Tennis Tour Tidbits – Kuznetsova, Townsend, Vergeer and more…

Written by: Staff on 5th June 2013

Tennis Tour Tidbits - Kuznetsova, Townsend, Vergeer and more... |

Svetlana Kuznetsova pulled an abdominal muscle in her win over Bojana Jovanovski at Roland Garros which affected her serve in her loss to Serena Williams. But the Russian said she’d rather being playing hurt than not at all. “I was looking in some moments in the crowd and thinking that I was lying back with my broken knee in my bed [in 2012] and thinking, I don’t want to play US Open; I’m so tired. I could not even walk. I was with crutches all the time. I was extremely pleased with the way I performed here.”

Kuznetsova also said that Serena is a heavy favorite to win the tournament. “So far as we can see the other clay court tournaments, it was difficult for girls to face her. Maria [Sharapova lost to her] in Madrid; Victoria [Azarenka lost to her] in Rome But she was pretty dominant [against] them. So it’s a bit hard. It will be big surprise if somebody can beat her here.” . . .

Roger Federer’s thought process sometimes defies conventional wisdom. “If you lose in five sets or straight sets or if you play good or bad, at the end of the day you’re out of the tournament,” he said. That, to me, is what matters really. I know some people say I only care about how I play and not about the result. I care more about the result than how I played, to be honest, because it gives me another opportunity to play well in the next match.” . . .

Taylor Townsend, who was honored at the ITF Champions Dinner in Paris as being the standout junior female player in 2012, told the audience that she is planning to return to Roland Garros next year– but in the women’s main draw. . .

Wheelchair superstar Esther Vergeer was honored for the last time as player as she has retired and received a standing ovation at the dinner. She had won 470 consecutive matches before she retired. . .

The All England Club was presented with the Philippe Chatrier award by the ITF. AELTC Chairman Phillip Brookes spoke at the event and praised a number of people whom he said are unsung heroes at the club, including head grounds man Eddie Seaward, who is retiring at the end of this year. . .

Former player and BBC play by play man Andrew Castle MC-ed the ITF dinner. . .

Agnieszka Radwanska has committed to the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford, joining Maria Sharapova, Sam Stosur and Marion Bartoli…

Historically USTA membership has reported modest annual increases of 2%-3% in member count each year, but in 2012 membership actually declined 13,733 (1.8%)

Topics: Agnieszka Radwanska, All England Club, Bojana Jovanovski, Esther Vergeer, Roger Federer, Roland Garros, Serena Williams, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Taylor Townsend, Usta