ROGERS CUP 2011 MONTREAL: World no. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia extended his extraordinary streak by winning the Rogers Cup

Djokovic wins it all in Montréal

 

On Sunday at Uniprix Stadium, world no. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia extended his extraordinary streak by winning the Rogers Cup presented by National Bank.

In a match that wavered far more than expected, he defeated world no.8 and 6th seed Mardy Fish of the US in three sets (6-2, 3-6, 6-4).

Djokovic racked up his 53rd win in 54 matches this year and fifth Masters 1000 trophy - a record.

To bank the 1000 ranking points and US$450 000 awarded to the winner, Djokovic had to overcome a few slowdowns and some improbable forehands from Fish.

In the first set, the battle was heated until the 6th game. Then, Djokovic won two consecutive games thanks to his perfect consistency from the backcourt. After 38 minutes, the set was over.

The winds change

A few scares were in store for the Serb in the second set. At 2-2, he was broken for the first time since his second round match against Nikolay Davydenko. Looking more erratic and nervous than he had earlier on, he lost his serve again in the 9th game, giving the set to Fish on a silver platter after 54 minutes of play.

Djokovic had to dig deep to regain control of the final set and secure the deciding break. He did so at 3-3 as Fish seemed to be tiring. With three championship points at 5-3 and under stress, the world no.1 let his rival come back to deuce before making his move.

The match ended after 2 hours, 23 minutes of intense rallies to the roar of the crowd.

Lifting the Rogers Cup, his ninth title in ten events this year, Djokovic reasserted his dominance at the top of the rankings.

STARS

Novak Djokovic beat Mardy Fish 6-2 3-6 6-4 to win the Rogers Cup men’s singles in Montreal, Canada

Serena Williams beat Samantha Stosur 6-4 6-2 to win the Rogers Cup women’s singles in Toronto, Canada

Potito Starace beat Martin Klizan 6-1 3-0 retired to win the San Marino CEPU Open in San Marino

SAYING

“I am human – I can definitely assure you of that. I guess it’s just all about having a positive attitude on the court every day, waking up every day wanting to improve, wanting to win, being determined, being professional. It’s that desire and motivation that keeps me going. Every match I play, I try to win, regardless which match is it or whoever is across the net.” – Novak Djokovic, after winning his record fifth ATP Masters 1000 title of the year, the Rogers Cup in Montréal, Canada.

Novak Djokovic

“I’m so excited. I never expected to do this well. I’m just so happy to be playing again, let alone winning. It’s really cool. I’ve always wanted to hold up this particular trophy. It’s so cute.” – Serena Williams, after winning the Rogers Cup in Toronto, Canada

“I thought that we played really well as a team, which is very important against such a team like the Bryans because you cannot win only by individual skills. They’re great competitors. They have great hands. They help each other a lot. That’s what we had to do today.” – Nenad Zimonjic, who teamed with Michael Llodra to win the doubles, beating twins Bob and Mike Bryan in the final.

“I don’t think I played bad but I can’t be happy because when you’re up 3-1 in the second set and 5-3 in the third, you should win the match.” – Rafael Nadal, after losing his first match at Montréal to Ivan Dodig 1-6 7-6 (5) 7-6 (5)

“I’m disappointed losing my match here, especially first round. Not many people enjoy that, I think. But I do put it in perspective. I think about where I was a year ago and how far I’ve come. I don’t want to sound egotistical when I say this, but I’m very proud of myself and how far I have come. I’m disappointed, but a long as I stay positive about it I can move forward and hopefully do better next year.” – Rebecca Marino, Canada’s top player, after losing in the first round at Toronto.

“It was one of those days where nothing was working.” – Marion Bartoli, after being upset by Galina Voskoboeva at Toronto.

“I would have liked to have won that one and especially after leading 5-1 in the second. It’s not fun to lose this, but there’s nothing really I can do about it now, just practice, and try to do better.” – Caroline Wozniacki, after her 6-4 7-5 second-round Rogers Cup loss to Roberta Vinci.

“But all the players keep improving… I believe that no player can be spared. Look at Rafa (Rafael Nadal) who lost, and (Andy) Murray. The only one remaining above everybody else is (Novak) Djokovic.” – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, after upsetting Roger Federer at Montréal.

“It’s expected from them and from all of us top players to advance, you know, to the last stages of a tournament. But it happens. This is tennis. Both of their opponents have played great matches, and that’s it. You move on. You have to forget about what you’ve done, there is already next week another tournament.” – Novak Djokovic, commenting on the upsets of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray.
“It makes for an exciting story because at the end of the day it doesn’t matter what you’re ranked or seeded, the reason we go out and play the matches is to know who’s going to be the winner on that day.” – Maria Sharapova, after losing to Galina Voskoboeva at Toronto.

“At the beginning of the match I was like – I didn’t even know what I should do on the court, not like during the clay court season. … I was feeling like a junior on the court.” – Li Na, who lost her first match at the Rogers Cup in Toronto to Samantha Stosur.

“It is sad for her. Always tough when you’re playing same-country player. We train together, we know much (about each other). Always tough.” – Li Na, after her second-round opponent, Shuai Peng, withdrew from the Rogers Cup with a left hip injury in what would have been a meeting between China’s top two players.

“I am not saying I am done after the Olympics, but that’s where so far I have set my schedule towards, and what I am building towards, and we’ll see what happens from there. I might choose to end in a smaller tournament just to have it a little more personal and where I can really enjoy it with my family, my friends and coaches.” – Kim Clijsters, backing off her earlier suggestion that she would end her career at the 2012 London Olympics.

“Our goal is to mark this very solemn occasion in a dignified and respectful manner. There’s a balance here that one wants to maintain. You don’t want to go over the top and you don’t want to be too understated, and I think we’re striking that balance.” – Jon Vegosen, chairman of the board and president of the United States Tennis Association, saying the US Open will paint “9-11-10” on the court for the men’s and women’s singles final to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that brought down the Twin Towers.

SETTING RECORDS

Novak Djokovic wants everyone to know he’s human. He’s just not playing that way. In capturing the Rogers Cup in Montréal, the world’s top-ranked player won his ninth tournament title of the year and record fifth in a season in an ATP Masters 1000 event. “History making, of course it’s special,” Djokovic said after beating Mardy Fish 6-2 3-6 6-4 in the final. “Of course it’s an honor and privilege to be part of the history of the sport that I love and that I play.” And play extremely well, it might be added. The 24-year-old Serb is 53-1 overall this year, having won both the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles. “I am human. I can definitely assure you of that,” Djokovic said. The Serb was playing his first tournament since winning Wimbledon, while Fish has been the hottest player on hard courts this summer, reaching his third consecutive final. Fish was the only player to take a set off Djokovic in the tournament.

SMOOTH SAILING

Serena Williams was ranked number one in the world when she stepped on some glass and cut her foot right after she won Wimbledon in 2010. Her ranking dropped only because she didn’t play for 11 months, no so much because what had happened on a court. At Toronto, Serena won the 39th WTA singles title of her career and second since her return to the tour after nearly a year out with injury and illness. She also won at Stanford, California, USA, two weeks ago, in her third tournament back. It has been awhile since she lifted the trophy in Canada. Williams beat Jennifer Capriati in the 2001 final at Montréal. The 29-year-old Serena is now third among active players for singles titles behind her sister Venus Williams, who has 43, and Kim Clijsters, with 41.

SHOCKERS

What a week it was for upsets at the Rogers Cup in both Montréal and Toronto.

In Montréal, second-seeded Rafael Nadal was ousted by Ivan Dodig of Croatia, the first time Nadal had lost his first match in a tournament since the Italian Open in 2008. Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga upset third-seeded Roger Federer, just as he had at Wimbledon. And South African Kevin Anderson knocked out fourth-seeded Andy Murray, the defending Rogers Cup champion.

It wasn’t any better in Toronto at the women’s event.

Italy’s Roberta Vinci shocked top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki; second-seeded Kim Clijsters withdrew with a stomach injury while leading China’s Zheng Jie; and Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska knocked off third-seeded Vera Zvonareva.

In the end, the two favorites – top-ranked Novak Djokovic in Montréal and unseeded Serena Williams in Toronto – came away with the titles.

STREAKING GALINA

Galina Voskoboeva is a 26-year-old from Kazakhstan who is ranked 135th in the world. She also was a one-person wrecking crew at the Rogers Cup in Toronto. A qualifier, Voskoboeva began her rampage through the draw by beating ninth-ranked Marion Bartoli of France. Then came a victory over Italian veteran Flavia Pennetta before Voskoboeva reached the quarterfinals by downing fifth-seeded Maria Sharapova. “Whether you’re number one in the world or you’re facing someone that’s 100 or so, you still have to go out and win. That’s what the sport is all about,” said Sharapova, who has 23 career singles titles. Voskoboeva finally was beaten in the quarters by Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.

SUCCESS FINALLY

It took awhile, but Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond, for a long time two of the best doubles players in the world, have finally won a WTA title together. It was their 11th tournament as a team. Huber, who won the Rogers Cup in 2008 when she played with Zimbabwe’s Cara Black, has now won 45 doubles titles. Raymond, a veteran who first played the Rogers Cup in 1993 but had never been past the quarterfinals until now, has won 71 doubles crowns.

SENIOR PROBLEM

John McEnroe hurt his hamstring during a Rogers Legends Cup match in Toronto and had to be helped off the court. McEnroe was playing Michael Chang when he stretched fir a shot late in the second set and collapsed to the ground in pain. Chang and two medical officials tended to the 52-year-old McEnroe as he lay on the court for nearly 10 minutes. They finally helped him to his feet and he left the court with his arms wrapped around the two medics.

SERENA TO PLAY FED CUP

Serena Williams says she will suit up for the United States Fed Cup team in two series next year, enough to qualify her to play in the 2012 London Olympic Games. “After being physically unable to participate in the last few ties, I am eager to compete in Fed Cup and help my country return to the World Group,” Serena said in a statement. The Americans will be at home for Belarus on February 4-5 at a site yet to be determined. That winner will advance to a playoff in April that gives the winner s spot in the top-level World Group and compete for the 2013 Fed Cup title. The loser will also play in April with that winner remaining in World Group II.

SHARAPOVA PHILOSOPHICAL

Just because she lost to Galina Voskoboeva in the third round in Toronto, Maria Sharapova isn’t panicking. “We have a pretty long summer, and it all starts in the clay season – you gear up for that,” Sharapova said. “Then it’s a pretty short turnaround from the French to Wimbledon. All of us give ourselves a bit of vacation after that. It takes a little bit of time to get the rust off again and to get going. Obviously we want to win every tournament, but we also have to be realistic. Sometimes it’s not going to go our way or we’re not going to feel great.” She said with another month of hard court tennis still to come, she is confident she can regain her game. “I guess you could say that (I lost) because I haven’t played too many matches since Wimbledon,” Sharapova said, “but at the end of the day it doesn’t really matter.”

STEFFI AND ANDRE GIVE BACK

It will be interesting to see how much the winning bid is for the top prize at the MaliVai Washington Kids Foundation’s live auction. The winner will get a three-day, two-night trip to Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, staying at a hotel on the Vegas strip. And it also includes a one-hour private tennis lesson for one or two with Hall of Famers Steffi Graf and her husband Andre Agassi. The auction will be held during the Merrill Lynch/Bank of America Gala Dinner on Monday, September 12, at the Sawgrass Marriott Resort & Spa in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, USA. The Gala includes a tennis pro-am at Deerwood Country Club on September 12 and a golf pro-am at Marsh Landing Country Club on September 13. The MaliVai Washington Kids Foundation provides after-school youth development programs in the urban core of Jacksonville, Florida, the closest big city to Ponte Vedra Beach.

STILL HURTING

The stomach injury that forced Kim Clijsters to withdraw from the Rogers Cup in Toronto, Canada, is also keeping her out of this week’s Cincinnati Open. Clijsters won Cincinnati a year ago before going on to capture her third US Open title. The 28-year-old Belgian was leading Zheng Jie 6-3 1-2 in Toronto when a partial tear of her left stomach muscle caused her to stop play. Clijsters says it is too soon to know if she will be able to defend her US Open title. The year’s final Grand Slam tournament begins its two-week run on August 29 in New York City.

SET TO REMEMBER

The US Open winds up its two-week run on September 11 – 10 years to the day the Twin Towers came tumbling down from terrorist attacks. A white “9-11-01” will be painted next to the court for the men’s and women’s singles finals at America’s premier tennis event. “If you think about it, everybody knows where they were on 9-11,” said Jon Vegosen, the United States Tennis Association’s chairman of the board and president. “And by putting that … date, it’s going to trigger memories for each of us – personal memories – and that’s a factor that went into this. Rather than imposing what 9-11 means, it allows it to be a much more personal moment for people.” The display will be placed near the net across the court from where the chair umpire sits and players rest during changeovers. It will be added on the tournament’s second Friday night, when there are no matches scheduled to be played.

SEEKS BAN REDUCTION

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will hear Robert Kendrick’s appeal of a 12-month sanction issued against him for doping. The 31-year-old American is seeking a reduction of the sentence to three months, which would allow him to play this year’s US Open. Kendrick tested positive for methylhexaneamine (MHA) at the French Open. He claimed he took a capsule called Zija XM3 to help his jetlag, not realizing it contained a banned substance. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) tribunal wrote in its summary it did not believe Kendrick took the drug as a performance enhancer. However, under the Tennis Anti-Doping Program, it is a player’s responsibility to ensure than no prohibited substance enters his body unless he holds a valid therapeutic use exemption. MHA is considered to be a stimulant that is sometimes used by body builders, among others. CAS recently reduced the length of Australian rugby player Kurt Foggo’s suspension for MHA from two years to six months.

STRAIGHT IN

Jack Sock and Lauren Davis won the USTA 18s, which gives them direct entry into the singles draws at the US Open. Sock successfully defended his USTA Boys’ 18s national title at Kalamazoo, Michigan, defeating second-seeded Mitchell frank 6-3 6-0 in the title match. Sock is the first back-to-back Boys’ 18s champion since Donald Young in 2005-06. Davis outlasted fourth-seeded Nicole Gibbs 7-6 (3) 1-6 6-4 to win the Girls’ 18s in San Diego, California. The USA Open will be her second appearance in a Grand Slam tournament main draw. She won a UST playoff in December to earn a wild card into the 2011 Australian Open, where she lost to Samantha Stosur in the first round.

Sock teamed with Jackson Withrow to win the Boys’ 18s doubles, earning a main draw doubles wild card into the US Open, which begins August 29. Sock is the first player to sweep both the singles and doubles titles at the USTA Boys’ 18s nationals since Young in 2006. Samantha Crawford and Madison Keys won the Girls’ 18s doubles to earn a US Open main draw doubles wild card.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Montreal: Michael Llodra and Nenad Zimonjic beat Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan 6-4 6-7 (5) 10-5 (match tiebreak)

San Marino: James Cerretani and Philipp Marx beat Daniele Bracciali and Julian Knowle 6-3 6-4

Toronto: Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond beat Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko, walkover

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$2,430,000 Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, hard

$122,323 Zucchetti Kos Tennis Cup, Cordenons, Italy, clay

WOMEN

$2,050,000 Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, hard

SENIORS

The Optima Open, Knokke-Heist, Belgium

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$553,125 Winston-Salem Open at Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA, hard

$100,000 Edizione A. Savoldi-Marco Co-Trofeo Dimmidisi, Manerbio, Italy, clay

WOMEN

$618,000 New Haven Open at Yale, New Haven, Connecticut, USA, hard

$220,000 Texas Tennis Open, Dallas, Texas, USA, hard

ROGERS CUP 2011 TORONTO: Serena Williams defeats Stosur 6-4, 6-2 to win second career Rogers Cup title

Serena Williams defeats Stosur 6-4, 6-2 to win second career Rogers Cup title

TORONTO - Serena Williams captured the Rogers Cup women's tennis title Sunday to continue a remarkable comeback from injury and illness.

The 29-year-old American star dispatched No. 10-seed Samantha Stosur of Australia 6-4, 6-2 to win her first Rogers title since claiming the Canadian tournament crown in 2001.

The Rogers Cup was just Williams's fourth tournament since being sidelined for 49 weeks, first with a foot injury she suffered when she stepped on a piece of glass in a restaurant in Germany, and then with blood clots in her lungs.

The mighty Williams had Stosur on her heels all match long with her powerful strokes. She broke the 27-year-old Aussie to go up 5-4 in the opening set and would break her twice more in the second in the one hour and 17-minute match, winning in emphatic fashion with her ninth ace of the game.

The former top-ranked Williams, a 13-time Grand Slam champion, was unseeded in the tournament and is ranked just 80th in the world as she continues her comeback.

She's projected to rise to No. 31 in next week's rankings, and will definitely be a favourite at the upcoming U.S. Open.

Toronto rapper Drake was among fans in the almost-full Rexall Stadium. Williams dad and longtime coach Richard was also in attendance. He and wife Lakeisha stood on centre-court holding Serena's two small, white dogs as she accepted her crystal trophy.

And while thunderstorms were forecast for the city Sunday, the weather held up until the skies opened up just as Williams and Stosur had left the court.

Americans Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond were awarded the women's doubles title, meanwhile, after Victoria Azarenka of Belarus and Maria Kirilenko of Russia withdrew, citing an right hand injury to Azarenka.

Williams, who earned US$360,000 for her victory, had dispatched Azarenka 6-3, 6-3 in their semifinal Saturday.

Stosur pocketed $180,000 as runner-up.

Issue of grunting in tennis on WTA chairman Stacey Allaster's radar

TORONTO - The decibel level surely reached a tournament-high Saturday night at the Rexall Centre.

And it had nothing to do with the size of the crowd.

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus was playing American Serena Williams in a battle of tennis grunters — Azarenka well-known for her drawn-out high-pitched wail, Williams more for a pure, guttural grunt.

Many fans have long called for grunting to be banned in tennis, because it's distracting, and Stacey Allaster, Canada's chairman and CEO of the WTA, said the issue is definitely on her radar.

"We have a hindrance rule," Allaster said in a news conference Saturday, prior to being inducted into the Rogers Cup Hall of Fame. "The reality of it is the athletes themselves are not coming to me say, we have an issue. (But) I'm very fan-centric and if there is a number of fans who are communicating with us that it's an issue, then it's something that we need to look at."


Azarenka's wail is the subject of numerous YouTube videos, with titles like "Hilarious Tennis Grunt" and "The Groans of Victoria Azarenka." Several fans in the stadium Saturday night mimicked the Belarusian's cry.

Allaster, a native of Windsor, Ont., said the chair umpire has the authority to implement a no-grunting rule if it's believed to be interfering with the competition.

The grunting is more prevalent in women's tennis, but "unfortunately it's just (women's) decibels are a little bit higher," Allaster said.

It would be difficult, she added, to change the behaviour of existing athletes such as Azarenka, because it's how they've trained and played their entire careers.

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has been vocal about grunting, calling it a form of cheating, telling reporters in 2009 that "The grunting has reached an unacceptable level. It is cheating, pure and simple. It is time for something to be done."

Allaster pointed out that technology has amplified the grunting issue.

"I think broadcasters have done a terrific job with technology to animate the stadium so it is amplified slightly," she said.

ROGERS CUP 2011 TORONTO Serena Williams and Samantha Stosur to Sunday's final

Samantha Stosur has made it into the final of Rogers Cup presented by National Bank after she defeated Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 this afternoon.

Stosur prevented the world No. 12 from advancing into her second straight final and she will return to the Top 10 on the WTA rankings because of her impressive performance. She had dropped out the upper echelon just this past week for the first time in over a year after losing the opening matches of both her past two tournaments.

The Australian is now in her second final of 2011, but will be hoping for a better result this time after falling to Maria Sharapova in Rome.

Her opponent in the final will be Serena Williams who defeated Victoria Azarenka, 6-3 and 6-3 in tonight's semifinal. This is the fourth tournament for Serena after her comeback, has won one last week and now is again in the final, preparing for a big attention at the US Open 2011.

August 13, 2011

TORONTO, Canada - She was evicted from the Top 10 this week, but it didn't take long for her to move her stuff back in. Sam Stosur cemented a rapid return to the elite by making the final of the Rogers Cup on Saturday, snapping the winning streak of Agnieszka Radwanska to reach her second WTA final of the year.




Whoever won between No.11 Stosur and No.12 Radwanska would move up to No.10 on the new rankings, and with very strong serving and powerful forehands it was Stosur who came out on top on the day, letting go of the second set but finding her range again in the third to win, 62 57 62. She hit her seventh ace to close it out.



"I played a pretty sloppy game and lost the second set. Getting that early break in the third set was really comforting for me," Stosur said. "Maybe she felt it was a long way back. I started serving well again and was able to stay on top of the points."



Stosur had lost her opening matches at her last two tournaments, her only opening round losses all year - having been No.4 in the world just five months ago, she came into Toronto down at No.11. Needless to say she is happy with her return to form in Toronto.



"I'm starting to really have things flow again," Stosur said. "I went through a bit of a dip in form at the start of the season, and I wasn't able to feel like I do now. To come here and play this well, no matter what happens tomorrow, I'm feeling good.



"I'm No.11 this week. I wanted to get back in, for sure."



Radwanska was on a nine-match winning streak, going 5-0 to win her first title in over three years at Carlsbad last week, then 4-0 to reach the semifinals here. "I was playing better in the second set and was able to break her twice, but then she started serving much better," she said. "It's very hard playing so many matches in a row, especially good matches on a very high level. I was fighting until the end, but it has been a busy three weeks. Anyway, I'm still happy. It was a good tournament for me."



Serena Williams snapped up the other berth in the final at night. With her power game in full flow and some fast finishes in both sets, the former No.1 improved to 10-0 in the summer hardcourt season with a 63 63 victory over No.4 seed Victoria Azarenka. Williams won eight of the last 11 points of the first set and 16 of the last 19 points of the second - she also finished the match in style, a huge crosscourt forehand winner into the corner.



"It was important for me to come in and take charge. I didn't have anything to lose," Williams said in her on-court interview. "It's really cool - I came to Toronto just trying to do my best, next thing I know I'm in the final. I haven't really played that much. Maybe it's something to do with the Toronto crowd!"

Stosur had some very nice words about Williams. "I've had some success against Serena, but we all know what she's capable of. She's obviously one of the best players ever in women's sport. She's a great champion. And for her to have that lay-off and already win an event and do so well, it's full credit to her."



Williams leads Stosur in their head-to-head series, 3-2.



Williams is 38-14 in WTA finals in her career, Stosur is 2-8.



S. STOSUR/A. Radwanska



6 2, 5 7, 6 2



An interview with:



AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA



THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.



Q. Can you just talk about the flow of the match a little bit? You know, you seemed to pick up your game in the second set. Did you feel kind of a difference between the sets in your level?

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Um, well, I think I was yeah, I obviously was playing better in the second set, and I was able to broke her I think twice.

But then I think that she starts serve much, much better. You know, I think serve was very important thing in this match.

You know, and with my shoulder, you know, I couldn't really hold my serve. That's why, you know, I think there was a little bit of trouble especially in the beginning of the third set already.



Q. How big a factor was fatigue in this match for you?

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Well, yes, it's very hard, you know, playing so many matches in a row, especially good matches on a very high level.

You know, I was fighting till the end, and of course, you know, this been a very busy three weeks. So I'm just very happy that, you know, I could be here in the semifinal.

So anyway, you know, it's good tournament for me.



Q. You'd be the best judge of this: Stosur will have to play one of two very in form players. How do you like her chances tomorrow?

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: You know, it's very hard to say, but I'd say 50/50, you know. It's very, you know, hard to say who's gonna win the second semifinal today. I'm not sure. It's very hard to say.



Q. Can you give us some specifics about the shoulder? Is it something where you just need a little bit of time off before the US Open? Is surgery something that you'll have to do after the season?

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Um, oh, no, don't say that. (Smiling.)

Last two off seasons I had two surgeries, so, you know no. I mean, I hope so. But well, yeah, I think for sure I need some time off, couple days off.

I just hope it's nothing serious. Yeah, we'll see.



Q. And despite the loss today, how confident are you feeling heading into the US Open? Do you feel like your game is as strong as it's ever been before a Grand Slam?

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Yes. You know, I think I'm playing very good tennis. I had a lot of good matches.

I'm ready for the Open, you know. It's been very good experience last three weeks. I think you know, I just hope I can do well, as well, in the US Open.



Q. I saw in practice that your back was also taped. Is that another injury, or is that to support the shoulder?

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: No. Actually, my back, it's now pretty sore because of the matches, you know, so much matches in a row.

So in this tournament you know, it's just too much tennis. Just I was falling apart now, but, you know, I think I just need few days just to fix it.



Q. Today I believe if you had won you'd be back in the top 10. Is that something that matters to you? Do you think about that during the tournament week?

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Um, well, I didn't really think that way, but for sure, you know, it's great to be top 10. I'm very happy that, you know, that I'm coming back, like you were saying. I didn't even that



Q. If you had won.

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Oh. I didn't really think that way. So if I be 11 or 10, it's no big different, but for sure, you know, being in top 10, it's of course much better. But I think most important thing to be top 10 I think at the end of the year, so I still have some time to do it.



Q. It sounds like you're not going to play any other tournaments between now and the US Open, right?

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: No, actually...



Q. Are you playing Cincinnati?

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Yes.



Q. Do you think that's a good idea?

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Well, you know, obviously, you know, I will just go there, and, you know, I go there and I will see how it's gonna be.



Q. Your dad hasn't been here these few weeks coaching you, right?

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: No.



Q. Can you talk about is that a different feeling, you know, the relationship with a coach who is not your father? Is there anything you can kind of do that you wouldn't be able to do like if your dad was around off the court?

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: I mean, not really, you know. I think, you know, I'm not 13 years old anymore. I just do what I want to do.

But, you know, yes, of course it's different feeling, especially that my father has been like 17 years already coaching me. But, you know, it was couple tournaments before that I was just with someone else.

But, you know, I was practicing my dad before I came here, and he was in Stanford for a little bit. You know, sometimes it's good to have some breaks, you know, from each other. You know, yeah.



FastScripts by ASAP Sports

August 13, 2011










An interview with:



STACEY ALLASTER



THE MODERATOR: Please welcome Stacey Allaster, who is the chairman and CEO of the WTA. Stacey is the former tournament director of the Canadian Open and a former vice president of Tennis Canada. For her accomplishments and contribution to the growth of tennis in Canada, she will be inducted into the Rogers Cup Hall of Fame later tonight.

Questions for Stacey, please.



Q. When you first come back here, what are some of the memories that come to you?

STACEY ALLASTER: I have a lot of fond memories. Sitting in this seat, it brings back memories of the power outage or some of the torrential whether that we had. But it really is a proud moment for me to come home and to be here with everyone and some mixed emotions, because I miss it.



Q. Last time I saw you, you were inducting Peachy Kellmeyer into the Tennis Hall of Fame.

STACEY ALLASTER: Yeah.



Q. I don't know if you're stalking Andre or Andre is stalking you.

STACEY ALLASTER: Andre is stalking us. Within the last six weeks, he's riding on the coattails of women's tennis.



Q. If you could just talk about, you know, what the history of the sport means to you and what it means to be a part of it.

STACEY ALLASTER: Well, look, you'll hear in my remarks on court tonight. I'm a Canadian kid who played the sport. When I was a teenager, I used to drive to York University and watch Chris Evert and Tracy Austin and Borg and McEnroe. I used to hang out at the practice courts.

I then worked here, I grew up here, and now I come back here as the chairman and CEO of the WTA, and it is it's incredible. I'm living quite an incredible dream.



Q. Congratulations for all you have done for all the years. A lot of memories. One thing I wanted to say and I wanted your comments on, and I think the toughest thing, as someone that's known you for a long time, it had to be a very difficult transition when this tournament lost Imperial Tobacco and you dealt at the time that they mainly did it, like the WTA, because cigarette couldn't advertise. And at that time, Rogers wasn't Rogers; the Internet wasn't the Internet. There had to be a time, I imagine, that when the cigarette sponsor was lost, all you guys must have been wondering if the tournament could have grown. Was that the, would you say, the watershed point of your career when you had to go from Imperial Tobacco into getting AT&T and later on Rogers as your main sponsors?

STACEY ALLASTER: No doubt. The transition from a sponsorship tobacco to a new title sponsor was a defining moment in my career. Many said we would never replace our previous partner, and we replaced it with two.

At that time AT&T Canada was building their business here, and it was AT&T Canada who convinced Rogers to come on and be the co title sponsor.

So at that time we called it Rogers AT&T, because they were partners in business, and we co branded them as a tournament.

Then AT&T Canada's business changed, and I can remember definitively it was 2001 at Wimbledon where I was hosting Nadir Mohamed. He had just become the COO of Rogers, and I can remember him distinctly saying to me, I'm not sure about this tennis thing.

Because now all of it was riding on Rogers because AT&T couldn't meet their commitments. I said to him then, Give us a chance. Give us a chance to prove that Canadian tennis and this incredible women's event at the time can deliver enormous return on investment for Rogers.

And I can tell you last week while I was vacationing up north in Muskoka, it was a dream for us to watch Rogers baseball, and during that broadcast came a commercial for the Rogers Cup. Then came a commercial for Quick Start tennis to get kids to play. Then I was on The Fan.

It all came together that Rogers not only would give Canadian tennis this financial support but would give it a promotional platform, which really makes it a winning combination. And really, you know, I'm very proud of this relationship that's lasted now for 10 years.



Q. Your other role, more recent role, obviously you're aware, like the rest of us, that the wild swings of Wall Street have been even more erratic than the top seeds this week at the Rogers Cup. But what I want to know is this: This is something we discuss, and I want to know, given the kind of global economy that we have and I always know that women's tennis has been a grow sport are you finally affected by this global economy? Does it affect where women's tennis could expand or the fundamental financial aspects of the game? If you could comment on that.

STACEY ALLASTER: Sure. Well, as the world economy has gone backwards, women's tennis has actually gone forwards. It's remarkable, but between 2010 to 2011 our sponsorship revenues have increased 60%. We secured Sony Ericsson, we renewed them, and we have signed six new sponsorship contracts all in the last 15 months.

Our attendance is up across our premier events. I'm in the midst of negotiating a new broadcast agreement. I'm very confident we're going to double our net revenues.

So we're very fortunate on a global basis to be able to drive the business forward. We're not immune to the economic challenges that all companies face, but overall right now, we really are winning the race.



Q. As you doubtless know, there was some small controversy here about the tag line and inclusion of the men. You have a unique position, as you understand this tournament. Now you're the boss of women's tennis. Does it bother you at all the idea that the men here might upstage the women, the actual event?

STACEY ALLASTER: Well, the men certainly aren't going to upstage the women. I'm not worried about that in the least. And anything that can add value for fans is good for business, and it's good for women's tennis.

You know, I think it happens at each event where promoters are looking for ways to add value. Our industry is no different than Rogers or a car company that's looking to add value to the main proposition.

Concerts happen. We even have music out here on site. Fashion, food and beverage, these events are entertainment extravaganzas, and they include so much more than just tennis. And really, who wouldn't want to see the great Andre Agassi or Johnny Mac or Courier/Chang?

So I think it's good for business, and I once again applaud Tennis Canada for pushing it and driving revenues.



Q. Is it conceivable to you that it could work the other way around, that we'd see Martina Navratilova and...

STACEY ALLASTER: I'd love to have our legends here. We don't have that many that are playing regularly, like the guys, but we have a current generation that does want to play a little bit more. Martina Hingis, Lindsay was playing, but now she's going to have another child. Iva Majoli, I spoke to her at the French. Martina is still playing great ball.

So it would be cool to, in fact, have maybe mixed doubles or have some of our previous legends actually on the court.



Q. There are some top players at the moment who seem pretty involved in kinda the running of the tour. I think Wozniacki...

STACEY ALLASTER: Yes, Venus and Serena.



Q. What are you hearing from them in terms of what they want the focus of the tour to be and their priorities?

STACEY ALLASTER: I think our collective priorities are to ultimately deliver to the fans and deliver to the sponsors. We have been on a long journey to change our circuit structure and have a healthier calendar so that top players on a regular basis could attend events like the Rogers Cup. So that's been our primary focus.

And second of all, we have renewed Sony Ericsson. We want to keep them. And now with these new partners, we're all collectively focused on how we can retain those partners and how we can grow the business in other parts of the world like China.



Q. On the previous question, you know, despite the growth of the WTA, it's still true that the men draw more spectators and broadcast ratings and even more media, you know, this week. Do you ever feel like you're in a competition with the ATP?

STACEY ALLASTER: Well, we're great partners. 40% of our events are combined, and we're in the sport of tennis.

There's no doubt that we're friendly competitors. But again, tennis fans are tennis fans. If you're a fan of men's tennis, I'm pretty sure you're gonna be a fan of women's tennis.

So anything that's good for the sport, you know, a great event in Montreal is gonna be great for women's tennis next year when Rogers Cup goes there.

You know, I'm born and bred tennis. I could never think of men's tennis as a true competitor.



Q. We might have a pretty loud semifinal here tonight.

STACEY ALLASTER: I think we will.



Q. Is the issue of grunting on your radar at all?

STACEY ALLASTER: It's on the radar, yes. We have a hindrance rule. We have a rule.

It's such that the chair umpire has the authority that if she thinks something is happening from one of the competitors where they're interfering with competition, they can implement that rule.

The reality of it is the athletes themselves are not coming to me, saying, We have an issue.

Where it sort of piques is always during Wimbledon. I don't know why, but Wimbledon seems to be that you know, maybe that's where we tot "Quiet, Please" from. They don't like perhaps louder noise. Plus I also think the broadcasters have done a terrific job with technology to animate the stadium so it is amplified slightly.



Q. So it doesn't seem to be a concern of the players. But with the TV viewers, it seems to be more of an issue.

STACEY ALLASTER: I think it's something that I can say to you that we are looking at. I think I'm very fan centric, and if there is a number of fans who are communicating with us that it's an issue, then it's something that we need to look at.

The collective challenge is it's very difficult to change the existing athletes, because this is how they've trained, prepared for their entire lives.

But I think where we potentially could make collective changes as a sport together with federations like Tennis Canada, with the ITF, is work at the junior level and working coaching to train the athletes slightly differently and be mindful of it.

But I watch a lot of tennis now, it's a good part of my job, and there's grunting happening in men's tennis, as well. Unfortunately it's just our decibels are a little bit higher. Our DNA is different.



Q. A long time ago when you were the tournament director, you always felt that tennis was really part of a larger structure, much like, you know, where I am now, Sony Ericsson Open in Miami where music, entertainment is part of the mix with growing celebrities. I realize you're not Karl Hale, you're not running this tournament, but I know you fairly well, and if you knew that there was a Black Creek Summer Music Festival in Toronto at Rexall Centre, you probably would have integrated the music entertainment with the tennis. And I just wanted to know if you had any comments, because there are so many big acts in town, and the promotion wasn't really integrated, that if you bought a musical act you get a discount on the tennis or the other way around, is that something that you would like Toronto to do in the future to integrate the Black Creek Music Festival, because they have a 15 year contract, with Tennis Canada's Rogers Cup in Toronto?

STACEY ALLASTER: Well, I can't really comment specifically, because I'm not that familiar with the Black Creek Music Festival, but what I can tell you is that Tennis Canada has always been innovative, is always pushing the envelope with entertainment, and there's been a band here all week adding musical entertainment.

I can remember, we brought music to the Rexall Centre and had a bit of a problem. It was a little too loud because it interfered with play. So it's finding the right balance. You know, it's world class tennis featuring the world's best athletes with a multitude of entertainment experiences.



Q. This might be a little bit of a Grand Slam issue as well as the WTA Tour issue, but obviously there have been a lot of comeback stories on the tour over the last few years, Clijsters and now Serena. The rankings take a little bit of time to sort of catch up with their form, and often what happens in the meantime is we get a lot of draws in which you see a lot of the top favorites meeting very early. Has there been any talk about maybe adjusting seeding so that this doesn't happen, some sort of formula or something?

STACEY ALLASTER: What I could say is if I were to change the rankings, I wouldn't sit here. Rankings are sacrosanct with the athletes, and that's what they play for.

So at the moment, all of the athletes understand that if you have really bad luck and you get injured, it's the way it is. You compete and you, like Serena is, you're gonna drive yourself back into the rankings.

So it is unfortunate in those first couple of weeks, couple of tournaments, where you might have Serena and we could have had Venus meeting each other here early on. That's just sport and competition. Obviously the Grand Slams are separate. They have their own rules, and they make their own decisions as it relates to seeding.



Q. With the Olympics next year, and the last Olympics season kind of affected, you know, the rest of the tour, is there a plan in place to address that?

STACEY ALLASTER: Yeah, there is a plan, a great plan. So the Olympic Games, the calendar, we go Wimbledon and then we have Stanford, San Diego, then you have a transition week for the athletes to get back to London. The opening ceremonies is on that Friday night. Olympic competition will start the next day and will run through for eight days. The women's gold medal match will be on the Saturday.

We have worked with Tennis Canada where they will have a smaller draw. They will have a 48 draw instead of a 56 and a Tuesday start. So instead of starting Monday with a 56, we will start Tuesday with a 48. If you're a seeded player, that will then mean you potentially might not have to play until Thursday.

So that gives the athletes, if you're in the gold medal match, from, you know, Saturday night to Thursday to be able to travel and transition and go from grass to hard.

I will give a really short speech on court tonight, but there are a few people I would like to thank I will not thank on court.

You've heard of Charlie's Angels. Well, Stacey, I've had my own angels and they were Bob Moffat, Jim Fleck, and Derek Strang. If you've read my story and you know the facts, just getting employed at Tennis Canada was a bit of a challenge. They turned me down three times.

It was Bob who, you know, saw this persistent young woman who wasn't going away that said, I'll give you a chance. There was no job. I was called the special projects coordinator, and it was a three month contract.

At that time I was hustling for a new job and I found one. I was going to go work for the Blue Jays. I was going to be a manager for the Blue Jays.

I'm not sure where my destiny would have been had that happened. I remember definitively telling who I was working for, reporting to, that, you know, I've got a job with the Blue Jays. It's full time. I'm out of college. Gotta go, unless you'd like to make this full time. He said, Good luck to you.

Out of respect to Bob, I went to his office and said, I just want you to know that I'm going to accept this job from the Blue Jays.

He said, Give me one hour.

Fifteen years later, I know I spent 15 years at Tennis Canada very much thanks to Bob for seeing the potential in me.

Then another historical moment came in 1995 when John Beddington, who had been the tournament director of the event for 17 years, he was also the commercial driver of the tournament for so many years, and I was 32 years old, still 5 foot 1 nothing, and was the board gonna hand over commercial for this organization for this tournament? I can remember George Gross I'm in his media room when John left, it was $100 million man leaving Tennis Canada. What's gonna happen?

Tennis Canada said, We're gonna give it to Allaster. And Jim Fleck was the chair of the board at that time. It was thanks to Jim for having the leadership in the boardroom at that time to give a 32 year old young woman the opportunity to lead Tennis Canada on the commercial front.

Jim's been a great supporter of mine ever since. He even was involved in helping me become the chairman and CEO of the WTA. He's been a great angel.

And last, but not least, Derek Strang who worked with me for 15 years, is a great friend and is a great mentor, and certainly without Derek I would not have achieved all of the success.

Thank you for my personal moment. I appreciate you all. You've all been great for many, many years supporting me and Canadian tennis, and I appreciate everything you've done for our sport.

Thank you.



FastScripts by ASAP Sports

ROGERS CUP 2011 MONTREAL: Djokovic derrotó a Monfils y espera a Tsonga en semis de Montreal

Djokovic derrotó a Monfils y espera a Tsonga en semis de Montreal

El serbio aplastó al francés y obtuvo su 51º triunfo en el año y avanzó en el torneo canadienseLa marcha triunfal del serbio Novak Djokovic, número uno del mundo, continuó con la victoria número 51 en lo que va de temporada después de ganar por 6-2 y 6-1 al francés Gael Monfils, quinto cabeza de serie, en los cuartos de final del torneo de tenis de Montreal (Canadá).


Djokovic, de 24 años, que sólo ha pedido un partido esta temporada en las semifinales del Roland Garros ante suizo Roger Federer, tendrá como rival en las semifinales a otro francés, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, decimotercer cabeza de serie, que venció por 6-4 y 6-4 al español Nicolás Almagro.

El número uno del mundo se ha enfrentado anteriormente ocho veces con Tsonga, de 26 años, y el jugador francés tiene ventaja al lograr cinco triunfos por tres derrotas.

El último duelo entre ambos tenistas fue en las pasadas semifinales de Wimbledon, que ganó Djokovic en cuatro sets.

El serbio volvió a confirmar que se encuentra en un momento de forma excepcional tanto física como mentalmente y frente Monfils no le dio ninguna opción para ganarle por séptima vez en los enfrentamientos que ambos han sostenido.

Djokovic sólo necesitó una hora y 14 minutos para conseguir la victoria que le mantiene como gran favorito a conseguir el título del torneo correspondiente a la Serie Masters 1.000, que se disputa en cancha dura y reparte premios por valor de 2,4 millones de dólares.

ROGERS CUP 2011 TORONTO: Serena Williams will take on Victoria Azarenka in the semifinals

SEMIFINAL MATCHES SET

Serena Williams will take on Victoria Azarenka in the semifinals of Rogers Cup presented by National Bank after she defeated Lucie Safarova 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Friday night.

For the second evening in a row, Williams lost the first set but managed to climb back to claim victory in impressive fashion.

Her final four foe will be Victoria Azarenka, who advanced to the semifinals with a routine 6-1, 6-2 victory over Galina Voskoboeva.

The No. 4 seed put a stop to the qualifier's incredible run in Toronto, whose fallen opponents include No. 9 Marion Bartoli, Flavia Pennetta, and No. 5 Maria Sharapova.

It will be a tough match between the two, as Azarenka has been lights-out all tournament with only six dropped games through three matches, but Williams is definitely a challenge for any player.

The second semifinal will be between Samantha Stosur and Agnieszka Radwanska after both won in straight sets.

The No. 13 seed took out Andrea Petkovic in a hard-fought 6-4, 6-3 victory.

It was a battle between the two similarly-skilled competitors, with Radwanska just eking out the win, a few points here and there making the difference. The Poland native has now eliminated Petkovic from contention twice in one week, after she also defeated the world No. 10 last Saturday in the Carlsbad semifinals.

Stosur meanwhile was the first player through to the semifinals with an early afternoon 6-4, 6-1 triumph over Roberta Vinci.

The Australian has continually improved throughout the week, and she was solid in the one hour, three minute defeat of her Italian opponent.

In doubles, defending champions Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta are through to the semifinals once again, while Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond also made it through via walkover after Vera Dushevina and Lucie Hradecka pulled out due to Dushevina's right forearm injury. They will play each other for a spot in the final.

Azarenka will play two matches tomorrow, as she and partner Maria Kirilenko take on Nuria Llagostera Vives and Arantxa Parra Santonja in the other doubles semi.

August 12, 2011

V. AZARENKA/G. Voskoboeva



6 1, 6 2



An interview with:



VICTORIA AZARENKA



THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.



Q. How do you feel about being the highest ranked player left standing?

VICTORIA AZARENKA: Um, not really focused on that, honestly, no? I'm just here to play the tournament, not looking at the rankings or anything else, just trying to stay focused on every game. You know, every opponent is tough, as you can see throughout the tournament. So I'm just really trying to be focused on myself.



Q. How concerned were you playing here today, considering that she beat Maria and then she beat Bartoli and she was playing very well? Were you worried going into the match, or did you know much about her beforehand as well?

VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah, I know her for a long time, but worried, no. I mean, of course I had to take in consideration she's been playing really well, you know.

But as I said, I was more focused on my game and trying to execute my shots and moving myself than really more less on the opponent's game. So it worked out for me well that I was really focused on me than on her.



Q. Are you surprised, I mean, she hasn't had that much of a record in singles, that she did so well this week?

VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, you know, it's one week. If she can do that on consistent basis, she will be, you know, up top 10.



Q. That's something that you've really sort of been managing to do ever since March is really bring good tennis every week. Can you talk a little bit about sort of that discipline and just what it takes to keep that focus?

VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, it takes a lot of hard work. You know, every day you have to find something to, you know, motivate you, to go on court and try to give your best.

So for me it's important to, you know, stay on the court when I'm on the court, to give my best every time on every point and every match I play. So that's how I am. That's my mentality going into every match.



Q. Do you have any sort of specific tricks that you use? I mean, I know you started listening to music walking on the court, things like that. Can you talk about that?

VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah, I do listen to the music all the time when I go. I like to dance a little bit before the match.

So, you know, everybody has their own way to get ready for the match and get focused, so that's one of mine.



Q. I saw you in May. I believe it was your last hard court appearance where you won in Key Biscayne over Maria. Do you see some similarities between playing here in Toronto and at the Sony Ericsson Open?

VICTORIA AZARENKA: Absolutely zero except that the name, the hard court. But the surface and the whole atmosphere is completely different. You can't compare these both events. It's totally different.



Q. You're sort of from the same generation as Kvitova. When you see her win Wimbledon, does that sort of make you think, that could have been me, or are you a little frustrated that she got there first for a Grand Slam?

VICTORIA AZARENKA: Frustrated? No, she really deserved that win. She played really well. I had my chances, also.

But for me, I don't want to look back, you know. There is no point. You cannot bring back what happened already.

But I think she played really well. She deserved that win. And for me, I'm just gonna focus on the next one and try to get it.



Q. Do you have a quick word about each of the two possible opponents that you could face tomorrow?

VICTORIA AZARENKA: Two good words, two great girls, two great players, you know, been showing some excellent tennis this week. So both dangerous.

And, you know, honestly I look forward to see how that match goes, and I'll be happy to play any of the opponents.



Q. You have matched up well against Serena in the past. Can you talk a little bit about, if it is her, what you need to do and what is it that you do that's given her trouble in the past?

VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, she's a great player. I mean, you can see she has so many weapons, you know, especially her big serve.

Just, you know, have to fight against her. I haven't played her in a while. Since she has been back, she has been showing some excellent tennis.

So I really have to, you know, step up the level a little bit, and, as I said, try to be focused on me, not on who I'm gonna play.



Q. Is that the important thing? Just the fight?

VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah, of course. It's always it's the most important thing. I mean, everybody knows how to play forehand, how to play backhand, and to run. Most important is to fight and to bring out your best mentality.



Q. What does it feel like to see your ranking where it is and see Serena's ranking at 70 or whatever it is? Does that seem strange?

VICTORIA AZARENKA: It's how things are. I mean, she didn't play for a year. What do you expect, her to be No. 1 after one tournament? Is impossible.

So, I mean, I'm sure she's gonna work her way through, and she knows where she deserves to be. We'll see how it goes.



Q. Did you see any of the matches she played in Stanford and when she won that tournament?

VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah, I saw a little bit. As I said, she played great. I mean, Serena, doesn't matter if she didn't play for eight months. She's done it before. She knows how to play tennis.



Q. When you're watching, are you watching out of curiosity or are you watching as a professional sort of scouting to see exactly how she's playing?

VICTORIA AZARENKA: Both. I mean, just curious sometimes. You know, sometimes it's interesting to just watch tennis and see what players are working, what players are doing. It's not particular one player. I love to watch men's tennis, as well.

So I don't know. I enjoy watching.



Q. What were you doing last week? Was it just a practice week? Did you come here early?

VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah, I was practicing in New York.



Q. Did you get a chance to do anything else?

VICTORIA AZARENKA: Quite a few things. I mean, but mainly practice. It takes so much time out of you. Sometimes you just don't have any energy to go anywhere.

But I did my haircut. I colored my hair. A little bit curly now.



Q. Speaking of being busy, obviously you're still rolling in doubles play, as well. What does that take out of you this week?

VICTORIA AZARENKA: It's a lot of fun. I enjoy playing doubles. I have a great partner, and we have been playing so well this whole year, so it's a little bit of extra practice and extra prize money, as well. (Smiling.)

FastScripts by ASAP Sports

August 12, 2011

S. STOSUR/R. Vinci



6 4, 6 1



An interview with:



SAMANTHA STOSUR



THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.



Q. Congratulations, first of all. For you guys, this is a grind, obviously, but for fans in Toronto they only get to see you guys once every two years. So when you make the semis like this, it's an introduction to the city when they really catch on on the weekend. How aware are you guys of that idea of becoming a big deal in a new city, and what have your impressions of Toronto been?

SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, I guess because we go to a new city kind of every year, it's always the same kind of thing.

I guess certain tournaments, especially like this, you realize how much the fans appreciate the tournament being back here. Everyone involved with the event does such a good job, and I think, you know, it shows how popular it is with how many volunteers they have and how many people come to watch during quallies and just practice days.

So obviously I think any time a big sporting event and something like our tournaments come to a town, it's great for the, you know, the economy. We all go out to eat and all stay in the hotels. I think it's a really good thing for each city we go to.



Q. For Toronto, in general, your impressions?

SAMANTHA STOSUR: I have really enjoyed my time, staying downtown, found some nice restaurants that I like going to. Yeah, it's been a really good week.



Q. It looked like you were serving really well out there. Is that something you have been working on, or it just came together?

SAMANTHA STOSUR: I think as the match went on, I obviously probably grew in confidence, and then you get that bit of a lead with a buffer of a couple breaks and felt like I could maybe start going for a bit more; whereas at the start I was just trying to kick it in, get it hard to her backhand, really make a high percentage, and then you start feeling it. I went for some big ones, and it pay paid off.



Q. At what point do you think, I can win this thing?

SAMANTHA STOSUR: Oh, I think, you know, semifinals you've got to believe that anything is possible. You know, from even having said that from semifinals to winning the tournament, there's still a long way to go, but I think in this position you've got to. If you don't, then it's probably a little bit silly.



Q. Did you have any problem with Roberta, different style of play?

SAMANTHA STOSUR: I knew going into the match that she obviously has a different style, and, you know, I kind of thought I knew the way she was gonna try and play against me, and I was prepared for that. It is definitely tricky.

She obviously hits a lot more slice backhands than most players and kind of moves the ball around a bit differently and doesn't have the big power game.

But playing someone like her, I quite enjoy I guess that challenge of having to work things out, and maybe you don't win the point on the first or second shot, maybe take three or four balls and then you can set up and then you get your opportunity.



Q. At the end of the first set, along the same lines, you seemed to be running around the forehand a lot. Was that a conscious decision or did that just sort of happen naturally?

SAMANTHA STOSUR: No, I always try and do that, anyway. That's my kind of style or trying, I guess, get as many forehands as I can and play from, you know, that side a little bit more.

I think playing someone like her, I wanted to try and keep aggressive and it was hard to do that off a backhand when she's keeping the ball very low and whatever.

So it was kind of what I had intentionally set out to try and do.



Q. In honor of your victory I'm wearing sunglasses in the press room. I wanted to ask you, I did a little survey from a lot of eye surgeons, and a lot of them are wondering, why aren't there more tennis players wearing sunglasses? Because you obviously care about your eyes. They claim that the longer players go without wearing sunglasses is going to result in a lot of eye damage later on. I just want to know if you are wearing the sunglasses not only for your health it seems to be almost as much of a trademark for you. I just wanted to know if that's a conscious effort that you made early in your life.

SAMANTHA STOSUR: It wasn't a conscious effort for any of those reasons other than when I was about 14, I thought it might be kind of cool and I'd look different to everyone else, so I just wanted to wear them.

Mom and dad went out and bought me some, and ever since I've always played in them. I think now it's just like I take my racquets, I take my sunglasses, and it's part of, you know, everything that I take to the court to play.

Yeah, I don't know how a lot of players can see not just the sun but the glare out there. So that's the main reason why I really wear them, and, yeah, always have.



Q. You were pretty dominant in that second set. What was your mindset going into that last set?

SAMANTHA STOSUR: I think once I won that first set, obviously you can kind of not relax but you feel like you've definitely got a bit of a lead going. And for her to lose serve in that last game when she had a couple of opportunities on my serve and then I was able to get ahead, and once I broke early in that second set, really felt like I was in control of the match.

So, you know, it's always important to try and start sets off well, whether you've just won the first set or lost it. I think I was really I was able to do that well today and never let her get back into it.



Q. Can you just comment a little bit on the two potential opponents you've got in the semifinal? Their style is different, approach it differently?

SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, yeah, they're definitely different style players. Petkovic has more of the power game and goes for it more whereas Agi kind of plays a different style, likes to absorb the pace and move ball around and really can, you know, work out what's going on quite well.

So I think it's two different styles. I think one, you've got to be aware of your unforced errors and try and keep those to a minimum and still play aggressive, and the other one, you've got to go for it but still know she's gonna come up with some very good winners and maybe throw in some errors as well.

I guess I'll wait and see who it is and then really think about it then.



Q. Do you like to watch the games of your competitors coming up? Like will you watch this afternoon's match live?

SAMANTHA STOSUR: I will probably watch a little bit from upstairs a little bit. I don't always watch.

If it's on and I'm not doing anything else, then I'll watch it. That's why I have a coach and he does all that hard stuff. (Smiling.) Then we talk about it later.



FastScripts by ASAP Sports

August 12, 2011

A. RADWANSKA/A. Petkovic



6 4, 6 3



An interview with:



AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA



THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.



Q. Does it feel a little bit like deja vu this week again?

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Um, yes, a little bit. But anyway, you know, a little bit, yes, because I'm playing against the same players. But, you know, every match is different. You always have to play the best tennis, you know, winning against those players.



Q. Can you just talk a little bit about how your shoulder is doing?

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Um, it's still okay. I mean, for sure playing every day is not very help with my shoulder. Still I can handle it, and for sure I will do my best tomorrow. And, yeah, we'll see.

I mean, for sure I need some couple days off before the Open, but now I'll do my 100%, you know, to win tomorrow.



Q. After the win last week, I'm just wondering how you're feeling about your game, because obviously you're rolling through this tournament, as well.

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: I mean, I'm very happy with my game, with my performance. I had a lot of good matches against top players. I think, you know, the best that I have the confidence and a lot of experience against top players.

So I think, you know, I already have a lot of good matches like a good warmup before the Open.



Q. Very dangerous opponent today. How is it you've matched up so well against her thus far in your career? I think it's four straight wins against her.

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Yes. Well, she's very tough player. I mean, you know, not missing much. You know, moving very well. Playing deep balls.

You know, she's very consistent. So is very tough to play against her. I just have to be focused since beginning to the last point. She's, you know, huge fighter, so I really have to close this match, and, you know, just fight till the end.



Q. You were 3 Love up and then it was 3 All and then it was Love 30. Did you feel then it was slipping away a little bit?

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: You know, a little bit, yes. But I had something of this before actually against Vera, as well. It was like, you know, first set was 3 2 or 2 3 and then Love 40, and then in the second set I was 4 Love down.

So it's always up and down, you know, in the matches. So like I said, just point by point, and, you know, just fight until the end, because this is, like I said, anything can happen. Yeah, like I said, doesn't matter if 4 All or 4 Love. You just have to play your best all the time.



Q. Does it make it harder with the shoulder to really believe you can come back?

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Of course, because, you know, I'm trying to not, especially not serve that strong like I always do.

So it's always a little bit harder, but anyway, I can still do it, you know, without the serve, so it's okay.



Q. Do you know exactly what it is with the shoulder?

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: You know, I think the most important answer is just too much tennis, so...



Q. You have a new coach. Do you think that played a role in your recent wins?

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Well, you know, of course, you know, I have a coach coaching me here, but also my dad in Poland before I came to U.S. , so you know, couple of guys, hitting partners hitting balls. So there's been a couple of people that you have to thank, you know, for being here in the semifinal and winning last week.



Q. Do you feel that your ranking is a bit misleading right now just with the way you have been playing?

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: My ranking?



Q. Do you feel like you're a better player than what your ranking is showing?

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: You know, it's hard to say that way. I think, you know, all the top 15 players are pretty on the same level, you know.

It's not like in the men's tour that, you know, there are like two or three, three players now that are on the top all the time. In the women's ranking, everything is changing all the time.

I just hope that I can be back on the top 10 after U.S. tournaments, that's for sure, and still fighting for the chance.



Q. Is your goal to win a Grand Slam or to be No. 1? Is that what you're always thinking about?

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Of course. I think this is the dream for every player. So, yes, for sure.



Q. Which of the Grand Slams do you think you might have the best chance at?

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Well, it's hard to say, but, you know, for me, doesn't matter which Grand Slam I win first, but I like grass. I got to quarters there. It's very hard to say, but, I think, yeah, grass or Australian Open, I think.



Q. Can you just talk about playing Stosur tomorrow and how that matchup looks to you?

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Um, well, we played couple times before, but I don't know the statistics, to be honest. I can't remember. But for sure, you know, she's very great player, great champion.

You know, playing her is always tough. So, you know, I just have to play again my best tennis to beat her tomorrow, so for sure it's going to be completely different match than today. But, you know, I'll try.



Q. What's special about your game?

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: I think you have to, you know, ask my opponents than me.



Q. You must know what you do well, what you think you do well.

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: You know, I think what I do well is I'm mixing up everything. You know, my tennis is not doesn't look the same. You know, depends who is on the other side of the court. Pretty much doing everything.

August 11, 2011






S. WILLIAMS/J. Zheng



4 6, 6 3, 6 3



An interview with:



SERENA WILLIAMS



THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.



Q. What was the reality on the court in the match with Zheng? Can you talk about the reality on the court in the match with Zheng?

SERENA WILLIAMS: What?



Q. Your reality.

SERENA WILLIAMS: My reality?



Q. What was going on?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Um, you know, it was a tough match going on out there, so it was as real as it gets, and it was fun. You know, I'm glad I was able to win.



Q. In the second set you managed to break the rhythm. How did you do that?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I decided that I had to like really relax and really calm down and just, you know, try to start playing better. She was really just playing well from the whole match. I just tried to do better.



Q. When you look at the rest of the draw, you see a lot of the seeded players are now out. I mean, you are unseeded, only a few tournaments back from your injury. But when you look at the rest of the draw and the way you're playing, do you feel pretty good about your chances?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I just am happy to be in the quarterfinals. You know, I had a really tough match, so I'll see how I recover tonight. I've been playing a lot, and I haven't been playing as much, but also, I've been working out a lot, so I should be okay.

But seeded or not, you know, I'm in. I'm ready to go.



Q. Serena, is it a confidence booster to come through a match like that so shortly into your comeback?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, it's cool, you know. I'm happy and it's good. I was happy to get through it. You know, I never give up. That's one of my things is to keep going.



Q. Did you ever think you'd lose that match? The last three games, you seemed to notch it up a gear.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Did I?



Q. Well, I thought so.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I hope so. You know, that's what you have to do in order to get to the next level. The thought 'I'm gonna lose' never ever crosses my mind even if I'm down match point.



Q. Some pretty impressive splits out there tonight.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Did you like those? (Laughter.)

I have been working on them. Whenever I can, I try to get to do it. I love doing the splits on and off the court. I absolutely was excited. I was really, really excited to do it.



Q. What was going through your mind after losing the first set and also at 5 3 of the second set?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I just thought, after I lost the first set, I thought, okay, third set. I always think that. Whenever I lose the first set, I'm automatically thinking about the third set. That's what was going through my mind.

And the second set when I was up 5 3, I don't know, I just thought I wanted to close it out.



Q. You said Zheng played a really good match today. Did you ever expect that she was going to play so aggressively from the baseline and also the return of serve before the match?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, yeah, she always plays me like this, so I wasn't surprised at all.

Really, the way she plays me is she always goes, for whatever reason, she goes so hard. So I was ready.



Q. She's now in the same situation like yours, came back from injuries. Do you think her game right now, what kind of level that she's right now, like top 15, top 30, that she could come back to the top 10 as well?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, you know, I don't really know what level, because, you know, I'm 89 in the world, wherever the heck I'm ranked. I don't really know, so I can't even tell you my level, so...



Q. It seemed like any time you showed emotion the crowd really got behind you in this match. When that happens, do you kind of try to feed off of it or block it out?

SERENA WILLIAMS: You know, when I'm showing emotion, I must really be into it and really be trying to get through it.

So I definitely don't want to block the crowd out, because it's so awesome to have their support. It's so cool when I'm out here and I hear them cheering for me. It totally helps, so I like it.



Q. Changing topics slightly, it's going to be the 10th anniversary of September 11 during the US Open this year. Can you just look back on that day and your memories of that?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah. You know, time flies so fast. You know, 10 years since September 11th is time where I think all Americans really kind of reminisce. It's a moment I don't think any American can forget.

You know, I was in New York at the time, and also in DC, so it was just a really horrible, really scary, scary moment for me and my whole family.

So, yeah, it was a disaster.



Q. Do you remember anything that really stands out?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I was in DC, and there were just Army trucks everywhere. And I was really scared, and it was just you know, it was almost like, I guess, a war scene, because the whole streets were filled with these huge tanks.

I remember thinking, oh, my gosh, this is crazy.



FastScripts by ASAP Sports

August 11, 2011






G. VOSKOBOEVA/M. Sharapova



6 3, 7 5



An interview with:



GALINA VOSKOBOEVA



THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.



Q. Just wanted to get your reaction to making the quarterfinals, beating Sharapova today.

GALINA VOSKOBOEVA: Well, of course I'm very happy with that, and it just I mean, I'm happy, but it's not like, you know, something that's a miracle because I was working really hard, so that's I think the result.



Q. I guess this is proof that anything can happen. That's why you play the games. As a qualifier, you're not really, on paper, supposed to be able to beat the No. 5 seed.

GALINA VOSKOBOEVA: Yes, of course, especially in tennis, you never know how Russians usually used to say, you know, the ball is round, so everything can happen.

But, yes, my ranking is low, but it's because of some reason. Especially in this match against Maria, I remember our last match which was also, you know, tough. It was three sets. So I knew what I have to do exactly, you know. So just helped me that I played against her before.



Q. From that last match, what did you gain that you really thought you would be able to take advantage of from her game heading into this one?

GALINA VOSKOBOEVA: You mean from last time when we played?



Q. Yeah, the previous match.

GALINA VOSKOBOEVA: Um, probably this time I was feeling myself more confident, because I played good matches. I had good wins before, days before.

Of course I had nothing to lose. Maria is a great player, a great fighter. So what changed, maybe just my confidence was higher this time.



Q. Late in that second set, how were you able to, when you were frustrated, how were you able to maintain your composure and finish off the match?

GALINA VOSKOBOEVA: You know, actually in the middle of the second set I was sitting like on changeover thinking, my God, in every game I had the break point I think. So I was thinking, okay, it could be 5 Love or 4 Love already, and every game it was so tight, you know. It's like it was deuce, advantage, deuce, advantage.

So I just knew that I have to be focused and to continue playing. Everything could happen.



Q. Did you have a sense, coming into this week, that you were going to play like this?

GALINA VOSKOBOEVA: I don't think when I'm coming to the tournament, I don't think what's gonna happen. I think that nobody think, will she play good or no? Especially me. I just go and play. It's difficult to say, for example, I will pass quallies and I will win so many matches.

No, you don't think so. You just you just go and you play. You fight, because every match was close. Everything could change in every minute. So, no, you never know what's gonna happen.



Q. Can you talk about working with Alina this week, what you guys have been doing and what's been helping?

GALINA VOSKOBOEVA: Yes, it's very good. That's why I working with Alina, because it's helping me a lot, especially that she played recently and she can feel the match, the pressure. She can give good advices.

It's always great that after the match we can go and work on the court and to do things which were probably not that good.

So I'm pretty happy that we are working together, and I'm also happy that we are doing good together, because it doesn't happen very often, like that you can find the person with who you feel confident, comfortable, and you can understand each other.



Q. During your run, has there been any part of your game that you've surprised yourself in how good you've been?

GALINA VOSKOBOEVA: I knew that I can have really good shots, but of course some of them were better than always, for example, some lobs. When you make a lob and you put it right on the line, probably yes. It's not like a big surprise like that you never did, but it's probably some luck which you have this day. And it's great, because some days you have it; some days you don't have it.

Today, yes, I was lucky on some points, but she also was on other. I think we had many good rallies, but it was not like I never had them before.



FastScripts by ASAP Sports

August 11, 2011






G. VOSKOBOEVA/M. Sharapova



6 3, 7 5



An interview with:



MARIA SHARAPOVA



THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.



Q. When the week began, everyone was talking about the parity on this tour. Was today an example of that?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: About what?



Q. Was today an example of the parity on this tour about how many dangerous players there are?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, obviously she played really well this tournament. You could tell today that she came to the match with a lot of confidence, swinging away, you know, going for the first serve and her shots.

You know, I think if she consistently could play like that, obviously, you know, she wouldn't be ranked where she is today. She showed that she can play really great tennis.



Q. Was there anything that you felt you were missing today?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Oh, I felt in the first set, you know, I didn't break her once, and I don't think I even saw break point, which is, you know, not really great, because then obviously she has a tremendous amount of confidence when she's returning. You know, she doesn't feel anything when she's stepping on the line on the service game. I don't think I really did enough on those.



Q. Even before this tournament there was talk about the women's side of tennis and how maybe the top 10 is not always as consistent as the top 4 like on the men's side of tennis. Here we are less than three days into the tournament, and I think it's 10 of the top 16 seeds being out, you being the 10th, and I think another one was about to fall as I walked in the room. Wondering what your thoughts are on the current state of tennis. Does this hurt or help the game that anyone can win on any given day, or is it hurting that you don't have that consistent core at the top like the men's side does?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, I think it makes for an exciting story, because, you know, at the end of the day, no matter what you're ranked or seeded, you know, the reason we go out and play the match is, you know, to know who's gonna be the winner on that day.

Whether you're No. 1 in the world or you're facing someone that's 100 or so, you still have to go out and win. That's what the sport is all about.

Obviously you want to put yourself in the best position, and, you know, be as high as you can in the rankings, but you still have to go out and win those matches where, you know, you're not necessarily playing a top player but playing someone that's come in and is playing extremely well.



Q. Can you explain how the lack of preparation and playing tournaments, like you've only this is only your second tournament since Wimbledon, the final. How does that affect your game? We have seen that like across the board today, like favorites losing today.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, it's obviously you know, we have a pretty long summer, and it starts in the clay season, and, you know, you gear up for that. And it's a pretty short turnaround from the French to Wimbledon.

You know, then I think all of us give ourselves a bit of a vacation after that, because, you know, we're on the road and traveling with back to back Grand Slams.

So I think after that it takes everyone a little bit of time to get the rust off again and to get going, because to always obviously we want to win every tournament, but we also have to be realistic in terms of, you know, sometimes it's not gonna go our way or we're not gonna feel great.



Q. When you were facing the three match points, she double faulted twice and then sent it back into the net. She seemed very frustrated at that point. At that point did you think that the match could turn? Did you think you were back in control or had a chance to get control?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, I did, but, you know, it was still 5 All in the second, and she played a really great game there. She didn't give me any easy points, and, you know, I thought I served well in that game and, you know, she just I think she was just really going for it.



Q. Did you feel rusty at all today?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Oh, I mean, I guess you could say that because I haven't played too many matches since Wimbledon, but at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter.



Q. You don't think it matters, then, to be rusty, to not have so many games under your belt or to have such a long layoff?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I can't really think that way. Obviously if you're thinking that way it's obviously the reality and that's the way it is, but you're you know, if you come in thinking that, you know, even in a situation where you don't feel you're playing great or something's not working, I can't go into a match having that attitude. You always have to be positive.



FastScripts by ASAP Sports

August 11, 2011






S. STOSUR/N. Li



6 2, 6 4



An interview with:



NA LI



THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.



Q. What has Stosur done that you found particularly challenging in the times that you've played her?

NA LI: I mean, if you watch the match, everyone can see she has a huge, big serve, not normal like girl serve. Bounce even higher.

I mean, it's tough for me to return. And also, today was so, so windy. I mean, I couldn't use my serve a lot in the first serves.

Yeah, but yeah, she's play well.



Q. Did the fact that this was your first match of the week play a factor, do you think?

NA LI: I mean, yeah, always tough after break and come back for the first match, because I have six or seven weeks didn't play tournament.

So, yeah, beginning of the match I was like I even didn't know what I should do on the court, not like during the clay court season. I know exactly if I hit the ball next here, I come back, what I should do. But I was feeling I'm like juniors on the court. (Smiling.)

Hopefully getting better, and I will, yeah, start training harder tomorrow to try to be ready in Cincinnati.



Q. Curious how you're dealing with the amount of attention you've been getting since the French Open, how you've been handling it and if you've noticed it much on just playing smaller tournaments on the tour.

NA LI: French Open is over. Yeah, now is getting US Open already. So, I mean, yeah, of course it was good experience, exciting moment for me, but right now I should focus on the hard court season.

Yeah, I couldn't think about clay court anymore, so, you know yeah, always tough, I mean, back to first match.



FastScripts by ASAP Sports

August 10, 2011






M. SHARAPOVA/B. Jovanovski



6 1, 7 5



An interview with:



MARIA SHARAPOVA



THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.



Q. What was more difficult, the wind or your opponent?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, I expected my opponent to play well today, because she's someone that's dangerous. Although she's a qualifier, she's someone, you know, that's moving up and young and eager and has beaten, you know, good players before.

You know, she's on her way up, so I knew that that was gonna be a dangerous round, knowing she played a few matches already and this was my first match.

So I was happy with the way I played in the first set, and then I was up and down a little bit in the second. But overall I thought, for a good match, it was good.



Q. Can you talk about the wind? You were having trouble obviously with the serve and all the service breaks in the second set.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah. You know, the conditions I think were tough for everyone today. It's not always the best tennis when, you know, when you're facing those conditions.

But I think it's it goes both ways; not just for yourself but also for the opponent. So I think it's just a matter of who handles it better, who adjusts and makes adjustments at the right time. The sooner, the better.



Q. Where's your game at? Where are you at compared to where you want to be?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, my goal is always to improve no matter where you are in your career, whether you feel like, you know, you're playing really well or, you know, you feel like you can, you know, you've had better days.

So I always, you know, no matter how good or bad I feel, I always look to improve. That's really my philosophy. I never consider anything to be perfect. You know, I always have certain goals. That keeps you going, you know, keeps you motivated.



Q. Is there anything you would have done differently today?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Um, I think, you know, obviously, you know, I had some chances earlier in the second set, and not taking those, I think that really gave her a little bit of confidence. And against an opponent, you know, like her, you know, that didn't have the best first set, I think, you know, she kind of gains a little bit more confidence and starts swinging a little bit more. That can be dangerous, which it kind of became.



FastScripts by ASAP Sports

August 10, 2011






S. DUBOIS/V. Azarenka



6 0, 6 0



An interview with:



STEPHANIE DUBOIS



THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.



Q. I'm sure you don't want to think about that match, but just talk about it and what happened and how tough, when you fight as hard as you did, how disappointing it is.

STEPHANIE DUBOIS: Yeah. Well, what can I say? For sure it's disappointing, but I have been playing so well in the past few months, so I don't think I'm gonna take that match. I'm going to probably forget it.

She did really play well, I think. She didn't give me any chance. I made few unforced errors that I usually don't do. Maybe I forced a little bit, but I needed to do that.

What can I say? I tried my best, and it didn't really work out the way I wanted. Just need to go on and forget that match.



Q. You're the last Canadian playing today, and now you guys have had a frustrating streak of getting through at this tournament in Toronto. Does that make this more disappointing, this loss?

STEPHANIE DUBOIS: I didn't get the question.



Q. Just the fact that the Canadians always seem to struggle at this tournament in Toronto. Does that make it even more difficult?

STEPHANIE DUBOIS: Well, I don't think so, you know. Depends tournament. Sometimes you play well; sometimes you don't play well.

I did great in Washington. Aleks did well in she won Stanford two years ago. We had we're playing against the top players in the world. Obviously it shows. Azarenka, she top 5 in the world. That's for a reason.

But, you know, what can I it's frustrating, but, you know, we do our best and we have done really well in the past, so I'm not concerned at all.



Q. I meant like specifically this tournament in Toronto. Because I think it's since 1991 that a Canadian has made it through to the third round.

STEPHANIE DUBOIS: Maybe it's just our circumstance, but we have great tennis players in Canada, and we are gonna see more good results in the next year, for sure.



Q. How much does it mean to you to have the crowd stick around and be so boisterous for the entire match?

STEPHANIE DUBOIS: Usually you win one game and people start to cheer up. I actually was close to win two today.

I was focused, so, you know, I didn't I didn't found that funny because I was struggling to get one game, but obviously they were nice. It helped to keep me not frustrating and keep on fighting even if it was not the way I wanted it.



FastScripts by ASAP Sports

August 10, 2011






R. VINCI/C. Wozniacki



6 4, 7 5



An interview with:



CAROLINE WOZNIACKI



THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.



Q. You have actually never won here in Toronto. Is there something special about this tournament, the scheduling, something that's just not working for you?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I don't know. You know, today was definitely not the best match, and I didn't get a chance to really get any rhythm. It was very difficult first with the wind but also the way that Vinci was playing.

First match back, of course I'd have loved to have won that one, and especially after leading 5 1 in the second, it's not fun to lose this one. But, you know, there's nothing really you can do about it now, and just about to practice and head over to Cincinnati and try to do better there.



Q. What was the difference after you went up 5 1? What changed at that point?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, I probably should have taken my serve straightaway, but then I came against the wind for the next two games and it was pretty difficult on the other side.

Then, yeah, she served well, and then that pretty much just summed everything up.



Q. It seemed like the wind was causing you havoc, especially on the lobs. Can you speak a little bit more about what it was like playing out there one side versus the other?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, definitely on one side the wind was blowing in the back. You had to watch out you didn't play it long. The other side you really had to hit through the ball to make it even go.

But again, the wind was changing quite a bit, and it was blowing in different directions. Again, it's the same for both players, so I just need to try and adapt.



Q. What are some of the positives you might be able to take out of your match today, if any?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, you know, right now it's pretty disappointing, and you just want to try to get over this match and just try to analyze what happened. Then I'm gonna take the positives and the negatives and try to improve for the next one.



Q. I wondered if the wind was particularly troubling on the toss. A couple of times you retossed a couple of times. Was it wind related?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yeah, it was. It was very windy, and especially when you threw it up it was going everywhere. So definitely that didn't make it easy.



Q. Can you speak a little bit about your opponent's game today? She seemed really tenacious in terms of defending the ball and just keeping it in play.

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yeah, I mean, that's the kind of game she she likes to break the opponent's rhythm. She's slicing the ball. It's tough to you need to really get under it, and then she tries to go in with the forehand.

Yeah, she was getting a lot of balls back, as well, and just did better today than I did.



FastScripts by ASAP Sports

August 10, 2011






R. VINCI/C. Wozniacki



6 4, 7 5



An interview with:



ROBERTA VINCI



THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.



Q. Did you feel that the wind was a factor in the match today for you? How did you feel or deal with it?

ROBERTA VINCI: Well, I wasn't confident. Today was so hard to play, and I saw that Caroline, she makes a lot of mistake, especially in the first set.

So yes, yes, I think that I can win today, yeah. Was not easy, but I can. I can do it.



Q. I was wondering where that win ranks in your career in terms of all your victories. Did you do anything different last night to prepare against someone who was ranked No. 1? Did you eat anything differently or do anything differently?

ROBERTA VINCI: No. No, nothing special, nothing no change. I have the same coach, same trainer, same friends. No. (Laughter.)



Q. What was, I guess, going through mind as you started rallying back? You're down 5 1, picking up a game at a time. At what point did you say, I'm gonna take this match?

ROBERTA VINCI: Yes, I was 5 1 down, but I knew that that I can win the set, because as I told you, it was a lot of wind, so some mistakes, some balls I was focus every point.

I tried to stay, yeah, focused and play aggressive, some slice on her forehand when was possible. And that's it. I think this is the key that I won the set.



Q. Where does this rank on your wins in your career? Is this the greatest win?

ROBERTA VINCI: This is the best win, victory in my life. Yes.



FastScripts by ASAP Sports

August 10, 2011




S. WILLIAMS/J. Goerges



6 1, 7 6



An interview with:



SERENA WILLIAMS



THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.



Q. Welcome back to Toronto. I think this is your fourth match since your injuries. Is it getting a little easier each week?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Definitely way easier than my trip to London. So I feel such a big difference, and it's so much better.



Q. Is the new nutrition plan also helping? I understand you have a new nutrition plan.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, I'm not on a nutrition plan. I should be, but I'm not.



Q. What's the biggest difference for you are you noticing?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm definitely calmer and making less mistakes. For me I'm just, I think, overall really not that I didn't enjoy it before, but, I mean, I really don't have anything to lose at all literally.

So it puts me in a wonderful position and such an easy position to be in.



Q. Can you just go through your match today and tell us, first of all, what you thought about your opponent?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I thought she played really well and really smart. The conditions were extremely tough. I thought that she'd had to change up her game, and then I had to adjust to that.

It was just, you know, so much wind out there. So that was a little difficult, but, you know, we both were in the same circumstances, so that's why I tried to think of it. But she played really well.



Q. What was going your mind during the tiebreaker?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I thought, get up 6 0, and then if I screw it up, then I still have some chances to win.



Q. How big of an advantage is it where you hit the ball so hard to play in the wind like this?

SERENA WILLIAMS: How about of an advantage is it...



Q. Where you hit the ball so hard you can cut through the wind where other players maybe can't?

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, I think I had to hit softer today because it was so windy. I had to take pace off my ball, and, you know, because if you hit too hard, then you're not a tennis player? Yeah, I can tell.

The ball is going to totally fly the harder you hit. If you ever play in the wind, take some pace off it. You have to hit more spin.



Q. Do you have any thoughts on the format, the Toronto/Montreal format, men and women in the same week, any thoughts on it?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I have no thoughts on it, like I'm on the women's tour and I'm in Toronto, and I really like Toronto. I have fun in Montreal, too. I'm glad I'm here.



Q. Obviously there was some adversity in the second set today. What does that do for you going forward in this tournament?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I mean, it's good for me. I definitely want to get out there and close it out in two sets. She played better in the second, and I think I made way more errors in the second set, but she also played a lot better.

So it was good for me to win that, and, you know, just get through it, because knowing that I didn't play my best and being able to win is better than playing good and losing, you know.



FastScripts by ASAP Sports

August 10, 2011






R. VINCI/C. Wozniacki



6 4, 7 5



An interview with:



ROBERTA VINCI



THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.



Q. Did you feel that the wind was a factor in the match today for you? How did you feel or deal with it?

ROBERTA VINCI: Well, I wasn't confident. Today was so hard to play, and I saw that Caroline, she makes a lot of mistake, especially in the first set.

So yes, yes, I think that I can win today, yeah. Was not easy, but I can. I can do it.



Q. I was wondering where that win ranks in your career in terms of all your victories. Did you do anything different last night to prepare against someone who was ranked No. 1? Did you eat anything differently or do anything differently?

ROBERTA VINCI: No. No, nothing special, nothing no change. I have the same coach, same trainer, same friends. No. (Laughter.)



Q. What was, I guess, going through mind as you started rallying back? You're down 5 1, picking up a game at a time. At what point did you say, I'm gonna take this match?

ROBERTA VINCI: Yes, I was 5 1 down, but I knew that that I can win the set, because as I told you, it was a lot of wind, so some mistakes, some balls I was focus every point.

I tried to stay, yeah, focused and play aggressive, some slice on her forehand when was possible. And that's it. I think this is the key that I won the set.



Q. Where does this rank on your wins in your career? Is this the greatest win?

ROBERTA VINCI: This is the best win, victory in my life. Yes.



FastScripts by ASAP Sports

August 10, 2011






A. PETKOVIC/G. Arn



6 4, 7 5



An interview with:



ANDREA PETKOVIC



THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.



Q. So that was a pretty long match out there for the two sets. I think some crazy amount of deuces. How do you deal with such a long match?

ANDREA PETKOVIC: Oh, actually I felt awful today on the court, because it was really windy, and the second sets were not the easiest one. Also playing on the outside court without the Hawk Eye, which was sometimes interesting, because Greta plays really fast and she serves really fast, so sometimes it's not easy to see the balls.

I needed to get used to it. But I think the most important part was that I stayed calm throughout the whole match, even though I was really maybe 15% of my normal play and I felt awful. But I managed to stay calm, and mentally I was at 100% intensity all the time, and I think that was the difference.

But it was just a few points. It could have gone exactly the other way, so I'm quite happy that I won.



Q. You probably know each other really well, too. Did that come into play for such a long match, also knowing what the other girl does?

ANDREA PETKOVIC: Yeah. Well, actually I never played her in matches before, but obviously I know her for a long time. We played for the same team, for the Fed Cup in Germany, so I have known her for what, now? Five or six years?

So, yeah, it was you know, it's never easy when you know somebody really well. It can be a very good match or a very bad match. Ours was like parts of some and parts of the other, but yeah, I'm happy I'm through.



Q. I think I saw you on the practice court afterwards. Was that because you weren't happy with how you were hitting?

ANDREA PETKOVIC: Yeah. Sometimes, you know, when I tighten up during the match I like to go out and hit some balls, and so I hit another maybe 200, 300 balls, and now I feel fine.



Q. Just a general type of question. How much of your game do you feel like is natural talent and how much of it is hard work?

ANDREA PETKOVIC: Just in general? Well, I think that if you have natural talent and you don't work that you cannot achieve anything, and I also think if you don't have so much talent but work very hard you can achieve something. If you have both, it's very good. (Laughter.)

But I really feel like, you know, I'm definitely somebody who works really hard and who works many hours and who needs that to feel good out there on the court.

I just think that even if you are the biggest talent in the world, to get the consistency with those kind of players who we have today, which are great players, I think it's one of the greatest times for women's tennis. Also for men's tennis. With those players that are around, you need to work really hard to have the consistency to compete with them.

It doesn't matter how much talent you have. I think most of I think in earlier times it was not like this. I think only a few players were working really hard, but now everybody really knows what they have to do to step out there and be able to compete.

That's why, I think, women's tennis is getting so much closer to each other and so much stronger, also.



Q. When you first started playing tennis, did it come very naturally to you?

ANDREA PETKOVIC: Well, actually, I had a really strange career, because I didn't play tennis professionally until I was 19, which is quite a change for girls.

Until I was 19 I played two or three times a week almost like a hobby player. But I was always you know, I always played the way I played. I always was hitting the ball hard. And if I managed to hit it in the court three or four times in a row, I probably would have won. If not, I probably would have lost.

So I was winning against some players who were there, you know, practicing since they are 14 being out there on the professional tour and I was winning against them on a good day. So I figured, okay, if I get more consistent I can beat them, you know, consistently and not only on a good day.

That's why I decided to try it professionally. I had to deal with my father. If I'm not in the top 50 after two years, I'm gonna quit. After two years I was 49, which was lucky, also. But, yeah, it always came you know, I think my greatest talent that I have is that I'm a competitor in everything. It doesn't matter if it's tennis or reading a book or I don't know.

In school, I always wanted to be the best, and that's sometimes more important than how you feel the ball. But sometimes I feel the ball.



Q. There are a few of you like that actually these days, it seems. Like Kvitova, for example, said she didn't really start playing until she was 16.

ANDREA PETKOVIC: Who?



Q. Petra Kvitova.

ANDREA PETKOVIC: Oh, yeah, yeah, exactly. She was going a little bit the same career like I did, because we were always at the same not at the same level, but we were always there. And I remember her. I remember when she was like normally you know the girls when they are 17, 16.

She was there but not really, you know, playing. And then all of a sudden when she started really practicing hard she was playing some great tennis.



Q. So it's still important to have the natural talent, then?

ANDREA PETKOVIC: Probably. I guess. You know, it's both. All the girls who are there are so talented. And the nice thing is that everybody has something different. Everybody has a talent for something else.

Ana has an incredible talent for forehand and serve. Vika Azarenka has the most talent for backhand I ever saw in my life. Serena has talent for everything. Everybody has something special. That makes it so much more interesting, I think.



Q. You mentioned on your Twitter last week that you fell in love with a Canadian director, Xavier Dolan.

ANDREA PETKOVIC: I did. Yes.



Q. Is that part of your routine, to watch a movie from the country you are going in?

ANDREA PETKOVIC: No, it was a coincidence. Actually, it was so funny when I came here, because right before I came to the States, I watched Arcade Fire live. I saw them live in concert. I was blown away.

And two days later I read this article in Germany he's not very well known I just read this article about Cannes and about his movie, and I was like, I have to see this movie. And his story, with, you know, with her mother and leaving home and making a movie with 17 years old.

So I went it was so tough to find this movie. I had to go like one and a half hours in the Internet, and I had to travel one hour to go to see that movie in Frankfurt. So it was really hard work to get this movie. I was also blown away.

I came here. I'm like, I'm actually I'm going to put something on Twitter tonight. You're gonna like it, I think. I'm quite Canadian at this time of the year.



Q. Have you had a chance to try the beer?

ANDREA PETKOVIC: No, not yet. I'm waiting until after the tournament.



Q. As you were saying, so many players right now in the women's game can just come through. Anybody can win. How does that affect you mentally in terms of sort of both feeling like there are no limits but also sort of every round is very dangerous?

ANDREA PETKOVIC: Yeah, it makes it on the one hand it makes it so much tougher, because you don't you know, you don't have these easy rounds anymore in the beginning.

I remember Steffi, they didn't even, you know, care about the first four rounds. I'd talk to the reporters. They were like, We didn't even go. We looked at the time and wrote if it's under an hour or under 30 minutes, you know.

This just doesn't exist anymore. That makes it also much tougher for a woman to dominate right now, because she has to go, in a slam she has to go through tough matches every match, every match.

So it takes much more energy than it used to before, which makes it much tougher. But on the other hand, you know, you don't go on the court and you feel like, okay, I don't have a chance.

You always go on the court. You know that when you play bad, you're probably going to lose, but you know when you play well, you always have the chance to win. That makes it so much more interesting, and, yeah, appealing. It also gives, I think, most of the players that's why it's getting so much better. It's giving them more motivation to work, because they are like, Okay, I can win this. I'm there and I'm, you know, mingling with the big ones, and I have my chances to go deep in the Grand Slam.

I think that gives us the motivation to work even harder, and that's what makes women's tennis so much better now.



FastScripts by ASAP Sports



FastScripts by ASAP Sports


ROGERS LEGENDS CUP SET TO THRILL TENNIS FANS