of now, she will not qualify unless the ITF rules in her favor on her appeal.

“I really want to play,” Gavrilova said. “I really do. So I would be very disappointed. I’ll probably cry.”

Ranked No.45, Gavrilova has put together a strong clay season after making the Round of 16 at the Australian Open, and could play the role of spoiler when the tournament begins in Paris. She’s trying not to let the Olympics weigh on her.

“I don’t think about it a lot because it’s not up to me,” she said. “I’m just waiting for the decision. I can’t do anything about it.”

Elena Vesnina has the dual task of trying to qualify for both singles and doubles. Currently ranked No.47, Vesnina is well inside the cut-off thanks to her run to the Charleston final last month, but she’s currently the No.6 Russian. Only the top four Russians will qualify for the singles event. With Maria Sharapova’s Olympic participation in doubt, Vesnina is in the position of trying to chase down No.32 Daria Kasatkina to earn a singles berth.

“I’m not trying to think about it,” Vesnina said. “You cannot control everything. It’s going to be too much in your head.

“First of all you have to think about your singles game and your results there. For doubles you have to play match by match. What’s going to happen, you don’t know because there are really good teams right now and everyone is looking at the Olympics. You see a lot of teams pairing from the same country. That’s why it’s going to be very exciting.”

Vesnina is a two-time Olympic veteran, having competed in doubles in Beijing and London. She said the predominant Olympic chatter in the locker room is from players trying to figure out their best doubles options. In her case, despite playing with Kasatkina for most of the last six months, she’s repaired with Ekaterina Makarova to prepare for Rio. 

“We played together for four years. We don’t need to waste our team spirit. It’s always great to play with someone new like Dasha, but it’s not enough time. I’m still learning with Dasha what she’s doing in doubles. She’s still a young kid and she’s improving. Maybe later I’m going to play with her.”

Vesnina and Makarova have Olympic experience as well, having made the quarterfinals in London. Just last week they made the final in Rome.

“I think from the last Olympics I know a little bit what the numbers were,” Vesnina said, referring to the doubles cut-off, which looks at the combined ranking (singles or doubles) of the players. “I’m pretty sure the [combined ranking cut] has to be inside the Top 60. In London it was around 56. Both of you have to be Top 20, Top 25.”

For her part, Kasatkina hasn’t had the clay season she would have wanted so far, winning just one match on European clay. That has opened the door for Vesnina to make a move in Paris, but the youngster is more concerned with the state of her game than the Olympics.

“For sure to play Olympics would be big,” Kasatkina said. “But I’m just 19. If I play it’s perfect. But if not, I will hopefully have a few Olympics. I am focused on the tournaments and my game. If I play good these tournaments on clay it’s good and I will get in. If no, not a big problem.”

Like the Russians, the Americans also find themselves with an incredible amount of depth. As the clay season began, all eyes were on who would get that fourth Olympic spot and it appeared to be coming down to Madison Keys and CoCo Vandeweghe, with Keys trying to hold off her compatriot. With her run to the final in Rome, Keys has virtually secured her spot on the team, leaping ahead of Sloane Stephens to be the No.3 American at No.17.

“I feel like it’s just added pressure,” Keys said.

That the Olympics are even happening this summer still escapes her sometimes and she’s done well not to think about it.

“Obviously I really want to play and it would mean so much to me. But at the same time I feel like if I’m sitting there counting points I’m just going to freak out. As my Grandpa says, ‘everything happens for a reason,’ so I’m just going to go for that.”

A quarterfinalist in London four years ago, Germany’s Sabine Lisicki finds herself on the outside looking in as she heads to Paris. Ranked No.50, the 26-year-old looked like a lock for the Olympics when the season began, but she’s since been passed by Stuttgart finalist Laura Siegemund and Anna-Lena Friedsam. Annika Beck currently holds the fourth German spot at No.42.

Lisicki said her goal throughout her life has been to win a Slam, not the Olympics. Like most players, she has a fatalistic approach to her Olympic chances.

“I love to represent my country. I love to fight for my country. I’ve always loved it. I love playing at the Olympics at London. As soon as I found out it was going to be in Rio I really wanted to play. I can only do my best on court. I really want to go there.

“But I can’t start thinking too much about it because then it starts to hinder you. It was a tough time with injury. It’s bad timing in a way but if it’s not meant to happen so be it. I’ll probably have a chance in four years. I’m thinking bigger picture now than just the Olympics. My goal is still to win a Grand Slam. Nothing will change about that if I go to the Olympics or not.”

Roberta Vinci agreed. The Olympics hold a different place in tennis’ pecking order. “Probably if you think one big tournament in tennis you think Wimbledon, Roland Garros. Not the Olympics. If you want to swim, the Olympics is unbelievable. But of course, the Olympics is still fun. I hope to win a medal.”

Set to play in her last Olympic games, Vinci is a three-time Olympic veteran, having played her first Olympic games in Athens in 2004. For her, the Olympics have rarely felt like anything other than another tournament.

“If you think about the Olympic games you think ‘Oh, wow, the Olympics!'” she said. “But when I played in London, Beijing, and Athens – I played already three times – they are so quick. You go, you stay, yeah if you see the opening ceremony it’s nice. But in London I played Kim Clijsters first match at 11am. The day before was the opening ceremony and I [didn’t go.] So for me it was like another tournament.”

“The Federation booked an apartment near Wimbledon. It was not a ‘real’ Olympics. It was like a Fed Cup. So I hope this time it will be a little different. But right now if I think about the Olympics…I don’t know. We’ll see.”

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.