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Social Butterfly: Mladenovic On Twitter

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

As Agnieszka Radwanska and Roberta Vinci worked their magic in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Total Open, few were more enthusiastically spellbound than colleague, Kristina Mladenovic.

A longtime fixture of the tennis fan community on Twitter – colloquially known as Tennis Twitter – the French No.1 tweeted her thoughts on the nearly two-hour epic, which Radwanska won, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, after she and Vinci came to net a stunning 101 times over three sets.

“It can be a WTA or ATP match,” she said during the BNP Paribas Open draw ceremony. “If I have time and a match looks interesting, I’ll go on the app and watch. It’s fun to applaud great tennis, so why not?

“It’s not just about me and what I am doing!”

Seeded No.27 in Indian Wells – and projected to play World No.1 Serena Williams in the third round – Mladenovic enjoyed a stellar 2015 season that saw her climb from a February low of No.74 all the way into the Top 30.

But success hasn’t driven the 22-year-old away from social media; as the world watched the Vinci mount her unforgettable upset over Williams at the US Open, Mladenovic’s own commentary could hardly be contained by 140 characters – all a mere 72 hours after the Italian veteran had ended her own career-best Grand Slam run in the quarterfinals.

“These days, Twitter is almost like a news channel. You wake up in the morning and go on your phone to see what everyone is up to. I wouldn’t say I’m addicted to social media, but I just put myself in the position of the fans.”

Frequently engaging with fans across the globe, Mladenovic often appears online with a flurry of retweets following a match, gregariously reposting screencaps or videos, many of which display the Frenchwoman’s penchant for on-court flair. 

“I wish that when I was younger I could have known more about the lives of my idols. What is their day like? What do they do away from tennis? Social media is just a great way to really get behind the scenes and get to know the personalities of the players.

“It keeps the fans engaged, even if they can’t attend a tournament in person, and helps to build a great connection.”

Mladenovic will likely continue to build connections in 2016, both as a USANA Brand Ambassador and as one half of a fast-rising dynamic duo with friend and Fed Cup teammate, Caroline Garcia.

“I have been using USANA vitamins and supplements for a few years and have seen the difference that it has made in my health and fitness. I’m looking forward to sharing my positive experience with others and letting them know what USANA can do for them.”

Already a major champion in mixed doubles – winning Wimbledon alongside Daniel Nestor in 2013 – the Frenchwoman peaked at No.5 on the doubles rankings last spring after she and then-partner Timea Babos became the only team to defeat the all-but-unstoppable Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza in a final to win the Internazionali BNL D’Italia.

Making her BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global debut to end the 2015 season, Mladenovic decided to partner with Garcia ahead of the Olympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro – a move that as already yielded two finals at the Apia International Sydney and the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

“We already had great doubles partners – me with Timea and Caroline with Katarina Srebotnik – both great players and friends. But as countrywomen from the same generation, and with similar goals, we have a great opportunity.

“We’re really lucky to be from the same country and in this position to play together, not just with regard to the Olympics, which would be amazing, but there are exciting tournaments, week after week on the tour.

“Of course, to win a medal for France at the Olympics would be a huge thing, an amazing achievement for any athlete.

Their biggest struggle thus far? Deciding on a team name.

“The reaction from fans so far has been great. We’ve really noticed the buzz about us playing together, and we think at Roland Garros in particular it’s going to be very exciting.”

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Indian Wells Friday: Tough Start

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Friday at the BNP Paribas Open sees the seeds enter the fold, with Simona Halep commencing her title defense against the in-form Vania King.

Friday, Second Round

Stadium 1
[5] Simona Halep (ROU #5) vs. Vania King (USA #202)
Head-to-head: King leads 1-0
One hundred ninety-seven spots separate Simona Halep and Vania King in the rankings, but if recent form is anything to go by their second-round encounter could be a closely contested affair. While Halep has been struggling for form and fitness in the opening months of 2016, King has been quietly racking up the wins.

After missing much of last year with back problems, King arrives in Indian Wells fresh from a couple of deep runs on the ITF Circuit. Halep on the other hand, has won just three of her eight matches this campaign, most recently losing to another player on the comeback trail, Elena Vesnina, in Doha. Despite her recent travails, Halep cut a relaxed figure during Wednesday’s All Access Hour, and with a clean bill of health is relishing the start of her title defense.

Stadium 3
[3] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL #3) vs. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK #57)
Head-to-head: Radwanska leads 6-3
Agnieszka Radwanska may have the edge in her rivalry with Dominika Cibulkova, but tasted a chastening defeat in their most high-profile encounter. Two years ago, the mercurial Cibulkova triumphed in the most one-sided of Australian Open semifinals to leave Radwanska’s major dreams in tatters once more.

Since then both players have had their ups and downs; Cibulkova spending lengthy periods on the treatment table, while Radwanska recovered from a slide down the rankings to record her greatest triumph. The Pole has carried this form into 2016, reaching the semifinals or better on all three of her outings thus far. Cibulkova, meanwhile, has blown hot and cold since her return from a serious Achilles injury, but in arguably the most open section of the draw will relish the opportunity to showcase her abilities on the big stage. 

Around the grounds…
Serena Williams begins her attempt to win a third Indian Wells title when she takes on Laura Sigemund. Preceding Serena on court is Venus Williams, who in her first match at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in 15 years faces Kurumi Nara. Petra Kvitova, Madison Keys and 2010 champion Jelena Jankovic also get their challenges underway.

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Q & Casey: Dellacqua On The Road Back

Q & Casey: Dellacqua On The Road Back

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Flashback five months ago. Casey Dellacqua and her doubles partner Yaroslava Shvedova had already qualified for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. They were the third team to do so, qualifying third behind Hingis/Mirza and Safarova/Mattek-Sands not long after reaching the US Open final. Then came the freak fall on court at the China Open that would sideline the affable Aussie with a concussion, forcing her out of the Australian summer swing.

Still ranked No.4 in doubles, Dellacqua was cleared to play at the end of January and she returns to the tour this week at the BNP Paribas Open, playing doubles with her good friend, Sam Stosur. The quality pair have a mighty task against Co-No.1s Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza on Friday.

WTA Insider sat down with Dellacqua before the start of her tournament to talk about the difficulty of the last five months and how she hopes to get back on track.

WTA Insider: Can you just walk us through what happened in Beijing?
Dellacqua: I fell on court in the semifinals. I hit the back of my head and I kind of gave myself whiplash on the way down, so I had a lot of really bad neck pain, a lot of symptoms from the concussion, as well. It was a bit of a freak accident, really, and a bit of an unfortunate accident, because Slava and I had to miss the WTA Finals and had to miss a lot. Obviously, health is always a priority, but I suffered quite a lot from it.

I had symptoms like really, really bad headaches all the time. Any time I tried to do a little bit of exercise, I’d feel really dizzy and faint. I just was in a cloud of drowsiness. I couldn’t remember things, and I thought I’d be fine in a couple of weeks, but it actually got worse as time went on.

Then I just decided that my health was my priority, so this is my first tour event back. I played Fed Cup and played a 25K with Ash Barty a few weeks back. But this is my first WTA event back. It’s good to be back, but it did take a bit longer than I expected. It was just important, especially anything to do with the brain, that I was ready and fine to play again.

Casey Dellacqua, Yaroslava Shvedova

WTA Insider: Usually when a player is off tour it’s because of an injury that can be treated with surgeries, tape jobs, or medication. Concussions are a different beast. How do you actually “rehab” for a concussion?
Dellacqua: It’s just time, and that was a real frustrating thing. I’d keep saying, ‘I’m fine, I’m fine,’ and I kept doing all these tests with my doctor back home, and she was just ruling me out. It was up to her, really, in the end because it’s a bit negligent if they send me out there when I haven’t passed all the tests that needed to be done.

It was a really frustrating injury because I’ve obvious had a couple of big injuries before but yeah, you do rehab. This was really frustrating because I didn’t have a timeframe, and it was just about making sure that you’re healthy, and it’s hard to know when that is. It was kind of frustrating in that sense, and there wasn’t much I could do, except rest.

They just said it’s kind of like spraining your ankle, only you’ve sprained your brain a bit, and you need to let it settle. I thought I was losing the plot there for a while, because the brain’s so important; it controls everything. So I did think for a bit I was losing the plot, but I’m good now and they kept reassuring me that I was going to be fine and it’s just time.

WTA Insider: Since you didn’t have a timeframe on when you might be cleared to play, was there ever a time you thought your career might be over?
Dellacqua: I guess that was really frustrating because I’d had a really good year, as well. I just wanted to get back out there but then you start to doubt yourself, like, ‘I’ve had a couple of big injuries, I’m 31 in February,’ and the longer I’m out, the harder it is to get back. You start stressing, and that’s not going to help. I was having trouble sleeping, and it was just a vicious cycle.

It was really important for me to kind of just step away and make sure I got better because I certainly had doubts of like, ‘When am I going to feel right to get back out there?’ That stress of knowing the longer you are out, the harder it is. These girls are getting better, they’re faster, they’re stronger and one month is big. That was frustrating, as well.

At the moment, I am just going to focus a bit more on doubles. I do still want to play singles, but I’m probably still not right just yet to play both and manage that. I’ll play a bit of doubles just to get me back going, and look to play a bit more singles, but I’m just glad to be healthy.

WTA Insider: When did you get the all-clear?
Dellacqua: I went down to Melbourne for the Australian Open, and I was doing a little bit of a hit with Alicia Molik, the Fed Cup captain. I said, ‘Look, the doctor said that I was fine,’ and I’d done a little bit of physical activity and felt that I recovered ok.

Alicia was kind of like, ‘Do you think you’ll be ready for Fed Cup?’ and I was like, ‘Well, you tell me; I’ll practice and I’ll give you what I’ve got. If you think that’s good enough, then yes, I’m ready.’ I did some work down there, and did some doubles stuff with Cara Black, which was great, and went to Fed Cup. Just before Fed Cup, they kind of said that I was good.

Casey Dellacqua

WTA Insider: Were you able to do any training while you were still suffering from the concussion symptoms?
Dellacqua: The first couple of months, I was actually just resting a lot at home. Any time I’d even try to do grocery shopping, for example, or do things with [my son] Blake, I’d just get really headachy. For the first few months, I really didn’t do much, I was just at home recovering. I couldn’t even watch movies, so I was at home and it was frustrating. Any time I’d watch TV for 10 minutes, I’d get a headache.

I knew when I came back that I was going to have to work hard again. That’s why I’m just training, playing some doubles, and then increasing my load. I can’t go from doing that to doing a lot, because I’ll get injured again. I’m just trying to find a good balance of increasing my load, slowly, and making sure that I’m healthy along the way.

WTA Insider: Were you surprised you were able to win your first match back at Fed Cup and then make an ITF final with Ashleigh Barty?
Dellacqua: The Fed Cup was really crucial in the end, because we had to play a live rubber, and I hadn’t played a match since October, so I was like, ‘Way to throw me in the deep end!’

I was just really stoked because Sam was playing well; she’d won both her singles and I felt comfortable walking out there with here. We’ve known each other for a long time, so it was comforting to know that I could talk to her and just say like, ‘You’ve got to help me out; I haven’t played a match for a while.’ That was great; the Fed Cup gave me a lot of confidence to know that, ‘Ok, I haven’t played for four months, but I’m still ok.’ We played, and we won, and it was a pretty crucial match.

Then going to the ITF was great; we made the final. I didn’t know really what to expect. Ash hasn’t played for 18 months, I haven’t played for a bit. I just wanted to get consecutive matches. We made the final. I felt better then, coming here, knowing that I’ve played a few matches, as well. I think so far so good, and see how the year unfolds. So far, I’m good.

WTA Insider: Are these weeks in Indian Wells just an experiment to see where you’re at and then you’ll re-assess? Or do you have a schedule mapped out?
Dellacqua: I’m definitely going to play The Miami Open and Volvo Cars Open in Charleston, for sure. Then we’ve got another Fed Cup tie in Australia against America.

I’m pretty much ready to go. I’m just not sure when my singles will kick back in. I really want to try and really be ready for the grass circuit. When I can play singles – because my ranking’s at No.150 – when I can get in, I want to play now, but it’s going to be tough that my doubles ranking is higher. I’m just going to try to work it out and see where it goes.

WTA Insider: Usually players keep their off-day training light during tournaments. Are you continuing to train while you’re playing?
Dellacqua: If I was in tournament mode, I’d probably do a bit less than I have been doing. I’ve even been playing some singles points, in preparation for singles. I’ve just got a little bit more stuff to do in the gym, because I am just playing doubles and at these tournaments, you have a fair bit of time, sometimes, to have practice days.

It’s kind of a little bit like my pre-season as such, because I didn’t really do one. That and getting back into some point play. Anyone I practice with, I’m doing a lot more singles, actually. I’ve played a bit of practice doubles, but I’ve been doing more singles [practice].

WTA Insider: Is your family able to travel with you?
Dellacqua: [My partner] Amanda’s pregnant again, so she’s 30 weeks. She’s too far along to travel, so she’s due in early May. Unfortunately, Blake couldn’t come. When I get home from Fed Cup – it’ll only be a few weeks – and then the next baby will be here. It’s going to be busy, but that’s why they couldn’t travel this time around.

Life’s about to get a bit more crazy, but that was a positive [from the concussion]. Obviously being out, I got to spend a lot of time at home with Blake, and help Amanda out, being pregnant, so that was great that I could give her a helping hand as well.

WTA Insider: So how does it feel to be back on tour?
Dellacqua: It’s pretty much same old, same old. It’s just the crazy tennis world. Nothing’s really changed too much; there’s a few new faces, actually, some girls that may have done well through the end of last year that I maybe haven’t seen, or maybe over the Australian Open. But there’s always girls coming up the ranks, playing better.

There’s still all of the other girls still playing, so not too much has changed. Because the only stuff I’ve missed was the Aussie Open and the pre-season, everything else was pretty much wrapped up, so I haven’t felt like I missed out on a big chunk of tournaments. I’ve only really missed the Aussie summer. In that sense, I think that’s good too.

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

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Bouchard Passes Ozaki Test

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Former World No.5 Eugenie Bouchard became the last woman to enter the second round of the BNP Paribas Open with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over qualifier Risa Ozaki.

“My opponent played really well,” Bouchard said during her on-court interview, adding, “She was getting a lot of balls back, and she really made me work for it. It was a tough first round here, but I’m glad to be through to the second round.”

Ozaki has been in good form of late, pushing Elina Svitolina to three sets last week at the BMW Malaysia Open, where Bouchard reached the final – also falling to Svitolina in three sets.

Bouchard was five points from defeat in the second set; despite leading by a break multiple times, Ozaki kept it close and had chances to force the former Wimbledon finalist to serve to stay in it.

“Thank you for your belief,” Bouchard said, joking with interviewer Andrew Krasny, who commented on the closeness of the match.

Despite hitting 47 errors in the match, the Canadian managed 31 winners – 21 more than Ozaki, and showed improved initiative to finish points off at the net, venturing forward 20 times.

“I just kept fighting; I definitely felt a bit off. The conditions are different from where I’ve been. I traveled recently and just kind of adjusting to everything is definitely a bit tough. But I tried to put that aside and tried to play tennis, and somehow it worked out.”

Up next for Bouchard is No.21 seed Sloane Stephens, who is looking for her first major result in 2016 after winning two International titles in Auckland and Acapulco. Stephens leads their overall head-to-head 2-1 – winning their most recent match at the 2013 China Open, and both have worked with coach Nick Saviano. Though Bouchard will be playing in front of Stephens’ home crowd, the Canadian fan support has helped her feel like Indian Wells is further up north than any map would indicate.

“I feel like I’m home in Canada. I think 95% of you come up to me and say, ‘I’m from Canada too!’ I love that; thank you guys. I love all the flags!”

Earlier in the day, Russia’s Daria Kasatkina closed Thursday’s day session with an emphatic 6-2, 6-4 win over wildcard and two-time BNP Paribas Open champion Daniela Hantuchova.

The Slovak burst onto the WTA scene back in 2002, when she upset Martina Hingis for the biggest title of her career; repeating the feat in 2007, Hantuchova has been ranked as high as No.5, but had few answers for the new teen in town. Kasatkina was all business on her Stadium Court debut, matching Hantuchova’s 21 winners and hitting 17 errors to her veteran opponent’s 33.

“It’s my first time here and I’m really happy to be here. It’s a nice tournament,” Kasatkina said, before commenting on the unfamiliar echo, “It’s so difficult when you can hear you voice!”

The 18-year-old, one of three in the Top 50 – the biggest contingent since April 2009 – quickly regained her composure, finishing the interview by wishing her mother a happy birthday.

“It’s always difficult to play your first match of the tournament, especially against such a good player like Daniela, and it’s my first match on such a big court!”

Kasatkina will look to earn another big scalp when she faces No.6 seed Carla Suárez Navarro.

“I didn’t know I’m playing her because I didn’t see the draw. But she’s playing very well; she won her last tournament, so I have to play my best tennis to beat her.”

Fellow Russian Margarita Gasparyan also made a splash in the California desert on Thursday, dispatching Belarus’ Olga Govortsova, 6-1, 6-3; she will play No.9 seed Roberta Vinci for a spot in the third round. Annika Beck silenced the home crowd when she defeated American Bethanie Mattek-Sands, 6-2, 6-2, while Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig laid down a stunning display to defeat Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, 6-1, 6-2. Americans Shelby Rogers and Madison Brengle survived tricky encounters against Mariana Duque-Mariño, respectively, while Australian Open quarterfinalist Zhang Shuai set up a second round with former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki after edging past Pauline Parmentier in a first set tie-break, leading the French veteran to retire due to an upper respiratory illness.

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McHale Surprises Garcia In First Round

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Christina McHale caused a minor shock in the bottom half of the draw at the BNP Paribas Open, knocking out Caroline Garcia in straight sets.

Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Indian Wells right here on wtatennis.com!

In Thursday’s second match on Stadium 1, McHale produced an impressive display to defeat the higher-ranked Garcia, 6-4, 6-4.

McHale made the perfect start, securing a break to love in the first game when she skipped around to punch a forehand winner. However, the cornerstone of her victory was the serve, which bailed her out of trouble at several crucial junctures.

Serving for the opening set, the American sent a stinging serve out wide to erase the second of two break points, before a couple more well-placed deliveries got her safely to the changeover.

“I knew I had to serve well because Caroline is so aggressive and I knew I had to get a lot of first serves in today, and it worked today so I’m excited,” McHale said.

Although there were a few empty seats in the stands, those present certainly made their presence felt, helping McHale withstand a late Garcia rally.

“You guys helped me pull through that match. I love the atmosphere and I love being at Indian Wells!”

Her reward is a meeting with No.4 seed Garbiñe Muguruza, a player whom she has enjoyed mixed fortunes against: “I actually lost to her the last time we played and she’s obviously playing really, really well. I’ll try to play my best tennis and I’m looking forward to that match.”

Other early winners in their section included Yanina Wickmayer, Magdalena Rybarikova and Lauren Davis.

Rybarikova ended Laura Robson’s return to top tier tennis with a 7-6(3), 6-2 win, while Davis defeated Nao Hibino, 6-2, 6-4. Wickmayer’s path into the second round was less straightforward, hauling herself back after a nightmare start to defeat Polona Hercog, 0-6, 6-4, 6-4.

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