| Womens Tennis Association Top 20 WTA singles rankings as of May 14, 2012, with player photos and bio info. |
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 Victoria Azarenka is shown with the AO hardware a day after she defeated Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-0, in the final of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 28, 2012. |
WTA bio page ITF: Victoria Azarenka career record Azarenka record at The WTA since 1996 vikaazarenkatennis.com official website Victoria Azarenka Interview Transcripts |
| Winner of 12 WTA Tour singles titles: | Finalist (10): | Semifinalist (12): | |
| 2012 | Indian Wells, Doha, Australian Open, Sydney | Madrid, Stuttgart | |
| 2011 | Luxembourg, Marbella, Miami | WTA Champs, Madrid | Tokyo, Toronto, Wimbledon |
| 2010 | Moscow, Stanford | Eastbourne, Dubai | Tokyo, Montreal, Sydney |
| 2009 | Miami, Memphis, Brisbane | Rome, Indian Wells | |
| 2008 | Gold Coast, Prague | Stuttgart | |
| 2007 | Estoril, Tashkent | Prague | |
| 2006 | Tashkent | ||
| 2005 | ITF/Petange-LUX | Guangzhou |
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Victoria Azarenka, whose nickname is Vika, not Vicky, was born in Minsk, Belarus (still her favorite city), where she started playing tennis at age 7. Victoria's mother knew the wife of NHL goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin. In 2005, the Khabibulins invited Victoria to live with them in Scottsdale, Arizona, and she has lived and trained there ever since. Victoria won the juniors singles titles at the 2005 Australian Open and the 2005 US Open. Victoria prefers her backhand, and hardcourts. She is coached by Antonio Van Grichen; her fitness trainer is Mark Wellington. Victoria formerly swung a Head MicroGEL Extreme bat, but in 2012 she signed with Wilson and now wields a Wilson BLX Juice Pro. She wears Nike attire and shoes (not surprising, since Nike is Greek for "victory"). Victoria, who speaks Belarusian, English and Russian, enjoys listening to music, spending time with friends, and reading. |
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 Maria Sharapova reacts after defeating Lindsay Davenport 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-1, in their semifinal match of The Championships at Wimbledon on July 1, 2004. Maria defeated Serena Williams in the final 2 days later, 6-1, 6-4. |
Maria Sharapova Wallpaper photos of all 3 Grand Slam wins, + offcourt WTA bio page ITF: Maria Sharapova career record Sharapova record at The WTA since 1996 MariaSharapova.com (official) Maria World (many photos) The Making of Maria (Sharapova) BBC video narrated by Sue Barker
2006 US Open Final: Maria defeated Justine Henin 6-4, 6-4: Match description & full results + pics & quotes Maria Sharapova Interview Transcripts 2006 People Sharapova Q&A - 2008 New York Times Sharapova Feature 2006 Sports Illustrated Maria Sharapova Swimsuit Photos - 2006 pics in NYC |
| Winner of 25 WTA Tour singles titles: | Finalist (16): | Semifinalist (24): | |
| 2012 | Stuttgart | Miami, Indian Wells, Australian Open | |
| 2011 | Cincinnati, Rome | Wimbledon, Miami | Roland Garros, Indian Wells |
| 2010 | Strasbourg, Memphis | Cincinnati, Stanford, Birmingham | |
| 2009 | Tokyo PPO | Toronto | |
| 2008 | Amelia Island, Doha, Australian Open | Rome, Indian Wells | |
| 2007 | San Diego | Madrid WTA Championships, Birmingham, Australian Open | Los Angeles, Roland Garros, Tokyo Indoor |
| 2006 | Linz, Zurich, US Open, San Diego, Indian Wells | Miami, Dubai | Madrid WTA Championships, Los Angeles, Wimbledon, Birmingham, Tokyo indoor, Australian Open |
| 2005 | Birmingham, Doha, Tokyo indoor | Miami | WTA Championships (LA), Beijing, US Open, Wimbledon, Rome, Indian Wells, Australian Open |
| 2004 | WTA Champ's, Tokyo outdoor, Seoul, Wimbledon, Birmingham | Zurich | Philadelphia, Beijing, Memphis |
| 2003 | Tokyo outdoor, Quebec City | Birmingham, Luxembourg | |
| 2002 | ITF/Gunma-JPN, ITF/Vancouver-CAN, ITF/Peachtree City-USA |
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Maria Sharapova was born in Nyagan, in the Siberian region of Russia, and later moved to Sochi, on the Black Sea. Maria started at the Bollettieri Academy in Bradenton, Florida at age 7, and still has a residence near there. But Maria spends more time at her house at Manhattan Beach (a suburb of LA), California, where she can get the large hamburgers she likes at In-N-Out when she isn't practicing her Italian cooking at home.
Maria first went to California to get coaching from Robert Lansdorp, who helped Tracy Austin, Lindsay Davenport and Pete Sampras perfect their strokes. Maria's father Yuri has shopped around to find the best available coaching for her; Maria also has spent time getting extra clay court training at the Equélite-Juan Carlos Ferrero Tennis Academy near Villena, Spain. Maria's hitting partner from Bollettieri Academy, Michael Joyce, became her traveling coach. But in 2011 Maria parted ways with Joyce, and hired Swede Thomas Hogstedt, who had been coaching Na Li. In July, 2011, Maria hired Vladimir Voltchkov, whom she had worked with during grass court season as her full time hitting partner (she had previously also employed Cecil Mamitt as a hitting partner). Maria serves very well, with an unusually fast 2nd serve when she is healthy. Although she does not move as well as the best runners on the tour, she still hits the ball very well on the run, and she can topspin lob. Maria sometimes does not make very many trips to the net, but when she gets to the net, she has been effective there. It's the bat: In 2006 Maria signed a contract with Prince which was to pay her about $25 million dollars over 10 years. Prince released Maria from that contract in December, 2010. At the start of 2010, Maria was using a Prince EXO3 Black. After Indian Wells in March 2010, Maria was sidelined for several weeks by a right elbow bone bruise. When she returned to play at Madrid in May, Maria was no longer using a Prince racquet. Maria has been trying to find the best bat to protect her arm from injury, but Prince racquets tend to have high stiffness ratings. With the consent of Prince, Maria played the rest of last year with a Head Youtek Radical which was been painted black, with no logo on the strings. The Youtek Radical Pro has a stiffness of 58 (compared to 70 for the O3 Speedport Black), 100 sq." string area, 27" length, swingweight of 345, and weighs 11.6 oz strung, balanced 2 points head-light. On Monday, January 3, 2011 at Auckland she was swinging a Head frame with logo. By Madrid, in May, 2011, Maria was using a new Head bat, the Head YOUTEK IG Instinct Midplus. The YOUTEK IG Instinct Midplus has a 100 sq. in. head, is 27 inches long, weighs 10.6 oz. unstrung, and has a 16 x 19 string pattern, with a beam width of 23/25/21 mm. The balance is 1 inch headlight. Tennis.com story Maria has had her bats strung with 16-gauge Babolat VS Touch or Babolat VS Team gut (reportedly strung at about 64 lbs, but Maria says "I change my tension all the time..."), or 17-gauge Babolat Pro Hurricane polyester. Since her shoulder injuries, she has reportedly tried Luxilon M2 on the mains with Prince natural gut on the cross strings, and is having her racquets strung at a somewhat lower tension, 62lbs. Although the standard Russian nickname for Maria is "Masha," Maria prefers to be called "Maria." Maria's agent is Max Eisenbud at IMG. Maria's tailor is Nike (Oct 22, 2010) Former WTA #1 Maria Sharapova is engaged to Slovenian Los Angeles Lakers guard Sasha Vujacic. The pair met a year ago at a friend's barbecue; no wedding date has been set. Vujacic announced the engagement on Thursday night. Maria's agent (Max Eisenbud of IMG) confirmed the news in an email to the Associated Press. Vujacic, now in his seventh season with the Lakers, averaged 2.8 points and 1.2 rebounds in 67 games last year. AP story (Dec 5, 2009) Former #1 Maria Sharapova defeated South & Central American #1 Gisela Dulko in two exhibition events in South America. The original schedule for the exhibitions was revised, and a match planned for Gisela's hometown, Buenos Aires, Argentina, was dropped. On December 2, in Santiago, Chile, Maria defeated Gisela 6-1, 6-3, and on December 5 in Porto Feliz, Brazil, Maria won again, this time by a slim margin, 6-3, 3-6, (10-7). Gisela defeated Maria at Wimbledon in 2009; Maria had won their two prior meetings. (Mar 6, 2009) Former # 1 Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, California, which begins March 11. Maria is not yet ready to play as she recovers from a torn right shoulder rotator cuff tendon she incurred in the Spring of 2008 (see stories below). Although videos from the Bollettiieri Academy in Bradenton, Florida, have shown that Maria is working very hard to get ready to play, the videos also show that Maria is still doing some of her practicing left handed, to avoid overtaxing her right shoulder. (Feb 4, 2009 revised Feb 5 & 6) Former # 1 Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from both the Paris indoor tourney (Feb 9) and the following week's tourney in Dubai (Feb 16). Maria is not yet ready to play as she recovers from a torn right shoulder rotator cuff tendon she incurred in the Spring of 2008 (see stories below). Maria said: "I'm very disappointed to be unable to compete in the upcoming Open GDF SUEZ and Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, both of which are great events that I was very much hoping to be able to play. My shoulder continues to improve every day and I am working very hard on the practice court... "I have been training in Florida the last few weeks and really working hard on getting the strength back in my arm. It's really amazing how you can do all the exercises and rehab in the world but nothing substitutes the time you spent on court running and hitting hundreds of balls. The biggest lesson I have learned throughout this whole process is that it takes so much patience to get back to where you were physically. You are never really going to forget 'how' to hit a tennis ball but what you do forget is how much work and repetition you must put into every single day in order to get back to where you were. And the only way to get back into good shape is by playing tennis. Unfortunately just because the doctor fixes the problem and gives you the green light to practice doesn't mean that you can just go out there playing tournaments. Yesterday I played my first few points with serves in about 6 months which was pretty exciting! Right now I'm aiming for Palm Springs [Indian Wells], or Miami, depending on how things shape up. I cannot wait to get back to playing tournaments!" mariasharapova.com (Jan 11, 2009) 2008 Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from the 2009 Australian Open. Maria said: "I am very sorry to announce that I am not going to be able to defend my title at this year’s Australian Open. My shoulder is doing great, but I just started training a few weeks ago and I am just not near the level I need to be to compete at the highest levels." AO story The loss of the 2000 ranking points from her 2008 Australian Open title will mean that Maria will likely drop out of the top 10 in the WTA rankings, but remain well within the top 20. Maria's torn right shoulder rotator cuff tendon, originally injured last March, was not healing properly by October. So on October 15, Maria had arthroscopic surgery in New York. On Dec 30, Maria said: "The procedure was successful and very simple. I left the hospital a few hours after the procedure and flew to my home in Florida for 3 days and then I flew back to Phoenix to start working on my shoulder... Dr. Altcheck thought my recovery would be very fast and he was right. I had full range of motion after 14 days, after 6 weeks I was throwing a football and after 8 weeks I was back on the court where I belong... "I am trying to do everything possible to be ready for Australia, but I have promised my doctors, coach and family that I will not rush back. Since I only started practicing 16 days ago... But the great news is that we have taken care of the problem that has been bothering me so much over the last couple of years..." mariasharapova.com (Oct 2, 2008) Former WTA # 1 Maria Sharapova is out for the rest of the season due to a torn right shoulder rotator cuff tendon. On her website, Maria said: "I've been progressing really well, but the recovery is taking a lot longer than I had selfishly planned. Therefore, my team and I decided to `shut it down' for the season." (Aug 1, 2008) # 3 Maria Sharapova will withdraw from the 2008 US Open (Aug 25) as well as from the Beijing Olympics, because she has a torn right shoulder rotator cuff tendon. Maria had been unknowingly playing with the tendon torn since April. Maria withdrew from the Rogers Cup in Montreal on Wednesday evening after aggravating the ongoing right shoulder injury while defeating # 58 Marta Domachowska, 7-5, 5-7, 6-2. Maria had an MRI scan on Thursday, which disclosed two small tendon tears in her shoulder. Maria was thus forced to withdraw from next week's 2008 Olympics in Beijing. On her official website on Friday, Maria said: "Well my 24 hour medical tour came to an end yesterday after I met [in New York] with Dr. David Altchek who is the premier shoulder doctor in the world. He looked at all my tests from April and today and informed me that I have been playing with a moderate tear in my rotator cuff tendon since April. He actually couldn't believe that I've been playing this long with this injury. You can imagine that I was not very thrilled to hear that my medical team did not see this tear in my shoulder back in April. "The good news is that it didn't get much worse since April but we could have started the healing time back then instead of now. "He does not believe that I need surgery and is sending me to work with a specialist in Arizona next week to do extensive rehab and strength work and he believes that I should be ready to play in 2-3 months." Maria has struggled with right shoulder problems for over three years. In a newsletter from her website dated July 29, Maria said: "[After Wimbledon] I spent many hours of each day working with Prince on different rackets and string. Ever since Indian Wells and that backhand incident, I haven't been able to get my arm up and close to my head without some sort of impingement and grinding... so I've been trying different rackets with different weight balances that are a bit more flexible and the strings looser to get as much tension away from my arm as possible. "So for the last week I have been playing with a new frame...I'm usually very sensitive to any minor changes and we usually do this in the off season, but we really had no choice this time. Apart from that I spent a good ten or so days concentrating on my fitness and in the last week been playing a few practice matches etc." (Jul 31, 2008) 3rd-seeded # 3 Maria Sharapova withdrew from the Rogers Cup in Montreal on Wednesday evening after aggravating an ongoing right shoulder injury while defeating # 58 Marta Domachowska, 7-5, 5-7, 6-2. Maria will have an MRI scan on Thursday, and then decide if she must withdraw from next week's 2008 Olympics in Beijing to give her shoulder time to heal before the US Open. Maria said: "It's obviously unfortunate. You try to do every little possible thing you can. But at the end of the day when you go on court and you're thinking about aggravating things, you're thinking about an injury, it's not really the way to play. It's tough to go on court and not be close to even 50 per cent. I'm too good of a player to go out there and try to fight through something that can eventually become something serious." Maria has struggled with right shoulder problems for over three years. In a newsletter from her official website dated July 29, Maria said: "[After Wimbledon] I spent many hours of each day working with Prince on different rackets and string. Ever since Indian Wells and that backhand incident, I haven't been able to get my arm up and close to my head without some sort of impingement and grinding... so I've been trying different rackets with different weight balances that are a bit more flexible and the strings looser to get as much tension away from my arm as possible. So for the last week I have been playing with a new frame...I'm usually very sensitive to any minor changes and we usually do this in the off season, but we really had no choice this time. Apart from that I spent a good ten or so days concentrating on my fitness and in the last week been playing a few practice matches etc." (April 1-4, 2008 revised) Maria Sharapova has entered both the Bausch & Lomb Championships at Amelia Island, April 7-13, and the Family Circle Cup at Charleston, April 14-20. Maria had withdrawn from the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami to rest her sore right shoulder. (March 21-27, 2008 re-revised) # 5 Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from the Sony Ericsson Open citing a right shoulder injury, which, apparently, is not major. After her first loss of the year (to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the Indian Wells semifinals) on Friday, Maria said: "...My body is kind of hurting a little bit." Shoulder pain, which kept Maria sidelined often from 2005-2007, occured during her 4th round win over Alona Bondarenko. Maria's agent, Max Eisenbud of IMG, said: "She's going to take a week off and not play any tennis... It was nothing major, but after everything that happened last year, she was a little scared... She has a very loose shoulder. It helps with the serve because she gets that extra whip, but the problem is that when fluid gets in there it's very hard to treat and hard to get out." South Florida Sun-Sentinel story At Key Biscayne on Wednesday, Maria said: "I think I sort of jammed it a little bit, so I wanted to give it some rest... There are good things and bad things to having a loose shoulder. I'm very flexible and my joints are very loose. In a way that's very good because your body is not tight, but on the other hand you're very loose and more prone to getting injured." interview transcript About requesting a wild card for either of the two tourneys following Miami, at Amelia Island and Charleston, Maria said: "If I'm ready, and if I've had a good week or nine days of practice, then I would definitely consider taking those wildcards." (Oct 15, 2007) # 4 Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from the Zurich Open due to a right shoulder injury which has troubled her all year. Maria was the Zurich champ in 2006, and the withdrawal means she will have no chance to "defend" the ranking points she earned there last year (ranking points last 52 weeks, and are then subtracted from a player's total). Maria also won the following week's tourney in Linz, Austria, last year. As she has not yet clinched a place in the season-ending WTA Championships, if she cannot play in Linz next week, she might be done for the season--which would, at least, give her shoulder a couple of months to heal. Maria said: "I'm very sorry to be missing the Zurich Open. I really wanted to play here, but my health comes before my ranking." tourney story (Jul 9, 2007) Due to a lingering right shoulder injury, # 2 Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from the Fed Cup semifinals July 14-15. The USA is hosting Russia at Stowe, Vermont. On her official website, Maria said: "I still have a tremendous amount of swelling in the area." Doctors have told Maria to rest for 10 days. Elena Vesnina will replace Maria on Team Russia. Elena's teammates are slated to be Svetlana Kuznetsova, Anna Chakvetadze, and Nadia Petrova, but Sporting Life reports that Svetlana also has a shoulder problem and that Russian captain Shamil Tarpischev says Svetlana is "a long shot" to play. (May 10, 2007) # 2 Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from next week's Italian Open in Rome due to an ongoing right shoulder injury which has plagued her since January, as described below. Right shoulder problems also impaired Maria's performance and forced her to miss several events in 2005. On her official website, Maria said: "I am going to have to pull out of Rome today, my body is slowly getting better but in no way will I be ready to play in Rome. It is such a shame because I like playing in Rome and I have to pull out two years in a row. I just want to let my fans know that I am doing everything possible to be ready to play the French Open." Unless Maria makes a late entry into Strasbourg or Istanbul, she will have no clay court match play to prepare her for Roland Garros. (Apr 3, 2007) # 2 Maria Sharapova will be sidelined for 5 to 6 weeks due to right shoulder and left hamstring injuries. Maria has withdrawn from next week's Family Circle Cup in Charleston, and will also not be able to make her planned Fed Cup debut for Russia against Spain on April 21-22. In a statement on her official website, Maria said: "I haven't wanted to talk a lot about my injuries, but I'm afraid it has become obvious that I am having some problems with my right shoulder and left hamstring. "I hurt my shoulder right before I started playing in Hong Kong [at the Watson's Water Challenge in January], and kept hoping that I could work through it. I was told by doctors I had pretty severe inflammation, but decided to give it a shot. I think the anti-inflams and treatment helped me get through H.K and Australia. Unfortunately, my shoulder hasn't been able to be normal on its own, without the medicine. "My doctors have a positive outlook, despite telling me I cannot play for a while. They said I must drop out of the next two events, but they are confident that, with five or six weeks of rest, I will be ready for the next events. "I am especially bummed about the Fed Cup, as I was looking forward to playing in Moscow, and representing my country in a team environment for the first time. I will be speaking with the Russian Federation soon about future matches. The Family Circle Cup is always a great event, and a tournament I look forward to competing in again. "It's difficult for me to take time off from tennis, but the first thing is my health and that's something that I have made a big priority in my career. I can only look forward to getting back on the court ASAP. Thanks, as always, for your support." (Oct 4, 2006) # 3 Maria Sharapova has announced on her official website that she will play for Russia in the 1st round of Fed Cup competition next year. Spain will play Russia in Moscow in the 1st (quarterfinal) round of World Group play, April 22-23. It will be Maria's first participation in Fed Cup play. Maria's compatriot Elena Dementieva said: "If [Maria] plays it's going to be very helpful for the team. She's a very strong player and we have a lot of chances to win if she's playing." Reuters story Maria's father Yuri is boisterous at matches to a point that many people find offensive and distracting. But, Elena said: "I don't see any problems with her father. He's an emotional guy but it is nothing to do with his daughter. Maria is a nice girl and I don't see any problems." (Aug 28, 2006 updated 1/2007) # 4 Maria Sharapova has signed a new racquet endorsement contract with Prince which will pay her around $25 million dollars over the next 10 years. Maria's previous deal with Prince, a five-year contract, was signed when she was 14 years old, and due to expire. Maria currently uses Prince's O3 White model. The deal includes a base pay, plus incentives for high rankings and tournament performance. Maria also has endorsement contracts with Gatorade & Tropicana, Colgate-Palmolive, Motorola, Parlux Fragrances, Canon, watchmaker TAG Heuer, Land Rover, Nike, and others, plus Japan-only deals with Honda & Pepsi, which make her the highest-paid female athlete in the world, earning an estimated $25 to $30 million a year. (Sep 24, 2005) # 1 Maria Sharapova retired from her semifinal match at the China Open in Beijing due to an ongoing right pectoral muscle strain. Maria's friend and compatriot Maria Kirilenko was leading 6-4, 2-1 when Sharapova found she could no longer play. Sharapova's injury is the same one that forced her to withdraw from the Los Angeles tourney in August, and slowed her service speeds at the US Open. Maria Sharapova said: "Even if I couldn't walk I'd want to finish the match. It's something that I can't control. It's a very mysterious injury... comes on unexpectedly from day to day... I'm very disappointed, obviously. With every shot, with every forehand and serve I hit, it got worse and worse... it's very painful. I had an MRI in L.A. and they said it was just a muscle problem or inflammation. It's kind of up and down and it comes unexpectedly. I took a week and half off to get ready for the U.S. Open and after all that it was still not better, so that's a concern." AP story (Aug 23, 2004) The New Haven Register has published a good background article (free registration required) on 17-year-old Wimbledon champ & current WTA # 7 Maria Sharapova. The article says that Maria's father Yuri Sharapov took Maria, already training at the Bollettieri Academy in Bradenton, Florida, to Robert Lansdorp in California for additional coaching because he had taught 6'2½" Lindsay Davenport such good strokes, and it was clear Maria would also be very tall (6'0"). About coaching Maria, Lansdorp said: "In the six years since she first came to see me, she has never walked off the court in a bad mood. Never. But she’s also so determined, so focused." Lansdorp has recently had Maria working (in Bradenton, where she still resides) with former ATP pro Mauricio Hadad, a player who ran everything down. Lansdorp said: "He’s capable of making her work hard for her points, which is what she needs. She needs to get into position to hit 10 or 15 balls in a row, not just four or five." |
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 Agnieszka Radwanska is shown while defeating Jill Craybas 6-2, 1-6, 7-6(4), in the final of the Pattaya Women's Open on Feb 10, 2008, to win her 2nd WTA singles title. |
WTA bio page ITF: Agnieszka Radwanska career record Agnieszka Radwanska record at The WTA since 1996 radwanskaagnieszka.blog.onet.pl unofficial website Agnieszka Radwanska Interview Transcripts |
| Winner of 9 WTA Tour singles titles: | Finalist (2): | Semifinalist (15): | |
| 2012 | Miami, Dubai | Madrid, Stuttgart, Doha, Sydney | |
| 2011 | Beijing, Tokyo, San Diego | Toronto, Stuttgart | |
| 2010 | San Diego | Stanford, Dubai, Indian Wells | |
| 2009 | Beijing | Linz, Tokyo PPO | |
| 2008 | Eastbourne, Istanbul, Pattaya City | Stockholm, Linz, Doha | |
| 2007 | Stockholm, ITF/Biella-ITA | ||
| 2006 | Luxembourg | ||
| 2005 | ITF/Warsaw 2-POL |
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Agnieszka Radwanska was born in Krakow, Poland, and still resides there. Agnieszka and her sister Urszula (1 year 9 months younger, ranked # 211 as of this writing) are coached by their father, Robert, who travels with them on the WTA Tour. Their mother, Marta, is an accountant. Agnieszka began playing tennis at age 4, and grew up playing at a club in Gronau, Germany, where Robert was club pro. Agnieszka won the Wimbledon juniors title in 2005. Agnieszka is a baseliner who prefers her forehand; her favorite surface is clay. She wears Lotto attire, Nike Air Max Breathe Free II shoes, and swings a Babolat Drive Z Tour racquet, a control bat with a 100 sq." head, weighing 10.1 ounces. |
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 Petra Kvitova is shown driving a forehand while defeating Samantha Stosur 7-6(5), 6-3 in the 3rd round of the Australian Open in Melbourne on January 22, 2011. |
WTA bio page ITF: Petra Kvitova career record Kvitova record at The WTA since 1996 Petra Kvitova Interview Transcripts |
| Winner of 7 WTA Tour singles titles: | Finalist (2): | |
| 2011 | WTA Champs, Linz, Wimbledon, Madrid, Paris Indoor, Brisbane | Eastbourne |
| 2010 | ||
| 2009 | Hobart | Linz |
| 2008 | ITF/Monzon-ESP | |
| 2007 | ITF/Stuttgart 1-GER, ITF/Prague Pruhonice-CZE, ITF/Prerov 2-CZE, ITF/Valasske Mezirici-CZE | |
| 2006 | ITF/Szeged-HUN, ITF/Valasske Mezirici-CZE |
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Petra Kvitova was born in Bilovec, Czech Republic, and resides in Fulnek. Petra was intoduced to tennis by father, Jiri (a teacher), her mother is Pavla, and she has two brothers: Jiri (an engineer) and Libor (a teacher). A baseliner whose favorite shots are her serve and backhand, Petra is coached by David Kotyza; her fitness coach is Jozef Ivanko. She trains at same club as Tomas Berdych and Lucie Safarova. As of 2012, Petra's bat is the Wilson BLX Steam 100. Petra speaks Czech and English; she likes comedy films and pop music, her favorite foods are pasta and sushi, her favorite beverage is apple juice. Other sports interests include basketball, volleyball. Petra's favorite city to visit is Melbourne. |
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 Samantha Stosur of Australia celebrates after defeating Sorana Cirstea 6-1, 6-3 in their quarterfinal of the French Open at Roland Garros on June 3, 2009. |
WTA bio page ITF: Samantha Stosur career record Samantha Stosur record at The WTA since 1996 SamStosur.com Samantha Stosur Interview Transcripts |
| WTA Tour singles titles (3): | Finalist (11): | Semifinalist (13): | |
| 2012 | Doha | Charleston | |
| 2011 | US Open | Osaka, Toronto, Rome | WTA Champs, Eastbourne, Stuttgart |
| 2010 | Charleston | Roland Garros, Stuttgart | Doha WTA Championships, Stanford, Eastbourne, Indian Wells |
| 2009 | Osaka | Los Angeles | Stanford, Roland Garros |
| 2008 | Seoul | Eastbourne | |
| 2007 | |||
| 2006 | Prague | New Haven | |
| 2005 | Gold Coast, Sydney | ||
| 2004 | Gold Coast | ||
| 2003 | |||
| 2002 | |||
| 2001 | ITF/Ibaraki-JPN, ITF/Osaka-JPN, ITF/Kyoto-JPN, ITF/Cairns-AUS |
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Samantha Stosur was born in Brisbane, Australia, and resides in nearby Gold Coast. Also known as "Sammy," "Sam," or "Samoid," she began playing tennis at age 8. Her father is Tony, her mother Dianne, and she has two brothers, Daniel and Dominic as well as a dog named Billy. Samantha swings a Babolat Pure Storm racquet, a 27" bat with a 98 sq" string area, weighing 10.9 oz strung, stiffness rating 62, balanced 3 points head light. Sam's tailor, previously adidas and then Lacoste, is now Asics. Sam is coached by Rene Moller. She has a fine serve and excellent forehand, both of which utilize a lot of spin, particularly her kick serve. After defeating Samantha in the 2009 French Open semifinals, Svetlana Kuznetsova said: "[Samantha has] been playing great, so I expected very tough match. She serves great. I mean, I been playing ball from the second floor up here [due to the high bounce from the spin Samantha puts on the ball]. It was not very comfortable. I had to play two meters behind [the baseline]... The spin which Sam puts on the ball is really difficult." postmatch interview. Samantha is also a great doubles player; she reached the # 1 ranking in doubles in 2006, and has won 22 WTA doubles titles, including the 2006 French Open and 2005 US Open titles, both partnered with Lisa Raymond. |
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 Serena Williams hoisted the trophy after defeating Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 7-5, in the final of the US Open on Sunday, Sep 7, 2008. It was Serena's 9th Grand Slam singles title. |
Venus & Serena Williams Wallpaper WTA bio page ITF: Serena Williams career record Serena Williams record at The WTA since 1996 VenusSerenaFans.com Interview-Feature Aug 19, 2007, International Herald Tribune Serena Williams Interview Transcripts At the 2002 WTA Champ's: fastest serve: 117 MPH; avg 1st serves: 99-100 MPH |
| Winner of 41 WTA Tour singles titles: | Finalist (15): | Semifinalist (16): | |
| 2012 | Madrid, Charleston | ||
| 2011 | Toronto, Stanford | US Open | |
| 2010 | Wimbledon, Australian Open | Sydney | Rome |
| 2009 | Doha YEC, Wimbledon, Australian Open | Miami | US Open, Toronto, Dubai, Paris Indoor, Sydney |
| 2008 | US Open, Charleston, Miami, Bangalore | Wimbledon | Stanford |
| 2007 | Miami, Australian Open | Moscow | |
| 2006 | Los Angeles, Cincinnati | ||
| 2005 | Australian Open | ||
| 2004 | Beijing, Miami | WTA Champ's, Los Angeles, Wimbledon | Rome |
| 2003 | Wimbledon, Miami, Paris Indoors, Australian Open | Charleston | Roland Garros, Rome |
| 2002 | Leipzig, Tokyo Princess Cup, US Open, Wimbledon, Roland Garros, Miami, Scottsdale, Italian Open | WTA Champ's, German Open | Sydney |
| 2001 | WTA Champ's; Indian Wells, Canadian Open | US Open | |
| 2000 | Hannover, Los Angeles, Tokyo outdoor | Paris Indoors, Canadian Open | Wimbledon |
| 1999 | US Open, Paris Indoors, Indian Wells, Los Angeles, Grand Slam Cup | Miami | |
| 1998 | Sydney | ||
| 1997 | Chicago |
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After recovering from knee injury and surgery in August 2003, Serena Williams was less consistent than before. Serena won 8 titles in 2002, her biggest year, and 4 titles in 2003, but won only 2 tourneys or fewer each year from 2004 to 2007. However, in 2008, Serena appeared to have left her injury problems mostly, if not entirely, behind her. Serena has a huge contract to wear Nike togs (she was formerly of the Puma persuasion) and she swings a Wilson K Factor KBlade Team 104" bat. Serena's former racquets have included the Hyper Hammer 6.2 (with a 110 sq." head), and the nCode N3 (with a 113" head, weighing 9.4 ounces and balanced head-heavy). Serena reportedly has her bats strung (at about 67 lbs) with Wilson 16-gauge Natural Gut. Serena is coached by her father Richard; she and sister Venus did spend some time at the Bollettieri Academy in Bradenton, Florida, way back in the 20th century. Serena's agent is Jill Smoller at the William Morris Agency. (May 13, 2011) Former WTA #1s Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Dinara Safina have withdrawn from the 2011 French Open. Serena is still recovering from a foot injury incurred last year, and a pulmonary embolism; she hopes to be ready to play at Wimbledon. Venus is not yet ready to play due to a hip injury that has kept her offcourt since January; she hopes to be ready to play at Eastbourne, a week before Wimbledon (Tennis.com ticker). Dinara is taking an indefinite break from tennis due to recurring low back injuries. Serena tweeted: "My thanks to all of you guys for the love and support. I will miss Paris, however, I am working hard to make my return unforgettable." Serena Williams at Twitter - AP story (Apr 12, 2011) Former WTA #1 Serena Williams resumed oncourt training today, and posted a photo of it: photo posted by Serena Williams at TwitPic. (Mar 7, 2011) WTA #1 Caroline Wozniacki paid a visit to former #1 Serena Williams in Los Angeles before going to Indian Wells for the WTA tourney there. The Danish paper Ekstra Bladet reports that Caroline said: "As always [Serena] was a lot of fun to be with. She looked good, but of course she has a lot of things that need to be checked up on. But she is in a good spirits." (Mar 2, 2011) Former WTA #1 Serena Williams has been treated for a pulmonary embolism. Serena's spokesman, Nicole Chabot, told People Magazine "Monday Serena Williams underwent emergency treatment at Cedars [Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles] for a hematoma she suffered as a result of treatment for a more critical situation... Last week, Serena suffered from a pulmonary embolism [a blood clot in the lungs] which was discovered upon her return to L.A. She had been in New York for doctor appointments for the ongoing issues with her foot... Doctors are continuing to monitor her situation closely to avoid additional complications." People.com story (Nov 26, 2010) WTA #4 (and former #1) Serena Williams has withdrawn from the 2011 Australian Open, and from the pre-Aussie Open Hopman Cup in Perth, Australia. Serena said: "While I desperately want to be back on the court and competing in the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, it is imperative for my health that I continue to work with my doctors to ensure my foot heals properly." AP story Serena cut her feet on broken glass at a restaurant in Europe in July, causing her to miss this year's US Open. She was to return to play at Linz, Austria, in October, but withdrew after reinjuring her right foot while training in Florida. On Oct 11, in a post on her official website, Serena said: "I am likely out for the year now... In order not to make this worse, I have to chill on my physical workouts but I will immediately begin rehabbing as soon as I get the Doc's OK." AP story Serena's injuries originally required 18 stiches, 12 on her right foot and 6 on her left foot, and surgery on her right foot to repair a torn toe tendon. USA Today interview Serena cut her foot after her Wimbledon title victory on July 3, and the injury was at first not thought to be serious. Serena then lost to Kim Clijsters in an exhibition in Belgium on July 8. Asked how she was able to play the exhibition with the injury, Serena said: "Those Belgian doctors and waffles." Serena underwent surgery in Los Angeles on July 15. Serena had previously withdrawn from three tourneys leading up to the US Open and from all of her 2010 World Team Tennis matches due to the injury. AP story - July 20 AP update - original AP story (Dec 8, 2008) # 2 Serena Williams has withdrawn from the ITF Hopman Cup citing a hamstring injury incurred at the 2008 WTA Championships. Serena has been replaced by former # 11 Meghann Shaughnessy, who missed almost all of last year due to a left knee injury. Serena says she will be ready to play before the Australian Open. (Jul 12, 2007) # 7 Serena Williams has withdrawn from the July 14-15 US vs Russia Fed Cup semifinal, and from next week's Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open in Mason (Cincinnati), Ohio, due to a left hand injury she incurred at Wimbledon. Serena sprained her left thumb during her 4th round victory over Daniela Hantuchova on July 4. # 41 Meilen Tu has replaced Serena on the US Fed Cup roster. AP story (Oct 7, 2005) # 11 Serena Williams, still troubled by left ankle and knee problems, has withdrawn from the Zurich and Philadelphia tourneys, and will not play again until 2006. Serena said: "My doctors advised me my leg needs to fully recover in order to play at the level I'm accustomed to." BBC story (Aug 6, 2005) # 7 Serena Willams has withdrawn from the JPMorgan Chase Open which begins August 8 in Los Angeles. Serena is still troubled by a injured left ankle which she incurred last April in the quarterfinals of the Bausch & Lomb Championships at Amelia Island, Florida. The injury caused Serena to miss the French Open. After losing in the 3rd round at Wimbledon in June, Serena said that the injury had been a hairline fracture, and that is was still troubling her, although it was not the cause of her defeat. At that time she said that the injury, which was at first called a sprain, had been a hairline fracture. Serena is expected to play in the Rogers AT&T Cup in Toronto, which begins August 15. (May 20, 2005) # 4 Serena Willams has withdrawn from the 2005 French Open. Serena is still troubled by a sprained left ankle which she incurred last month in the quarterfinals of the Bausch & Lomb Championships at Amelia Island, Florida. (Oct 17, 2004) 5th-seeded # 9 Serena Williams withdrew from the Swisscom Challenge in Zurich, still troubled by her left knee, which she had surgery on over a year ago. Although Serena has won 2 tourneys this year after returning from the knee surgery, and said several times that her knee has fully recovered, she has had intermittent relapses of trouble with the knee, causing tourney withdrawals. (Dec 13, 2003) # 3 Serena Williams has signed a deal with Nike that an AP source says will pay her $40 million over 5 years, the largest endorsement contract ever signed by a woman. Earlier reports had suggested that the total could be as high as $55 million (over 8 years), but Serena will have to make ends meet with a mere 40 mil. Serena had been wearing Puma while she moved to the top of the rankings. Serena's sister # 11 Venus Williams signed a similar contract with Reebok in Dec 2000: up to $40 million over 5 years. (Aug. 4, 2003) # 1 Serena Williams had surgery to repair a partial tear in the mid-portion of the quadriceps tendon of her left knee in Los Angeles on Friday, Aug. 1, and will miss the U.S. Open (which starts Aug. 25th). In a statement released by IMG (her agents), Serena's doctor, Los Angeles orthopedic surgeon Rodney Gabriel said: "I expect a 100 percent recovery and Serena's speedy return to competitive tennis." |
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 Marion Bartoli is shown after she defeated world # 1 Justine Henin in their semifinal at Wimbledon on Friday, July 6, 2007. Marion won 1-6, 7-5, 6-1. |
WTA bio page ITF: Marion Bartoli career record Bartoli record at The WTA since 1996 Marion-Bartoli.net (unofficial) Marion Bartoli Interview Transcripts |
| Winner of 7 WTA Tour singles titles: | Finalist (10): | Semifinalist (24): | |
| 2012 | Paris Indoor | Miami, Doha | |
| 2011 | Osaka, Eastbourne | Stanford, Strasbourg, Indian Wells | Roland Garros, Doha, Brisbane |
| 2010 | Eastbourne, Miami | ||
| 2009 | Stanford, Monterrey | Bali T of C, Brisbane | Beijing, Eastbourne, Charleston |
| 2008 | Stanford | Linz, Eastbourne, Paris Indoor | |
| 2007 | Wimbledon, Prague | Luxembourg, Eastbourne, Birmingham, Strasbourg | |
| 2006 | Quebec City, Tokyo Outdoor, Auckland | Bali | Seoul |
| 2005 | ITF/Dubai 2-UAE | Auckland, Quebec City | |
| 2004 | Auckland, Hyderabad, Cincinnati | ||
| 2003 | Canberra | ||
| 2002 | ITF/Columbus-USA, ITF/Poiters-FRA | ||
| 2001 | ITF/Hatfield-GBR, ITF/Torino-ITA, ITF/Koksijde-BEL |
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Marion Bartoli was born in Le Puy en Velay, France, but her address is now Geneva, Switzerland. She is coached by father, Dr. Walter Bartoli, who introduced Marion to tennis at age six. Her mother, Sophie, is a nurse. In addition to tennis, Marion enjoys jet skiing, volleyball, basketball, painting, music, and movies. Marion, who formerly wore Le Coq Sportif and Nike togs, still wears Nike shoes, but is now attired by Lotto. She swings a Prince O3 Red bat. The O3 Red has a 105 sq. in. head, is 27.25" long, weighs 10.3 oz strung, and is evenly balanced, with a stiffness of 68. |
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 Caroline Wozniacki is shown after she defeated Anna Chakvetadze 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, in the final of the Pilot Pen Open at New Haven on August 23, 2008. |
WTA bio page ITF: Caroline Wozniacki career record Wozniacki record at The WTA since 1996 CarolineWozniacki.dk official website Caroline Wozniacki Interview Transcripts New Haven champion 2008-08-23 postmatch interview |
| Winner of 18 WTA Tour singles titles: | Finalist (10): | Semifinalist (10): | |
| 2012 | Miami, Dubai | ||
| 2011 | New Haven, Copenhagen, Brussels, Charleston, Indian Wells, Dubai | Stuttgart, Doha | US Open, Rome, Australian Open |
| 2010 | Beijing, Tokyo, New Haven, Montreal, Copenhagen, Ponte Vedra Beach | Doha WTA Championships, Indian Wells | US Open, Charleston |
| 2009 | New Haven, Eastbourne, Ponte Vedra Beach | US Open, Båstad, Madrid, Charleston, Memphis | Doha YEC, Osaka |
| 2008 | Tokyo (Japan Open), New Haven, Stockholm, ITF/Odense-DEN | Luxembourg | Portoroz |
| 2007 | ITF/Ortisei-ITA, ITF/Las Vegas, NV-USA | Tokyo [Japan Open] | |
| 2006 | ITF/Istanbul 2-TUR |
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Caroline Wozniacki, was born in Odense, Denmark, but her parents are both Polish. Caroline's father, Piotr, was playing professional soccer for a Danish team when Caroline was born. Caroline now resides in Monte Carlo, Monaco, but her parents reside in Poland. Caroline's mother, Anna, played volleyball for Polish national team. Her brother, Patrik, plays pro soccer in Denmark. Since she began playing tennis at age 7, Caroline has been taught by her father, who still travels with and coaches her. Like Ana Ivanovic and some other players who wear "the mark with three stripes," Caroline sometimes receives coaching from Sven Groeneveld of adidas. She has also been coached by Morten Christensen at the national tennis center in Denmark. Caroline typically has 4 hours of tennis and 1 hour of fitness training each day. In late 2011 Caroline hired Ricardo Sanchez, a former coach of Jelena Jankovic, as her coach, but Sanchez was dismissed after the 2012 Australian Open. Caroline then hired former ATP player Maciej Domkę. Caroline won 2005 Orange Bowl juniors tourney, was a 2006 Australian Open junior singles finalist, and won the 2006 Wimbledon juniors singles title. Her favorite players while growing up were Martina Hingis and Steffi Graf. Caroline started 2011 swinging a new Yonex racquet, which replaced her previous Babolat AeroPro Drive. Her Yonex is strung with the same strings she used previously, Babolat Revenge natural gut. She is attired in Stella McCartney fashions by adidas. Offcourt Caroline likes to read, shop, listen to music, and chow down on a good steak. (Oct 22, 2009) The Tennis Integrity Unit, formed last year by the assorted governing bodies of pro tennis, is reportedly investigating the Tuesday, Oct 20, 1st round match in Luxembourg between top-seeded #6 Caroline Wozniacki and #876 Anne Kremer. Caroline retired from the match while leading 7-5, 5-0 due to left hamstring strain. Caroline's coach and father, Piotr, told her at 3-0 in the 2nd set to retire before winning because her injury would prevent her from playing in the next round. Although Caroline was born and raised in Denmark, her parents are Polish, and Piotr's remarks to her were in Polish. Microphones picked up his statements to Caroline, and his remarks were heard by those watching the match in streaming video on the Internet. The result, apparently, was a large amount of money rapidly bet on Anne Kremer. On Danish radio on Thursday, Piotr said: "I went onto the court and said to her: 'Caro, it does not matter whether it's going to be 5-0, 4-1 or 3-2. You can not play the next round, so you shouldn't take the risk.' I'm very proud of Caroline, because she stopped the fight and gave her opponent a chance." In the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet, Caroline said: "So, people bet on my matches. Some win, others lose. I just know that I am clean. It is most important to me. And if anyone is in doubt about my injury, I can both produce scan from the hospital and a report from the tournament physiotherapist." There is little doubt that the incident was unintended by the Wozniackis. The real questions appear to be: 1) Why was Caroline playing at all if she was injured going into the match? (particularly with the WTA Championships next week), and 2) Why did Caroline not retire from the match earlier, at the point when her father made his remarks to her? The fact is that WTA and tournament officials put a lot of pressure on players, particularly "superstars," to play even if injured, and, if they must withdraw or retire, to do so as late as possible. It is likely that the Wozniackis were trying to be helpful to the tourney (and the WTA). Caroline, the top seed, might have withdrawn before the match, a tourney director's nightmare. Instead, she played and retired as late as possible (allowing a local player to advance to the next round), knowing the hamstring strain would have a week to heal before the Championships. Now, for trying to be helpful, they get a deluge of headlines associating their name with a gambling investigation. AP story (Feb 22, 2009) After her loss to Victoria Azarenka in the Memphis final on Saturday, Caroline Wozniacki headed to Las Vegas, Nevada, for two weeks of strength and conditioning coaching from Gil Reyes, former trainer of Andre Agassi. Caroline's next tourney will be at nearby Indian Wells, CA. Memphis Commercial Appeal story |
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 Na Li delivering a forehand while defeating Svetlana Kuznetsova 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the 3rd round at Wimbledon on June 30, 2006. Na then defeated Nicole Vaidisova 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 in the 4th round, becoming the first Chinese woman ever to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal. |
Li Na Wallpaper 9 photos, 5 from Roland Garros 2011 WTA bio page ITF: Na Li career record Na Li record at The WTA since 1996 Na Li Interview Transcripts |
| Winner of 5 WTA Tour singles titles: | Finalist (5): | Semifinalist (17): | |
| 2012 | Sydney | ||
| 2011 | Roland Garros, Sydney | Australian Open | New Haven, Rome, Madrid |
| 2010 | Birmingham | Beijing, Copenhagen, Warsaw, Australian Open | |
| 2009 | Birmingham, Monterrey | Tokyo PPO | |
| 2008 | Gold Coast | Antwerp, Doha, Olympics, Luxembourg | |
| 2007 | Sydney, Indian Wells | ||
| 2006 | Estoril | Berlin | |
| 2005 | Estoril | Hobart, Rabat, Bali | |
| 2004 | Guangzhou, ITF/Beijing 1-CHN, ITF/Tongliao-CHN, ITF/Wulanhaote-CHN, ITF/Beijing 2-CHN, ITF/Shenzhen 1-CHN | ||
| 2003 | |||
| 2002 | ITF/Midland, MI-USA | ||
| 2001 | ITF/Ho Chi Minh City-VIE, ITF/Guangzhou-CHN | ||
| 2000 | ITF/Boca Raton, FL-USA, ITF/Nanjing 1-CHN, ITF/Nanjing 2-CHN, ITF/Shenyang-CHN, ITF/Dalian-CHN, ITF/Seoul 1-KOR, ITF/Ho Chi Minh City-VIE, ITF/Civitanova-ITA | ||
| 1999 | ITF/Shenzhen 1-CHN, ITF/Shenzhen 2-CHN, ITF/Westende-BEL |
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Na Li (sometimes written in the Chinese order, Li Na; Li is her family name, Na her personal name) was born and resides in Wuhan, Hubei, China. Na's mother, Yan-Ping, is an accountant. Na began playing badminton at age six, and has said she could be world champion at that sport, but she prefers to play tennis, which she began playing at age 8. Na also enjoys swimming and reading. Na has been coached by Bjorn Hilberg; in 2009 & 2010 her coaches were her husband, Jiang Shan, and Swede Thomas Hogstedt. In early 2011, Hogstedt left Na to coach Maria Sharapova, leaving Na's husband as her primary coach until April, when she began working with Michael Mortensen. Na's favorite surface is hard court. She wears Nike and swings a Babolat Pure Drive Standard bat. (Jan 27, 2010) The Chinese National Tennis Federation formerly managed the careers of all Chinese players, collecting their earnings and then giving the players a percentage. Na and three other players including Jie Zeng have been released from this system, manage their own careers, and keep most of their earnings. Na's agent is Max Eisenbud at IMG (who also represents Maria Sharapova). After her 2nd round win at the 2010 Australian Open, Na said: "If they need me, I can take everything back to the national team. I would like to say thank you for Federation that gave me choice... I also can [choose the tournaments I play in]. If I'm lazy, I can take a day or week off." postmatch interview After her quarterfinal win over Venus Williams, a reporter surprised Na by asking "Until last year, you were paying 60% to the Federation, and now only 12%; is that correct?" to which Na said: "How did you know that?... It's true." postmatch interview |
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 Vera Zvonareva serves to Francesca Schiavone of Italy while defeating her 6-3, 6-3 in their quarterfinal of the Italian Open in Rome on May 14, 2004. |
WTA bio page ITF: Vera Zvonareva career record Vera Zvonareva record at The WTA since 1996 Zvonareva.ru official Zvonareva.com Vera Zvonareva Interview Transcripts |
| Winner of 12 WTA Tour singles titles: | Finalist (18): | Semifinalist (27): | |
| 2011 | Baku, Doha | Tokyo, San Diego | WTA Champs, Cincinnati, Brussels, Miami, Pattaya City, Australian Open |
| 2010 | Pattaya City | Beijing, US Open, Montreal, Wimbledon, Charleston | Doha WTA Championships |
| 2009 | Indian Wells, Pattaya City | Australian Open | |
| 2008 | Guangzhou, Prague | Doha WTA Championships, Linz, Moscow, Charleston, Hobart, Doha | Beijing (China Open), Beijing Olympics (bronze), Miami |
| 2007 | Auckland | Charleston, Luxembourg, Québec City; | |
| 2006 | Birmingham, Cincinnati | Auckland | Hasselt |
| 2005 | Memphis | Rome | |
| 2004 | Memphis | Philadelphia, Cincinnati | Beijing, Montreal, San Diego, Eastbourne, Rome, Warsaw |
| 2003 | Bol | Linz, Vienna | |
| 2002 | ITF/Naples-USA | Palermo | Warsaw, Sopot |
| 2001 | |||
| 2000 | ITF/Moscow-RUS | ||
| 1999 | ITF/Tbilisi-GEO |
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Vera Zvonareva was born and resides in Moscow, Russia. Her mother, Natalia, is a former Olympic bronze medalist in field hockey. Vera began playing tennis at age 6. She was coached by Julia Kashevarova, and then by Lex Carrington, who at times left the court when Vera got very upset with herself after making errors (oncourt Vera is visibly one of the most self-critical players on the WTA Tour, a marked contrast to her bright-eyed cheerful attitude offcourt). In early 2006, Samuel Sumyk, a Frenchman residing in Florida, who has also worked with Meilen Tu and Elena Likhovtseva, became Vera's coach. In the Summer of 2010, Vera had no full time coach. In 2011, Sergey Demekhine coached Vera for a while; in April, 2011, Russki writer Vladas Lasitskas reported that Karen Krotov had become Vera's only coach. Vera trains at the Bollettieri Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Vera formerly swung a Fischer Pro No. One FT, and reportedly strung her bats with 16-gauge Kirschbaum Super Smash Spiky, a polyester monofilament with a textured outer wrap. In 2007 Vera began chopping with a Prince O3 White axe, and using Gamma Live Wire Professional, strung at about 64 lbs. As of 2010, Vera has been swinging a Prince Prince EXO Black racquet, still strung with Gamma string, now at the relatively low tension of 53 lbs on the mains and 55lbs on the crosses. She once wore adidas, then Body Armour, then KSwiss; her current tailor is Fila. Vera's agent was John Tobias of SFX Sports Group, but in April, 2009, she signed with IMG. Vera's IMG "tennis management team" is led by Ben Crandell in Bradenton, Florida. Vera, who likes traveling, strawberries, volleyball, hockey, reading and listening to music, speaks very fluent English. (Jan 8, 2010) #9 Vera Zvonareva withdrew from an exhibition match against Victoria Azarenka in Hong Kong on Friday due to a recurrance of a right ankle injury. Vera said: "I had surgery at the end of last year and I had a problem after I played Ayumi and I tweaked it a little bit and it is just too sore to compete tonight. I am enjoying my time in Hong Kong, but unfortunately it is not possible to play. But hopefully I can rest it another 24 hours and we will see how it goes and I hope I make it to the court for my mixed doubles tomorrow... "I am hopeful that I can be 100% recovered for the Australian Open. It is hard to say at the moment, but I am trying to take it as easy as possible so I can compete in the Australian Open." Press Association Sport story (Nov 15, 2009) #9 Vera Zvonareva underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove scar tissue from her right ankle in the Netherlands on Wednesday, November 11. Vera, 2009 Indian Wells champion, tore ligaments in her right ankle at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston on April 16, while playing Virginie Razzano in a third round match. Vera did not play again until Eastbourne, and she reinjured the ankle at Wimbledon while playing in the 1st round of doubles. The injury troubled her for the rest of the season. On her official website, Vera said: "I am lying in bed in my hotel in Amsterdam. I had an ankle surgery. All seem to be fine; no pain in my leg so far but certainly there is some inconvenience. "The surgery was done in one of Rotterdam’s clinics, so on Thursday I had to move to Amsterdam... At present I walk on crutches... I hope that by Australian Open I’ll be on-stream... "I will try to walk onto a court only when I am completely recovered. I plan to stay in Amsterdam for two weeks... After this I am going to Florida where I will get busy with physical training to start with. Besides I am going to meet with my coach Sam to discuss our further plans." Vera's website diary - AP story (May 8, 2009) # 6 Vera Zvonareva has withdrawn from the Madrid Open due to torn right ankle ligaments which she incurred in a fall at the Family Circle Cup last month in Charleston. Vera has missed all events since then, and it is feared she will have to withdraw from this year's French Open. (Jun 18, 2007) # 19 Vera Zvonareva has withdrawn from Wimbledon due to the same left wrist injury which has been troubling her for months. (May 24, 2007 revised) # 17 Tatiana Golovin (right foot), # 19 Vera Zvonareva (left wrist), and # 32 Shuai Peng (left ankle), have unfortunately all joined # 6 Martina Hingis (right hip, leg & back) in withdrawing from next week's French Open due to injuries. # 89 (and former # 11) Karolina Sprem has also withdrawn; the reason for Karolina's withdrawal is not yet known. (Aug 23, 2005) # 19 Vera Zvonareva from Moscow, Russia, has withdrawn from the 2005 US Open due to a sprained left ankle. |
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 Angelique Kerber is shown after she defeated #3 Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-4, in the quarterfinals of the GDF Suez Open at Paris on February 10, 2012. |
WTA bio page ITF: Angelique Kerber career record Kerber record at The WTA since 1996 Angelique Kerber official website Angelique Kerber Interview Transcripts |
| Winner of 2 WTA Tour singles titles: | Finalist (1): | |
| 2012 | Copenhagen, Paris Indoor | |
| 2011 | ||
| 2010 | Bogotá | |
| 2009 | ITF/Pozoblanco-ESP | |
| 2008 | ITF/Madrid-ESP, ITF/Saint Raphael-FRA; | |
| 2007 | ITF/Saguenay-CAN, ITF/Las Palmas de Gran Canaria-ESP, ITF/Antalya Attaleia 1-TUR, ITF/Prerov-CZE | |
| 2006 | ITF/Saguenay-CAN, ITF/Jersey 2-GBR, ITF/Glasgow-GBR | |
| 2005 | ||
| 2004 | ITF/Opole-POL |
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Angelique Kerber was born in Bremen, Germany, and currently resides in Kiel. Angelique started playing tennis at age 3. Her father's name is Slawek, and she has one sister, Jessica. Her mother, Beata, is also her manager. She is coached by Torben Beltz, and trains at Schuettler/Waske Tennis Academy. Angelique speaks German, Polish and English, and she likes shopping, sleeping, swimming, spending time with friends. |
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 Andrea Petkovic is shown after she defeating #6 Jelena Jankovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, in the quarterfinals of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami on March 29, 2011. |
WTA bio page ITF: Andrea Petkovic career record Andrea Petkovic record at The WTA since 1996 andreapetkovic.de official website in German & English Andrea Petkovic Interview Transcripts |
| Winner of 2 WTA Tour singles titles: | Finalist (3): | Semifinalist (9): | |
| 2011 | Strasbourg | Beijing, Brisbane | Cincinnati, San Diego, Miami |
| 2010 | 's-Hertogenbosch | ||
| 2009 | Bad Gastein, ITF/Bucharest-ROU | ||
| 2008 | ITF/Istanbul 3-TUR | ||
| 2007 | ITF/Contrexeville-FRA | ||
| 2006 | ITF/Sofia 1-BUL | ||
| 2005 | TF/Davos-SUI, ITF/Alphen A/D Rijn-NED | ||
| 2004 | ITF/Antalya 1-TUR, ITF/Podgorica 1-MNE |
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Andrea Petkovic was born in Tuzla, Bosnia, and now resides in Darmstadt, Germany. Andrea began playing at age 6 when her father, Zoran, introduced her to the sport. Her mother, Amira, is a dentist's assistant, her younger sister, Anja, is a student. Andrea, a baseliner whose favorite shot is her forehand and whose favorite surface is clay, is coached by Petar Popovic and trains at Waske-Schüttler-Akademie. She is also coached by her father, Zoran, and, part-time, by Heinz Gunthardt. Andrea's favorite tournament is Stuttgart; her most memorable experience was playing in her first Grand Slam in 2007 at Roland Garros. Andrea's Wilson BLX Six.One Team racquet is 27" long, has a 95" head, weighs 10.7oz strung, and is balanced 3 points head light. Andrea's bats are strung with natural gut for the main strings and Luxilon ALU Power Rough for the cross strings, both at 25kg (55lbs) tension. Andrea's tailor is adidas Andrea speaks French, German, English, and Serbian. She enjoys reading and writing; her favorite authors are Goethe and Wilde; the people she most admires are Goethe (for his genius in writing) and Che Guevara (for his genius in fighting). Andrea also likes eating McDonald's, and watching baseball when in America. Her favorite city is Barcelona. She is self-described as thoughtful, outgoing, and happy. |
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 Sabine Lisicki celebrated after defeating #10 Samantha Stosur 6-3, 7-5, in the 2nd round of the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford on July 28, 2011. |
WTA bio page ITF: Sabine Lisicki career record Lisicki record at The WTA since 1996 Sabine Lisicki official website Sabine Lisicki Interview Transcripts |
| Winner of 3 WTA Tour singles titles: | Finalist (2): | |
| 2011 | Birmingham, Dallas | |
| 2010 | ||
| 2009 | Charleston | Luxembourg |
| 2008 | Tashkent | |
| 2007 | ITF/Jersey 2-GBR, ITF/Toronto-CAN | |
| 2006 |
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Sabine Lisicki was born in Troisdorf, Germany, and resides at Bradenton, FL, where she trains at the Bollettieri Academy. Coached by father, Dr Richard Lisicki ... Mother is Elisabeth (an artist - painting, ceramics); has a Yorkshire Terrier named Happy ... Introduced to tennis at age 7 by father at a club after school ... Favorite shot is serve; likes all surfaces ... Speaks German, English, Polish ... Favorite book is Lance Armstrong's autobiography ... Enjoys pop and R&B music, reading and athletics ... Self-described as happy, hardworking, someone who laughs a lot. |
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 Francesca Schiavone after match point as she defeated Serena Williams in the 2nd round of the Italian Open in Rome on Wednesday, May 11, 2005. Francesca won 7-6(2), 6-1. |
WTA bio page ITF: Francesca Schiavone career record Schiavone record at The WTA since 1996 Francesca Schiavone Interview Transcripts |
| Winner of 4 WTA Tour singles titles: | Finalist (11): | Semifinalist (12): | |
| 2012 | Brisbane | ||
| 2011 | Roland Garros | New Haven, Brussels | |
| 2010 | Roland Garros, Barcelona | Tokyo | |
| 2009 | Moscow | Prague, Osaka | |
| 2008 | Dubai | ||
| 2007 | Bad Gastein | Zurich | |
| 2006 | Luxembourg, Amelia Island, Sydney | ||
| 2005 | Hasselt, Moscow, Bali | Los Angeles | |
| 2004 | Warsaw, Sydney | ||
| 2003 | Canberra | Stanford, Los Angeles | |
| 2002 | |||
| 2001 | Auckland | ||
| 2000 | Tashkent |
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Francesca Schiavone was born in Milan, Italy; she now lives in London, England. Francesca swings a Babolat AeroPro Drive Cortex; she formerly chopped with a Fischer Pro Number One. Francesca's tailor is Lotto (she formerly wore Diadora attire). She is coached by Daniel Panajotti. |
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 Ana Ivanovic held the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen after defeating Dinara Safina, 6-4, 6-3, in the final of the French Open at Roland Garros on June 8, 2008. |
Ana Ivanovic Wallpaper with 5 2008 French Open photos + 1 offcourt portrait WTA bio page ITF: Ana Ivanovic career record Ivanovic record at The WTA since 1996 Ana Ivanovic official website Ana Ivanovic Interview Transcripts June 2008 London Daily Mail Ana Ivanovic Profile 2008 French Open final: # 2 s2 Ana Ivanovic d # 14 s13 Dinara Safina 6-4, 6-3 interview video 2008 French Open final: BBC Highlight Video 2008 French Open final: RG-TV Highlight Video |
| Winner of 11 WTA Tour singles titles: | Finalist (4): | Semifinalist (14): | |
| 2010 | Indian Wells | ||
| 2011 | Bali TOC, | San Diego, Birmingham | |
| 2010 | Bali TOC, Linz | Cincinnati, Rome, Brisbane | |
| 2009 | Canberra | Indian Wells | |
| 2008 | Linz, Roland Garros, Indian Wells | Australian Open | Zurich, Sydney |
| 2007 | Luxembourg, Los Angeles, Berlin | Roland Garros, Tokyo Indoor | Madrid WTA Championships, Wimbledon, Amelia Island |
| 2006 | Montreal | ||
| 2005 | Canberra | Linz, Zurich, Warsaw | |
| 2004 | ITF/Mallorca 2-ESP, ITF/Gifu-JPN, ITF/Fukuoka-JPN, ITF/Fano-ITA, ITF/Batumi-GEO |
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Ana Ivanovic was born in Belgrade, Serbia, and started playing tennis at age 5, after seeing it on TV. Her father Miroslav is an economist; her mother Dragana is a lawyer. Ana now resides in Basel, Switzerland. Ana formerly chopped with a Wilson nTour axe and wore Nike shoes and clothing. In 2006 Ana changed her tailor to adidas, and between Wimbledon and San Diego she began swinging a Wilson nCode nBlade bat. At the beginning of 2008 Ana changed racquets again, and came out swinging the 95" Yonex RQ iS 1 Tour, which she reportedly has strung with Luxilon Big Banger Alu Power strings at about 54 lbs tension. Another report confirms this data for the cross strings, but states that her main strings are Wilson Natural Gut at 56 lbs. Later in the year Ana began using a customized version of this racquet, the "XL" (extra light) model, which weighs 11.6oz strung (compared to 11.9oz for the regular model). Ana's strengths are her serve and her fine forehand. But in a December 26, 2008 interview, Ana said: "I think my backhand has improved a lot, especially since I changed racquets this year. The Yonex gives me a lot more spin, which helps with my backhand. I can hit through it (ball) more freely and control it better. Aside from that, I think my net play has improved a lot and also my movement." Ana likes to play on all surfaces, but likes hardcourts most. Ana won 5 ITF singles titles in 2004, her 2nd year as a pro, then began making a name for herself on the WTA Tour. She was coached by Eric Van Harpen, and then was coached by Zoltan Kuharsky, along with physical trainer Pierre Paganini, from October 2004 until April 2006. After that she was coached by Sven Groeneveld, who collects his pay from adidas and coaches a number of players who have adidas endorsement contracts. On July 17, 2006, Ana began working with Aussie Fed Cup captain David Taylor, who had coached Alicia Molik, Maria Kirilenko, and Maggie Maleeva. After the 2009 Australian Open, Ana began working with Craig Kardon, a former coach of Martina Navratilova, but Kardon was dismissed in early June, 2009. In late February, 2010, Ana hired Heinz Gunthardt, a former coach of Steffi Graf, as her new coach. In November, 2010, Ana dismissed Gunthardt; they were still on friendly terms, but Ana said Gunthardt was unable to give her the full-time attention she wanted. In early 2011 Ana had a "trial period" with Antonio van Grichen of Portugal as her coach, but it did not work out. In July, 2011, Ana hired Nigel Sears, who had previously coached Daniela Hantuchova, then worked for the British LTA, as her coach. Ana has continued to work with Sven Groeneveld in addition to her other coaches along the way. As of late 2009, Ana's fitness coach was Australian Damian Prasad, who had previously worked with Nadia Petrova. In June, 2011, Ana rehired her former fitness coach Scott Byrnes, but she dismissed Byrnes in December. Ana's business manager is Dan Holzman (from Switzerland), and her agent Gavin Versi of Swiss DH Management AG. (October 3, 2009) #11 (and former #1) Ana Ivanovic has withdrawn from the China Open, and will play no more WTA matches this year. 2008 French Open champion Ana is suffering from upper respiratory illness, and says she needs a long break to recover from many small injuries. Ana said: "I guess having to withdraw from Beijing is an appropriate ending to a very disappointing season... My body is quite fragile at the moment, because I over-trained during the first part of the year. This was, I think, what caused me to have many small injuries this season... "I completely changed my serve after Wimbledon. This was because of my shoulder: if I continued serving and training the way I was, I would have almost certainly picked up a serious injury. My team and I are confident that I will be able to go back to my old service motion when I start practising again in November... "I have appointed a new fitness coach, whom I will tell you more about later. Over the next month or so I can have a great break. I can rest without thinking about any future tournaments, then train and practise hard for the new season." Ana's full statement (May 8, 2009) 2008 French Open champion and WTA # 7 Ana Ivanvic has withdrawn from the Madrid Open due to a right knee injury. Ana said: "My knee has been bothering me since the Fed Cup a couple of weeks ago. It’s become more painful with each match so I decided to go and see a specialist in Munich. "Unfortunately he and his staff told me that I need to take a break from playing matches, although I must work hard on my recovery during the next week. It’s very frustrating because I feel that my overall fitness is at its peak, and I have been practising very well. "At the moment there is no danger of me missing Paris: my focus is now on Roland Garros." anaivanovic.com story (Dec 9, 2007) WTA # 4 Ana Ivanovic left Belgrade today on a flight for Sydney, Australia, where she will prepare for the 2008 season. The London Times today has a feature on how Ana has spent ten days practicing at the British Lawn Tennis Association's new £40 million facilities at Roehampton. Ana said: "Living in Serbia is difficult for us players at the moment,” she said. “Firstly there are not good practice facilities, but also we have become so famous that it’s not really comfortable. I got almost mobbed by fans just trying to do some shopping in a supermarket. So I am looking for somewhere as a base and London is a distinct possibility. I love being in the city with all the things there are to do, transport connections are good to anywhere in the world and there is no better place to train." |
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 Maria Kirilenko launched a backhand while defeating Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-3, 6-4 in the final of the Beijing China Open on September 25, 2005. |
WTA bio page ITF: Maria Kirilenko career record Kirilenko record at The WTA since 1996 Maria Kirilenko official website Maria Kirilenko Interview Transcripts |
| Winner of 5 WTA Tour singles titles: | Finalist (5): | Semifinalist (2): | |
| 2012 | Pattaya City | ||
| 2011 | |||
| 2010 | Moscow | ||
| 2009 | Barcelona | ||
| 2008 | Seoul, Barcelona, Estoril | ||
| 2007 | Kolkata | Seoul | |
| 2006 | |||
| 2005 | Beijing | Hyderabad, Tokyo Outdoor | |
| 2004 | ITF/St. Gaudens-FRA | Hyderabad | |
| 2003 | ITF/Boca Raton-USA |
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Maria Kirilenko was born in Moscow and still resides there. Maria's mother's name is Olga; she was introduced to tennis when her father Yuri took her to train at Dinamo Moscow Central Stadium when she was 7. Maria won US Open juniors title in 2002, at age 15, defeating Barbora Strycova in the final, 6-4, 6-4 (she had lost to another Maria, named Sharapova, in the Wimbledon juniors semis that year). The US Open final was Maria's last match as a junior; she turned pro the following month. Maria has been coached by her father, by David Taylor (before he was appointed Australia's Fed Cup captain full-time in February, 2006), and, more recently, by Eric Van Harpen. Maria's current racquet is a Yonex RQ iS 2 Tour, her prior axe was a Yonex RDS 003. Her tailor is adidas. Maria is popular on the WTA Tour. When players, particularly the Russkis, are asked who their friends are on the Tour, her name is frequently mentioned. Maria enjoys reading, watching movies, fishing, cooking, and listening to classical music, particularly Vivaldi, Mozart, Bach and Beethoven. |
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 Dominika Cibulkova is shown after she defeated # 7 Venus Williams in the 3rd round of the Qatar Total Open in Doha on Feb 21, 2008. It was Dominika's first win over a top-10 player. |
WTA bio page ITF: Dominika Cibulkova career record Cibulkova record at The WTA since 1996 DominikaCibulkova.sk official website dominika-cibulkova.com Dominika Cibulkova Interview Transcripts |
| Winner of 1 WTA Tour singles title: | Finalist (3): | Semifinalist (5): | |
| 2011 | Moscow | Linz | Stanford, s'-Hertogenbosch |
| 2010 | Ponte Vedra Beach, Monterrey | ||
| 2009 | (Hopman Cup) | Roland Garros | |
| 2008 | Amelia Island, Montreal | ||
| 2007 | Guangzhou | ||
| 2006 | ITF/Bratislava 2-SVK | ||
| 2005 | ITF/Amarante-POR |
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Dominika Cibulkova was born in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia (just across the Danube from Vienna, Austria), and still resides there. Her favorite cities are Paris, New York and Bratislava. Dominika speaks Slovakian and English. Dominika describes herself as happy person with a lot of energy; not surprisingly, the person most admires is Kim Clijsters. She enjoys listening to music, going to cinema, and spending time with friends. Dominika was introduced to tennis at age 7 by her parents, Katarina Cibulkova and Milan Cibulka. As of 2008, she was coached by a Slovak, Vladimir Platenik, and received off-court training from Maros Molnar. She enjoys playing on both clay and hard courts, and her favorite shot is the swinging volley. |
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 Daniela Hantuchova gave a thumbs up after defeating Elena Dementieva in the semifinals of the JPMorgan Chase Open in Los Angeles, California on, August 13, 2005. Daniela won 6-3, 6-4. |
Daniela Hantuchova Wallpaper WTA bio page ITF: Daniela Hantuchova career record Hantuchova record at The WTA since 1996 DanielaHantuchova.com (Flash req.) Daniela-Hantuchova.org Interview on Real Video 2002 Wimbledon 4th Rd, Daniela (11) def. J. Dokic (7) 6-4, 7-5, July 1, 2002 Interview on Real Video 2002 French Open 4th Rd, Daniela (11) def. T. Panova, 6-3, 6-1, May 31, 2002 Daniela Hantuchova Interview Transcripts At the 2002 WTA Championships: Fastest Serve: 103 MPH Avg 1st Serve Speeds: 96 MPH |
| Winner of 5 WTA Tour singles titles: | Finalist (8): | Semifinalist (18): | |
| 2012 | Pattaya City | Brisbane | |
| 2011 | Pattaya City | Birmingham | |
| 2010 | |||
| 2009 | |||
| 2008 | Bali, Australian Open | ||
| 2007 | Linz, Indian Wells | Luxembourg, Bali | Kolkata, Stanford, 's-Hertogenbosch, Birmingham, Rome |
| 2006 | Zurich | Auckland | |
| 2005 | Los Angeles | Filderstadt, Doha, Cincinnati | |
| 2004 | Eastbourne | ||
| 2003 | Antwerp | ||
| 2002 | Indian Wells | Filderstadt | Eastbourne, Canadian Open, New Haven, Linz |
| 2001 | Oklahoma City, Birmingham | ||
| 2000 | ITF/Bronx-USA | ||
| 1999 | ITF/Jackson-USA, ITF/Fano-ITA | ||
| 1998 |
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Daniela Hantuchova was born in Poprad, Slovakia, but her address is now Monte Carlo, Monaco. Daniela's big break came when she defeated Martina Hingis to win the Indian Wells title in 2002. She continued to play at a high level the rest of that year, and in January, 2003, reached her career-high rank of # 5. By June, 2004, Daniela's rank had fallen to # 54, and false claims were reported in the press that her low weight was due to an eating disorder. Daniela's game gradually improved, and in August, 2005, Daniela reentered the top 20. In March, 2007, she won her 2nd WTA singles title--again at the Tier I Indian Wells tourney. At the 2009 US Open Daniela changed her tailor from Nike to adidas. In 2006 she swung a Yonex Nanospeed RQ-7 bat. In 2007 Daniela signed with Prince, and started out with an all black prototype racquet, which in late spring grew red and white colors and became the new Prince Ozone Seven. The Ozone Seven has a 105 sq" head, is 27.25" long, weighs 10.6 oz strung, and is balanced 1 point head light, with a stiffness of 71 and a swingweight of 325. Earlier reports indicate that Daniela has her bats strung with 16 gauge Babolat VS Natural ThermoGut Touch. Daniela spent a couple of years at the Bollettieri Academy in Florida, as have about a third of the most successful players in the WTA, consequently her agent is someone at IMG, which owns the Academy. She was coached by Nigel Sears from mid-2001 until April 2006, except for a short stretch when she thought it best to try somebody else (Harold Solomon). In April, 2006, Daniela decided to split with Sears a second time. After that, Daniela said: "Basically I'm working with Emilio Sanchez at Casal Academy [in Barcelona, Spain]. There is always someone from the Academy traveling with me. They are Angel Jimenez, Eduardo Nicolas. And so basically every tournament I'm with one of these two guys, plus I have my trainer here, Marco Panichi. It's been like that since last year... I did spend some time in Barcelona, but most of the time I prefer to be in Monte Carlo." March 17, 2007 interview after Indian Wells SF In April, 2009, Larri Passos became Daniela's coach. Daniela's strokes display exemplary form. She says that grass is her favorite surface; her game is also well-suited to hard courts. Daniela also says: "My closest friends on the Tour are probably Martina Hingis, Ana Ivanovic and Ai Sugiyama." Daniela speaks: "Slovak, which is my native language. Obviously, with that you can understand Czech, Croatian a little bit. German, English. Little bit Italian as well." (Dec 7, 2003) Daniela Hantuchova, who reached # 5 in the WTA singles rankings in early 2003 only to have her rank drop to # 19 amid while her weight appeared to drop almost as much, has hired former ATP player Harold Solomon as her new coach, replacing Nigel Sears, whom she dismissed in late October. Solomon was coaching Anna Kournikova in 2002 and much of 2003, until Anna's low back trouble made it apparent she would be sitting out the season. Solomon also previously coached Jennifer Capriati, among others. (May 8, 2003) 5' 11¼" Daniela Hantuchova is reportedly playing below her listed weight of 123 pounds, and getting thinner. Her coach Nigel Sears has stressed that Daniela is NOT anorexic, but he would like her to put some weight back on. (Nov. 13, 2002) Daniela Hantuchova had a disappointing 1st-round loss at the WTA Championships to end the season, but this was preceded by the exhilarating victory of her Slovakian team over Spain in the Fed Cup finals, where she defeated Conchita Martinez in a crucial match, 6-7(8), 7-5, 6-4. |
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 Roberta Vinci celebrated after she defeated #1 Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 7-5, in the 2nd round of the Rogers Cup at Toronto, Canada, on August 10, 2011. |
WTA bio page ITF: Roberta Vinci career record Vinci record at The WTA since 1996 Roberta Vinci Interview Transcripts |
| Winner of 6 WTA Tour singles titles: | Finalist (1): | |
| 2011 | Barcelona, 's-Hertogenbosch, Budapest | |
| 2010 | Luxembourg | Barcelona |
| 2009 | Barcelona | |
| 2008 | ITF/Shrewsbury-GBR | |
| 2007 | Bogotá | |
| 2006 | ITF/Joue-les-Tours-FRA, ITF/Milan-ITA | |
| 2005 | ITF/Dinan-FRA; 2003 - ITF/Latina-ITA | |
| 2004 | ||
| 2003 | ITF/Latina-ITA | |
| 2002 | ||
| 2001 | ITF/Felixstowe-GBR | |
| 2000 | ITF/Felixstowe-GBR | |
| 1999 | ITF/Cuneo-ITA, ITF/Lecce-ITA |
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Roberta Vinci was born in Taranto, Italy, and still resides there... Coached by Francesco Cina ... Father, Angelo, is accountant; mother, Luisa, is homemaker; older brother, Francesco, is a student ... Began playing tennis at age 6 ... Favorite place to be is hometown ... Most memorable experience was participating in World Youth Cup ... Describes herself as nice, clever, polite ... Is a good soccer player ... Lucky charm is stuffed orange dinosaur her brother gave her. |
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 Jelena Jankovic is shown after defeating # 7 (and former # 1) Martina Hingis 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in the 1st round of the Sydney Int'l on Jan 8, 2007. Jelena had won the Auckland tourney, her 2nd WTA singles title, just 2 days earlier. |
WTA bio page ITF: Jelena Jankovic career record Jankovic record at The WTA since 1996 jj-jelenajankovic.com official website Jelenin svet site of Serbian documentary film about Jelena JelenaJankovic.net Jelena Jankovic Interview Transcripts |
| Winner of 12 WTA Tour singles titles: | Finalist (14): | Semifinalist (25): | |
| 2012 | Kuala Lumpur, Dubai | ||
| 2011 | Cincinnati, Monterrey | Charleston, Doha, Dubai | |
| 2010 | Indian Wells | Rome | Roland Garros |
| 2009 | Cincinnati, Marbella | Tokyo PPO | Doha YEC, Paris Indoor |
| 2008 | Moscow, Stuttgart, Beijing, Rome | US Open, Miami | Doha WTA Championships, Los Angeles, Roland Garros, Indian Wells, Dubai, Australian Open |
| 2007 | Birmingham, Rome, Charleston, Auckland | Beijing, Toronto, 's-Hertogenbosch, Sydney | Stuttgart, Los Angeles, Roland Garros, Strasbourg, Warsaw, Doha, Dubai |
| 2006 | Los Angeles | Beijing, US Open, Strasbourg | |
| 2005 | Seoul, Birmingham, Dubai | ||
| 2004 | Budapest | Linz | |
| 2003 | ITF/Dubai-UAE |
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Jelena Jankovic was born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia; in 2010 she made income tax-free Dubai, UAE, her legal residence. Jelena also owns houses in Miami and San Diego. She did not start playing tennis until the relatively late age of 9½. When Jelena was 12½ she went to Florida and received her primary tennis training at the IMG Bollettieri Academy in Bradenton, attending school in the mornings and Bollettieri's in the afternoons. In August, 2008, Jelena became the 10th Bollettieri-trained player to achieve the WTA's # 1 singles ranking. Jelena prefers hardcourts, and her backhand. In the spring of 2005, Jelena, who had been swinging a Yonex RQ-5 bat, switched to Prince. In 2006 and early 2007, Jelena chopped with the Prince O3 Red. She last swung that bat in the 2007 French Open semis; the following week at Birmingham Jelena unleashed the new Prince Ozone Seven, and liked it so much she won the tourney. In 2008, Jelena started with another new Prince model, the O3 Speedport Pro White MP. Jelena's Prince contract reportedly expired in Dec 2008. As of May, 2010, she still swings the Prince Speedport White, but without the "P" on the strings. At last report, Jelena has her main strings strung with Luxilon Big Banger Alu Power at about 73 lbs tension (very, very tight), and her cross strings with Prince Natural Gut at about 71 lbs. In August, 2005, Jelena, who had been slumping recently after taking on Roman Savochkin as her first touring coach, indicated she might not keep him. Jelena said: "I don't have confidence so I'm not playing my best. I have a new coach now and he's changing little things in my game. So all the shots feel so insecure at the moment... I don't know [if I will continue with Savochkin]. I will see because now I'm not playing so good." AP story In 2007, the WTA listed Jelena's coach as her father, Veselin Jankovic. In April, 2007, Jelena indicated that she was traveling with her mother and a hitting partner. After she defeated Venus Williams in the 3rd round of the 2007 French Open, Jelena was asked about her current coach. Jelena said: "He's not my full-time coach, so he doesn't like that I mention it yet. But he's helping me here and there, together with my mom, who is my No. 1 supporter and always in my box. But when he becomes officially my full-time coach, then I will announce his name." Times of London story on Jelena's part time coach Richard Brooks. In early 2008 Jelena was coached by Scott Humphries. But they parted ways after the Dubai tourney, and Jelena was again without a coach until April, 2008, when Ricardo Sanchez began traveling with her. Jelena dismissed Sanchez after the 2010 Australian Open, and again began receiving coaching from Nick Bollettieri's staff at the Bollettieri Academy, most notably from Chip Brooks. However, it has been reported that after Jelena lost in the semis of the 2010 French Open, Brooks decided he would no longer work with her. Jelena said: "Nick has known me since I was a young girl. He knows my game better than anybody. I felt I wanted to come back and be independent again when I play on the court, figure things out on my own, like I did in the past. Nick and some of his team are helping me when I have some time between tournaments to train and work on my game. But when I go to tournaments it's usually just with a hitting partner and my mum. I think that's the right solution for now." The Independent story In December, 2011, Jelena hired Henner Nehles, a German former ATP player who attended UNLV, as her new coach. As for fitness training, at the US Open in September, 2008, Jelena said: "I was getting tired quite quickly, but I have been working with the Pat Etcheberry quite a lot. Every day I feel that I'm just little by little I'm getting stronger." Jelena wore adidas in her younger days, then switched to Lacoste togs, and in mid-2005 began sporting the Ralph Lauren Polo logo. Jelena reached the semifinals of the 2006 US Open wearing some nice looking togs of her own. The following month, she signed with Reebok as her new tailor. In January 2009 Jelena became the first WTA player to sign a contract with ANTA, the largest seller of sports shoes in China. In January, 2012, Jelena began the new season wearing Fila attire. Wheels? "I have a Porsche 911, a turbo. It's a 2008, and it's a very fast car. It's a new one from this year. I'm a promoter of Hyundai cars in Serbia, so I'm driving there Hyundai cars; [also] a Jeep." Jelena's agent is someone at IMG. (Nov 5, 2010) The Guardian has published a post-season interview with Jelena Jankovic. Asked "Who do you think the best-dressed player on tour is?" Jelena said: "I think a lot of the girls dress very nicely... f I could just pick one it would be Maria Sharapova." (Jan 10, 2009) Unfortunately, # 1 Jelena Jankovic, who lost to Venus Williams in their Hong Kong exhibition match on Friday, had to withdraw from her consolation match against Jie Zheng due to stomach flu, which is impairing her preparations for the Australian Open. Jelena said: "I have been weak and sick for the last couple of days. I have been trying my best to get on the court but I feel slow, I have no reactions and it has been a struggle for me. My main goal now is to get back on court as soon as possible and get ready for the Australian. I will try and stay optimistic and hope for the best." story (Oct 25, 2008) The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour announced on Sunday that regardless of the outcome of remaining matches this season, current # 1 Jelena Jankovic will finish the season holding the # 1 ranking. Jelena has amassed a 63-17 match record in 2008, with the Doha, Qatar WTA Championships left to play. JJ's season record Jelena said: "It has been a truly amazing year for me. Winning four Sony Ericsson WTA Tour titles [Rome, Beijing, Stuttgart & Moscow], over 60 matches and to make it to two semifinals [Australian Open and French Open] and a final [US Open] in the Grand Slams this year is a dream come true. I worked really hard this year and to finish No.1 is where I want to be and where I hope to stay." WTA story |
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(Jan 5, 2009) The WTA has again raised the ranking point scale above previous years, approximately doubling the points awarded. For example, in 2007 and 2008, Grand Slam champions received 1000 points; in 2009 they will receive 2000 points, and Grand Slam finalists 1400 points. At the lower end of the scale, last year's winner at Auckland (then a "Tier III" tourney) received 115 points; this year's winner at Auckland (now an "International" tourney) will receive 280 points. (Dec 29, 2006) The WTA has substantially raised the ranking points ("round points") scales for 2007 above previous years. For example, in recent years Grand Slam champions have received 650 points; in 2007 they will receive 1000 points, and Grand Slam finalists 700 points. At the lower end of the scale, last year's winner in Gold Coast (a Tier III tourney) received 95 points; this year's winner will receive 115 points. Players' best points from up to 17 tourneys in the past 52 weeks are added to generate the players' rankings. The new scales will mean that tourneys in 2007 will carry more weight in players' rankings than 2006 tourneys, until the end of the season (when all 2006 points are over 52 weeks old and have been dropped). For more info and the full point scales, see the 4-page WTA .pdf, How Rankings Work. Also available: 2011 WTA Tour Official Rules, 482-page .pdf (Jan 1, 2006 revised) From 1996 through 2005, in addition to the "round points" used to determine their rankings, WTA players received "quality points" on sliding scale based on the ranks of players they defeated. In 2006, the WTA Tour eliminated quality points from the rankings.
Full singles rankings: numeric .html - printable .pdf - - Full doubles rankings: numeric .html - printable .pdf
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