Carina Witthöft, who won yesterday, on her season so far

Original Source: Tennismagazin, http://www.tennismagazin.de/news/witthoeft-angriffslustig-ich-will-mehr-als-platz-56/

“I want more than No.56”

Miss Witthöft, at the beginning of the year you were gunning for a place among the Top 100. Now you’ve climbed to No.56. Does your success surprise you?

I didn’t really expect it. But I’ve been practicing really well in the last few and have progressively improved my game.  I’ve really made a leap forward in training, I’m willing to try new exercises and have been consistently working on my fitness, and it shows on the court.

That’s it?

It’s crucial that you can apply what you’ve learned in practice to matches and not fall back to old patterns. And confidence is key. I built my confidence by winning a few ITF titles and therefore joined the WTA tour with a positive attitude.

What’s your ranking goal for the end of this season?

In general I don’t set myself ranking goals. It’s my aim to win as many matches as possible at every tournament.  If that keeps happening, then my ranking will keep improving.

So it’s all good so far this season?

Yes and no. On one hand at the start of the year I would’ve been very happy with No.56 at this time, but on the other hand I could’ve done even better. It’s a positive milestone, but I want more!

You’re playing quite a few smaller tournaments beside the big WTA events. Why?

That’s correct. I skipped the tournament in Madrid for example. Madrid has a very strong field – even in qualifying, where I would’ve had to compete. At the ITF tournament in Cagnes-sur-Mer I had a bigger chance to play more matches and gain more points.

That worked out well. You won the tournament, the biggest title of your career.

I’m really happy and pleased with that title. It was a great week and I’m taking a lot from it. I’m satisified, especially with the final [she beat Tatjana Maria who she had lost to just weeks earlier]. It was particularly important that I came back when I was trailing in the first set and managed to win that set. But I’m already focussing on the next challenges.

Are matches more important to you than individual training?

I think both should go hand in hand. The right blend enables an [improved] performance.

Do you play these smaller tournaments to improve your confidence by having a better match record against supposedly weaker oppositon?

I don’t really pay much attention to my record. But you gain a lot of momentum when you do well in a tournament.

But you can’t earn the big bucks at these tournaments. Cagnes-sur-Mer had a total prize money of only $100,000.

True, but I’m not playing tennis for the money. Of course tennis shouldn’t be a loss-making enterprise, but playing matches is very important for me at the moment.

What were your highlights so far this season?

The Australian Open for sure [she made the third round, beating Top 20 player Suarez Navarro]. But there were other nice moments as well, making the quarters in Malaysia or winning my first round match in Stuttgart.

You made some waves with a, let’s say dialogue between you and your father. [https://www.facebook.com/Sandplatzgoetter/videos/10153268733551639/] You complained about the crowd noises. What happened there?

(laughs) Maybe my temper got the better of me there. I hope nobody resents me for that. Tennis is an emotional sport with lots of ups and downs, and that was a down. When you’re playing in front of a home crowd you put yourself under a lot of pressure, but I enjoyed the matches and I gave it my best.

~

Translated by Katja

“Everyone wants to kick your butt.” Sam Sumyk on Eugenie Bouchard interviewed by @sophiedorgan in l’Équipe

Sam Sumyk is the French coach of the Canadian Eugenie Bouchard. With his characteristic straight shooting, he talks about the current difficulties of the Wimbledon 2014 finalist.

After having stopped working with Victoria Azarenka at the Australian Open at the end of January, Sam Sumyk wanted to stay put at his home in Los Angeles and satisfy his passion for surfing. In February he finally caught the Eugenie Bouchard wave and decided to throw himself into the water with the twenty-one year-old Canadian who had become one of the big women stars of last season. The results have as yet not been there this year for the number six player in the world, but the Breton isn’t the type to panic in the storm. After his player’s loss in Rome, he sat down to talk about his new adventure.

You’ve been working with Eugenie Bouchard since February. What gave you the desire to work with her?

She wanted to work with me. She’d been looking for a while and the girl said, “That’s him, the guy from the far end of Bretagne I have a good feeling for.” I know some big coaching names have tried. Sometimes you just have to act and think later. It’s a very personal decision. I didn’t think about her very much. I told myself: “I’ll learn a lot through her. I’ll keep my novice’s spirit.”

You have no regrets?

I can’t regret, because I’m the one who decided to stop with Azarenka and agreed to start with Eugenie. I could have said no, it was in my hands. What I want to do is coach and, every morning, not have the feeling I’m going to work. I’m exactly where I want to be. No one forced me.

But the results are lagging …

You have several choices when going through a storm. You can get depressed, you can attach a weight to your leg and jump of a bridge. Or, if you have character, and I think my player has lots of character, you try and bounce back. I know she’s going in that direction. Everything changed for her after her Wimbledon final.

Everything went very quickly for her.

Too quickly even. She went from “we don’t know who she is” to a Slam final. That’s heavy. All the parameters change. When you have good results and climb in the rankings, you enter the circle of the most hated players on the tour. By that I mean everyone wants to kick your butt. You have to be ready for that. Normally you prepare for it. She’s learning by doing. That’s very different, but I think she has everything it takes to pull through.

What are her qualities?

She has a lot of character, but she’s a bit more tortured at the moment. Very ambitious and perfectionist people are necessarily tortured. Her style of play is a quality. It’s clean hitting. It’s not the most powerful, but she has an enormous work capacity. Her ambition too, obviously, even if it’s weighing her down at the moment. It’s up to me to guide her and us, the team, to make an athlete out of her. She thirsts for knowledge.

But she’s having a crisis of confidence, no?

Yes, that’s obviously a part of it. Confidence, it’s the nerve of war. There’s the confidence that comes with results. There’s also self-confidence, that’s different. If we talk about results, obviously we’re lacking them a bit, but she’s on the right path. With the right attitude.

What’s the right attitude?

Even if it doesn’t assuage all worries, the better prepared you are, the better you’ll approach the tournaments. You have to take care of the things that depend on you. The rest, get rid of them right away. It’s good to create a new dynamic, to break certain habits etc. There’s a team around her that believes in her.

She has a semi to defend at Roland Garros …

It’s still a privilege to defend a semi-final. She’ll do it or she won’t. We don’t care. It won’t make her a worse player in 2015 than in 2014.  A number doesn’t determine if you’re a good player or not. That’s people’s opinions and we couldn’t care less.

But abstracting from all that is complicated, especially for a player so much in the media’s eye like that…

It’s part of the parameters you have to manage. Honestly, if the media didn’t ask her about it at every interview, I think she’d think a bit about it, but no more.

We expect too much from her?

Don’t worry, she expects a lot from herself! And we prefer to think in terms of progress and quality of play. When you’re among the very best you necessarily have points to defend every week. It’s no worse than someone who has to earn a salary every week to feed the family! I think it’s better (smiles).

For her peace of mind, her decision not to shake the hand of her opponent in Fed Cup was perhaps not a very good idea …

It’s not one of the best things she’s done, but it’s her business. She has her opinions and the right to have them. I don’t endorse it, I don’t say it’s good, but there are worse things on the planet …

It can unsettle her.Unless she wants to be the “bad girl” of the tour?

It doesn’t excuse her, but she has the naïvety to think that’s it’s not very serious. One shouldn’t make a big deal out of it. It’s not helpful. We haven’t spoken about it. Me, what I’ve noticed is that she was very nice with everyone. She says thank you, hello etc. And, at least, it has the merit of being honest. People sit on honesty in 2015. My job is to make her one of the best players in the world. The rest I leave to others.

Translated by MAN

Kerber on her time with Steffi Graf: “She got rid of my doubts.”

Original source:  Welt am Sonntag, page 28, by Lutz Woeckener

Nutella or apple sauce? When it comes to toppings Angelique Kerber isn’t quite sure yet. Like in past years she will decide on short notice. Before her first round match against Timea Babos from Hungary on Monday Kerber will vist a small crêpes stand at the base of the Eiffel Tower.

The 27 year old isn’t immune to the rituals that are so common in the world of tennis. But aside from a warm crêpe this visit to the French capital might differ from the usual for Kerber. After the changes in recent months a lot seems possible on the red clay of Roland Garros that she used to dislike so much. Some experts even picked her as a dark horse for the title. Nutella or apple sauce – that’s a question Kerber has to answer for the next step of her career.

For years the lefty was considered very reliable on tour – both in a good way and in a bad way. Kerber rarely suffered surprising losses, was the rock in the sea of almost tradional inconsistency that is German women’s tennis. But she also regularly missed out on the big wins against the very best. The Bremen-born Kerber stood among the 10 players for 32 straight months since the 21st of May 2012. But she also only won one tournament in this time. Just 2014 she lost all 4 finals she took part in. A tennis life between the 3rd round and the semifinals, more apple sauce than Nutella. “Maybe I should have changed something earlier,” she says today, looking back, but it took quite a few painful losses to see the need for new stimuli.

The year started in classic Kerber fashion. Quarterfinals in Brisbane, semifinals in Sydney. The shock came at the Australian Open: A loss in the first round, for the first time in four years. The downward spiral started spinning: Early loss in Antwerp, Round of 16 in Dubai, first round loss in Doha. Nothing worked. She felt lethargic, dropped out of the Top 10, doubted and quareled with herself. “Antwerp was the breaking point,” Kerber says. “I couldn’t find a way out and started asking myself: Why am I even doing this? I didn’t feel any joy or motivation. I had to change something.”

The 27 year old retreated to Puszczykowo to her Polish-born family and started thinking about the future. All the years on the tennis courts of this world, all the deprivations, missed family events, being single. Was all that still worth it?

5 days before she left for a 5-week trip to the United States she finally brought herself to make decisions. She split from her coach Benjamin Ebrahimzadeh and wrote two emails. The first one went to Darren Cahill, head coach at the Adidas Tennis Base in Nevade. The second one went to Steffi Graf, her big idol. “I felt like it would go wrong in the US, too, if I didn’t change anything” reasons Kerber. Cahill was asked to make courts available for her in his tennis camp before the tournament in Indian Wells. And she asked Graf to chaperon her training in Las Vegas. “She had often told me that I’m always welcome at hers. That she would help me.” Kerber tells.

The 45 year-old tennis icon came through on her promise. Graf, who lives 10 minutes away with her husband Andre Agassi and their two children, unpacked her racket and didn’t miss a single practice session. For three days she worked with Kerber, observed, analyzed, discussed. “Even if the results weren’t there initially I felt that it gave me so incredibly much,” says Kerber, who lost in the second round of Indian Wells and afterwards returned to Las Vegas to work for five more days with Graf.

When Kerber talks about “Die Steffi” her blue eyes sparkle and one can hear the girl from Kiel talking from inside her. “Steffi herself played with me,” she says with pride. And: “Steffi is still incredibly good, simply superhuman.  Backhand slice, nothing changed, and her footwork is just awesome.”

That Graf influenced Kerber’s game became visible after their time together. After Miami Kerber unexpectedly won on the green clay in Charleston, immediately after that on the red clay of Stuttgart. Both finals were close matches, decided late in the third set. In Stuttgart she beat top players like Maria Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki. An extra helping of Nutella, not the apple sauce of days gone by.

The first two tournament wins on the WTA tour took ten years, the numbers four and five just took 14 days. So what exactly happened there during the eight days in the desert?

Kerber doesn’t like the question. “I learned a lot on the trip, and it simply is something very special when Steffi is standing next to you and telling you things.” Kerber describes, but dodges a precise answer. It seems almost mysterious, as if Kerber and Graf had made a pact in the desert. Nevertheless it becomes clear during our interview that during those days Graf had the biggest impact in Kerber’s head: Validation, Confidence. And the result is that Kerber on court is more patient, but in the crucial stages also more determined, more dominant. “She got rid of my doubts.”

Kerber is convinced that without Graf she wouldn’t have won these two tournaments. A role is certainly also played by her new coach, who actually is an old coach: Torben Beltz. “We’ve known each other for 15 years,” Kerber says and laughs. “When I found myself without a coach at the end of February I was a bit lost and called Torben.”

Off the court the two trust each other. They share private matters, meet for a juice or a wine at the hotel bar, play cards. “Preferrably Skip-Bo,” Kerber says. Or Backgammon. “They are rituals that help me.”

Just like the crêpes at the Eiffel Tower, whether with Nutella or with apple sauce. Unlike at the snack bar the tendency on court is unequivocal. “I have proven in the last few weeks what I can do on clay. Other players by now have a bit more respect for me. But I don’t put the pressure on myself. From the outside, I don’t care who calls me a favorite. I’m going [to Paris] with a good feeling and many good matches on clay and my best preparation for Paris yet.”

So it’s quite possible that she will be in the tournament long enough for a second crêpes, apple sauce for that start, Nutella for the second week.
~

Translated by Katja

Francesca Schiavone on the meaningful words in her life

From the print edition of l’Équipe June 24 2015 page 17, by Julien Giovanella

Francesca Schiavone, exuberant? On the court yes, but not in the players restaurant underneath Philippe Chatrier where she joins us for an interview. “We’ll speak quietly, there are people around,” says the player who will be thirty-five on 23 June, before she picks a lap of paper with a proper name, a number or a date randomly from an envelope. Five years ago in Paris she was the first Italian woman to win a Slam, and a year later she was a finalist. Now ranked 92 in the world and playing in her fifteenth Roland Garros. In a quiet voice.

15

This is my fifteenth Roland Garros (she’ll meet the Chinese Qiang Wang). I still remember the first in 2000. I lost in the first qualification round 7-5 in the third against a girl who was playing well at the time (actually 9-7 against the Polish Magdalena Grzybowska). I was young (not yet 20) and I wanted to start this nice fairy tail well … I knew I had to work and work some more, but I already felt at home. I didn’t ask myself  “will I succeed or not?” I just played, full stop. And I loved it. When I saw this stadium for the first time (in 1997 as a junior) I felt the history of tennis. I remember one day going right to the top of Philippe Chatrier. Steffi Graf and Monica Seles were playing (semis, 1999). I was entranced. I got out my Kodak (smiles). I still have photos of the match at home.

Fed Cup

It’s the only time you share your work and your passion with others. I was told from the start: “You’re important to us.” That gave me so much energy. … There was always joy, even when we lost. There was respect between us and that gave me an incredible strength to play above myself (she won the contest in 2006, 2009 and 2012 but hasn’t played since 2012).

Today

What makes me keep playing? I have a new challenge. For a moment, I wasn’t at peace with myself any more. I had some personal difficulties which I’m overcoming, and I want to rediscover myself at thirty-five (birthday on June 23). I want the serenity I had at sixteen, seventeen, eighteen. It’s introspection to rediscover my balance and pleasure.

June

June 5 2010, on Philippe Chatrier, what a huge win. I gave myself a gift. It feels good to think about it. What I remember best is the second set tie-break (6-4, 7-6[2]) against Samantha Stosur). I felt all this energy inside me, my spirit and my body were one. My game, my mind, my tactics, my technique were responding perfectly …

Gabi Urpi

Gabi Urpi? Why this lap? Because he works with the French Tennis Federation? (He coaches the French Fed Cup team) He was my coach I shared with Flavia Pennetta. He has a lot of experience, but he also has great humanity, two things not easily found on the tour. The collaboration was a very nice page in my live.

Future

I see a picture with a lot of squares to put my wishes in. One might find: stay in tennis or stay at home and play “the mother”. There are other options too. If this new life were to start tomorrow, I wouldn’t be ready. I’m preparing. But I know myself and I might say from one day to the next: “I’m stopping, I don’t want to play tennis any more.” I hope not to do it, to take the time to make the right choice. I’m not thinking about it right now, I live in the moment.

4 H 44

That was so long (match won against Svetlana Kuznetsova at the 2011 Australian Open 6-4, 1-6, 16-14, the longest women’s match in Slam history). I’ve watched it sometimes since. (The whole match? we ask) No, I’m not crazy. Only the tough parts. The first time was on the same day with the physios, and that’s when I realised how long it was. On the court I was so concentrated that I didn’t think of either the length of the match or becoming 4 in the world if I won (her best ranking, achieved after the tournament).  What I was experiencing was so much nicer than that … Leaving the court, my toes on each foot were bathed in blood. It took me 2½ hours to get them out. After 4 hours and 44 minutes of pleasure, I experienced hell! That I well remember (laughs)!

Lin Zhu

(During the first round of the latest Indian Wells in March, her opponent, the Chinese Lin Zhu, had the ball bounce on her side before going over the net. The umpire saw nothing, the player said nothing and took the point, which was the second set winner.) She saw that the ball bounced on her side. The umpire, no, which is unbelievable.  He asked her, “what happened?” And she answered, “I don’t remember.” There, we have a problem. That’s a lack of respect for the sport and for life. I told her, “this is sport.” And since that day the phrase goes with me. It’s a whole philosophy of life other sports people, especially in cycling, defend, and which I hope to take with me when my career is over. Go and talk to her? What’s the point? Some of the younger players in the new generation don’t have those values, as opposed to Roger (Federer) Rafa (Nadal) Serena or Venus (Williams). We, the champions, need to be examples. You give your life on the court, but the respect and love are there win or lose.

Translated by MAN

“Obama plays pretty decent tennis.” Part 2 – Caroline Wozniacki on football, Marathons, swimsuits and friendships on tour

Part two of the Spox interview by Florian Regelmann

You grew up in a sports mad family – your father was a footballer and, as everyone knows, he’s your coach. Your brother Patrick was also an active football professional. You’re a big Liverpool fan. Why the Reds?

-My brother was a big Man U fan when I was little. I wanted absolutely to be different from him, so I chose Liverpool. Later I played an exhibition match in Liverpool and got the chance to go to the stadium and learn about the history of the club. When you go to Anfield Road and get goosebumps from “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, you have to become a Reds fan. Some Danes have played for the team over the years. My favourite player is of course Stevie Gerrard, and I proudly wear his jersey from his last home game. But I also like a couple of your German players like Bastian Schweinsteiger. I like saying the name – Schweinsteiger (laughs).

You don’t only follow football closely. You also ran the New York Marathon last year, and in a very good time of 3.27. Respect! But your preparation wasn’t ideal …

(laughs) That’s true. A couple of days before I was up until 4 AM at a Halloween party.I ran the Marathon because it had been on my bucket list for a long time. It was a crazy experience that I’ll never forget. Looking back at it, while it was definitely a tough test both physically and mentally, it was an amazing atmosphere. It’s a pretty amazing feeling with the crowds on the roadside shouting your name.I said right after it that I’d never do it again because I was finished. But I’ve slowly been changing my mind and maybe I’ll do it again. (laughs)

The Marathon wasn’t your only off-court experience.Another thing you did was pose for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. How did that come about?

I always wanted to do the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. It was always a dream of mine. Very few get the chance, so I was really happy when I got the call and the chance. I’ve done photo shoots before, but this was something special because of the prestige. It was a really big thing for me. I enjoyed the shoot and the time with the team a lot.

Are these opportunities, along with the career results, one of the big advantages of being a star?

Oh yes. The best part of life as a tennis player is the competition because I love it so much, measuring yourself against the other girls and and fighting against them. But off the court you get the chance to do amazing things, to travel the world and meet very interesting and cool personalities. Because of that you can overlook the few downsides there to the travelling circus.

You mentioned interesting personalities.  For example, you met President Obama. Is he a tennis talent?

I played a bit against him, and he’s a pretty decent tennis player. I also found out that he used to play regularly. Being invited to the White House was a great honour. If I hadn’t been a tennis player, I’d never have experienced it.

But there are also negative sides to the business. Everyone knew about your engagement to Rory McIlroy and that you were about to get married, everyone knew when the relationship broke up, and now they’re guessing about a new relationship. How do you deal with the fact that everything happens in public?

Frankly I try not to read anything about myself. I know what I do and what the truth is. I have no influence on the rest. The can write what they want. Let them have their opinions. You just have to accept that’s the way it is and not bother about it.

But it’s never that easy. When you congratulated Jordan Spieth for his outstanding Masters win, it was interpreted as a dig at your ex Rory.

Just because I congratulate another golfer, people think there’s some kind of hidden message for God’s sake, when there isn’t at all. I often congratulate other athletes for their successes. Jordan Spieth accomplished something unbelievable and I congratulated him for it. That’s it. The time after the separation wasn’t easy for me, but I learned a lot about myself and I definitely became an adult. I’m convinced everything happens in life for a reason. I’m a stronger person now because of it.

Serena Williams stood by you as a friend the whole time. What does her friendship consist of?

Serena is simply a great woman. When we’re together, we have a great time. We laugh together and have a lot of fun, but we also talk honestly about everything. Serena is a wonderful friend  who’s always there when you need her.

Unfortunately she’s not such a good friend on court and and she’s beaten you practically every time. Your record is 10-1 …

But we’ve had a lot of close matches. But it’s true, she as good as always come out on top in the end. It’s not a coincidence that she’s number one, has won so many Slams and is one of the greatest players of all time. I’ve never played against Steffi Graf, but for my generation she’s definitely the greatest. I have great respect for her, but every time we play against each other, I want to win. I’ll try again next time.

Close friendships are not very common especially in women’s tennis. Maria Sharapova has said that she can’t be friends with a player, eat dinner with her, and then go on court the next day and beat her. Is that the same for you?

I’m a very open person with people and I like to keep things going and have a good time.Tennis can be pretty lonely if you don’t have friends on the tour. There are a few girls I have a very close contact with off the court. While you’re playing a match, of course there’s no friendship. But you can separate the two no problem.

You likely have many more years left on the tour, but how do you see your life in ten years?

I hope people remember me and my tennis with fondness – that would be great. Otherwise when I’m no longer active I hope to have a nice husband and two kids, be a good mom to them, and live a normal, quiet family life.

Translate by MAN

“I need to improve my game, not change it.” Caroline Wozniacki on RG, Slams and Arantxa Sánchez

Caroline Wozniacki interview in the German net newpaper SPOX by Florian Regelmann Part One

Caroline, the French Open starts on Sunday at Roland Garros. There’s a nice video of you where you, as a little girl, say you’ll be in Paris later. Did you realize already then that you were going to be a professional tennis player?

(laughs) Yes I’ve believed since I was a kid I could make it. Although there were some bad periods on the way to the top, I’ve never doubted it. I’ve always had the dream of playing the big tournaments like the French Open and hopefully winning one sometime. When I saw the clip recently, I couldn’t believe I’d said that. It was cool to see it again. So I though I’d share it with my fans.

You’ve never done very well at the French Open – you’re best result is a quarter-final in 2010. Is there a reason why Paris has always been a disappointment for you?

Not really. I don’t really know why I haven’t had better results up to now at the French Open. My game really should fit on clay, but hopefully I can change that this year. In any case, I’m working hard at and I’ll give it everything I have in Paris. Hopefully it will be my year.

A first Slam title would definitely make 2015 your year. You’re still waiting for that big win. Are you felling pressure?

No. I hope that a Slam title is just a question of time. I work very hard every day to reach that goal. I know that’s what every training session is for – because I want to win a Slam. It’s one of the last things that I’m missing in my career. I’ve won pretty well everything else. A Slam title would be fantastic.

Does it bother you that you’ve won over 20 titles and were number one for a long time, but what’s mostly talked about is that you’re missing s Slam?

Honestly, I really don’t think about that much, I really don’t. As a tennis player, you have two big dreams: to be number one and to win a Slam. I’ve accomplished the first one, the second one not yet. But I hope I’ll have at least one Slam on the shelf before I hang up my racquet.

After all, you’ve been close. You’ve twice been in the US Open final, losing the one time to Kim Clijsters and the other to Serena Williams. What are you lacking to make the big score?

I don’t know if I’m lacking anything. I’ve beaten every player on the tour and shown that I can compete. It’s simply a question of the right timing and being in absolute top form over two weeks. Winning a Slam isn’t easy. If it were easy, everyone would have done it. It’s not easy either to win a tournament or be number one. I believe I’m good enough to win Slam titles. I need to improve and work hard, and it will happen eventually.

In 2010 you became number one in the world after a win in Peking. What do you remember about that moment?

Becoming world number one meant so much to me. Looking at the rankings list and seeing your name at the top is very special. Growing up, my dream was always to be number one. I didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. For me it was a very big moment I’ll always remember. It was an incredible feeling.

When looking for reasons why you haven’t won Slam titles, the answer always ends up being, you aren’t aggressive enough. How do you feel about that criticism?

“I won so much playing my game, but it’s not enough for a Slam? I honestly don’t think it’s about my game or changing anything in it. It’s about hitting top form for those two weeks. It just hasn’t happened yet for me. My strength is to be aggressive from defence – that’s my game. I need to improve my game, not change it.

You’ve had some deep valleys in your career. 2013 was a difficult year for you. How did you climb back out again?

Because I was number for a while, and it was my ambition to stay there, then it’s a bad year when you finish the year at number ten. And looking back, a lot of players would have been happy to have had my 2013. In sports as in life, there are ups and downs. It’s quite normal. When things aren’t going so well, there’s only one thing you can do: keep going and work even harder than before, and your time will come again. So that’s what I did.

Currently you’re world number five and have been playing consistently well for some time. Is this the best Caroline Wozniacki ever?

“Yes, I’d definitely say that. I feel that I’m constantly improving. I’m definitely playing better than when I was number one. But the thing is, all the other players are improving, the level just gets higher and higher. Everyone wants to beat you. Everyone has analysed your videos and knows exactly how to play you. You really have to keep trying to stay one step ahead.

This year you tried to get new input from a brief collaboration with Arantxa Sánchez Vicario. What did you hope to gain?

We worked together for a couple of weeks in Miami. It was really a great experience for me. Arantxa is such a positive person. I love the energy she radiates. I got a few tips from her because there are very few who know more about clay court tennis. Spending time with her was great fun. We keep in touch regularly and hopefully we can work more intensively together in the future.

Translated by MAN

Eduardo Schwank talks injury, comeback, goals

Original source:  http://www.ole.com.ar/tenis/Arranco-cero_0_1348665421.html

“I’m starting from scratch”

Eduardo Schwank will make his comeback at the Villa María Futures Tournament after nine months of inactivity, product of the fractures he suffered on his left arm in a bicycle accident in Gstaad. “I felt like giving up, but I miss the adrenaline of tennis, and I have a lot of energy”, he said to Olé.

His last match was on July 24th 2014, a defeat in doubles with Marcel Granollers in Gstaad, the same place where a few hours later he fell from his bike while training in the mountains, turning his tennis career  into a huge question mark. The fractures on his left arm kept Eduardo Schwank away from a racket for too long… nine months.

“At the beginning I didn’t wanna deal with it. I was pretty depressed, and I was constantly remembering the accident. But everything happens for a reason. Inactivity made me realise the important things. Right now I have a lot of energy, and I really appreciate this return to the courts,” says the 29-year-old while preparing to play the Villa María Future in Córdoba, starting on Monday.

-How are you preparing your comeback?

-I’m feeling better every day, I started to train eight weeks ago, and in the last two weeks I started hitting backhands. I’m lacking competition, but I’ll start with some Futures to get some rhythm. I wont be looking for results, I just want to be fine and feel no pain.

-What is it that you missed the most during this nine months?

-I missed the adrenaline of tennis. I’ve been doing some other activities, but I couldn’t find anything like it. The tension before a match… those things that when you’re on the tour you take naturally, and you don’t really appreciate.

-Do you see the tour differently from the outside?

-Yes. You get used to packing your bags, getting on a plane, living in hotels. You don’t have time for anything else. The first two months without playing went by really slow for me. I miss that too… having your head wrapped around the competition.

–What are your targets now? You are starting without ranking in singles…

-If everything goes well in Futures in this country, I’m thinking about traveling to the Challengers in Europe, playing quallies and trying to gain points. That’s the only way to start. When I start getting rhythm I’m dangerous. Results will come as I feel better.

-You turned pro in 2005. Is it hard to set up your mind to start again?

-Yes, it’s like starting a new career. I’m starting from scratch. But I have the support of a team, and I’m also doing this for self-pride, because I want to go back to play ATP tournaments. I know it will take time. But I’m going to do this with more professionalism than I did before.

-How do you stand the daily struggle with the body? Del Potro is living the same thing.

-It’s hard when there’s a retrogression. I was well in December, but then in January I had to have surgery on my elbow, that delayed the comeback and got into my head. Everything fell apart for me when the doctor told me it was going to take four more months. It’s frustrating to not be 100% phisically. It must be really ugly to have to retire from your career because of an injury.

-Did you ever think of quitting tennis?
-Many times. I thought of leaving everything and moving forward with my Academy (Schwank Tennis Center) and having more time for my Fundation (Estar Eduardo Schwank) that keeps opening schools for disabled kids. But I still think that tennis can give me things. I thinl I have a lot of years ahead in my career. [Nowadays] players stay longer on the tour.

-What goals do you still have?
-Tennis gave me more than I ever expected. I’ve done great things in doubles (N: He was a finalist at Roland Garros 2011 with Colombian Juan Sebastian Cabal), but I neglected singles, and that’s something I want to fix. I want to have a good ranking again (48th in the world in June 2010). My head was not 100% at the time.

-Does Davis Cup motivate you? You played some great battles with Nalbandian, and you went to watch the tie against Brazil.

-Yes, that’s one of the main reasons I want to return. I’ve never felt anything quite like representing my country, it’s a huge responsibility and it’s not the same as playing on the tour, mainly when the crowd is in your favour. It’s one of my targets. I hope I can play it, even if it is just once more.

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Translation by @WTAenespanol

We are not robots: interview with Jerzy Janowicz

Original source:  http://www.sport.pl/tenis/1,64987,17841694,Tenis__Janowicz__Nie_jestesmy_robotami_zaprogramowanymi.html

“We are not robots, programmed to win.”

There’s a saying ‘What doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger.’ Is that’s how you look at injuries? After another foot problem or – as it happened a year and a half ago and recently – with your spine, do you come back on a court mentally stronger?

I think that when it comes to injuries you can’t say they make you mentally stronger. It’s very frustrating because when an athlete in is in good shape and an injury happens you have to start from scratch. If it’s a prolonged injury, a return to good form can take many weeks. That’s what happened to me, when I had a serious spine injury a year and a half ago  and when I came back, my foot got injured. I couldn’t prepare for the following season and the effects of it affected my whole 2014 season.

In recent years players and experts have noticed an increasing dominance of hard courts on WTA and ATP tours. Some prefer more surface diversity and say that cement puts more demand on the body and because of that causes more injuries. Others believe that a body gets used to a surface and it’s healthier to change it less frequently. What’s your opinion?

To be honest, I prefer diversity. It’s not a problem for me to play on a clay, hard or grass court. What matters to me is if it’s outdoors or indoors. I would like to see more indoor tournaments. Indoor and hard courts – they’re my favourite tournaments.

Do you put great importance to Madrid and Rome or rather – because you’re coming back from an injury – treat them as preparation before Roland Garros? Or maybe do you want the clay season to finish as quickly as possible and can’t wait for the grass season?

All tournaments are equally important to me. Madrid and Rome are very prestigious, with a lot of points to gain, and that’s necessary if you want to advance in the rankings. Of course I’m excited about the grass season, especially that we’ve got one more grass tournament this year– Stuttgart. So the grass season will be a bit longer.

In general, players prefer to play against high-ranked opponents as late as possible. Your mum told me once that you prefer to fight more demanding opponents straight away. Does it help you with motivation?

First rounds of every tournament are difficult, no matter who you have to face. But it’s true, I prefer to play against better opponents. You play on a bigger court, in front of a bigger crowd and stronger support. And I like this kind of atmosphere. It mobilizes me more. But I treat every opponent in the same way and take every match seriously.

Are you superstitious? Some say there is a ‘Hopman Cup curse’. You and Agnieszka Radwańska started the year with a success in that event but right after that she started to have problems with her form. In February you reached a final in Montpelier but had to withdraw from the match because of an illness. Not everything has been to your liking since then…

I don’t believe in superstitions. My bad form in Montpelier was a coincidence, it was an infection that hit me really hard. It could have happened in any place, at any time. As for Agnieszka, she’s been a top player for many years. Maybe she’s going through a rough patch now but it can happen to anybody. We are human, we’re not robots programmed to win. Agnieszka is a very experienced player and she will deal with her problems. It’s a long time to the end of the season.

She has been saying recently that you can’t look at your opponent’s ranking position only, because it’s usually lower than it should be and doesn’t reflect a player’s skills. Do you share this opinion? How important for you is your ranking position?

To be honest, I don’t make any ranking plans before a season starts. I want to win matches and advance in the rankings but I don’t aim for top 20 this year and top ten next year. It will be great if I’m in the top 20 but I won’t despair if it doesn’t happen. Of course, your position in the rankings is important, it allows you to play in a given tournament. But rankings don’t play matches and they don’t determine that a player from the second hundred can’t win with a top 20 player. Life shows that it happens very often. It’s a rivalry and everybody wants to win when they step on a court.

A couple of months ago you were a guest in Turbokozak and got to show your football skills. Are you a football fan? Do you support any particular team? Or maybe you prefer volleyball –  because of your mum, a volleyball player, or your ties with Skra Bełchatów players?

I’m not a football fan and I don’t support any team but I enjoyed being in Turbokozak. I prefer volleyball and I go to see matches if I can. I friendly with Marcin Wlazły. I had an opportunity to play volleyball in a charity match in Częstochowa and I think I did pretty well. I like watching sports, especially with Polish players.

Carina Witthöft: Coveting speed

Original source: Süddeutsche Zeitung, http://www.sueddeutsche.de/sport/tennisspielerin-carina-witthoeft-gierig-nach-geschwindigkeit-1.2448525

Coveting Speed

Fast ground strokes, a heavy serve: Carina Witthöft is one of the exciting tennis talents. At the tournament in Stuttgart she could meet her role model.Carina Witthöft first had to travel to a Swabian village called Weissach to meet Andre Agassi in the flesh for the first time.

The young German tennis player had only seen the former No.1 – and husband of Steffi Graf – on TV so far. The 20 year old is in the process of learning the ropes of the pro tour. But she is already considered one of the exciting talents in the world of tennis.

Witthöft’s parents own a tennis academy in Hamburg. Her mother Gaby, as her coach, is responsible for her good technical skills. Witthöft is playing exciting tennis with fast ground strokes, often following up her heavy first serve with a forehand winner. “That’s the play I’m practising the most at the moment,” Witthöft says. She is moving well, looks very fit and therefore can win long rallies even from a defensive position.

Witthöft’s life changed with her surprising run to the third round of the Australian Open in January. All of a sudden she is one of the attractions at the most important German women’s tournament in Stuttgart. As a matter of course she was invited to the test track in Weissach on her day off, where she, besides Agassi, also met the Fed Cup player Angelique Kerber.

“Is that one even faster?” a surprised Witthöft asked when she was urged to enter the next sports car. The special amenities that top players often enjoy are still foreign to her. But she is enjoying these off-court responsibilities. More and more people ask something of the young woman who played herself from a ranking below 200 to No.74. She has to answer more questions. “But it’s not really too much,” Witthöft says, “I think you grow into it.”In Stuttgart she so routinely mastered her press conference after her first-round victory over Mona Barthel (7-5 6-3) that it looked like she had never done anything else in her whole life. She appeared reserved, polite, but quite witty and thoughtful. While the more-established pros position themselves in front of the sponsor wall, Witthöft carefree sits down on a bar stool.

“The transition to the WTA tour isn’t that big,” she said before her second match against the Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia. Witthöft isn’t yet a regular customer on the main tour, she also plays the smaller tournaments of the lesser ITF tour. “You have to be able to perform everywhere,” Witthöft says.

The big courts, the big stage with lots of spectators doesn’t seem to impress her much. Even though everything is new and exciting for her she takes a relaxed approach. “If you engage it professionally,” Witthöft says you can play yourself up the rankings quite quickly. “Her game has no limits,” Barbara Rittner says. The national coach often acts as a hitting partner for Witthöft and accompanied her to Melbourne.

In the semifinals of Stuttgart she could meet her role model Maria Sharapova. “In the semifinal,” Carina Witthöft repeats and starts laughing out loud. That’s a little fast even for her even though she should be used to speed after her test drives with Andre Agassi.

Translated by Katja

Florian Mayer exclusive interview: “I’ve got the desire back for tennis!”

From http://www.tennismagazin.de/interview/florian-mayer-exklusiv-ich-habe-wieder-richtig-lust/2/

Translation of article in German from Tennis Magazin by Florian Vonholdt 19 March 2015

Florian Mayer exclusive: “I’ve got the desire back for tennis!”

After more than a year away from the game through injury, Florian Mayer (returned) to the tour in early April at Monte Carlo. As preparation for this, he (played) in a Futures tournament from Monday in Rovinj, Croatia. The 31-year-old spoke to tennismagazin.de about his time on the side-lines, any thoughts about ending his career and his objectives for the 2015 season.

Florian, you’re (made) your comeback on 13 April at the ATP tournament in Monte Carlo on clay. Why there in particular?

Mayer: After my long lay-off, I’d like to get started in particular during the clay court season, and Monte Carlo is the first major tournament on clay.

Why did you delay your return so long? You were out of the tour for a year.

Unfortunately, the injury was even more prolonged than originally thought, which means that the rehab and work to build up my strength could only happen slowly and gradually.

You were diagnosed last March with pelvic swelling. How do you get an injury like that? Is it from overexertion?

I’ve been on the tour for 12 years now. And although I’ve been largely injury free for that time, your body is still subject to strain. The injury that I had is not uncommon in sport. It occurs fairly frequently in football, for instance.

What treatment did you receive for it? Was it conservative or did you also have to undergo surgery?

Only conservative treatment was given. The most important thing was that I needed to be patient.

Was it painful during everyday activities or only when you exerted any strain on it?

To begin with, I felt pain everywhere, no matter whether I was moving about or lying in bed. Then it gradually got better over time, to the extent that I could, for instance, start slowly doing things, such as cycling.

How did you spend your time during your enforced break? Could you do any kind of training or was it complete rest that the doctor ordered?

At the start, it was very important for me to rest. Then I began some gentle cycling. Later on I could do power training for my upper body, and I also began to do some slow jogging. What was important was not to overdo things, but to build up my strength rather slowly.

Was it clear from the outset that your injury break would last so long or were there setbacks during the healing process?

No one could have expected that it would last so long. But the doctors had told me already early on that I should come to terms with the fact that it might take a whole six months for the injury to heal completely.

During that difficult period, did you also have any thoughts about possibly ending your career?

No. Obviously, it wasn’t always easy to have the patience that was needed. But I was basically optimistic as the doctors’ prognosis from the start had been positive, which was that I’d make a full recovery from the injury.

In the meantime, was there any contact between you and your “fellow patient” Tommy Haas?

No, we weren’t in touch.

Was the operation you had on your groin in January a consequence of the pubic bone injury or was there no connection at all with it?

No. The one injury had nothing to do at all with the other.

When was the first time you got back on the training court with a racquet in your hand?

End of January. Before that, I was constantly training to build up my strength.

What objectives have you set yourself for 2015?

Basically, I’d first like to get through the season healthy and fit. I’d like to simply enjoy playing. At the moment, I don’t have any specific objectives, such as reaching a particular ranking.

What protected ranking have you been given? And in which tournaments will you be using it?

My protected ranking is 34. I will definitely be using it in the Grand Slams and Masters Series tournaments like Monte Carlo or Shanghai in the autumn. I also hope to get the odd wild card for tournaments in Germany.

There was quite a bit of controversy surrounding the Davis Cup team during your absence. What’s your view of the events between Carsten Arriens and Philipp Kohlschreiber? (translator: Arriens dropped Kohlschreiber from German team last year for refusing to play a dead rubber)

I followed everything that went on just from the outside and don’t know the background to what happened. So, I can’t make any comment about it.

You know them both well. Did you speak to either of the men involved about the situation?

No.

What do you think about the new management set-up, with Michael Kohlmann as team captain and Niki Pilic as an adviser?

I know Michael Kohlmann very well. He offers a good solution and is very popular with the players. And what can we say about Niki Pilic? He has an incredible amount of experience, especially when it comes to Davis Cup.

How do you feel about getting back into the Davis Cup team?

At the moment, I’m not giving it any thought yet, quite frankly. I need to be fully fit again and wait to see how things go for me. If I stay healthy and my performance is at the right level, I’ll be available again for the team in the future.

In 2008 you also had to have a break for different reasons and for a longer period of time, and you came back even stronger, getting into the top 20 for the first time. How confident are you that you’ll manage to make a similar comeback yet again?

Top 20 is still a long way off. My first target is to get into the top 100 again by the end of the year. Then, we’ll see what happens from there. But, I’m optimistic and I’ve really got the desire back for tennis.

Translated by Gerry.