This Feature

Hopman
Cup XXVI
AUSSIES BRING OUT THE BIG GUNS P8-9
RADWANSKA IN POLE POSITION P2
Thursday, December 19, 2013
HOPMAN CUP XXVI
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Poland pair hope it’s first time lucky
■ Bridget Lacy
Poland enter the Hopman Cup fray for
the first time in the popular
tournament’s 26th year.
The young pairing of Agnieszka
Radwanska and Jerzy Janowicz have
been trailblazers for their country in a
sport that the Polish have traditionally
struggled in and now they are the first to
represent their flag at the unique
$1 million mixed teams event.
And they will like their chances of
lifting the trophy in their country’s
debut.
Organisers agree with that
assessment, seeding the Poles
No.1, despite the fact they
have never played mixed
doubles together.
They will open
the tournament
when they take
on the Italian
team of Flavia
Pennetta and Andreas Seppi.
World No.5 Radwanska comes to Perth
as the highest-ranked female player in
the field.
“I am very excited to play at the
Hopman Cup for the first time,” she said.
“I saw a couple of times players playing
Hopman Cup and it was very
entertaining, so I’m looking forward to
it.”
Radwanska has been a consistent
performer since breaking into the top 10
in 2008.
The 24-year-old
has made the
quarterfinals or
better at every
grand slam
tournament except
the US Open, where
she has been bundled
out in the fourth round
for the past two years.
She enjoyed a solid 2013, with
another three WTA Tour wins to her
name and an appearance at the
season-ending championships in
Turkey.
But she is yet to claim her maiden
grand slam title.
A three-set loss to superstar Serena
Radwanska
Agnieszka
Radwanska
Born:
6/3/1989
Plays:
Right-handed
Williams in the 2012 Wimbledon final is
the closest she has come.
Radwanska is considered one of the
smartest players on tour, relying more on
touch and shot selection than power to
give her an edge over her opponents.
But her record against the top players
has been her Achilles heel.
Radwanska will be hoping playing in
similar conditions to Rod Laver Arena at
Perth Arena will help her eclipse her best
effort at the Australian Open — a
quarterfinal appearance, which she has
achieved in each of the past three years.
Radwanska is excited to play her first
mixed doubles match in five years with
rising 23-year-old Janowicz.
The 204cm, big-hitting right-hander has
enjoyed a breakout year, reaching a
career-high ranking of 14 in August.
Janowicz, who only two years ago
could not afford to travel to Melbourne
for Australian Open qualifying, became
the first Polish man to make a semifinal
at a grand slam event at Wimbledon this
year.
The current No.21 is keen to have an
impact in Perth.
“I was talking to Agnieszka and we
decided it might be a lot of fun to play
together at the Hopman Cup,” Janowicz
said.
“We never had a Hopman Cup team
before in Poland so it’s going to be a lot of
fun.”
Janowicz
Jerzy
Janowicz
Born:
13/11/1990
Plays:
Right-handed
Current ranking:
5
Current ranking:
21
Highest ranking:
2 (9/7/12)
Highest ranking:
14 (12/8/13)
Career singles titles:
13
Career singles titles:
0
Career doubles titles:
2
Career doubles titles:
0
Career prize money:
$14.1m
Career prize money:
The team
Index
USA eye record seventh crown
3
Stephens has world at her feet
4
Tomic, Stosur hope for
happy new year
All the games
5
Canadian teen wants revenge
11
Tsonga aces his injuries
7
Kvitova feels the heat
12
8-9
Italy’s late bloomer
13
Memory lane
14
Spain’s heroine returns
15
Writers: Russell Reid, Bridget Lacy,
Nick Rynne
Designer: Dijana Jovanovic
Pictures: Getty Images,
The West Australian
$2m
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Flashback: Spain’s Fernando Verdasco and Anabel Medina Garrigues with the spoils of success after winning the Hopman Cup in January. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images
Americans gun for
seventh heaven
■ Russell Reid
John Isner and Sloane Stephens will be
out to steer USA to a record seventh
Hyundai Hopman Cup title at Perth
Arena from December 28 to January 4.
The Americans have been seeded No.2,
behind Poland’s Jerzy Janowicz and
Agnieszka Radwanska.
Poland will make their Hopman debut,
but Isner has already held the coveted
trophy aloft.
The big-serving American teamed with
Bethanie Mattek-Sands to beat Belgium’s
Ruben Bemelmans and Justine Henin in
the 2011 final.
That victory followed previous USA
wins in 1997 (Justin Gimelstob/Chanda
Rubin), 2003 (James Blake/Serena
Williams), 2004 (Blake/Lindsay
Davenport), 2006 (Taylor Dent/Lisa
Raymond) and 2008 (Mardy
Fish/Williams).
Isner is best known for winning the
longest match in the sport’s history, his
Wimbledon victory against Frenchman
Nicolas Mahut, 6-4 3-6 6-7 (7-9) 7-6 (7-3)
70-68, in the first round in 2010 which was
played over three days and lasted 11
hours and five minutes.
The 28-year-old world No.13 said he was
keen to reacquaint himself with Perth
crowds after being forced out of last
summer’s tournament with a knee injury
before the third-round clash with Spain.
That injury conceivably cost Isner and
partner Venus Williams a place in the
final. Eventual champions Spain won
through to the tournament decider
because of their 3-0 walkover against
USA.
“Every time I have played the Hopman
Cup I have enjoyed myself so much,”
Isner said. “I’ve absolutely loved my time
in Perth.”
Big-serving Isner said the unique West
Australian event provided the ideal
lead-up for the Australian Open two
weeks later at Melbourne Park.
“For me, playing the Hopman Cup is
perfect preparation for the Australian
Open,” he said.
“It allows me to get down there early,
get used to the heat and, on top of that,
get top-notch, quality matches.”
Rising star Stephens will be making
her Perth debut. The 20-year-old beat
countrywoman Serena Williams en route
to the semifinals at this year’s Australian
Open and also reached the fourth round
at the French Open and quarterfinals at
Wimbledon.
Radwanska (No.5) and Janowicz (21)
are two of 10 top-25 ranked players in the
Elation: Verdasco and Medina Garrigues hug after snaring the title in the doubles.
field for Hopman Cup XXVI. Janowicz
was the first male Polish player to reach a
grand slam semifinal when he lost to
Scotsman Andy Murray 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 6-4 6-3
at Wimbledon this year.
Flamboyant Frenchman Jo-Wilfried
Tsonga and Alize Cornet have been
seeded No.3, and Canadian young guns
Milos Raonic and Eugenie Bouchard
round out the top four.
Powerful left-hander Petra Kvitova and
Radek Stepanek are capable of creating
headaches despite being ranked fifth.
Stepanek, the hero of consecutive
Czech Republic Davis Cup wins in 2012
and 2013, is an accomplished doubles
player. Kvitova has had success in Perth,
the world No.7 combining with Tomas
Berdych to win the 2012 Hopman title.
Six months earlier, Kvitova won her
first grand slam tournament title at
Wimbledon, and by the end of 2011 she
had also claimed the WTA Championship
and achieved a career-high ranking of
No.2.
Italians Flavia Pennetta and Andreas
Seppi, the No. 6 seeds, face an uphill
battle, but Australians Samantha Stosur
and Bernard Tomic, the seventh seeds
out to win the host nation’s first title
since Mark Philippoussis and Jelena
Dokic in 1999, will be dangerous if they
hit top form.
Spain’s Tommy Robredo and Anabel
Medina Garrigues are seeded No.8 but
are genuine title contenders.
Medina Garrigues is the defending
titleholder and Robredo is a dual winner.
HOPMAN CUP XXVI
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Stephens has the
world at her feet
■ Bridget Lacy
Stephens
This time last year Sloane Stephens was
a relative unknown.
But the 20-year-old well and truly
announced herself at the Australian
Open in January, steaming past world
No.1 Serena Williams on the way to her
first grand slam semifinal.
That performance made Stephens a
giant killer, but also marked her as one of
the most exciting prospects in the game.
Stephens is yet to record a WTA Tour
title win but has shown she belongs in
the big time, making the fourth round or
better at all four grand slams this year as
she climbed 26 ranking spots to No.12 in
the world.
Along with her stunning win over
childhood idol Williams, she enjoyed
victory over top-five ranked Maria
Sharapova and is the youngest woman
inside the top 20.
Stephens has almost 79,000 Twitter
followers, has appeared on popular
US chat show Ellen and is the clear
heir apparent to Williams.
She has the world at her feet and
is making her Hopman Cup debut
as one half of the No.2 seeds.
“I had an awesome three weeks
in Australia this year so I’m
looking forward to going to Perth
and being able to play there,”
Stephens said.
The $1 million mixed teams
tournament has been a happy hunting
ground for the Americans over its 25
years, claiming the trophy a record six
times.
Stephens will be partnered by a man
who has been a regular visitor to Perth
and knows how to win here — John
Isner.
The big-serving 206cm 28-year-old
first played the Hopman Cup in 2010.
He won with Bethanie
Mattek-Sands in 2011 and teamed
with Venus Williams at the last
event.
The world No.14 is famous for
playing in the longest match in
the sport’s history, winning his
first-round Wimbledon contest in
2010 over Frenchman Nicolas
Mahut 6-4 3-6 6-7 (7-9) 7-6 (7-3)
70-68. The match lasted more
than 11 hours.
But his grand slam
performances in general have
been underwhelming.
His 2011 quarterfinal loss at
the US Open remains his best
Sloane Stephens
Born:
20/3/1993
Plays:
Right-handed
result at a slam. A fourth-round
appearance in 2010 is the deepest he has
gone in Melbourne.
He withdrew from the Australian Open
last summer after injuring a knee in
Perth, but this time he is hoping a WA
appearance will help him reach greater
heights at Melbourne Park.
“Every time I have played I’ve enjoyed
myself so much,” Isner said.
“I absolutely love my time in Perth.
“For me playing the Hopman Cup is
perfect preparation for the Australian
Open. It allows me to get down there
early, get used to the heat, and on top of
that get top-notch, quality matches.”
A knee problem forced Isner to also
retire early at Wimbledon.
The giant American, who has won
twice on the ATP Tour for three
consecutive years, has admitted it is a
problem he will have to manage.
“I had an MRI done and had people
look at it,” he said of the issue last
month.
“I’m not going to need surgery but
there is an issue under my kneecap.
“It’s about getting everything
surrounding the knee stronger.
“It doesn’t bother me at all when I’m
just walking around. But sometimes it
hurts when I’m doing something
strenuous.
“I can’t baby this knee forever. I need to
push myself.”
Isner
John Isner
Born:
26/4/1985
Plays:
Right-handed
Current ranking:
12
Current ranking:
14
Highest ranking:
11 (12/10/13)
Highest ranking:
9 (16/4/12)
Career singles titles:
0
Career singles titles:
7
Career doubles titles:
0
Career doubles titles:
3
Career prize money:
$2.1m
Career prize money:
$5.7m
HOPMAN CUP XXVI
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The schedule
Group B
Group A
Poland (1) Agnieszka Radwanska and Jerzy Janowicz
USA (2) Sloane Stephens and John Isner
Canada (4) Eugenie Bouchard and Milos Raonic
France (3) Alize Cornet and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Italy (6) Flavia Pennetta and Andreas Seppi
Czech Republic (5) Petra Kvitova and Radek Stepanekk
Australia (7) Samantha Stosur and Bernard Tomic
do
Spain (8) Anabel Medina Garrigues and Tommy Robredo
Session
Day
Date
Time
Team
Session 1
Saturday
December 28
10am
Poland v Italy
Session 2
Saturday
December 28
5.30pm
Canada v Australia
Session 3
Sunday
December 29
10am
Czech Republic v Spain
Session 4
Sunday
December 29
5.30pm
Poland v Canada
Session 5
Monday
December 30
10am
USA v Spain
Session 6
Monday
December 30
5.30pm
France v Czech Republic
Session 7
Tuesday
December 31
10am
Italy v Australia
Session 8
Wednesday
January 1
5.30pm
USA v France
Session 9
Thursday
January 2
10am
Italy v Canada
Session 10
Thursday
January 2
5.30pm
Poland v Australia
Session 11
Friday
January 3
10am
France v Spain
Session 12
Friday
January 3
5.30pm
Czech Republic v USA
Session 13
Saturday
January 4
5.30pm
Winner Group A v Winner Group B
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Tsonga bounces
back from injury
■ Bridget Lacy
Flamboyant Frenchman Jo-Wilfried
Tsonga will be fully fit when he arrives in
Perth for his second consecutive Hopman
Cup this month.
The world No.10 is one of the headline
acts for the $1 million mixed teams event
at Perth Arena, returning after being a
popular debutant at the tournament in
2012-2013.
“My experience last year was great,”
Tsonga said.
“The Arena, the fans and everything
surrounding the event made it special
and thus I wanted to come back. It is a
great preparation for Melbourne (the
Australian Open) and I really enjoyed
spending 10 days in Perth.”
Tsonga has had a mixed year thanks to
the knee problem he suffered in the
second round at Wimbledon and was
forced to pull out of the US Open.
Tsonga narrowly failed to qualify for
the ATP World Tour Finals, which is for
the top eight players in the world,
finishing the season ranked No.10.
The 28-year-old peaked at a high of No.5
early in 2012, but he has dropped to his
lowest ranking in more than two years in
recent months largely due to the time it
has taken to get over the niggling knee
injury. Ahead of his arrival in Perth,
Tsonga declared he was in good shape.
“The injury is behind me,” he said.
“The doctors told me that it would be
five months before it was completely back
to normal and we are approaching this
mark. 2013 carries mixed feelings for me.
“I had a good start of the season in
Australia and a semifinal at my home
tournament (the French Open) at Roland
Garros. But since then the knee injury
occupied most of my time and I have been
unable to compete at the highest level.”
Tsonga had been due to play alongside
Wimbledon winner Marion Bartoli at the
Hopman Cup but was as shocked as
anyone when she announced her
retirement in the wake of the
breakthrough win.
He will now team with 23-year-old Alize
Cornet, who is ranked No.27.
“I was surprised at first and felt for
sure that Marion would come back
within a few months, but now it is
probably safe to say that she quit for
good,” he said.
Tsonga has dumped Australian coach
Roger Rasheed and hired countrymen
Nicolas Escude and Thierry Ascione.
He was unsure of any tweaks they
would make to his game.
Tsonga, who has been on the
professional tour for almost a
decade, first broke into the
top 10 in 2008 — the year he
lost the Australian Open
final to Novak Djokovic.
He has not surrendered
his top 10 ranking since
the end of 2011 but is yet
to break through for a
grand slam title.
“I am working
towards this goal and
will always try my
hardest,” Tsonga said.
“My goals for 2014
are first to be injury
free and then to play a
role in the big events
against the top
guys.”
Tsonga and
Cornet face the
Czech Republic’s
Radek Stepanek
and Petra Kvitova
first-up on
December 30.
Cornet
Alize Cornet
Born:
22/1/1990
Plays:
Right-handed
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Born:
17/4/1985
Plays:
Right-handed
Current ranking:
27
Current ranking:
10
Highest ranking:
11 (16/2/09)
Highest ranking:
5 (27/2/12)
Career singles titles:
3
Career singles titles:
10
Career doubles titles:
2
Career doubles titles:
4
Career prize money:
$2.5m
Career prize money:
$12.4m
Tsonga
HOPMAN CUP XXVI
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Fo
Perth gives Aussies chance to
Ball in Tomic’s court
to forge grand career
■ Nick Rynne
Tomic
Bernard Tomic is used to his name being
in the headlines.
The 21-year-old has earned the ire of
officials and fans across the country by
publicly and repeatedly displaying his
fondness for bright lights, fast cars and
the odd nightclub lap dance or two.
Add an over-zealous tennis father slash
coach to the mix and it could almost be
the plot of a badly-written sports movie.
But what often gets lost is the fact
Tomic represents Australia’s best hope of
matching it with the best in the world
once again.
The Queenslander burst on to the scene
as an 18-year-old in 2011, reaching the
quarterfinals at Wimbledon before
stumbling against world No.2 Novak
Djokovic in a four-set defeat.
More than 18 months of inconsistency
were to follow, but when Tomic defeated
Djokovic, who by then had climbed to
No.1 in the world, at last year’s Hopman
Cup and followed it up with an inaugural
singles title at the Sydney International,
many were predicting 2013 would be his
breakout year.
Unfortunately, niggling injuries and an
ongoing saga which saw his father John
banned by the ATP for assaulting his
son’s hitting partner Thomas Drouet,
meant he failed to get off the ground.
Despite predicting a top-10 finish for
himself, Tomic climbed just one place in
2013, finishing the year ranked No.51.
He was knocked out in the opening
round of his last five tournaments in a
disastrous end to a forgettable 2013.
But he did manage to mend fences with
Davis Cup captain Pat Rafter, who had
lambasted Tomic’s attitude when
dropping him from the team in 2012.
Tomic and Rafter united in the bid to
return Australia to the Davis Cup World
Group.
Rafter rated Tomic’s attitude as the
best he’s seen it heading into September’s
clay court World Group play-off victory
over Poland in Warsaw.
“We’re really impressed with how he’s
been going,” Rafter said. “We’re all
starting to understand each other a bit
better and we’re all on the same page.”
Asked to put his finger on what had
changed with Tomic’s attitude, Rafter
Samantha Stosur
Born:
30/3/1984
Plays:
Right-handed
said: “I don’t know. He’s had to make the
decision. He’s slowly maturing maybe so
fingers crossed that’s the way it’s going.”
But another Australian great, John
Newcombe, this month warned Tomic he
needed to train harder or be forced to live
with regrets, citing the examples of Mark
Philippoussis and axed Wallabies rugby
star James O’Connor.
“You can hit nightclubs, it depends
when you hit them. If you’re in
off-season, you’re going out it’s fine —
(but not) if you’re in the middle of a
tournament or when you should be
training hard,” Newcombe said.
“In the end, it’s going to come down to
Bernie.
“What he decides he wants to be in his
own mind.”
Leading into 2014, the Tomic camp is
again optimistic of challenging the
world’s best over the next 12 months.
Hopman Cup XXVI will be the
big-serving right-hander’s first
tournament under new coach Velimir
Zovko, who arrived in Australia earlier
this month.
The Croatian will act as an interim
mentor to Tomic and work alongside his
father.
Speaking in the lead-up to the Perth
tournament, Tomic declared a top-20
finish the goal for next year, taking a
more conservative approach than last
year’s bold prediction.
But rest assured, his long-term goals
remain far grander.
“Generations will move on, for sure. In
two or three years there will be no
Federers,” Tomic said.
“They will slowly start moving and
four-five years from now it will be a
totally different group of players in the
top 10.
“It gives a chance for players like
(Milos) Raonic and (Grigor) Dimitrov and
myself to get into that spot, and take over
and dominate.
“I’ve got to stay positive, keep working,
and my time will come to get to that
stage.”
Love him or hate him, the Gold Coast
party boy isn’t going anywhere in a
hurry.
And if he can begin to live up to his
soaring potential, the headlines may start
to turn in his favour.
Bernard Tomic
Born:
21/10/1992
Plays:
Right-handed
Current ranking:
18
Current ranking:
51
Highest ranking:
4 (21/2/11)
Highest ranking:
27 (11/6/12)
Career singles titles:
5
Career singles titles:
1
Career doubles titles:
24
Career doubles titles:
0
Career prize money:
$13m
Career prize money:
$1.9m
013
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e to go back to square one
Sound season finish has
Stosur hopeful for 2014
■ Nick Rynne
e
o
”
he
ve
rk
y
o
s
Stosur
Samantha Stosur is accustomed to the
nation’s expectations weighing on her
shoulders at this time of year.
As Australia’s best-performed singles
player for some time now, the 29-year-old
has always been expected to light up on
her home turf.
It is a position she has clearly been
uncomfortable in.
Over the past three seasons Stosur has
defied her top-10 ranking to record early
exits in all of her nine tournaments on
Australian soil. A third-round loss to
Petra Kvitova at the 2011 Australian Open
was her best result.
However, approaching Hopman Cup
XXVI Stosur finds herself cast in a
completely different role.
This year, instead of everyone
expecting her to dominate proceedings,
they’re just hoping she can rediscover
her fight.
The 2011 US Open champion finished
last season ranked No.18 in the world, her
worst result since 2008.
It wasn’t a season without highlights,
her singles titles at Carlsbad and Osaka
are testament to that, it’s just that the
lowlights came on far bigger stages.
Stosur did reach the final in her last
three tournaments, winning at Osaka
before twice falling to Romanian Simona
Halep at Moscow and Sofia.
She’s also found a new coach in Miles
Maclagan, who has worked with
Wimbledon champion Andy Murray.
“That’s somewhere where I’ve been the
last few years and somewhere where I’ve
proved myself to be capable of being with
those top girls, so I definitely want to try
to get back to there, or hopefully even
better,” Stosur said.
“But the only way you can do that is by
winning matches, and you’ve got to do
that in the biggest events and the goal has
definitely got to be the grand slams.”
s
n
nd
er
g,
• 2 tickets to the
Australian Open Women's Final
• 1 night accommodation
• Flights for two from Perth to Melbourne
• Behind the scenes tour
• Australian Open pack valued at $200
art
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Net gain for
Canadian teen
■ Russell Reid
Teenager Eugenie Bouchard can’t wait to
exact some revenge against Samantha
Stosur when Australia and Canada clash
on December 28, the opening night of the
Hyundai Hopman Cup.
Stosur posted a three-set win against
Bouchard to clinch the Japan Open in
early October, the Australian finishing
the year strongly with victory at Osaka
before consecutive losses in the final of
the Kremlin Cup and Tournament of
Champions against emerging Romanian
Simona Halep.
“It’s funny because I just played her in
the second last tournament of the year
and now I will be starting out against her
again in the first tournament of next
season,” Bouchard said.
“It will be fun to play in Australia. She
will have the crowd advantage, but it will
be really good. Obviously, she is a great
player but I look forward to getting some
revenge.”
Playing for the first time in Perth,
Bouchard said she was glad for another
chance to represent her country after
playing Fed Cup ties earlier this year.
“This is like a team kind of thing too,”
she said.
“Tennis players play individual
tournaments all year, so to have a few
weeks out of the year where we play as a
team and work together … it’s always fun
to experience that.”
Bouchard said teaming up with world
No.11 Milos Raonic, who has had his
serve clocked at 255km/h, would be a
bonus.
“We’ve never played mixed
doubles together so that will
be interesting to see,”
Bouchard said.
“Milos is obviously a really good player
and I will be relying on him to win some
matches and serve some bombs in mixed
doubles. I expect to do nothing, even at
the net, because I just don’t expect balls
to come back on Milos’ service games.”
Bouchard hopes to follow in the
footsteps of Raonic, who recently became
the first Canadian player to break into
the top 10.
“Milos has had some good success,
which has increased the popularity of
tennis in Canada. I hope to do the same.
He’s ended his year really well, which is
good for him going into next year. I want
to work hard and be as good as I can be
and whatever that ranking is, we’ll see.”
Bouchard is no stranger to chalking up
firsts for her country, the 19-year-old
becoming the first Canadian to win a
grand slam singles title when she beat
Ukrainian Elina Svitolina to claim the
Wimbledon girls title in 2012.
Achieving her best results at the famed
grass tournament, Bouchard combined
with Americans Grace Min and Taylor
Townsend to win the junior Wimbledon
doubles titles of 2011 and 2012.
Bouchard said that doubles experience
would come in handy in the Hopman
Cup, where mixed doubles rubbers can
decide ties.
“That gave me a lot of confidence and I
was able to build on that and play well
not only in the juniors but the pros (WTA
tournaments),” she said.
“This is my first full year on the (WTA)
tour and I’ve played all the pro grand
slams, so it’s a different taste.
“I got to see real life on the tour and
how tough it is, week in and week out
playing against great players, so I feel
like I’ve learnt a lot this year.”
Raonic
Bouchard
Eugenie Bouchard
Born:
25/2/1994
Plays:
Right-handed
Milos Raonic
Born:
27/12/1990
Plays:
Right-handed
Current ranking:
32
Current ranking:
11
Highest ranking:
32 (14/10/13)
Highest ranking:
10 (12/8/13)
Career singles titles:
0
Career singles titles:
5
Career doubles titles:
0
Career doubles titles:
0
Career prize money:
$505,000
Career prize money:
$3.7m
HOPMAN CUP XXVI
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Kvitova faces
pressure test
■ Bridget Lacy
Kvitova
Last time Petra Kvitova came to Perth for
the Hopman Cup she was tipped to be the
new world No.1 within months.
The big-hitting left-hander had broken
into the top 10 for the first time at
the beginning of 2011, before steamrolling
her way to a Wimbledon title and then
winning the WTA’s season-ending
tournament.
In Perth, the then world No.2 teamed
with Tomas Berdych to claim the
championship and went on to produce her
best Australian Open performance, an
exit in the semifinals.
But since then Kvitova has failed to live
up to the hype.
The 23-year-old is not sure what has
held her back since her incredible
performances two years ago.
But she does admit to letting the
pressure of expectation get the better of
her.
“It was for me testing to be on the top
and to handle the pressure,” Kvitova
revealed.
“When I get for the first time top 10,
when I won Wimbledon, there was a lot of
pressure on my back and I really felt it
and it was tough to get used to.
“And it’s still there. I am almost always
favourite so it’s not easy every
time and you have to be ready
for it.”
Kvitova believes she is
handling the mental stress
better now but says it is a
constant battle.
Her 2011 results show
what she is capable of,
so she hopes her best
tennis is still ahead
of her.
“That season in
2011 I know that
it’s hard to
repeat and I
am very
determined to get back to my form of
2011,” Kvitova said.
“I hope that slowly I am trying to find
the good game again.”
The world No.6 described her 2013 as
up and down but said a strong finish had
given her confidence.
“I felt very good on the court,
comfortable, I moved very well, so it’s a
very good sign for next season,” Kvitova
said.
“I have a lot that I can improve. I have a
new fitness coach, so I am trying to
improve my fitness … I want to improve
my serve.
“I can’t say any number (of tournament
wins I want to achieve in 2014) but I
would like to have a better result in grand
slams next year.”
Kvitova returns to WA for the
$1 million mixed teams event focused on
winning the trophy again for the Czech
Republic, this time joining forces with
veteran Radek Stepanek.
The pair are believed to be dating but
have never played doubles together.
“He is a great doubles specialist, he has
a great volley, so I hope we can be a good
team on the court,” Kvitova said.
She said she was looking forward to
experiencing Perth Arena for the first
time.
“It was great in 2012,” Kvitova said.
“I enjoyed it a lot, it was my first
time and we won it, so it is always
nice memories and I am looking
forward to being there again.
“You are promised to play at
least three matches.
“I saw some pictures (of the
Arena) and it’s looking
beautiful, so that’s one of the
new things that I am really
looking forward to.”
Kvitova plans to arrive
in Perth early and
hopes to explore
the city and hit
the beach.
Stepanek
Petra Kvitova
Born:
8/3/1990
Plays:
Left-handed
Radek Stepanek
Born:
27/11/1978
Plays:
Right-handed
Current ranking:
6
Current ranking:
44
Highest ranking:
2 (31/10/11)
Highest ranking:
8 (10/7/06)
Career singles titles:
11
Career singles titles:
5
Career doubles titles:
0
Career doubles titles:
17
Career prize money:
$11.8m
Career prize money:
$9.6m
thewest.com.au
HOPMAN CUP XXVI
HOP
For all the latest news
Late bloomer Seppi mixes his form
■ Russell Reid
Andreas Seppi is out to improve his
Hopman Cup singles form and maintain
an unbeaten mixed doubles record.
World No.25 Seppi lost each of his
singles matches at Hopman Cup XXV last
January, beaten by Serbia’s Novak
Djokovic, Australian Bernard Tomic and
German veteran Tommy Haas on his
debut at the unique Perth event.
Seppi had more joy in the mixed,
partnering Francesca Schiavone to three
wins in as many matches against
Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic, Tomic and
Ashleigh Barty and Haas and Tatjana
Malek at Perth Arena.
The Perth tournament proved to be a
launch pad for the smooth-stroking
Italian, who reached the semifinals of the
Sydney International the following week
before losing to eventual champion
Tomic.
Seppi broke into the top 20 for the first
time later that month after qualifying for
the fourth round at the Australian Open,
beating Argentina’s Horacio Zeballos,
Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin and Croatian
Marin Cilic before bowing out to
Frenchman Jeremy Chardy.
Andreas Seppi
Born:
21/2/1984
Plays:
Right-handed
Current ranking:
25
Highest ranking:
18 (28/1/13)
Career singles titles:
3
Career doubles titles:
0
Career prize money:
$5.5m
The 29-year-old had mixed results for
the balance of the year, the highlights
being a quarterfinal loss to Djokovic in
Dubai (extending Seppi’s winless record
against Djokovic to 11-0) and a
fourth-round loss to Scotsman Andy
Murray in Miami.
Seppi is a late bloomer. He didn’t win
his first ATP tournament until 2011,
beating Serbian Janko Tipsarevic in the
final at Eastbourne.
It was a day of breakthroughs for
Seppi, who also became the first Italian
to win an ATP tournament on grass.
Seppi and partner Flavia Pennetta
have the chance to notch another first for
their country, hoping to help guide the
Italians to a first Hopman title from eight
attempts.
Paolo Cane and Laura Golarsa did best
for Italy when they reached the
quarterfinals at the second Hopman Cup
in the summer of 1989-90.
Like Seppi, Pennetta is accustomed to
leading the way for her country.
The 31-year-old became Italy’s first top
10 female singles player in August 2009
and the first Italian player to be ranked
No.1 in doubles in February 2011.
Pennetta reached her first grand slam
singles semifinal at this year’s US Open,
defeating higher-ranked opponents Sara
Errani, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Simona
Halep and Roberta Vinci in the early
rounds before succumbing to world No.2
Victoria Azarenka.
Pennetta last played at the Hopman
Cup in 2009, the year Slovak Republic
pair Dominik Hrbaty and Dominika
Cibulkova beat Russians Marat Safin and
Dinara Safina to claim the crown.
After losing to Safina (7-5 6-3) and
Frenchwoman Alize Cornet (7-5 6-2),
Pennetta recovered to win her last singles
match against Chinese Taipei’s Hsieh
Su-Wei (7-5 6-3).
Cornet also returns for Hopman Cup
XXVI but, with France and Italy in
different groups, Pennetta is unlikely to
avenge that defeat five years ago.
Flavia Pennetta
Born:
25/2/1982
Plays:
Right-handed
Current ranking:
31
Highest ranking:
10 (17/8/09)
Career singles titles:
9
Career doubles titles:
15
Career prize money:
$7.4m
HOPMAN CUP XXVI
Thursday, December 19, 2013
A walk down memory lane
Emilio Sanchez
James Blake
Serena Williams
Roger Federer
Arantxa Sanchez Vicario
Martina Hingis
Honour roll
Hopman Cup I (1989) Czechoslovakia
Hopman Cup II (1990) Spain (Arantxa
(Helena Sukova/Miloslav Mecir) b
Sanchez Vicario/Emilio Sanchez) b
Australia (Hana Mandlikova/Pat Cash) 2-0. USA (Pam Shriver/John McEnroe) 2-1.
Hopman Cup III (1991) Yugoslavia
(Monica Seles/Goran Prpic) b USA (Zina
Garrison/David Wheaton) 3-0.
Hopman Cup IV (1992) Switzerland
Hopman Cup V (1993) Germany
(Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere/Jakob
(Steffi Graf/Michael Stich) b Spain
Hlasek) b Czechoslovakia (Helena Sukova/ (Arantxa Sanchez/Emilio Sanchez) 2-1.
Karel Novacek) 2-1.
Hopman Cup VI (1994) Czech Republic
(Jana Novotna/Petr Korda) b Germany
(Anke Huber/Bernd Karbacher) 2-1.
Hopman Cup VIII (1996) Croatia (Iva
Majoli/Goran Ivanisevic) b Switzerland
(Martina Hingis/Marc Rosset) 2-1.
Hopman Cup IX (1997) USA (Chanda
Rubin/Justin Gimelstob) b South Africa
(Amanda Coetzer/Wayne Ferreira) 2-1.
Hopman Cup XI (1999) Australia (Jelena Hopman Cup XII (2000) South Africa
Dokic/Mark Philippoussis) b Sweden (Asa (Amanda Coetzer/Wayne Ferreira) b
Thailand (Tamarine Tanasugarn/Paradorn
Carlsson/Jonas Bjorkman) 2-1.
Schrichaphan) 3-0.
Hopman Cup XIII (2001) Switzerland
(Martina Hingis/Roger Federer) b USA
(Monica Seles/Jan Michael Gambill) 2-1.
Hopman Cup XIV (2002) Spain (Arantxa Hopman Cup XV (2003) USA (Serena
Sanchez/Tommy Robredo) b USA (Monica Williams/James Blake) b Australia (Alicia
Seles/Jan Michael Gambill) 2-1.
Molik/Lleyton Hewitt) 3-0.
Hopman Cup XVI (2004) USA (Lindsay Hopman Cup XVII (2005) Slovak
Davenport/James Blake) b Slovak Republic Republic (Daniela Hantuchova/Dominik
(Daniela Hantuchova/Karol Kucera) 2-1.
Hrbaty) b Argentina (Gisela Dulko/
Guillermo Coria) 3-0.
Hopman Cup XVIII (2006) USA (Lisa
Raymond/Taylor Dent) b Netherlands
(Michaella Krajicek/Peter Wessels) 2-1.
Hopman Cup XIX (2007) Russia (Nadia
Petrova/Dmitry Tursunov) b Spain
(Tommy Robredo/Anabel MedinaGarrigues) 2-0.
Hopman Cup XXI (2009) Slovak
Republic (Dominika Cibulkova/Dominik
Hrbaty) b Russia (Dinara Safina/Marat
Safin) 2-0.
Hopman Cup XXIII (2011) USA (Bethanie Hopman Cup XXIV (2012) Czech
Hopman Cup XXV (2013) Spain (Anabel
Mattek-Sands/John Isner) b Belgium
Republic (Petra Kvitova/Tomas Berdych)
Medina Garrigues/Fernando Verdasco)
(Justine Henin/Ruben Bemelmans) 2-1.
b France (Marion Bartoli/Richard Gasquet) b Serbia (Ana Ivanovic/Novak Djokovic)
2-0.
2-1.
Hopman Cup VII (1995) Germany (Anke
Huber/Boris Becker) b Ukraine (Natalia
Medvedeva/Andrei Medvedev) 3-0.
Hopman Cup XXII (2010) Spain (Maria
Jose Martinez Sanchez/Tommy Robredo)
b Great Britain (Laura Robson/Andy
Murray) 2-1.
Hopman Cup X (1998) Slovak Republic
(Karina Habsudova/Karol Kucera) b France
(Mary Pierce/Guy Forget) 2-1.
Hopman Cup XX (2008) USA (Serena
Williams/Mardy Fish) b Serbia (Jelena
Jankovic/Novak Djokovic) 2-1.
thewest.com.au
HOPMAN CUP XXVI
HOP
For all the latest news
Heroine returns
for more glory
■ Russell Reid
The form of Anabel Medina Garrigues
will be a key in Spain’s title defence at
the Hopman Cup.
Wily Medina Garrigues was the
heroine when Spain beat red-hot
favourites Serbia to claim the 25th
chapter of Perth’s $1 million ITF mixed
teams event last January.
Medina Garrigues won a gruelling
6-4 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 rubber lasting two hours
and 39 minutes against Ana Ivanovic to
keep her country’s title hopes alive before
teaming with Fernando Verdasco to
claim the deciding doubles 6-4 7-5.
Left-hander Verdasco had battled
bravely against Novak Djokovic before
being beaten 6-3 7-5 by the world No.1.
It wasn’t the first time Medina
Garrigues had rescued her country at
Perth Arena.
The 31-year-old also won singles
matches against Chanelle Scheepers and
Mathilde Johansson to keep ties alive
against South Africa and France after
Verdasco lost to Kevin Anderson and
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Verdasco conceded after the final that
his partner had done the lion’s share of
the work in the title win and offered
Medina Garrigues his silver and 18-carat
gold diamond encrusted tennis ball.
“Because I think you won both balls, I
need to give you my ball,” Verdasco said
after their triumph against Ivanovic and
Djokovic.
“She won almost all her matches in
singles and all the doubles. So you are
the winner and I don’t know what
I’m doing here.”
Making her feats at Hopman Cup
XXV all the more remarkable,
Medina Garrigues revealed she had
battled a back injury before the
tournament.
If not for her physiotherapist,
Medina Garrigues could have joined
the event’s casualty list. West Australian
Casey Dellacqua pulled out before the
tournament with a foot injury and
Germany’s Andrea Petkovic (knee) and
Tommy Haas (toe), the USA’s John Isner
(knee) and Frenchman Tsonga
(hamstring) all withdrew during the
week.
Medina Garrigues is an accomplished
singles player but her strength is in
doubles, having teamed with
countrywoman Virginia Ruano Pascual
to win the 2008 and 2009 French Open
doubles crowns.
Playing with a different partner in
Tommy Robredo in Perth this summer,
Medina Garrigues will need to reproduce
that form if Spain are to be genuine
contenders.
Robredo is attempting to become the
first player to win three Hopman titles
after teaming with wily veteran Arantxa
Sanchez to win in 2002 and Maria Jose
Martinez Sanchez in 2010.
Robredo and Medina Garrigues’
experience will be crucial as Spain
attempt to win a fifth Hopman Cup.
Only USA (six titles) have won more,
while the Slovak Republic have won
three.
Robredo, also 31, has been a regular in
Spanish Davis Cup teams and the top 20
in his 15 years on the world tour, reaching
a career-high No.5 in August 2006.
A serious leg injury caused Robredo’s
ranking to plummet to 471 in May last
year, but the Spaniard improved that
mark by 453 places to 18 before the end of
2013.
Spain have surprisingly been
seeded eighth of the eight
competing nations at the 26th
chapter of Perth’s
mixed teams
event.
Robredo
Anabel
Medina Garrigues
Born:
31/7/1982
Plays:
Right-handed
Tommy
Robredo
Born:
1/5/1982
Plays:
Right-handed
Current ranking:
100
Current ranking:
18
Highest ranking:
16 (4/5/09)
Highest ranking:
5 (28/8/06)
Career singles titles:
11
Career singles titles:
12
Career doubles titles:
21
Career doubles titles:
5
Career prize money:
$5.3m
Career prize money:
$10.5m
Medina Garrigues
JOIN SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS AND
DORA THE EXPLORER AT KIDS TENNIS DAY
PRESENTED BY NICKELODEON!
Head down to Perth Arena on Saturday 28
December to purchase your adult tickets from
the box office, and bring the kids and grandkids
along for free!*
For more info on Kids Tennis Day visit
hopmancup.com/kidstennisday
*Applies to children 16 years of age and under. Free Junior available in
Silver Reserved Seating ticket – day session only. Subject to availability.
KIDS TENNIS DAY
28 DEC 2013
PERTH ARENA hopmancup.com