Unique Tennis Perspectives
Missed any of Tennis Grandstand’s one-on-one interviews with a particular player during the Sony Ericsson Open? Or just want to laugh along with the players as they answer funny and tennis-related questions? Well, you’re in luck as below you’ll find a full list of interviews from Caroline Wozniacki, Marion Bartoli, Janko Tipsarevic, Sabine Lisicki, Sam Stosur, Milos Raonic, Maria Kirilenko, Flavia Pennetta, Yanina Wickmayer, Robin Haase and Vania King.
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Even before match play began on Thursday morning, spectators got their money’s worth as Caroline Wozniacki, Ana Ivanovic, Andy Murray, and Feliciano Lopez were all spotted on the practice courts at the Sony Ericsson Open. Check out all the photos at the end!
Caroline Wozniacki was hitting with adidas Player Development Program’s Mats Merkel as coach Sven Groeneveld gave small tips from the sidelines. Her boyfriend and professional golfer Rory McIlroy sat side-by-side with her father Piotr. Both were relatively quiet – which is a stark change for the ever-vocal Piotr.
Wozniacki’s hitting was clean and surprisingly flat. Makes one wonder why the incessant moonballing continues to trump her game into oblivion during match play.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al0UD2J2oz0
On a court across from the central Tennis Plaza, tennis’ golden girl Ana Ivanovic was seen practicing with a University of Miami athlete. There is no sweeter individual on the WTA tour willing to chat with fans, sign autographs or smile for photos, but during practice she is brutal on herself. Floppy forehand? Unacceptable. Missed volley? Disappointing. Missed serve? Pathetic. It’s no wonder she’s had her fair share of struggles coming back in the rankings over the last couple of years. She’s tough on herself but it sometimes makes you wonder if it’s too much of the wrong kind of pressure.
Of note though is Ivanovic’s improved physical appearance. Just last year, she was looking eerily thin for a girl with a 6’1” frame. But today, she seems to have put on a few healthy pounds – thanks in part to her new coach since Wimbledon, Nigel Sears. She needs to keep this athletic and lean figure in order to have the strength and power required to hit her signature forehand well.
On a neighboring court, fans clustered around the fence for a peek of Andy Murray practicing with Feliciano Lopez. There were plenty of laughs, intentional pegging by Murray of his coaches while he served, and great match-like points during their joint practice session.
After a 30 minute warm-up, Murray’s coach Ivan Lendl walked over to his pupil and asked “What do you want to do today?” Oh, so that’s how you coach! If this is the type of approach Murray requires of a coach, then he may have been better off with just his core team. However, Murray’s demeanor on court was lively and he seemed to be enjoying himself. So maybe having a bigger team helps his psyche in that manner. Whatever it is, I hope he gets far here because he’s a fun player to watch.
Lopez likewise was having fun in the sun and the two have a good friendship going. Perhaps Lopez can convince Murray to get back on twitter? A girl can hope!
Lopez laughing at Murray pegging serves at his team and coach (bonus video below!). Not sure, Wilson thought through the sweat situation on this latest t-shirt…
In the two photos below, I would like to think that both Lopez and Murray are looking directly at my camera for an awesome photo-op. In all seriousness, it’s probably the hot redhead next to me that made their jaws drop.
Hey. At least I got Murray to smile. AT me. Win!
Murray and his team mesmerized by a yellow airplane in the sky. No joke. I can’t even make this stuff up!
Feliciano Lopez laughing as Andy Murray pegs his team with serves:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbR3rqgu1Ho
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vObelhZUqdM
Clumsy Andy Murray:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H3pVZ4PalA
Feliciano Lopez:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc2teF3akno
Andy Murray:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiN1vdsp0tg
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She has finished the least two seasons as the World No.1, won 18 WTA titles on all surfaces, including 12 in 2010 and 2011, winning over 120 matches in that span which is more than any other player. She dealt with constant criticism for being a slam-less No. 1 and faced it head on. With her drive and determination, It seemed that a Grand Slam title was in Caroline Wozniacki’s near future.
However, a string of below standard results which are rooted in a surprise third round loss at the hands of Daniela Hantuchova at Roland-Garros last year, the 21-year-old Dane finds herself at a crossroads for the first time in her young career. She began 2012 as the no. 1 seed at the Australian Open and just two months later finds herself outside of the Top 5 following a fourth round exit at Indian Wells where she was the defending champion.
Not so long ago, Wozniacki seemed to have everything going for her. She emerged as the face of her generation, full of positive energy and good intentions, ready to embrace her status within the sport. Lately however, Wozniacki has been pushed aside by two of her fellow next generation players, new World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka and Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova. Undefeated on the season with four titles, Azarenka is having a Djokovic like year and has set the bar very high out of the gate. She and a rejuvenated Maria Sharapova suddenly have a firm hold on the top two WTA ranking spots and have an interesting rivalry building having already met twice in the two biggest finals of the season so far. Meanwhile, Kvitova can hit anyone off the court, Agnieszka Radwanska is utilizing her all-court game to maximum efficiency, there are four promising Germans in the Top 20, Kim Clijsters and the Williams sisters are on the injury comeback trail and Ana Ivanovic is slowly re-discovering her 2008 form. While the landscape of women’s tennis is changing, Wozniacki’s game appears to be stuck in neutral and she is regressing while her biggest rivals are progressing.
She has made a concerted effort to improve her weakest shot, her forehand, trying to hit it deeper and with more direction. In doing so, Wozniacki has gotten away from the things that made her great to begin with. She prides herself on turning great defense into offence, using her backhand to create openings and willing herself to victory against her toughest opponents. Over the past few months, Wozniacki has been in between strategies as she tries to shape her identity as a player. She wants to be more aggressive, but is struggling to use this mind set as a compliment to her ‘A’ game. In a lopsided loss to Ana Ivanovic in the Round of 16 at Indian Wells, Wozniacki showed signs of frustration and dejection. According to several journalists on-site, she held back tears in her post-match press conference as she tried to explain her decline in form.
By no means is it time to throw in the towel on Wozniacki. She should stick to the style she is most comfortable playing and use it as the base to improve her overall game. Perhaps this means a coaching change is necessary, but only Wozniacki has the answer to that question. One thing is for sure, women’s tennis needs Caroline Wozniacki at her best. Her diligence, work ethic, talent, sunny disposition and passion for the game make her a great role model and spokesperson for her sport.
By Maud Watson
Just when many of us thought that Andy Murray was poised to step it up and perhaps legitimize his place in what some have dubbed “The Big Four,” he goes and loses in his opening match at Indian Wells. It’s no disrespect to his opponent, Garcia-Lopez, who played a solid match beginning to end. But no matter how you slice it, this was an unacceptable defeat for Murray if he wants to take that next step and win a major. It was also a surprising loss to say the least. He entered Indian Wells in a much more positive mindset than in 2011, and he was certainly in better form. The only positive for him is that he lost in the same round last year, so he’s not losing any points. Then again, he missed the opportunity to gain some ground on Federer. All eyes are sure to be on him in Miami, which marks the first real test of Lendl’s influence. The Scot needs to bounce back immediately, or he’s apt to revert back to the Murray of old.
Michael Llodra’s actions and words spoke much louder in Indian Wells than anything coming off of his racquet, with the Frenchman garnering a $2500 fine for verbal abuse towards some fans and officials. While it’s understandable that the governing bodies of tennis have a need to be uniform when doling out punishments, it’s still time to look at upping the fines for this type of behavior. It’s one thing for a player to swear in general, and it’s another thing when they’re leveling their anger at someone else. It also shouldn’t matter, as some have argued otherwise, whether the abuse is directed at an official on court or a fan. Nobody should have to put up with that, and unfortunately, it seems to be becoming a more frequent occurrence. Until the powers-at-be start handing down larger fines that will get more attention from the players, this type of behavior is likely to continue.
She’ll still solidly be ranked inside the Top 10 come Monday, but a teary-eyed Caroline Wozniacki appears to be falling apart at the seams. Her latest defeat comes at the hands of 2008 Roland Garros Champion Ana Ivanovic. An in-form Ivanovic has more than enough game to defeat the Dane, but the drubbing she handed her fellow former No. 1 was still surprising. It’s as though Wozniacki is unsure of what to do out there, and if she hasn’t figured it out already, that defense that took her No. 1 isn’t going to cut it anymore. The game is quickly passing her by, and she should take a page out of her friend Aggie Radwanska’s book by biting the bullet and letting her dad go in favor of a new coach. If she doesn’t do something soon, her ranking will only continue to slide.
It’s taken a few years, but Ana Ivanovic may be truly on her way to returning to the upper echelons of the game. After dismissing Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets, the Serb turned around and did the same thing to No. 7 seed Marion Bartoli. Ivanovic showed signs of returning to her top form at last year’s US Open, and she’s backing it up nicely here at Indian Wells. It’s difficult to imagine her getting back to the very top, but there’s no reason to think she can’t get back into the Top 10, or even Top 5, and earn a few more Grand Slam singles titles along the way.
It’s amazing that the BNP Paribas Open has been as enthralling as it has been, given that it has unfortunately been hit with a rash of withdrawals. The cause of the pullouts is a nasty virus that has attacked the men and women in equal measure, making itself felt in more ways than one. Fortunately, we’ve all continued to be treated to some world-class tennis, and fingers crossed that the virus hasn’t traveled with any of the sick players as they make their way to Miami for the second Masters 1000 event of the year. With a few more of the sport’s top stars signed up to compete, Key Biscayne is likely to be as exciting, if not more so, than Indian Wells.
It seemed oddly empty at the tournament today compared with the past five days in terms of fans. Of course, the smaller player field made for a less hectic scene at the practice courts. Still, I managed to get a lot of photos.
The practice courts featured a few players who had been knocked out. David Ferrer, John Isner, Caroline Wozniacki, Jurgen Melzer, Iveta Benesova, Richard Gasquet, and Julien Benneteau were all getting some training in this morning. The afternoon saw the second half of Quisner–Sam Querrey–practicing as well as Milos Raonic, Rafael Nadal, and Marc Lopez.
Ana Ivanovic started off the morning on stadium 1. She played a strong match against an ailing Marion Bartoli, who apparently came down with the Indian Wells illness. Ivanovic will take on Maria Sharapova, who fought hard in the battle of Maria’s against Maria Kirilenko.
When Kirilenko took the first set and broke in the second, it seemed that Sharapova had a big hill to climb. The former world number one broke back, and it seemed the second set would be won by whoever could hold her serve. Sharapova managed to do so eventually and went on to win the set and ultimately the match.
On the men’s side, Novak Djokovic had little trouble with Nicolas Almagro. Djokovic made more errors than usual today, but Almagro couldn’t capitalize and seemed to fade away. When John Isner began his match against Gilles Simon, Isner couldn’t seem to stay focused either, making a plethora of mistakes. Simon took advantage of the situation and secured a break in Isner’s first service game. Despite this early disadvantage, Isner fought back and won the first set. The match took three sets, but the American was able to see it through.
Men’s doubles also took center stage tonight with Rafael Nadal and Marc Lopez facing Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski. Fyrstenberg and Matkowski are strong doubles players; however, they never seemed to find a rhythm as Nadal and Lopez cruised to a victory.
Tomorrow will be my last day of live coverage, so check back tomorrow night for more photos!
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The battle of two former world No. 1s turned out to be a one-sided affair.
Ana Ivanovic, playing some of her best tennis in recent memory, overwhelmed defending champion Caroline Wozniacki in a convincing 6-3, 6-2 victory at the 2012 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. It was her first top-10 win since October 2011, when she defeated No. 3 Vera Zvonareva in Beijing.
The pair had split their encounters coming into the fourth round match, with two victories each, but there was no stopping Ivanovic on this night.
The 24-year-old Serb, currently ranked No. 16 in the world, blasted forehands and backhands past Wozniacki, the No. 4 seed, and dictated points from the beginning of the match. Ivanovic finished with 24 winners and 28 unforced errors, while the error-prone Wozniacki had only four winners and 17 unforced errors. Normally a shaky server, Ivanovic turned in three aces for good measure.
“I was really looking for opportunities, and, you know, trying to come in, as well, whenever I had chance, and trying to step in from both sides and trying to stay calm in my serve and execute the way I was executing in practice,” said Ivanovic in her post match press conference. “I really managed to do that well today.”
And she not only played with power, but with precision and poise.
Up 4-2 in the second set and holding a break point, a long rally ensued. Wozniacki started to hit with conviction but a well timed and perfectly placed drop shot by Ivanovic left the 21-year-old Dane flat-footed. Ivanovic, whose right thigh was taped throughout the match, had broken Wozniacki for the fifth time.
“She just played better than me today,” said a dejected Wozniacki. “I just need to get back and practice on a few things and hopefully get back strong for Miami.”
The victory improves Ivanovic’s 2012 record to 10 wins and 5 losses. She takes on No. 7 seed Marion Bartoli next in the quarterfinals. Wozniacki’s 2012 record drops to 9 wins and 5 losses, and questions on whether she can regain her top spot or win a Grand Slam will persist.
Both players have been world No. 1, but on this night it was the confident Ivanovic who looked as if she could dominate on the WTA Tour.
Tennis From All Angles is a semi-weekly roundup of tennis happenings from the ATP and WTA pro tours, highlighting the most entertaining on-court and off-court news and gossip.
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(Photo © OnTheGoTennis)
The qualifying tournament at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells is underway and main draw action is set to begin on Wednesday for the WTA. I will be bringing you a week’s worth of live coverage of the tournament beginning Saturday, so be sure to check back frequently. If you would like more up to the minute updates, you can follow me on twitter @achangeofends. In anticipation of my trip, I’d like to give you a preview of the women’s draw.
First Quarter
Seeded Players: Victoria Azarenka (1), Agnieszka Radwanska (5), Jelena Jankovic (12), Julia Goerges (14), Yanina Wickmayer (22), Anabel Medina Garrigues (24), Svetlana Kuznetsova (25), Flavia Pennetta (27)
Perhaps the most clear cut section of the draw, Victoria Azarenka should have no trouble continuing her domination of the 2012 WTA Tour by dominating the top quarter of the Indian Wells draw. While there are some possible pitfalls in Azarenka’s draw, including Svetlana Kuznetsova, and Julia Goerges, the biggest test will likely come in the quarterfinals where she is due to meet Agnieszka Radwanska for the fourth time this year. Azarenka has won all three 2012 encounters and based on their most recent match, in Doha, has definitely gotten into Radwanska’s head. On the other hand, Radwanska is having a career year so far and certainly has the potential (and the desire) to snap her losing streak against Azarenka. However, to get that chance, she will have to make her way through a tough second round match against either Sorana Cirstea or Iveta Benesova, followed by possible meetings with Flavia Pennetta and Jelena Jankovic.
Semi Finalist: Victoria Azarenka (1)
Possible Sleeper: Flavia Pennetta (27)
Best First Round Match: Sorana Cirstea vs. Iveta Benesova
Second Quarter
Seeded Players: Petra Kvitova (3), Li Na (8), Vera Zvonareva (9), Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (13), Angelique Kerber (18), Daniela Hantuchova (19), Zheng Jie (31), Christina McHale (32)
There are a lot of interesting things going on in this quarter. At first glance, Petra Kvitova should have the advantage. She’s the top seed in this part of the draw and had her breakout season last year. But, there are a lot of players who could make waves in this part of the draw. Christina McHale seems on the verge of a huge breakthrough and Angelique Kerber made the semifinals at the US Open and won her first title at the Premier level Open GDF Suez in Paris last month. Not to mention veterans Vera Zvonareva and Li Na. With the level of talent in this section, Kvitova will have to play her best to successfully navigate the minefield.
Semi Finalist: Petra Kvitova (3)
Possible Sleeper: Angelique Kerber (18)
Best First Round Match: Vania King vs. Sara Errani
Third Quarter
Seeded Players: Caroline Wozniacki (4), Marion Bartoli (7), Francesca Schiavone (10), Ana
Ivanovic (15), Peng Shuai (17), Lucie Safarova (23), Monica Niculescu (26), Kaia Kanepi (29)
Caroline Wozniacki’s reign at the top of the tennis ended after the Australian Open and she’s dropped down to No. 4 in the rankings. As the defending champion, Wozniacki has a lot at stake. She could face Ekaterina Makarova early on, who recently reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, defeating Vera Zvonareva and Serena Williams on the way. With players like Ivanovic, Schiavone, and Bartoli also lurking in this section, there’s a real possibility Wozniacki will not be able to repeat her title. Bartoli had a lot of success at Indian Wells last year, reaching the final even though she had been ill that week. If she’s playing well this week, her draw should allow her to make it to the later stages of the tournament for a second year.
Semi Finalist: Marion Bartoli (7)
Possible Sleeper: Ana Ivanovic (15)
Best First Round Match: Ekaterina Makarova vs. Bethanie Mattek-Sands
Fourth Quarter
Seeded Players: Maria Sharapova (2), Samantha Stosur (6), Sabine Lisicki (11), Dominika Cibulkova (16), Maria Kirilenko (20), Roberta Vinci (21), Petra Cetkovska (28), Nadia Petrova (30)
Maria Sharapova made an impressive run to the Australian Open finals in January and has made her way back to No. 2 in the world. Her quarter of the draw is stacked with stiff competition, but it is definitely her’s to lose. Samantha Stosur could pose a threat if she can get back to the form that won her the US Open last year. Sabine Lisicki is also a contender when she manages to stay healthy. The 2011 Wimbledon semifinalist is capable of beating almost any player on her good days, but can’t seem to stay healthy for any length of time.
Semi Finalist: Maria Sharapova (2)
Possible Sleeper: Sabine Lisicki (11)
Best First Round Match: Gisela Dulko vs. Jelena Dokic
Semi Final 1: Victoria Azarenka d. Petra Kvitova
Semi Final 2: Maria Sharapova d. Marion Bartoli
Final: Victoria Azarenka d. Maria Sharapova
Around 11:30 PM at Madison Square Garden a tan Rory McIlroy, the newly crowned #1 golfer in the world, stood quietly and practically unnoticed in the back of a crowded press room. All eyes were on his girlfriend, Caroline Wozniacki, as she talked about dragging McIlroy onto the tennis court earlier that evening to play a point against Maria Sharapova. “He was not too pleased with me but at least he can say he played tennis at Madison Square Garden. Not a lot of people can say that.,” she laughed. Later in the same press conference Roger Federer and Andy Roddick were asked what they thought of the breakout New York Knicks player Jeremy Lin. Federer, who has been overseas the past month, was well aware of “Linsanity”, and said he hoped to watch (Lin) play at the Garden one day. Roddick had actually used Lin’s locker before the exhibition that night and said he might have to “send (Lin) a thank-you note” after his victory.
Tennis, meet pop culture. Pop culture, meet tennis.
Amidst all of the scheduling, length-of-season, and injury dramas in the WTA and ATP these days, exhibition matches are often frowned upon. But last night’s 5th Annual BNP Paribas Showdown’s Tennis Night in America showed exactly why they’re an integral part of the game. Andy Roddick put it best when he said, “I’m not sure how 18,000 (spectators) in the most famous venue in the world watching our sport can be a bad thing. I think it’s a great thing. There are a lot of people (in the media center) who don’t cover tennis on a regular basis and it will be out there tomorrow. I think it’s a huge positive for our sport.”
The evening started at 7:30 when world #2 Sharapova and world #4 Wozniacki stood (under spotlights) on opposing ends of the court on top of blue light-boxes as sparklers flew behind them and Katy Perry’s “Firework” blasted from the stadium speakers. This was not going to be your average night of tennis. However, during the first set Wozniacki and Sharapova battled like the match was taking place a few miles east and a few months later at Flushing Meadows. They were laser-focused, engaging in sharp rallies, and playing very aggressive tennis (yes, even Wozniacki). There was barely even the hint of a smile.
Things changed in the second set. In the break between sets Sharapova, Wozniacki, and the chair umpire talked and giggled (yes, even Sharapova). Later, after the girls exchanged leads, Wozniacki decided to kick things up a notch. During a changeover she took a young girl from the audience and began dancing with her. Never one to be outdone, Sharapova then took an older man from the audience and danced with him. When the music stopped and it was time for tennis again the boisterous New York crowd made it known they weren’t ready for the fun to stop. Wozniacki- an expert at milking a moment of fun- knew exactly what to do. She went into the crowd and fetched McIlroy. At first it seemed like the couple were just going to dance, but then she put the tennis racket in his hand and created a blockbuster moment- he actually played a point against Maria Sharapova.
After losing the point to McIlroy (“He won more points (against me) than Caroline did!” Maria joked), Sharapova would go on to serve out the match and fairly easily defeat Wozniacki 6-3 6-4.
Then, around 9:00PM, it was time for the men (professional tennis players, not golfers) to take over. Andy Roddick and Roger Federer are clearly no strangers to each other, New York, or the big stage. The two have played twenty-three times- seven times in the semis or later of a Grand Slam- with Federer holding the infamous 21-2 lead in their head-to-head. But this time was different. It’s Roddick’s home country and Roddick was born to comically entertain a large crowd. In the first set alone Roddick got Ben Stiller’s autograph, tossed a racket after a failed tweener, reacted mockingly to a foot-fault call from the crowd, and did a spot-on impersonation of Rafael Nadal.
Impersonations and jokes aside, Roddick played some crafty, powerful tennis, and most importantly looked healthier and moved better than he has in months. Federer, fresh of a victory and a plane-ride from Dubai, also played some brilliant points but the American was just a tad looser and sharper than his adversary this night. With the near-capacity crowd hanging onto every point Roddick upset the Swiss Legend 7-5 7-6 (7).
After the match it was all jokes and respect between the two. Roddick quipped that he “must be in Federer’s head,” and said that the 16-time Grand Slam Champion “clearly isn’t very good under pressure”. Federer seemed pleased that Roddick is playing well again, saying “it is good to see (Roddick) play so well and hopefully he can make another run at the top-10.”
There’s no telling what the tour-level significance of these matches will be. Is Wozniacki going to actually employ the more aggressive techniques she displayed tonight at Indian Wells? Will Sharapova stay loose and serve-quip free from now on? Can Roddick build on this momentum and make another run at the Top 10? Will Federer ever survive the humiliation? Only time will tell. But last night 18,079 people in person and countless others on sketchy streams around the world got to say they saw Andy Roddick beat Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova laugh and dance, and the best golfer in the world play tennis. Tennis has had many memorable Monday nights, but none quite like this one.
Agnieszka Radwanska’s win at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships has brought her to a career-high No. 5 ranking. With the way she’s been playing over the past few months, the young Pole could go even higher in the rankings.
Ahead of her, though, are 2012 Australian Open champ Victoria Azarenka; ’11 Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova; and Maria Sharapova, who’s made the finals at two of the past three Grand Slams. Caroline Wozniacki is ahead of Radwanska in the standings, too, but has shown to be vulnerable and could cede her place to Radwanska if the latter continues her hot streak.
That could result in a top four of Azarenka, Kvitova, Sharapova and Radwanska. With the way they’re playing and their current ages—all of them are under 25—they could have a lock on those top spots for quite some time.
That’s something that has become the norm on the ATP World Tour.
Over the past couple of years, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray have had a vice grip on the top. David Ferrer and Robin Soderling have broken through, but only momentarily. Last year, the ATP’s “Big 4” captured every Masters Series 1000 event on the calendar between them. They also took all four semifinal spots at two Majors in 2011 and the first one this year at the Australian Open. They’ve won more than 170 singles titles combined, including 32 Grand Slams.
A “Big 4” of Azarenka, Kvitova, Sharapova and Radwanska, of course, don’t come anywhere close to those numbers at this point. Sharapova, the veteran of the group, is the most accomplished with three Grand Slams to her credit and a former place atop the rankings. Kvitova, the youngster at 21, has shown the ability to win titles in bunches, as has current world No. 1 Azarenka.
As a matter of fact, the Belarussian has already started the Djokovic comparisons with her perfect start to 2012, which included winning her first Major title.
As mentioned earlier, Radwanska hasn’t been too bad herself in ’12. In fact, the only player she’s lost to all year has been Azarenka, who’s come out in their head-to-heads three times already this year, including at this year’s Aussie.
At the Australian Open, all four of them made the quarterfinals, with Radwanska failing to advance further. Kim Clijsters, the ’11 champ, broke up the group. However, that task will get increasingly tougher for the players on the WTA Tour as the potential “Big 4” continues to assert itself.