Vote Now: January's WTA Player Of The Month
Angelique Kerber, Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Agnieszka Radwanska – who will win January’s WTA Player Of The Month? It’s up to you – vote now!
Angelique Kerber, Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Agnieszka Radwanska – who will win January’s WTA Player Of The Month? It’s up to you – vote now!
MELBOURNE, Australia – Following the Saturday’s Australian Open final, the WTA has unveiled the first Road To Singapore leaderboard, with Angelique Kerber vaulting to the top.
The Road To Singapore is the year-long journey to the WTA’s crown jewel event, the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, and Kerber, who just won her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, has kicked off at No.1. Runner-up Serena Williams is in the No.2 position.
Defending WTA Finals champion Agnieszka Radwanska has launched a great start to her title defense – winning the Shenzhen Open and reaching the semifinal at the Australian Open to round out the top 3 on the Road to Singapore. How has winning the WTA Finals prepared Radwanska for continued success in 2016? Watch the video above to hear from the champion herself.
A pair of familiar faces sit atop the doubles leaderboard; the team of co-No.1s Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis won their third straight major title – along with titles at the Brisbane International and Apia International Sydney – to start the year at No.1. Australian Open finalists Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka are No.2.
The Top 8 singles and doubles players on the Road To Singapore Leaderboard will qualify for the $7 million 2016 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
Here’s who else is in the Top 8 of the first Road to Singapore leaderboard:
Hear how defending WTA Finals champion Agnieszka Radwanska prepares for year-long journey to defend her title in Singapore – she currently sits at No.3 on the latest Road to Singapore Leaderboard.
MELBOURNE, Australia – Angelique Kerber was still riding the high of winning her first major title when I caught up with her on Sunday morning, less than 12 hours after her Australian Open triumph. On Saturday, Kerber became the first German to win a major since Steffi Graf in 1999, beating World No.1 Serena Williams 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to with the Australian Open.
En route to her Champion’s Photo Shoot in front of the Government House in Melbourne, Kerber spoke to WTA Insider about her whirlwind 24 hours and how her up-and-down career led her perfectly to this very moment.
WTA Insider: Angelique Kerber. 2016 Australian Open champion. Does it still sound weird to say it out loud?
Kerber: You know, it still sounds a little bit weird, but I think after a few hours, it’s still coming into my mind that I really won the title and won my first Grand Slam. Like I said, it’s a dream come true, and it sounds really nice.
WTA Insider: How was the water in the Yarra? Do you regret the decision to jump in and why did you decide to do it?
Kerber: Two weeks ago when we were walking along the river and talking a little bit about the Australian Open, about the last few weeks. We spoke about how Jim Courier did it once a lot of years ago. Then we decided, ok, let’s make a bet that if I reach the final and I win it after two weeks, we will go in the river.
At the end, it was nice, something different. I won the Australian Open and I love bets, so it’s something really special. You know, the river was really cold and a little bit dirty!
WTA Insider: That was the worry, that it might be a little dodgy.
Kerber: It was a little bit dirty but I was just trying to go for it and trying to keep my face above the river, so it was actually not so bad.
WTA Insider: Be honest: how many hours have you slept since last night?
Kerber: I told you I haven’t been sleeping. I came back at 4am to the hotel and then we decided to go for a drink at the bar. At 7 o’clock in the morning, I had my first interview again. There was no chance to sleep. But I know in a few hours I will on the plane, and I will for sure be sleeping the whole 24 hours.
WTA Insider: Yesterday, your phone was exploding. Players were congratulating you a lot on Twitter. The theme of the tweets was that this was a well deserved title for you. What do you think makes your win resonate in the locker room?
Kerber: It means a lot that there are people and champions or legends writing that I deserved it. I beat Serena in the final and it was an honor for me to play against her. To play against the best in the world and to win against her, because it was a great match and at the end I was going for it. It’s something really special that I won it at the end.
Everybody knows me, that I’m a really hard worker and this is why everybody told me or wrote I deserve it. It’s what I’m really proud of.
WTA Insider: You talked a lot this week about changing your mindset to be about trying to win matches as opposed to waiting for things to happen, for your opponent to miss and give it to you. That’s some nice symbolism for the last four years of career. You’ve said you were someone who has always struggled with self-belief. Why did you lack belief?
Kerber: I think I’m a person that needs a little bit of time. Of course, I believed in myself, but I had a lot of up and downs in my career where I was thinking, is this the right way? Could I reach my goals? But I had a great team around me always telling me that, ‘You’re a great player and you’re practicing and working so hard. One day you will deserve it.’ I was trusting my team more than myself.
I think in these two weeks, it changed a little bit when I won against Azarenka, and I felt, ‘Ok, I can believe in myself.’ This is actually the only way to win a Grand Slam. That was the change that I made in the last few days, to go for it and believe in myself and be aggressive and not hope that someone will give it to me. That was also the key to winning the Australian Open.
WTA Insider: Last year you played a lot of three set matches, classics in fact. But more often than not you were coming out on the losing side of them, especially at the big stages. Do you think some of those tough three-set losses set you up for this win?
Kerber: I think all of the tough losses, or the matches where I lost in three sets, were a way to reach the Grand Slam at the end. I had a lot of experience and I played so many great matches against top players. Some I won, some I lost. At the end, I was always playing good tennis.
It was always tough and three hour matches and everyone’s still playing good against me because they know they must play good to beat me. It was also something that I realized, that they have respect when playing against me. It was a process to really take the next step to win a grand slam. After four yeas in the Top 10, I made the next step and I won it at the end.
WTA Insider: When the on-court announcer said you would rise to World No.2 on Monday, you looked as surprised about that as you were about winning the title. Is that even weirder?
Kerber: It sounds crazy to be the No.2 player in the world. That’s my highest ranking and I’ve reached it at the end. It’s just something so special; I mean, the moment when they said I’d be No.2 on Monday, it’s a great feeling to reach my highest ranking in my career.
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
Simona Halep, Caroline Wozniacki, Victoria Azarenka, Eugenie Bouchard or Svetlana Kuznetsova – who will win January’s WTA Shot Of The Month? It’s up to you – vote now!
Caroline Wozniacki and Victoria Azarenka were joined by four colorful characters at the Australian Open Kids Tennis Day – as well as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Eugenie Bouchard’s loyal fans, the “Genie Army,” were out in full force in sunny Melbourne.
Australian player Daria Gavrilova thrilled Aussie fans with her spirited performance at her home slam. The 21-year-old made the Round of 16, her best result ever at a slam.
Down the road from Melbourne Park, Johanna Konta stands under the distinctive clocks of Flinders Street Station. Konta made British tennis history by becoming the first woman in 33 years to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley presents Maria Sharapova with a cake commemorating a major milestone: she reached 600 career singles wins after her victory in the third round.
Australian Open finalist Angelique Kerber makes a young fan happy at Autograph Island.
Naomi Osaka wants to be the very best, like no one ever was. The 18-year-old Japanese – pictured here meeting the penguins at Melbourne Aquarium – made the third round at the Australian Open.
Serena Williams signs autographs after her Round of 16 win. The World No.1 has yet to drop a set in her Australian Open title defense.
Annika Beck dealt the No.11 seed Timea Bacsinszky a second-round upset, and doled out many autographs at the Australian Open Autograph Island.
World No.113 Zheng Shuai was contemplating retiring after the Australian Open – until she upset the No.2 seed Simona Halep in the first round. Zheng – pictured here with coach Liu Shuo at the Chinese Museum – is now in her first ever Grand Slam quarterfinal.
Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka signs a camera lens after her victory – can the undefeated No.14 seed make it three Grand Slams in Melbourne?
Daria Kasatkina, who made the third round in Melbourne, tries on a bit of Aussie spirit – and a cork hat – at the Australia Pop Up Shop.
Carla Suárez Navarro is always calm – whether she’s on court or holding a freshwater crocodile. A quarterfinalist here in Melbourne, she’s looking to move into the final four for the first time in her career.
Garbiñe Muguruza during her post-match interview. The World No.3 made the third round of the Australian Open.
Most legendary selfie of all time? Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, Barbara Schett, Rennae Stubbs, Nicole Bradtke, Marion Bartoli, Martina Navratilova, Lindsay Davenport, Kim Clijsters, Iva Majoli and a host of other champions squeeze in with for a quick photo.
Kim Clijsters – a four-time Grand Slam champion – gives a talk at the Australian Open’s Celebration of Inspirational Women Brunch.
First-time Grand Slam finalist Angelique Kerber answers questions in her interview with Australia’s Seven Network ahead of the Australian Open final.
Staying focused: Serena Williams seeks her 22nd Grand Slam title – a feat which would tie Steffi Graf’s Open Era record.
The spotlight is on World No.4 Agnieszka Radwanska, behind the scenes at her ESPN Player Montage. The reigning WTA Finals champion is seeking to make the Australian Open her first Grand Slam title.
No.7 seed Angelique Kerber pulled off the most stunning upset of the tournament to take out red-hot nemesis Victoria Azarenka in straight sets.
Watch former Wimbledon semifinalist Tsvetana Pironkova attempt a game of Aussie Rules football with the help of Brandon Jack and the Sydney Swans.
MELBOURNE, Australia – Unseeded Johanna Konta became the first British woman to reach the Australian Open semifinals since 1977 when she outlasted relentless qualifier, Zhang Shuai, 6-4, 6-1.
“I was really just taking it one match at a time while I was here and, even more simply, a point at a time,” she told former British No.1 Sam Smith during her on-court interview.
Not since Sue Barker made the final four nearly 40 years ago had a Brit gone this far in Melbourne, and Konta had to face a battle-tested opponent across the net; Zhang began her tournament with three wins in qualifying and a massive win over No.2 seed Simona Halep.
“She definitely didn’t make it easy for me today; every time I got a little bit ahead, she was constantly there.”
But Konta’s run had been equally impressive Down Under, defeating No.8 seed Venus Williams in the first round and surviving a thrilling three-setter with 2015 semifinalist Ekaterina Makarova in the round of 16. Showing few signs of fatigue, Konta raced out to a 5-2 lead, but needed six set points to put away Zhang, who nearly brought the match back on level terms in the tenth game.
“I really enjoyed playing in front of you guys,” she said, addressing the spectators on Rod Laver Arena. “This is why we play, to get the chance to play in front of such a wonderful crowd.
“I just wanted to make sure I came out and played the best level I could and, hopefully, gave everyone some good entertainment!”
With the first set in hand, the Brit never looked back, hitting 28 winners and drawing 20 unforced errors out the Chinesewoman to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal in 83 minutes – though not in ideal fashion for the competitive Konta.
“Unfortunately, I won it on a let cord; I’m not that proud of that. But I’m happy with how I was able to fight every single point.”
Asked about her family watching at home, Konta was tongue-in-cheek regarding the time difference – the match ended a little before 4AM in the UK.
“I’m pretty sure they have jet lag; they’ve been staying up at all ridiculous times of the morning. I’m sure they’re looking forward me to go home so they can sleep properly!”
Up next for Konta is No.7 seed Angelique Kerber, who provided an arguably even more shocking upset by taking out pre-tournament favorite Victoria Azarenka to reach her first Australian Open semifinal.
“It will be my first match against her. She’s Top 10 and an incredibly decorated, successful competitor and player. I’m really just going to go out there, bring to the court what I can, try my best, hopefully give the crowd a great match, and we’ll see how it goes.”
A fitting embrace after a great contest #Konta #zhang #ausopen Watch more https://t.co/Ek545ZyE1J https://t.co/PXCJl0eCDg
— Australian Open (@AustralianOpen) January 27, 2016
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – The field for the 2016 BNP Paribas Open has been announced; the list of big names, which already included World No.1 Serena Williams and defending champion World No.2 Simona Halep, now features former No.1 Venus Williams. The seven-time Grand Slam champion and four-time Olympic Gold medalist returns to Indian Wells for the first time in 15 years.
Other names in the field include World No.3 Garbiñe Muguruza, 2014 finalist Agnieszka Radwanska, 2006 and 2013 champion Maria Sharapova, two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova, Angelique Kerber, and Lucie Safarova.
Buy tickets to the tournament right here.
The BNP Paribas Open is a combined two-week Premier Mandatory event running from March 9-20 held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in sunny Indian Wells, California.
Venus joins sister Serena, who returned to Indian Wells last year and reached the semifinals before a knee injury ended her shot at the title she won in 1999 and 2001, the last time either sister played at the Premier Mandatory event.
“We are thrilled that Venus Williams, one of the greatest women’s players in the history of the game, is returning to play in the BNP Paribas Open,” said Indian Wells CEO Raymond Moore. “Our fans embraced Serena last year, and we expect nothing less for Venus when she returns to compete at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.”
“The fans will be thrilled to see Venus compete again in Indian Wells at the BNP Paribas Open,” adds WTA CEO and former Indian Wells Tournament Director and COO, Steve Simon. “I’m delighted to see Venus take her place in this year’s stellar line up of WTA and ATP players. This event keeps going from strength to strength and remains a clear fan and player favorite. I’m confident Venus will enjoy playing there again as much as we will enjoy seeing her on court.”
Halep defeated 2010 champion and former No.1 Jelena Jankovic in three gritty sets to win last year’s final, and fell two matches short of the elusive Indian Wells-Miami double when she lost to Serena in the semifinals of the Miami Open.
Muguruza made the round of 16 in her BNP Paribas Open debut back in 2013, qualifying and upsetting Ekaterina Makarova before losing to eventual semifinalist Angelique Kerber in two tight sets.
BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore by SC Global champion Radwanska rounds out the Top 4 and is currently contesting in her second Australian Open semifinal; the Pole had her best Indian Wells finish in 2014, when she took out Jankovic in the quarters and Halep in the semis, losing to future US Open champion Flavia Pennetta in the final.
Chasing the field will be two-time BNP Paribas Open champion Sharapova; the Russian first captured the Indian Wells title in 2006, later going on to win her second Grand Slam title at the US Open that same year. She struck gold again in California three years ago, defeating Caroline Wozniacki in the final.
This year, the BNP Paribas Open has launched a #TennisParadise Sweepstakes; win a VIP trip for two to this year’s tournament by posting an image with the hashtag #TennisParadise on Twitter or Instagram. The contest runs from January 25-February 5.