They keep coming back! Volvo Car Open
Angelique Kerber PROFILE
Current Rank: 3
Age: 28
Country: Germany
Languages: German, Polish, English
Residence: Puszczykowo, Poland. In the heart of Poland, and located roughly 200 miles west of Warsaw, Puszczykowo is located in Poznan County and is home to over 9,000 residents. It’s surrounded by the Wielkopolski National Park.*
HERE IN CHARLESTON (Record: 7-1)
• 2010 – reached round of 16, losing to Daniela Hantuckova
• 2015 - Won tournament, defeating Madison Keys in three sets
2016 HIGHLIGHTS (YTD Record: 13-5)
• Won Australian Open in January 2016
• Reached final in Brisbane
Belinda Bencic PROFILE
Current Rank: 10
Age: 19
Country: Switzerland
Residence: Wollerau, Switzerland – home also to tennis great Roger Federer, Wallerau is home to just over 7,000 people, nearly 20% of whom are from foreign nations. The city boasts an unemployment rate under 1.5% and is home to Itamin, a world leader in the manufacturing of rollercoasters. The city is located 20 miles outside of Zurich.*
HERE IN CHARLESTON (7-2)
• 2015 – Defeated Dellacqua, lost to Kovinici
• 2014 – Reached semifinals at the age of 17, defeating Errani in quarters
WHY SHE’S COMING BACK TO CHARLESTON
Q: What keeps you coming back to Charleston?
Bencic: “Well, mostly because there I had my first breakthrough and a good result. I broke into the top 100 there and I played the semifinals. It’s nice memories and also I just like the tournament.”
Q: When you think about your prior experiences in Charleston, what is the first thing that comes to mind?
Bencic: “Yeah, the semifinal how I played and I beat Errani in the quarterfinals which was like the first big win for me.”
2016 HIGHLIGHTS (YTD Record: 13-6)
• Reached semifinals in Sydney, Final in St. Petersburg
• Defeated both Kerber and Petkovic in Fed Cup
Venus Williams PROFILE
Current Rank: 13
Age: 35
Country: United States
Residence: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida – incorporated in 1960 by insurance magnate John MacArthur, the city – with a current population of nearly 50,000, was formerly home to cattle ranches, pine forests and swamplands.*
HERE IN CHARLESTON (Record: 19-6)
• 2014 – reached round of 16
• 2013 – reached semifinals, lost to Serena
• 2012 – reached quarterfinals
• 2009 – reached round of 16
• 2007 – reached semifinals
• 2005 – reached round of 16
• 2004 – Won tournament, defeating Conchita Martinez in three sets
2016 HIGHLIGHTS (YTD Record: 7-3)
• Won tournament in Kaohsiung, won both Fed Cup matches against Poland’s Kania and Linette
Lucie Safarova PROFILE
Current Rank: 15
Age: 29
Country: Czech Republic
Languages: Czech, German, English
Residence: Monte Carlo, Monaco – located at the base of the Maritime Alps along the French Riviera, Monte Carlo is one of Europe’s leading tourist resorts and known for its famous casinos. James Bond movies Never Say Never Again and Golden Eye were filmed in Monte Carlo.*
HERE IN CHARLESTON (Record: 11-4)
• 2014 – reached quarterfinals
• 2013 – Won doubles title with Mladenovic; in singles, reached quarters
• 2012 – Won doubles title with Pavlyuchenkova; in singles, reached finals, losing to Serena
• 2006 – Reached quarterfinals
2016 HIGHLIGHTS (YTD Record: 0-2)
• Coming back from an injury late in 2015
Sara Errani PROFILE
Current Rank: 18
Age: 28
Country: Italy
Languages: Italian, Spanish, English
Residence: Bologna, Italy – the 7th most populous city in Italy, Bologna is famous for its towers and length porticoes, and is known as a cultural and artistic center. Home to more than one million people. In 2000 it was declared the European capital of culture and in 2006 a UNESCO “city of music.”
HERE IN CHARLESTON (YTD Record: 5-4)
• 2015 – reached quarterfinals
• 2014 – reached quarterfinals
• 2008 – defeated Ditty, lost to Cornet
WHY SHE’S COMING BACK TO CHARLESTON
Q: When you think about the Charleston tournament, both on and off the court, what is the first memory that you think of?
Errani: “. . . [b]ecause my coach comes with his family and two kids so we have a lot of fun there playing with the kids, so it’s nice that in the tennis club there are the small courts for the kids and we go there to play with them. It’s fun.”
2016 HIGHLIGHTS (Record: 9-7)
• Reached final in Dubai, losing to Strycova
Andrea Petkovic PROFILE
Current Rank: 21
Age: 28 Country: Germany
Languages: French, German, English, Serbian
Residence: Darmstadt, Germany – Located in the Frankfurt Metropolitan Region, Darmstadt holds the official title of the “City of Science” and houses, among other scientific institutions, the European Space Operations Centre and the GSI Centre for Heavy Ion Research (where several chemical elements were discovered). armstadt is also the seat of the world’s oldest pharmaceutical company, Merck, which is the city’s largest employer. The city is home to over 150,000 people.*
HERE IN CHARLESTON (YTD Record: 11-3)
• 2015 – reached semifinals, losing to eventual winner Kerber
• 2014 – Won tournament, defeating Jana Cepelova
• 2013 – reached round of 16
WHY SHE’S COMING BACK TO CHARLESTON
Q: “So, Andrea, tell me what keeps you coming back to Charleston?”
Petkovic: “I think it’s just the atmosphere, I don’t know. It’s one of my favorite courts, which is the center court, and also the Althea Gibson Court, it’s just beautiful. You can just relax, everybody is so friendly, it’s always the same people when you come back and it just feels like coming back to a family so I really enjoy it. And also Charleston is a beautiful town with great restaurants and a great vibe around it so I enjoy myself very much.”
Q: “And speaking of the restaurants and the vibe, what do you do when you get out to explore? Do you get out to explore?”
Petkovic: “Not too much, but I do enjoy just strolling through the streets because it has kind of a European vibe, I would say, you can just walk around and you can get everywhere by foot and that’s really nice. And yeah, the Halls Chophouse is one of my favorite restaurants…it’s really good. So, yeah.”
Q: “And in the past, can you talk about some of your favorite memories both on and off the court? Like funny moments or moments that stick out to you?”
Petkovic: “Well, I think obviously the greatest moment in Charleston was when I won it. It was really a key moment for me, and my career, and it really sort of pinpointed my comeback after all my injuries. So that was very important and very emotional. And then coming back the next year and having this huge billboard over the bridge with myself on it that was kind of special, you know. I mean I didn’t have such a big billboard, but it’s a different thing when you have it in Germany where you’re sort of well known and having that in America in a town that’s so far away was really special.”
Q: “And obviously the player party appearance with Jelena Jankovic would have been a highlight for off the court.”
Petkovic: “Yeah, definitely we always have great fun. And actually also playing doubles with Jelena, with JJ, we didn’t play so many times, but somehow every time we played we played in Charleston and we had so much fun. I remember at one crazy point we played against Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond actually. And we played on Althea Gibson Court and it was packed and we had a standing ovation for five minutes I think and it was so much fun and we were just enjoying ourselves a lot.”
2016 HIGHLIGHTS (Record: 8-5)
• Reached semifinals in Doha, forced to retire due to injury
Jelena Jankovic PROFILE
Current Rank: 26
Age: 31 Country: Serbia
Languages: Serbian, English, French, and learning Spanish
Residence: Dubai, United Arab Emirates – located on the Emirate’s northern coastline, Dubai has emerged as a global city and business hub of the Middle East. In 2014, Dubai’s hotel rooms were rated as the second most expensive in the world, after Geneva. The city, home to over 2.5 million people, will host World Expo 2020.*
HERE IN CHARLESTON (21-11)
• 2015 – had to bow out in third round, due to injury
• 2014 – reached quarters
• 2013 – reached finals, losing to Serena Williams in three sets
• 2012 – lost to Venus Williams
• 2011 – reached semifinals, losing to Carolina Wozniacki
• 2010 – reached quarters
• 2008 – reached quarters
• 2007 – Won tournament, defeating Dinara Safina
• 2006 – lost to Julia Vakulenko
• 2005 – lost to Justine Henin
• 2004 – lost to Lindsay Davenport
• 2002 – lost to Stephanie Foretz
2016 HIGHLIGHTS (Record: 6-8)
• Reached round of 16 at Indian Wells, losing to Agnieszka Radwanska
WHY SHE’S COMING BACK TO CHARLESTON
Q: What keeps you coming back to Charleston? Is it the food? The setting? Temperature?
Jankovic: “I think everything. I think, first of all, I think the people and the organization of the tournament and the people that are playing a role in organizing it are so nice and so, how do you say? They take good care of the players. They really care about us. They really want to make us feel at home and I think that’s what people and players appreciate very much. And we love the courts, we love the food, we love the coziness of the tournament. It is so relaxed and so beautiful.”
Q: When you think about your prior experiences in Charleston on and off the court, what memories come to mind?
Jankovic: “Winning in 2007 and overall just setting a nice time with the people there. Every time and every year I see them over and over again. I think those memories are priceless.”
Samantha Stosur PROFILE
Current Rank: 27
Age: 32 Country: Australia
Residence: Gold Coast, Australia - Located just outside of Brisbane, on the east coast of Australia, Gold Coast is home to over half a million people, and is known as a major tourist destination, with its sunny subtropical climate, surfing beaches, canal and waterway systems, theme parks, nightlife, and rainforest hinterland. The city will host the 2018 Commonwealth Games.*
HERE IN CHARLESTON (13-8)
• 2015 – lost to Lara Arruabarrena in 2nd round
• 2014 – reached round of 16, losing to Lucie Safarova
• 2013 – reached round of 16, losing to Eugenie Bouchard
• 2012 – reached semifinals, losing to Serena
• 2011 – reached round of 16, losing to Elena Vesnina
• 2010 – Won tournament, defeating Vera Zvonareva
• 2007 – in singles, lost to Venus Williams; in doubles, lost in round of 16
• 2006 – Won doubles tournament with Lisa Raymond; in singles, lost to Lucie Safarova
• 2005 – in doubles, reached quarters; in singles, reached 2nd round
WHY SHE’S COMING BACK TO CHARLESTON
Q: “What keeps you coming back to Charleston?”
Stosur: “Well, I love the tournament. It gets really well supported by the fans and they love coming out and watching the tennis whether it’s the qualies or the finals, so there’s always a great atmosphere around the center as far as the tournament goes. And, I actually just love the city. It’s one of my favorite cities in America and I’ve got some really great friends there that I always love to see. The food is amazing so that always helps and yeah, I just always have a great time so there’s always lots of good memories.”
Q: “And speaking of exploring the city and everything, when you do have some time, what do you typically like to do in Charleston off the court when you have some free time?”
Stosur: “Well I’ve done that horse carriage tour probably three or four times actually. And I eat lots of good food, I go out for coffee, go to quite a few of the shops there are some nice little kind of antiquey, unique kind of shops around. And yeah, catch up with those friends I’ve mentioned so there’s never any shortage I always hope that I do well so I’m there for the whole week!” 2016 HIGHLIGHTS (YTD Record: 7-4) • In Fed Cup, defeated both Cepelova and Schmiedlova of Slovakia • Reached round of 16 at Indian Wells, losing to eventual winner Victoria Azarenka • Reached quarters in Sydney
Patty Schnyder PROFILE
Current Rank: 455
Age: 37
Country: Switzerland
Residence: Baech, Switzerland
HERE IN CHARLESTON/HILTON HEAD (Record: 27-12)
• 2011 – lost in 1st round (then retired on May 28, 2011)
• 2010 – in 3rd round, lost to Caroline Wozniacki
• 2009 – in 2nd round, lost to Elena Vesnina
• 2008 – in quarters, lost to Elena Dementieva
• 2007 – in 2nd round, lost to Shuai Peng
• 2006 – reached finals, losing to Nadia Petrova
• 2005 – reached semis, losing to Elena Dementieva
• 2004 – reached semis, losing to Conchita Martinez
• 2003 – in second round, losing to Vera Zvonareva
• 2002 – reached final, losing to Iva Majoli
• 2001 – lost in 1st round
• 2000 – reached round of 16, losing to Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario
• 1999 – reached semis, losing to Anna Kournikova
• 1998 – in quarters, losing to Monica Seles
• 1997 – reached 2nd round
2016 YTD Record: 5-2
* Source: Wikipedia Note: 2016 records include tournaments through March 20, 2016
Q: What keeps you coming back to Charleston?
Jelena Jankovic “I think everything. I think, first of all, I think the people and the organization of the tournament and the people that are playing a role in organizing it are so nice and so, how do you say? They take good care of the players. They really care about us. They really want to make us feel at home and I think that’s what people and players appreciate very much. And we love the courts, we love the food, we love the coziness of the tournament. It is so relaxed and so beautiful.”
Sam Stosur “Well, I love the tournament. It gets really well supported by the fans and they love coming out and watching the tennis whether it’s the qualies or the finals, so there’s always a great atmosphere around the center as far as the tournament goes. And, I actually just love the city. It’s one of my favorite cities in America and I’ve got some really great friends there that I always love to see. The food is amazing so that always helps and yeah, I just always have a great time so there’s always lots of good memories.”
Andrea Petkovic “I think it’s just the atmosphere, I don’t know. It’s one of my favorite courts, which is the center court, and also the Althea Gibson Court, it’s just beautiful. You can just relax, everybody is so friendly, it’s always the same people when you come back and it just feels like coming back to a family so I really enjoy it. And also Charleston is a beautiful town with great restaurants and a great vibe around it so I enjoy myself very much.”