Vesnina finished 2015 ranked No. 111, her WORST SEASON-ENDING ranking since 2005, but never lost hope, even after losing in the first round of the qualifying event at Indian Wells a year ago. Supported by her father-coach Sergey and her new husband Pavel Tabuntsov, Vesnina turned her 2016 and career around at Wimbledon and at the Rio Olympics where she and Ekaterina Makarova captured the doubles gold medal.
In a sport where late-bloomers keep sprouting, Elena Vesninais the latest to prove “30 is the new 20 in tennis!” All four singles finalists were over 30, but the others are multiple Grand Slam champions.
Vesnina’s quip came after she reached her first Premier Mandatory Event final at the BNP Paribas Open. Her rugged road to the top at Indian Wells was filled with major obstacles. Vesnina had to knock out 2016 French Open quarterfinalist Shelby Rogers,25th-seeded Timea Babos, world No. 2 Angelique Kerber, ageless Australian Open finalist Venus Williams, and 28th-seeded Kristina Mladenovic.
THIS BREAKTHROUGH tournament, and especially the final, showcased her resilience as much as her 14-year pro career epitomised her perseverance. The smiling Russian blonde had never reached a Grand Slam semifinal until Wimbledon last year in her 42nd try, the fourth-longest wait in the Open Era. Afterwards, she confided, “I’m really happy that it didn’t break me up. I think the difficult times, every single player has to go through it because it makes you better, it makes you stronger.”
VESNINA FINISHED 2015 ranked No. 111, her worst season-ending ranking since 2005, but never lost hope, even after losing in the first round of the qualifying event at Indian Wells a year ago. Supported by her father-coach Sergey and her new husband Pavel Tabuntsov, Vesnina turned her 2016 and career around at Wimbledon and at the Rio Olympics where she and Ekaterina Makarova captured the doubles gold medal.
This story is from the April 1, 2017 edition of Sportstar.
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This story is from the April 1, 2017 edition of Sportstar.
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