2010 - Articles & News

[ELIENE :)]

Aggressive approach pays off for Dinara Safina

Former No. 1 women's player in the world defeats Alona Bondarenko, 6-1, 7-6 (2), in a first-round match at La Costa.
August 02, 2010|By Diane Pucin

The 24-year-old Russian beat Bondarenko, 6-1, 7-6 (2), Monday night in the first round of the Mercury Insurance Open at La Costa and she was playing on the first night of the tournament because Safina is unseeded and ranked 35th.

Safina didn't play Wimbledon because of a back and hip injury and her win Monday night was her first since April and only her second since January's Australian Open. She had been a first-round loser in five straight tournaments until Monday and her assessment of the evening was succinct.

"Right now I'm pleased that I won," she said. "That's the most important thing. I needed the win."

Against Bondarenko, ranked 30th, Safina played a first set full of confidence and fist pumps and a second set with determination.

When Safina got her serve broken in the fourth game of the final set to trail, 3-1, she pumped her fist and immediately returned the favor by getting the break back with a loudly hit forehand winner that caused the crowd to gasp.

She said she began the second-set tiebreak with the idea of being aggressive.

"I played a tiebreak last week and lost," Safina said. "In practice I played a tiebreak and lost. Every time I play the tiebreak I play defensive. Tonight I said it was OK to not be defensive, to be aggressive and whatever happens happens. I was maybe a little bit tight on match point."

On her first match point, Safina served a double fault. On the second, she hit a forehand return wide but on the third Safina cracked a winner and pumped her fist.

Also winning first-round matches were Russian Alisa Kleybanova, who beat Aravane Rezai of France, 6-2, 5-7, 6-3, and Italy's Sara Errani, who knocked out Olga Govortsova of Belarus, 6-3, 1-6, 7-5. Kleybanova's second-round opponent will be the tournament's top-seeded Jelena Jankovic.

But Safina was the biggest name on the schedule and for that she feels lucky. Safina said that when her back began aching earlier in the year she didn't take enough time off. After trying to play the clay-court season Safina said she spent a week last month where she couldn't walk.

She went to Argentina to do rehabilitation on her injury and to work with a new coach, Gaston Etlis, who played on the ATP Tour.

When Safina ended the first set by knocking out a 100-mph ace, she was joyous.

"Thanks, God, I wake up now and I feel good. It's not a nice feeling to have that pain. Now it's good to have confidence," she said.

[ELIENE :)]

Safina looks to bounce back
By Sam Roberts (Correspondent) on August 6, 2010


Dinara Safina has had something of nightmare season. She has dropped from number one in the world down to 35 in the world rankings. A back injury has severely affected Safina’s form this season. The Russian had to retire in the fourth round of the Australian Open at the start of the year. She returned to compete in the French Open only to lose in the first round to 39 year old Kimiko Date Krumm. Her injury returned before Wimbledon and forced Safina to withdraw from the tournament.


This has been a dramatic fall from last year for the 24 year old. Last season saw Safina shoot to the top of the rankings after making the final at both the Australian and French Opens. She also reached the semi-final stage at Wimbledon. Safina will be keen to put her injury nightmares behind her and climb the rankings once again before the end of the year.


US Open Tennis Betting pundits note how the Russian’s preparations for this month’s US Open hadn’t been going as planned recently. She went into her first round match, at the Mercury Insurance Open, on a six match losing streak. Safina managed to stop the rot however and claimed a straight sets victory over Alona Bondarenko, to progress in San Diego. Fit again Safina looked back to something like her best against Bondarenko.


With the year Safina has had, not many will be tipping her for success at Flushing Meadows. That will play right into the Russians hands and she’ll be confident of upsetting the Tennis Betting odds at times.

[ROSIE]

Dinara Safina snapped a six-game losing run by knocking Alona Bondarenko out of the Mercury Insurance Open in San Diego.

The former world number one progressed with a 6-1 7-6 victory that will give her a boost after a losing streak that saw her slide down the rankings to world number 35.

Safina went for her shots and in the first set was far too good from the back of the court, and although Bondarenko responded in the second she could not level by taking the tiebreaker.

"I needed the win," Safina said. "Last week I lost a tiebreaker and in practice I lost one because I was playing defensive.

"Tonight I said I'm not going to play defensive and be aggressive and whatever happens, happens."

Injury

A back injury and loss of form has seen Safina tumble down the rankings, but the 24-year-old hopes to start finding the same form that saw her top list just 12 months ago.

"I think my back is fine now," said Safina. "Every morning when I wake up and it feels good I say thanks."

Safina was joined in the second round by fellow Russian Alisa Kleybanova, who defeated Aravane Rezai 6-2 5-7 6-3 to book a date with top seed Jelena Jankovic.

The 21-year-old produced an attacking third set to overcome her French opponent Rezai.

"In the second set I slowed down and went too far behind the court and gave her the opportunity to make more winners," Kleybanova said.

"I told myself in the third set that even if I'm missing to take her rhythm away and stay on top of the court. I was able to turn it around

."http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12110_6292568,00.html

[ROSIE]

WTA Tour
Safina sets up Clijsters clash
ESPN staff
August 9, 2010

Dinara Safina proved too powerful for Roberta Vinci © Getty Images
Dinara Safina set up a mouthwatering second-round clash with fourth seed Kim Clijsters after overpowering Roberta Vinci at the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open in Cincinnati.

The former world No. 1 is on the comeback trail from a back injury and has struggled to rediscover the form that saw her reach two Grand Slam finals last year.

Safina has slipped from No. 1 to No. 35 in the world rankings in the last 12 months, and the Russian finally ended a six-match losing streak at San Diego last week.

She was still struggling with her serve and was broken four times and fired 15 double faults, but she ultimately proved too powerful for the Italian as she moved into round two with a 7-5 6-4 victory.

No. 14 seed Aravane Rezai was sent crashing out of the draw after falling to Serbian qualifier Bojana Jovanovski. Rezai was a set to the good, but the world No. 98 came from behind to pull off a 4-6 6-3 6-4 upset.

Russia's Vera Dushevina will meet top seed Jelena Jankovic in round two after defeating Anastasia Rodionova 6-2 7-6(7), while No. 13 seed Shahar Peer was leading 6-3 4-1 when her opponent Olga Govortsova retired.

No. 16 seed Marion Bartoli booked her place in the second round with a 6-4 6-0 victory over Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues. Bartoli will now meet Alona Bondarenko after the Ukrainian came from behind to beat Dominika Cibulkova 3-6 6-2 6-3.

[ROSIE]

Dinara's presser after her loss to Clijsters.
A really good read! visit our archives at asapsports.com
D Safina - 08 11 10 1
K. CLIJSTERS/D. Safina
7-5, 6-2
An interview with:
DINARA SAFINA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. Can you talk about what was going
on with your hip? Was it hurting?
DINARA SAFINA: Yeah.
Q. Is that a new injury for you or
something that's been bothering you for a
while?
DINARA SAFINA: Well, it's kind of side
effect from my back injury. So the back injury is
better, but they told me that now it's gonna --
because my hip was never working properly, so I'm
gonna feel the hip.
It's not an excuse because I can practice
and play, but it's there the whole time and it's a
little bit like stopping from some thoughts, like
some points. Like I'm not playing like pain -- you
know, I don't know how to say -- the mind is not
free, just on the point. It's a little bit like, Okay, let's
see how is this point gonna be the hip.
Q. Do you think the rain delay helped at
all? You had the injury timeout before the rain
delay, and none after that.
DINARA SAFINA: Yeah, well, obviously it
helped, but not for much. Because once I finished
the warm-up before the match started to continue, I
started to feel it again. I was like, Okay.
Bu, um, I cannot say it's not painful for me
during the play. I can play forehand, backhand,
serve. This is not pain. It's more like when I stop
the point, and then it's like it shocks me a little bit.
Q. Do you think it's also just a mental
thing, Oh, my God, is it gonna hurt?
DINARA SAFINA: A little bit. You know,
like I say, it's there, so it's like, Come on. Once I
turned to my coach and I said, Listen, is it ever
gonna go away from me? Because I feel like I can
play, everything is there, it's just that my mind is
more on how I walk or something like this.
Q. I know you don't want to use it as an
excuse --
DINARA SAFINA: I don't like to use
excuse, because if I'm playing on the court it
means that I'm there and I'm 100%.
Q. So what do you think was the key
difference then between tonight's match and
you played her here last year here with a
different result: you won?
DINARA SAFINA: Yeah, but just look how
many matches I played last year and look how
many matches I played this year.
Q. It's been a tough year for you since
you last played here. What are your thoughts
on this year and how you've slipped in the
rankings, and how tough has it been for you?
DINARA SAFINA: I mean, I would say it's
a year of lessons, many new experience, many
new changes I made. So, I mean, it's you know,
like from one thing that -- like the career change
180 degrees. You know, like completely the
opposite.
Well, now for me the main thing it's, as I
said, to be healthy. This the most important thing.
I will keep on working hard day by day. And I feel
like my game is getting better. Like the first was
very close. I had chances to win. In second set I
was 2-Love up.
So it's just a matter for me now to continue
to try to play as many matches as I can. Because
last year I had hundred matches, and this time -- I
would say now I'm coming back, not that I came
back in Stuttgart. Now I would say I'm coming
August 11, 2010
visit our archives at asapsports.com
D Safina - 08 11 10 2
back.
Q. What are the positives you can take
out of this match?
DINARA SAFINA: I think the game was
overall I would say not bad. I think it was, I mean,
very solid. She played some good points. She
was -- I would say she was better in some crucial
moments. She served very well at 5-All; it was
Love-30 on her serve. I had chances there, but
she played some good points.
So, you know, just to keep on working hard
and keep on going. There's not much I can
change.
Q. Is the injury something that can only
get better with rest?
DINARA SAFINA: No, this is the hip, it's
not the back. Hip, it's just opposite. I have to use
this muscle that it starts is to activate it, you know,
to start working properly. This is the problem. It's
not that I'm gonna rest and it's gonna get better.
So, yes, it's gonna get better. But once I
will start to play, as I'm gonna start to use it again,
it's gonna come back. So for me, it's to keep on
using it, to start to use these muscles.
[youtube]Q. So it's nothing that would keep you
out of the US Open?[/youtube]
DINARA SAFINA: No, no. It has nothing
to do. This is the problem. Like doctor told me,
Okay. So rest or play; it's gonna be the same.
Once you're gonna come back it's gonna be the
same.
Q. What about the tape on your back?
Is it just precautionary?
DINARA SAFINA: What?
Q. In the picture on their website it's
like taped.
DINARA SAFINA: They put me yesterday,
or before yesterday, just to -- it's Kinesio tape just
to relax the muscle, but nothing.
Q. You served very well. You had a
first serve of 70%; that's pretty consistent.
DINARA SAFINA: So that's what I'm
saying. The game is getting better. I'm feeling like
it's not anymore the disaster that it was. So this is
the positive thing.
Everything, it's solid everything, so now I
just have to continue to work hard, you know, to
make some adjustments. You know, once I'm
break up to close the match, you know. Or what I
have to do like to maybe be a little bit more
aggressive.
So this is like everything is there, but just I
have to within matches to find myself more.
Q. So are you playing Montreal or New
Haven before the US Open?
DINARA SAFINA: Montreal. New Haven I
doubt in case, because -- in case some reason, but
I don't think it's gonna be make any sense.
Q. Ana Ivanovic was in here earlier
today, and she talked about the friendship you
two started recently.
DINARA SAFINA: Yes.
Q. Can you talk about that? You have
things in common obviously, both former No.
1s.
DINARA SAFINA: Well, actually, the funny
thing, we been so long on the tour and we never
talked with each other, because I thought that she
was more protected. But then we had a practice
with her in San Diego -- in Stanford first, then San
Diego. I mean, I didn't knew her, so this was the
problem.
And then like, Okay, so let's go like for a
drink or dinner. So we went for dinner, and really
she's a very nice girl. I'm surprised, because really
I felt she was much more protected or like closed.
But not really. We had so much fun. We went for
dinner together.
I just wish her like really good luck. I knew
she been going through tough moments, so that
she comes back because she's really playing
good.
She also has a coach that I used to work a
little bit, so that's why we're practicing many times
together. I saw she's playing much better, so just
that she keeps on going and that she comes back.
Q. I'll do a quick nontennis one. What
happened to the dog? Are you getting it?
DINARA SAFINA: Yeah, I'll get it when I
will finish this season, because I need time to go
and to find it. I was about to buy it. I went to the
lady who has the dog, but she just -- I went with a
doctor, veterinarian, because I have no idea about
the dogs. They can sell me whatever is it and say,
This is the best dog.
And I went, and she was more jumping on
visit our archives at asapsports.com
D Safina - 08 11 10 3
the doctor than on me. So I said, There is no
connection to me. They say like dog has to come
to you, so I took her in my hands and she was
like -- she was few minutes and she left. I
was-like, Okay. Thank you.
FastScripts by ASAP Sports

[ELIENE :)]

Thank you for this Rosie! Very optimistic and hilarious! ;D