For a change, the weather forecasters in Toronto were actually right, and unfortunately the rain they predicted arrived in time to put a damper on first round matches. On Centre Court, Flavia Pennetta of Italy defeated Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski 6-4 6-1 before the rains came.
Fortunately, however, it was media access day and inside where it was nice and dry the top eight seeded players were available for media questions. Each player spent time doing television interviews and then answering questions from journalists representing various media outlets. What impressed me the most about the media session was not just how poised these young ladies were but their command of the English language is remarkable considering the only one from an English speaking country is Serena Williams. The typical questions about their games and their health were asked of all the players, so I am just going to relay some snippets of the proceedings that may provide some insight about the players.
Needless to say, the player that garnered the most attention was world #1 Serena Williams. I can’t say Williams said anything earth shattering in response to the questions asked about her health and winning the Rogers Cup, but she did appear very relaxed and said she very much enjoys coming to Canada to play.
WTA Rogers Cup Media Day: Rain, Mono, and Grand Slams
One of the more important pieces of information to come out of the interviews was the revelation by Petra Kvitova, the #4 ranked player from the Czech Republic, that she was diagnosed with mononucleosis after Wimbledon. Kvitova, the #3 seed this week, said a sore throat she treated during Wimbledon with antibiotics did not go away and further tests revealed the mono. Doctors have given her clearance to play and she joked that she doesn’t know if she is tired from the mono or just jet lag.
Caroline Wozniacki from Denmark, the #5 ranked player and the #4 seed this week, was asked about her marathon run last year in New York City. She said she liked running the marathon but didn’t love all the training. She did, however, say that when she is finished playing tennis she would like to complete a triathlon and an iron man triathlon.
Garbine Muguruza, the #9 ranked player and the #8 seed this week, was surprisingly philosophical when asked if she learned anything from reaching the Wimbledon final where she lost to Serena Williams. The young Spanish player said she learned that the good times go by really quickly but the bad times go really slowly. Muguruza also said she thinks that younger players have a hard time winning on the tour because their mental game is not strong enough.
Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, currently ranked #6 and seeded #5 this week, was asked about how she feels about Serena Williams’ dominating season. Interestingly enough she said she hopes Williams is able to complete her calendar year Grand Slam and that she thinks that “we are lucky to have her in our sport”.
Simona Halep, the Romanian and the #3 player in the world and therefore the #2 seed this week was asked about the now-famous Eugenie Bouchard non-handshake with the Romanian player at the Fed Cup tie between Canada and Romania. Halep was very diplomatic in addressing the issue, which if anything alienated some of Bouchard’s supporters. Halep was also questioned about how she feels coming into the hard court season after a disappointing grass season. Halep said she feels well prepared and is looking forward to this portion of the season.
Lucie Safarova was, of course, asked about her coach Rob Steckley who is from Toronto. Safarova indicated that Steckley really has not changed anything in her game but he keeps things fun and relaxed; she also noted that when at the Rogers Cup she knows that the Tim Hortons coffee stop is a must.
Aga Radwanska of Poland, who won the title last year in Montreal, is the #6 seed and she indicated that whether the tournament is in Montreal or Toronto it is still the same tournament and she is happy to defend her title. She was very insightful when discussing Serena Williams and the US Open noting that Williams will be playing at home and it would be great for the home town fans to be there.
After the media access time was over and the rain appeared to be never ending, I left the Aviva Centre and headed to my indoor club to hit some tennis balls. I’m not sure if it was the last couple of days watching some of the best players ply their trade or if it was just being in the proximity of the top players during media access but I was playing at a whole new level today.
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