This Week In Tennis
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Q. I just want to talk about your doubles partnership with Bernie. How did it come about? He plays a different style than you do. Has been some talk about the way he plays. Can you just talk about how the doubles tournament came about for the tournament?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. I play doubles for fun and for practice a little bit, too, no? Before the singles start. I supposed to play with Bernard in Brisbane. That will make sense, because his house. And for me was something that I like the idea. Then I said to him that I could not play there because I had to play with Marc Lopez to prepare the Davis Cup, but Marc Lopez four days or two days before the tournament start decide not to go. So was late to play with him. I said with him, that's what happened. I have to play with Marc. And if we can change Brisbane for Indian Wells, will be great for me. That's it. No, no, nothing else. Q. So positive, but if there was one thing you could change in our sport, could you suggest one thing that tennis might change? VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think doubles is very exciting. It's undervalued. I'd love to see doubles be more appreciated and grow. I think it's a commodity, long-term plan. I love watching doubles. It's just -- the exchanges, you can't really recreate that in singles. Perhaps down the road, that would be something that would be something we're looking at. Q. Nadal says he plays doubles for fun. Is it a lot of fun for you? Does that help you extend your career? VENUS WILLIAMS: I play doubles for Grand Slam titles, and that's fun (smiling). Q. Unique now you have beaten Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer all on your first meeting with them. What makes you able to get up for those guys you have never seen in person like that? It's not something you'd expect from a player coming up. NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, I mean, that's why I play the game, I guess. Play the best people in the world at some of the best venues in the world. I never had a problem getting up for those matches. I think it's more the matches in the back courts against the guys that are really trying to grind it out, they're the matches that are dangerous to me. For instance, today, I think last year or year before, that match then, it's not as easy as it is now. I'm just trying to bring the same sort of big-match mentality to these smaller tournaments and small matches, as well. |
Q. Can you talk through just, you know, finding out that you might -- like the injury was an issue, and then needing to kind of have surgery, and then the rehabilitation process afterwards? Give us some insight into that whole section of time.
MADISON KEYS: Well, I actually injured it at 2015 US Open. Q. That's a long time ago. MADISON KEYS: Yeah, it was a long time ago. And, you know, kind of just managed it for a while. And then I think it was after Wimbledon I found out it's not going to go away and that I was going to need surgery to fix it. So the original plan was, Okay, after US Open, get it done, be ready for Australian Open. And then after US Open, there was the race to Singapore. To me, there is no way you're going to get me off of a tennis court right now. Then it was, okay, we're going to do everything we can to get to Singapore. And then, if you don't make Singapore, we'll call it there. If you do, which I did, I got home, like, like the 30th or the 31st and I had surgery November 2nd. Q. Maria Sharapova just received a wildcard to Stuttgart. Wondering about your thoughts about her return and whether she should be receiving wildcards, especially with discussion going on about whether she will receive one to Roland Garros. CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, first of all, I think obviously she's a good draw to tennis, women's tennis in general. That's one. But, two, I think it's very questionable, allowing -- no matter who it is -- a player that is still banned to play a tournament that week. I think that's -- from the tournament side, I think it's disrespectful to the other players and the WTA. But, you know, it is what it is. Obviously rules are twisted and turned in favor of who wants to do what. You know, I think everyone deserves a second chance, and I think that, you know, she's going to come back and she's going to fight her way back. I'm sure she's going to play well. But at the same time, I feel like when a player is banned for drugs, I think that someone should start from the bottom and fight their way back, because it's different from an injury where someone is out because they had hurt themselves. You know, that way I feel like a player should be able to receive as many wildcards. But when someone has been banned for drugs and something that is performance enhancing, I think that you deserve a second chance like everybody else, people make mistakes, but I think you should fight your way back from the bottom. |
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PODCASTS
Beyond The Baseline - Sloane Stephens from Indian Wells
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BNP Paribas Open Podcast - Episode 1 (Multiple Episodes)
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