Welcome to Patch's Press Page!

Here you can find News on the countries on the tour; Interviews with countries on and off the tour, tournament reviews and previews and this is also were any new about reitrements etc will be posted.

So really this is where I will post any news, media or annoucements about the WTT

:wavey:

World Number 1 on a Break.

The WTT Australian Open champions and World Number 1, Switzerland are on a break from compittion for a couple of weeks as they are moving to a bigger training location. Switzerland won this years Grand Slam with Martina Hingis and will be hoping to carry that form through when they come back to compittion which they hopw will be Indian Wells or Miami. Switzerland are also the World Number 1 at the moment over 200pts ahead of second place in the Rankings, Uzbekistan.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20061230/spr4.jpg
"It is unfortunate we have to miss some of the season but hopefully the move will help us become even better" said Martina at a press conference "We have had a great season so far and maybe this break will do us some good. We hope to come back stronger that ever after this break"

Romania Retired...

Romania have been retired from the WTT Circuit due to not participating in the last month with no reason to say so. Romania's coach entered his team onto the circuit 6 weeks ago but Romania never particpated in any tournament. Rumours were flying around about Food Poisioning in the Camp but nothing was ever confirmed. Today the tour director annoucend their withdrawal and one member of the team, Sorana Cristea spoke of her dissapointment.
"It is a shame we never got to play. Hopefully in the future we will get a new coach and play or maybe an invitation to play from the tournament director. Until then we will just have to wait and see but hopefully one day Romania will be a proper part of the WTT"


...As are Hungary

Hungary have also said goodbye to the tour after not copmeting since week 2 in Prague. Their coach has not been part of the tour for a month now and that seemed long enough to pull the curtain on their carrer so far. Hungary have many players with talent, including Agnes Szavay, who told us that Hungary are no hoping a new coach will come along.
"I hope we will be back on the tour soon and playing well. All of us are ready to play some great tennis but we have to have a foundation on which to build on and that is what we are looking for. For now we have to say goodbye to the WTT which is a shame but I hope we will be back and making a bif impression on the tour"

Each week I will be writing a fw articles or interviews here:)

There will be - just like the Sony Ericsson Tour - a 'getting to know...' feature an interview with a succesful player of last weeks tour. I will just PM the player a few questions and you just have to answer them so I can publish it - simple as ;)

Also from time to time I will be interviewing a team that are not on the WTT Tour and hopefully this will bring them to join :D

Also Retirements,Breaks and other news will be posted in here. Feel free to post in here as well!

:wavey:

Nice idea!

Who would like to go first for the 'getting to know...'???

Really great idea, Patch! :hearts: ;)

Really great idea, Patch! :hearts: ;)

Thanks ;) Do you want to be the first interviewed person??

Maybe... ;)

China will be free after next week.;)

Maybe... ;)

Maybe... ;)

or I could just force you :devil: ;)

Sorry, but my internet slow, so that's why sent I my post ("Maybe") twice. :o

or I could just force you :devil: ;)

:eek: :scared: ;)

:eek: :scared: ;)

I think you should as you watched both finals ;)

When will you send the questions? ;)

^^il send you the questions in 10mins if you like - all youve got to do is answer them buy Wednesday

Okay. ;)

Can Georgia be next :):):)

Can Georgia be next :):):)

China will be free after next week.;)

:wavey: ;)

Getting to Know...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radioassets/photos/2007/6/26/22869_2.jpg

Sam Stosur!!

Sam Stosur is the Australian Open Quaterfinalist and part of the Australian WTT Team that are currantly ranked number 7 in the world. Sam caught up with us after Bangkok to answer some questions...

So Sam, Well Done on another semi final from Bangkok! How well do you think you performed in Thailand?
I’m not glad about it… I know, this is a big results, but I played three semifinals in a row so I’m bored with it a little. But I am glad about that too. This is a really good results but finally I would like to win tournaments for Australia. I hope you understand it.

Next week Australia are in Dubai with Casey Dellaqua? What do you think of her chances?
Casey is a really good talent, but that’ll be her first match on the Tour, so I don’t know… I hope she’ll do well, I saw her so many times (played with you of course too), and I know, when she’s in a good form, she can beat everyone.
In Dubai they’ll play on Hardcourt, and this is the Australian girls’ favourite surface, so I’m hopeful.

Australia have had a great start to the season are you happy with the way they have been playing?
Of course, I'm really happy about that. It's good that it's at the beginning of the year because it give us a lot of confidence, and it makes us feel good about what we've done these past three months, which was practicing, practicing, practicing.

You are number 7 in the rankings at the moment. Realistically, where do you think Australia can get to in the Rankings?
Number one certanly. I believe we can do it.
We will fight and we do not give it up. Onto the end of a year at least we would like to get in the Top3. And then we will be of the favourites on court at the next year's Australian Open.


Besides yourselfs, who do you think is performing the best on tour at the moment?
The best? At the moment I think China. China won Dubai and I think they’ll be really good ont he American Hardcourt Season. But Switzerland and Uzbekistan is also good form.

http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2006/01/05/pgstosur_0601_narrowweb__300x394,0.jpg

Who do you think will win the remaining Grand Slams of the Year?
Good question I wasn't thinking about it yet. Well, I think Spain will win in Paris, then in London the winner team will be surprise, and in New York Australia will win ,I hope.
And then I would give already a tip about the YEC then. China will win it according to Australia.

So can you predict your top 8 countries by the end of the year?
This a very heavy question, and not only because there are many talents on Tour now, but dared because of that on all of them incalculable. For exemple Switzerland won the Australian Open, is not playing now despite this. With a word heavy, but I test it because of that, and I hope for it something will be similar in the end of a year.

1. Australia
2. Spain
3. China
4. Italy
5. Switzerland
6. Uzbekistan
7. France
8. Poland

Australian Tennis is looking very succesful at the moment. What would you put that down to?
I think there is a good group of young Australian players ready to break through on the Tour right now and compete with the top players. I think it is just a matter of time for us.
What is most important is that were are such a close community and good friends, encouraging each other at tournaments and creating a fantastic atmosphere.

What are your main targets/goals for the rest of the season individually and as a country?
Most importantly, I want to stay healthy. I also want to grow more as a player. Now that I'm/we’re Top 10, I want to keep going higher too.
And my dream… winning the Australian Open in Melbourne, my home city.
And of course trying to be No.1 in the world. That is what I will try to do!

Who do you see as your biggest rivals on the tour? Also who are you close to?
I can't say anything. We played only on 6 tournaments, so we don't have biggest rival, yet. But if I have to say... then Spain or China. I really hope for there will be big battles.

http://samstosur.bravehost.com/myPictures/sammy%20at%20fed%20cup.jpg

What is your most memorable moment on the tour so far?
Reaching the final in Sydney was great, also my quarterfinal at the Australian Open. The best, though, was winning my first Tour title this year at Australian Open at home. We won the mixed doubles title. I know, that Alicia and Lleyton won that title but I was really relieved, crying. The week was so perfect for me there!

What is your most disappointing moment on the tour so far?
My worst memory is losing in the quarterfinal at Australian Open. I was at home and I really wanted to win. The public cheered me on, I was not able to win it after all, so that's why I was so disappointed.

Australian Tennis is looking very succesful at the moment. What would you put that down to?
Do you believe Australia can be the best team in the World?
Of course. We have to work much have to training, training and training and I believe then we will be the number 1 team. Fortunately everbody helps us, and this give very much self-confidencewise.
Our biggest dream is winning the US Open this year and after that we will be the number one.

Who do you think would become your biggest rivals for that spot?
Phew... I really don't know. Maybe Spain? They are really good on clay, or Switzerland and Uzbekistan? They were unbelieveable on RA. Or China? They're winning tournament now. I hope we'll have some rivals and we'll play some really good match, that's my dream too.

(Most important Question) Do you enjoy playing on the WTT? The best/worst bits?
I love it. And Australia loves it too. This is a very good game with much fun. Thanks for great job, tournament director. I hope I may be playing for a long time here yet and I'll win GS tournaments. I love the livescores and everythings, so please do it for a long time yet.

Thanks for your time Sam!
Your Welcome!

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2006/01/20/samanthastosur_narrowweb__300x423,0.jpg

Thanks for the great Interview Sam :worship::yeah:;)

Your english is fine aswell :p

Yeah, great article! :worship: :lol:

No, believe it or not my english is poor. :tape: ;)

Getting to Know...

Besides yourselfs, who do you think is performing the best on tour at the moment?
The best? At the moment I think China. China won Dubai and I think they’ll be really good ont he American Hardcourt Season. But Switzerland and Uzbekistan is also good form.
[/SIZE]

It should be Bangkok.;)
Even Patch as the organiser also didn't realize the mistake.:tape: :angel: :p

:tape: Sorry :lol: ;)

Getting to Know...

http://www.fedcup.com/shared/medialibrary/image/gallery/FC_2859_gallery.JPG

Na Li!

Na Li is part of one of the most consitent and best countries on tour at the moment - China. A string of Semi Finals performances as well as a final and a win in Bangkok has propelled them to the World Number 3 spot which could soon be even higher. We caught up with Na Li just before Indian Wells so she could give us her thoughts on Chinas season.

Can I first say congratulations on yours and Chinas first title in Bangkok a few weeks ago - how did it feel to finally get that title?
Firstly,thanks a lot for that.Well,it's definitely great when winning a title.All the members of the team were extremely thrilled and ecstatic when I defeated tough opponents en route to the title,such as the Netherlands and Australia.It means so much to us even though it is only a small tier III event.I never thought of winning a title as soon as on the seventh week.We actually did not put high hopes when we first joined the tour.We are just trying to adapt with the competition on the tour and see what it takes to do well in it.Of course,we're trying hard to do well in every tournament we play.

So you are having a great season so far, You are number 3 in the world! How do you think your first part of the season has gone?
I think it was pretty good.Like you have mentioned,we had won a title in Bangkok,we were in a 4 straight semifinal streak but was broken last week in Doha,and we reached at least quarterfinals of the remaining events.That's the reason why we are no.3 now.I certainly have nothing much to complain about.We have done a decent job so far.So hopefully we'll continue our good form in the upcoming events.

So what is your most memorable moment so far?
Well,being a part of the team to play in this tour is actually the best memory I've had so far.We need to ensure our team is in a good condition when we are playing from one event to the other.We are trying to be committed as much as possible and it isn’t that easy because you may not know what will happen in the future.We just look forward with what have been provided.And definitely,China winning in Bangkok is also one of the most memorable moment I have.

And your most dissapointing?
Hm…I don’t think I have too much of disappointing moments.Well,if I really need to say one,it would probably be the chances wasted.What I mean here is that in a couple of tournament,we were like pretty close to qualify or make it to the next round which the outcome of the tournament may be different.We believe that as long as we’re in it,we have a chance to make something happen.But since those chances were gone and has become a history,we may as well look forward and concern about the things that are going to happen then.

http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/3/global/photogallery/charleston/f_11.jpg

Who do you see as your biggest rivals on the tour?
Well,every country in this tour is my biggest rival.You just couldn’t underestimate them in any ways.They can defeat you even they have some disadvantages.And of course,for us,there are some rivals in different surfaces.For example,on Rebound Ace,Uzbekistan is definitely our biggest rival,next is Switzerland.On clay,Spain is currently the one to beat although we haven’t played against them before and New Zealand,the newcomer is also strong on clay while on grass,Canada is the strongest so far.The Netherlands and Great British are the most feared teams on hardcourts.New Zealand,Russia and Poland also love playing indoors and other teams are just as similar as our team.So that’s the reason they are all our rivals.You can just be upset by them even you have a relatively big gap against them.We hope we are in good condition when playing against them.

And who are you closest to?
Although we have a little communication problem(because we are not that fluent in English),we try our best to socialize with other countries.So far we are pretty close with Spain,Australia and Puerto Rico.We also have some friendships with other countries such as Russia,France,Thailand,Poland and New Zealand and also a few others.Although this is a game,we still put friendship as the first priority.We try to be nice and friendly offcourt but definitely,we are putting our friendships aside when we are on court because tennis means business for us.

So can you guess on the top 8 contries by the YEC?
It’s pretty hard to figure out which countries will eventually be in the YEC by the end of the season because anything will happen.Anyway,my picks are(in no particular order):
1.Australia
2.Spain
3.France
4.Uzbekistan
5.Poland
6.China
7.Italy
8.Czech Republic
I definitely believe it will be a very close competition among those countries which are going to qualify for it and of course,I also hope China will be one of them(laugh).And no offense to those I didn’t pick because it’s really hard to select.If can,I hope all of them will play in YEC(laugh) but of course,that’s impossible.

What do you out Chinas great season so far down to?
Definitely it’s the huge effort that we put into the matches.I believe our team members has the potential but it’s just a matter of time that we are going to show the best of us.I was a little surprise when we made to the final in Gold Coast despite being the total underdog.We eventually lost to Uzbekistan which we kind of expected.From then on,we think we’re going to do pretty good in the tour and it really happens so far.We also pretty depend on the luck of the draw as we’re the third seed now,sometimes we’ll get a bye in an event or weaker opponents in the first round which certainly helps us a lot.But at the moment,we are just going to play what we get and hopefully good things to come soon.

http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/3/global/photogallery/miami3/f_31.jpg

What are your goals for the rest of the season?
Help China win more titles,if possible a grand slam,qualify for YEC and end the season as the #1 country.Basically these are the goals for all the countries which compete here in WTT(laugh).And of course,we hope to stay healthy throughout the season which is the main thing we’re concerned about because our future is unpredictable and if one of the girls is injured or in bad health,it absolutely doesn’t do good to our team.

What do you hope to achieve at Indian Wells?
It’s on hardcourts.I know most of the teams are going to participate in the Tier I event.We know we are not the best team on the surface but we are trying to make an upset against better countries at least.I’m going to play so I hope I can make it to the semifinals again.This will at least widen our gap with other countries in terms of rankings.So good luck to myself(laugh).

Do you enjoy WTT? What do you like? Why?
So far I do.I enjoy the competition in the tour.It’s a challenge for us to try to do well,to be the best team if possible.We try to commit ourselves in every event.We are also able to choose between two events in some weeks.This is pretty good as our plan is to pick tournaments which we are comfortable with and that we have a chance to do well in it.We feel good too when we get new friends here in the tour.We take some time off to talk to each other and sometimes even practice against each other.That really helps us a lot.

Thanks for the Interview Na Li Good Luck in Indian Wells!
Thanks for having me
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/sports/2007-01/21/xin_5601042115040601329332.jpg

send me too, plz :p

mabye ;)

Na looks so pale in the last pic!
I hope she's ok though.;)

And hopefully those who read this won't be laughing their sss off.:o

I have sent out a few more (smaller) interviews if you get a PM please respond ;)

havent got one :p

Are you still doing this Patch, it's a great idea!! :p

Ana or Jelena would love to be interviewed!! :D

Road To Roland Garros

http://i14.tinypic.com/8a1dlkx.jpg

In the lead up to Roland Garros (the next two weeks) I will be doing interveiws with different countries on the tour, if you are intrested please PM me and I will PM back with questions which will finally be published in this thread.
Everyone who gets an interview will earn 5 bonus pts to use at Roland Garros.

Great banner! :hearts:

Why is Choko-Momo there on the banner?:confused:

And only 5 points?:p

Why is Choko-Momo there on the banner?:confused:

And only 5 points?:p

momo is french (french open :p)

if it is good i might give you more :p

Patch, me 1st :angel:

me 2nd, but I don't know when I can answer. :tape: :angel:

I want an interview! :hearts:

Everyone who has shwon intrest will get one tommorow ;)

an interview plz :p

Me to :)

Medina on the Banner :woohoo: no china :p

tammy wants an interview :hearts:

me 2nd, but I don't know when I can answer. :tape: :angel:
Didn't you get interviewed before?:scratch: You should let others have the chance.

Me to :)

Medina on the Banner :woohoo: no china :p

:ras: China doesn't need to be on the banner.Banner is just nothing.:D

Didn't you get interviewed before?:scratch: You should let others have the chance.


Yes, I know, but I love the bonus points. :hearts: :lol:

Interview please :p

http://i14.tinypic.com/8a1dlkx.jpg

GREAT BRITAIN

Congratulations your first title in Bangalore, how do you think your season is progressing?
Baltacha: till now the season is going really well!honestly i didn't expect to reach great results so i'm really satisfied of how things are going!I've played 2 finals and Anne (Keothavong) has played 3 finals so GBR is imroving a lot...we're the #4 of the rank now!

What are your goals for the rest of the season?
Keothavong: My personal goal is win the US Open and reach a good results in Wimbledon because it's very important for me play good in my home country!With the others British girls our goal is reach the #1....it will be tough but never say never.

Who do you think will become your biggest threats on tour?
Cavaday: Threats?:spit: C'mon we're the GBR...we have no threats....we're the real threat!the rest is nothing :rolleyes:

Roland Garros is just two weeks away - how well do you think you can do there?
Baltacha: Clay isn't my fave surface,I've never had god results on it but it's a GS so i'll try to do my best and reach at least the QF.

Who do you think will win Roland Garros?
Curtis: Russia.Russian players are really tough to beat on clay.

Do you like WTT? Why?
I love this game because it's so cool be a coach of a nation :D

http://i14.tinypic.com/8a1dlkx.jpg

NETHERLANDS

Already this year you have won titles and are in the 8, how would you rate your season?
7, it could have been better.

What are your goals for the rest of the season?
Winning Us Open is our goal for the rest of the season.

Who do you think will become your biggest threats on tour?
China

Roland Garros is just two weeks away - how well do you think you can do there?
It's not our best surfaces, but with a good draw, we can maybe win a few rounds/

Who do you think will win Roland Garros?
Spain, they are just so good on clay.

Do you like WTT? Why?
Yes, fast results and a very good tournament manager.

http://i14.tinypic.com/8a1dlkx.jpg

SLOVAKIA

Congratulations on the Bangalore final, how do you think your season is progressing?
I think it's progressing rather nicely. I made a final in India while Dominika made the semis in Stockholm.

What are your goals for the rest of the season?
My goal is to be in the top 20 or top 15. I would like to go further but as of right now, this is my goal.

Who do you think will become your biggest threats on tour?
Well to me, GBR has become my biggest threat. 2-0 against them!

Roland Garros is just two weeks away - how well do you think you can do there?
I think I'm going to do fine. I haven't played much on clay and Dominika is a better claycourt player but she's somewhat injured at the moment. Maybe 3R or 4TH round would be great!

Who do you think will win Roland Garros?
I hope I will but Spain has a very good chance. We also have the finalists in Rome going to fight it out tomorrow. I think that's very tellling as to how far they will go.

Do you like WTT? Why?
I love this game because it's active, the host is always trying to do things to make it even better, and overall, it's ran very well.

http://i14.tinypic.com/8a1dlkx.jpg

THAILAND

What has been the higlight of your season so far?
I think qualifying for Indian Wells and upsetting Spain was, it was really nice.

What are your goals for the rest of the season?
Just try and to win, I haven;t won a lot of matches, and I want to change that,.

Who do you think are your biggest threats on tour?
I don't know, I always lose early

What is your most dissapointing moment on tour so far?
Just losing in round one or the early qualy rounds....I need to shape up

Roland Garros is just two weeks away - how well do you think you can do there?
If i can qualify hopefully i can do some damage

Who do you think will win Roland Garros?
It is tough, there are many choices.

Do you like WTT? Why?
Yes I do. It is a fun and energetic game and it is always exciting.

:lol: funny!:spit:

GBR :ras: You're not a threat at all.:devil:

Netherland :haha: #1=threat :rolls: :hug: Good luck!:wavey:

http://i14.tinypic.com/8a1dlkx.jpg

GEORGIA

What has been the higlight of your season so far?
The final at my opening event :p

What are your goals for the rest of the season?
To do as well as possible ;)

Who do you think are your biggest threats on tour?
Australia, Spain and China :scared: :rolls: Noone actually :p

What is your most dissapointing moment on tour so far?
Qualie loss :o

Roland Garros is just two weeks away - how well do you think you can do there?
If I get a good draw and send good pts, who knows.

Who do you think will win Roland Garros?
Spain :confused:

Do you like WTT? Why?
:worship: Patch runs it :hearts: :worship:

http://i14.tinypic.com/8a1dlkx.jpg

SERBIA

You have only just joined the tour - are you enojoying yourself so far?
Yes I'm having a blast! I can't wait for Roland Garros, I'm so excited!


What are your goals for the rest of the season?
A short-term goal is to win some matches. If I make the quarterfinals in any torunament I will be so happy. In the future I'd love to win a tournament in singles or with Jelena, and hopefully have a ranking inside the top 10.


Who do you think will become your biggest threats on tour?
Spain. I lost to Nuria in Rome and I think we'll have some tough matches in the future. They are such a good team, with a strong squad and a great coach.


Roland Garros is just two weeks away - how well do you think you can do there?
I hope to reach the quarterfinals. Even if I lose early, if I've played a good match, I'll hold my head high.


Who do you think will win Roland Garros?
I really have know idea. The field is wide open and anyone could take the crown. New Zealand should do well after their Rome final.


Do you like WTT? Why?
Yes, i love it. The teams are so welcoming and friendly to Jelena and me while the singles director (Patch) has been encourging and supporting us since we joined the tour.

there the ones i got back

each country gets a bonus 5pts

They pretty deserve 3 points for interviews.:o :rolleyes:

except Serbia :angel: who deserves 5 points.:p

Bump

---

Anyone think we should bring this back?
I could interview POTW or any other players, do tournament previews, other people could right reviews, gossip, whatever if they wanted too.

Ideas :shrug:

you took my idea and tried to get credit for it:lol:;)

I'll think of something I wanna do;)

:angel::p
you didnt reply to my last pm ;)

i need a bonus for anyone who does somthing weekly for WTT or keeps the player profile regulary updated to say thanks...

i didn't get it:lol:

:lol: it basically said the last line of the post above :p

no i saw it, i got it, i said what bonus should we get, i thought I replied but guess not.
5 bonus points seems like that works:shrug: