Two-Time Wimbledon Champion Petra Kvitova Baffled By Osaka’s French Open Media Boycott - UBITENNIS
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Two-Time Wimbledon Champion Petra Kvitova Baffled By Osaka’s French Open Media Boycott

Kvitova says dealing with the press is part of life as a tennis player.

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2 years ago

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World No.12 Petra Kvitova says she ‘doesn’t get’ the decision by Naomi Osaka to not conduct any press conferences during the French Open.

 

Earlier in the week Osaka issued a statement on social media confirming that she will not be interacting with the press in Paris due to ‘mental health concerns.’ The reigning US Open and Australian Open champion says that she has witnessed incidents where reporters showed ‘no regards’ to an athlete’s mental health. Adding that she doesn’t want to be subjected to questions from those who may be doubting her.

31-year-old Kvitova, who made her Grand Slam debut at the French Open back in 2008, has a somewhat different view to that of her rival. Speaking to reporters in Paris on Saturday the Czech said media commitments are part of the job as a tennis player. Echoing similar comments that have been previously made by Novak Djokovic.

“I really didn’t get it,” said Kvitova. “ I mean, this is the part of our lives which we have to deal with the media, with sponsors, with everybody. It’s not only that we play tennis, but this is just part of our lives and careers that we have to talk with you (the media).
“It’s her decision, of course. If it’s really bothering her mental side, I totally agree and understand.” She added.

Osaka has already said she is willing to pay fines for not fulfilling her commitments which could be as much as $20,000 for every press conference missed. It is unclear if her boycott will also include the standard practice of answering questions on court following any match she wins.

“I faced many tough questions in my career. Sometimes I cried, as well,” Kvitova continued.
“Sometimes when you’re really sad and you’ve get some bad question, but it’s how it is. I know that we (the players) can always say, like, “no comment” or we just don’t want to answer. That’s how I feel it (about the topic).
“That’s her (Osaka’s) thing, for sure. On the other side I’m glad that I see you guys (the media). So that’s important.”

This year will be Kvitova’s 12th main draw appearance at the French Open where she is bidding to go one stage further than last year when she reached the semi-finals. Overall she has won 28 matches at Roland Garros which is more than the Australian Open.

So fast this season Kvitova has reached back-to-back quarter-finals at clay-court events in Stuttgart and Madrid. Although she fell in three sets to Vera Zvonareva in the second round of the Italian Open.

Kvitova will play her first round match against Greet Minnen on Sunday. On the same day Osaka takes on Patricia Maria Țig.

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Alexander Zverev beats Roman Safiulin to to claim his second title of the year in Chengdu

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8 hours ago

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26/09/2023

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Alexander Zverev came back from a set and a break down to beat Roman Safiulin 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 at the Chengdu Open claiming the 21st title of his career. 

 

Zverev has moved to seventh seventh in the ATP Race to Turin boosting his chances of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals. 

Safiulin  saved three break points in the 10th game of the first set, which went on serve en route to the tie-break. Safiulin earned three mini-breaks to win the tie-break 7-3. 

Safiulin earned an early break in the second game to take a 2-0 lead. Zverev broke straight back and forced the second set  to a second tie-break. Zverev went up a mini-break three times, but Safiulin pulled back on serve each time. Zverev was two points from defeat at 5-5 in the tie-break of the second set but he won the final two points to win the second set. 

Zverev earned the decisive break in the fourth game to open up a 3-1 lead and closed out the win on his first match point. 

Zverev won his second title of the season after his triumph in home city Hamburg last July. “He is playing the best tennis of his life for sure. The way he was winning this week. I think he beat a lot of great players quite easily, so I think that he was playing well. Obviously, I am happy to be able to come back and to win this title”, said Zverev. 

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Daria Kasatkina beats Marta Kostyuk to advance to the second round in Tokyo

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15 hours ago

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26/09/2023

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Daria Kasatkina came back from one set down to beat Marta Kostyuk 3-6 6-4 6-3 in 2 hours and 24 minutes reaching the second round at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. 

 

Katatkina is playing her first tournament since the US Open, where she lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth round. 

Kasatkina set up a second round match against Greek qualifier Despina Papamichail, who beat Japanese lucky loser Sakura Hosogi 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 in 2 hours and 19 minutes. 

Kostyuk dropped just eight points on serve and broke serve in the fourth game to close out the first set 6-3. The second set featured nine service breaks in ten games. Kostyuk went up a break three times, but Kasatkina pulled back on serve each time. Kasatkina broke in the eighth and tenth games to seal the second set 6-4. 

Kostyuk went up a break twice in the third set, but she was broken back both times. Kasatkina drew level to 3-3, as Kostyuk made a overhead error, and won the final four games to seal the third set 6-4. 

Anastasya Pavlyuchenkova cruised past Donna Vekic 6-1 6-1 in just 74 minutes. Nineteen-year-old Linda Noskova saved one set point to beat Japanese lucky loser Himeno Sakatsume 6-2 7-5 setting up a second round against Anastasya Pavlyuchenkova. 

Ekaterina Aleksandrova came back from one set down to beat Anna Kalinskaya 6-7 (7-9) 6-1 7-5 in 2 hours and 21 minutes setting up a second round against Liudmila Samsonova. 

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Eight of the top 10 players in the line-up in Beijing

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18 hours ago

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26/09/2023

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The China Open, an ATP 500 hard-court tournament, is taking place for the first time since 2019 after a long break due to covid-19. 

 

Eight of the top 10 players in the ATP Ranking are lining up in the Chinese capital. Carlos Alcaraz will face a qualifier in the first round before a clash against either Karen Khachanov or Lorenzo Musetti in the second round. Alcaraz won six titles this year in Buenos Aires, Indian Wells, Barcelona, Madrid, Queen’s and Wimbledon during a successful 2023 season. 

The Spanish player could face a quarter final against Roland Garros finalist Casper Ruud. The Norwegian player will play against Jan-Lennard Struff, who made his come-back from injury last week in Zhuhai. The German player finished runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz in Madrid and to Frances Tiafoe in Stuttgart in his two finals earlier this year. 

Holger Rune has been drawn in the top draw and could meet Jannik Sinner, who won his first Masters 1000 title in Toronto and reached the semifinal at Wimbledon. Sinner will face Dan Evans, who won the Washington Open last August. Rune, who is currently ranked eighth in the ATP Race to Turin, beat Sinner in the semifinal in Monte-Carlo. The Danish player will face Felix Auger Aliassime in the first round. 

Alexander Zverev will start his campaign against Diego Schwartzman in the first round and is seeded to face Stefanos Tsitsipas, who meets Nicolas Jarry. Zverev won his first title of the season in Hamburg and reached the semifinal in Cincinnati and the quarter final at the US Open. 

Andrey Rublev will take on Cameron Norrie in the bottom half. 

Chinese Next Gen player Shang Juncheng will play against Yoshihito Nishioka in an all Asian first round clash. Shang reached the quarter finals in Washington and Atlanta. 

The most interesting first round matches are: Andy Murray vs Alex De Minaur (Masters 1000 finalist in Toronto) and US Open finalist Danil Medvedev vs Tommy Paul. Murray could face Danil Medvedev in the second round. 

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