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Stosur on Aussie ladies: “Success breeds success, and successful is a behavior” | 12 January, 2025 | All Information | Information and Options | Information and Occasions

Sam Stosur is proud of the way in which he noticed the Australian ladies throughout the Summer season of Tennis, a pleasure shared by Nicole Pratt and Jelena Dokic.

Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 12 January 2025 | Matt Trollope

There was an absence of fine information that includes Australian ladies throughout the tennis summer time.

Kim Birrell was only a level wanting the semifinals on the Brisbane Worldwide, and returned to the highest 100, earlier than qualifying for the Australian Open.

Destanee Aiava additionally certified for the primary Grand Slam occasion of the 12 months, bringing the variety of Aussie ladies in AO’s fundamental occasion to eight.

Talia Gibson and Maya Joint pushed extra skilled opponents (Maria Bouzkova and Victoria Azarenka respectively) to the restrict of their Brisbane debut, earlier than Joint superior to the semi-finals of the Hobart Worldwide, defeating AO 2020 champion Sofia Kenin on the way in which.

On the Adelaide Worldwide, 16-year-old rookie Emerson Jones earned his first tour-level win, beating Thirty seventh-ranked Wang Xinyu, at the least. She then gave prime ten star Daria Kasatkina lots to consider as they misplaced 7-5 6-3.

MORE: Teenaged Aussies deal with first AO problem

There appears to be one thing constructive and dynamic about Australian ladies’s tennis that hasn’t been seen in years. Even Sam Stosur agrees.

“I feel that within the measurements they’re all shut [gesturing with hands],” stated Stosur, a former world No. 4 who now serves as Australia’s Billie Jean King Cup captain.

“So all of them try to be, initially, the very best, and you’ll’t inform me that they do not see one another with these outcomes and suppose: ‘Nicely, why cannot I try this. ? We follow collectively on a regular basis, and I simply hit him, and maintain a second, if he does it, I can.’

“And it is nice as a result of I feel you struggle for extra while you’re in that scenario. You probably have [Australian] participant up, and it makes it extra doable. We’ve not had somebody so excessive within the scores now since Ash [Barty] – I imply, Ajla [Tomljanovic] he was there when he was 30, however it’s clear that at the moment his harm and so forth.

“I feel success breeds success, and successful is a behavior, and taking part in effectively day-after-day is a behavior. I feel all these gamers try this, they usually see that they’re rewarded for doing it.

“All of them push one another, which is superb.”

When Stosur talks in regards to the Aussie women being intently grouped within the rankings, she means it.

Whereas there are presently no ladies within the prime 100 – Birrell fell two locations this week, to No.101 – there are seven ranked between 100 and 150. Three of them – Birrell, Joint and Olivia Gadecki – are ranked between 101 and 106.

RELATED: Upbeat Birrell appears to be like forward to Australian Open

They’re trending, and all it takes is one large hit from any of them, and immediately, Australia’s prime 100 existence might be modified.

Nicole Pratt, Australia’s Billie Jean King Cup coach, was as happy as Stosur with what she noticed in January.

“I feel there is a bunch of them simply outdoors the highest 100 … and I feel that success will come from Maya Joint,” Pratt stated.

“We noticed the primary week Kim Birrell was profitable, hitting [top-10 player] Emma Navarro, it is nice, and it introduced her again into the highest 100 at 99. [She] you simply deserve it [at AO]and his confidence is excessive.

“Maya reached the semi-finals in Hobart and has an AO match in opposition to Jess Pegula, and it is an thrilling match. The explanation I say that’s as a result of when somebody asks me how Maya Joint performs, she performs a bit like Jess Pegula.

“It is good to see a 16-year-old in ladies’s tennis [in Jones] on the market in Adelaide, taking part in in her first ever WTA fundamental draw and beating the world’s prime 40 participant. That is nice.”

One other former world No. 4, Jelena Dokic, was commentating on the Brisbane Worldwide and was impressed by Birrell as she drew her draw, supported by Stosur from the stands.

Now in Melbourne the place she reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 Australian Open, Dokic stated she is worked up to see what the Aussie ladies can do on a fair greater stage.

“How is Kim Birrell? I known as a couple of video games in Brisbane, I like the way in which he performs, I like the way in which he thinks and his angle about it,” stated Dokic.

“Emerson Jones, I can not wait to see what you do; The 16-year-old, junior world No.1, beats a prime 50 participant in Adelaide.

“If we take a look at Australian tennis basically – unimaginable depth. I feel they’ve a superb relationship too.

“I at all times wish to see what previous gamers like Sam and Lleyton can deliver to the desk [Hewitt on the men’s side]. I feel it is the development of the final 5 to 10 years, while you create this tradition and friendship. The place sure, we concentrate on tennis in the summertime in Australia, however additionally they help one another outdoors of that, as a result of it may be tough on tour.

“I feel we now have a superb program and that is why we received Grand Slam doubles and combined doubles champions, Olympic gold medalists, and we’re doing effectively in singles as effectively.”

On Monday at Melbourne Park, there are 12 Aussies within the singles matches, together with 4 ladies.

The stage has been set for them to proceed their momentum.




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