Designation
Vera Zvonareva (91)Elise Mertens starts the Australian Open against Russian veteran Vera Zvonarjova. Warm up or strong test or more? You can follow the progress of the result on this page.
I have a feeling the preparations are going well. I recovered my best level, or at least not far from it.
Elise Mertens
Elise Mertens recently suffered a groin injury. In Sydney the competition resumed last week. “I’m so glad I was able to play there,” she says.
“My expectations weren’t high in Sydney, because I haven’t been able to train for a few days. I still qualified for the second round.”
The Australian Open will be Elise Mertens’ first Grand Slam tournament with Simon Goffin as coach.
“I think Simon is doing really well as a coach,” Mertens said. “We are trying to give my game more power, with good sending and dynamic ability.”
Zvonareva is a very experienced player. I met her already in the fall of 2020 in Linz. Then I won three sets. She may not be one of the strongest players on the track, but she gets a lot of balls back.
Elise Mertens
Vera Zvonareva is the 91st in the world at 37, Elise Mertens is currently 26th in the WTA rankings. Zvonareva was once the world number two and lost two Grand Slam tournaments in 2010, at Wimbledon and the US Open (against Kim Clijsters).
Elise Mertens will meet Russian expert Vera Zvonareva in the first round of the Australian Open. Mertens plays in Melbourne on Tuesday.
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