For World No. 10 Lucie Safarova, a return to Doha for the 2016 Qatar Total Open is something she has been eagerly waiting for a long time.
After all, this is where her journey to the top 10 in the WTA rankings and a very successful 2015 season—where she had her highest ranking while also making it to the final of a Grand Slam—began.
The defending champion in Doha is the first to arrive in the country ahead of the February 21-27 tournament.
Since landing here last Sunday, the 29-year-old, 5ft 10in-tall Czech has been enjoying the serene atmosphere in the Qatari capital while pressing ahead with her training at the impressive Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex.
Having missed the season-opening Grand Slam, the 2016 Australian Open and some other tournaments due to injury, the 2015 French Open finalist is hoping to kick-start her season with a repeat performance of last year where she defeated Victoria Azarenka in straight sets for the Qatar Total Open title--her very first Premier-level title.
Despite being unseeded at last year’s tournament, Safarova trounced three seeds, No. 5 seed Ekaterina Makarova, No. 6 seed Andrea Petkovic and No. 9 seed Carla Suárez Navarro, en route to the final.
And although she out-ranked Azarenka, the comparison was misleading--Azarenka is a former World No. 1 and had won all six of their previous meetings.
“I have great memories here from last year and it’s great to be back in Doha. I’ve been injured and sick for a long time. I missed the Australian Open and a couple of other tournaments. My first tournament this year is actually the Qatar Total Open, so I decided to come here early and train in preparation for the tournament and get back in shape,” the excited left-handed player told qatartennis.org.
“I am looking forward to a repeat of last year’s success. The whole thing kicked off here and I am excited to be back where it all began and, hopefully, it will be a start of greater things to come this year too,” she added.
Speaking about the organization and the tournament in general, Safarova said: “The Qatar Total Open is a very nice and well organized event. I’ve been coming here for the few years now. In fact, my first victory on the WTA Tour actually happened here in Doha.
“It was my first time to beat Azarenka and it was such a big experience. To hold the trophy above my head that night is a memory I will keep for life. I am looking forward to start great this year again.
“Every year there have been improvements and it is obvious that tennis is growing in Qatar and the facilities are really great. I say a big thank you to the Qatar Tennis Federation for allowing me to train here.”
About the strong field which includes World No. 1 Serena Williams of the USA, the Monaco resident said: “It’s always a strong field here in Doha. Tennis is a very strong competition now and each of the matches will be tough. The presence of Serena will definitely add extra spice to the competition. I’ll take the matches one at a time and see how it goes.”
Safarova, however, wants the fans to troop out as usual in large numbers to cheer and show their support to the players during the seven-day competition organized by Qatar Tennis Federation and Total Qatar.
Lucie Safarova
