All the tournaments have been played and all the trophies have been handed out. Now it's time to go through all of the trophies from the tournaments on the 2015 ATP tour. There are some beauties out there but boy howdy there are some real clunkers too. You see the trophies and wonder, “What were they thinking?†In what way, shape or form would a player be happy in getting a trophy like this? And it seems that more often than not, a player's first trophy of his career is going to be a real door stopper. Maybe it's to give the player to get out there and win a real trophy the second time around. Anyway, here are my own personal Top Ten Worst Trophies of 2015.
And take heart, the Top Ten Best Trophies will come out tomorrow so it's not all bad!
No. 10
Paris Masters (Winner: Novak Djokovic)
The No. 10 spot was a toss up between this one and the medieval sex toy they give to the winner of the Madrid Masters (Winner: Andy Murray). Apparently, they put the name of each winner on one of the branches. It's original but that's about all it has going for it. It's just plain ugly.
No. 9
Indian Wells (Winner: Novak Djokovic)
No. 9 goes to the chunk of glass/crystal/something that Indian Wells gives out. It's too unwieldy to hold, instantly forgettable and you have to climb up to the top of a 7-ft ladder to look down on it and only then discover that it is in the shape of the tournament logo. This pretty much includes all chunks of glass/crystal trophies.
No. 8
Quito (Winner: Victor Estrella Burgos)
It was so exciting to see a player like Burgos to finally get his first ever tour title. But what a letdown that trophy must have been. It looks like some kind of wire art stuck in a base-block with a birdie on the end. Such a shame to finally win a tournament and then to get a trophy like that.
No. 7
Hamburg (Winner: Rafael Nadal)
I’m sure there’s some kind of symbolic meaning to this trophy of a metallic fan. Maybe there’s a huge fan factory in Hamburg and they just happen to be the sponsor or something. Let’s hope that thing will at least turn on when you plug it in.
No. 6
Nice (Winner: Dominic Thiem)
Another example of the first tournament win but crappy trophy. When I saw the pic for the first time, I thought my picture was distorted or maybe there was a smudge on my monitor. What is that thing Thiem is holding? Must be one of them there fancy modern art pieces you city folks like to gawk at.
No. 5
Zagreb (Winner: Guillermo Garcia-Lopez
It may not be so bad if there wasn’t a big ‘ol 2 stuck to the side of it. I’m sure that “2†signifies something. Garcia-Lopez goes on to win another tournament in Bucharest and it’s almost identical to the Zagreb trophy. Except that it’s red. And without the “2â€.
No. 4
Atlanta (Winner: John Isner)
Since when did people think a vase would make a nice trophy? Cincinnati Masters deserves an honorary mention here, but the orange thing they give the winner at Atlanta is horrible. And Isner has three of them in his trophy case now. How nice. Stop with the vases.
No. 3.
Delray Beach (Winner: Ivo Karlovic)
Is the Delray Beach tournament hurting for money or something? Because that’s a dollar-store ash tray that Karlovic is holding. When you hold a tournament, how about giving the winner a trophy they would be happy to receive?
No. 2
Bastad (Winner: Benoit Paire)
Yes, that is a pig with wings on top of the trophy that Paire is holding. Maybe flying pigs have a special meaning in that city or something. I sincerely hope that Paire wins another tournament in his career so that his trophy will have something to showcase other than that.
No. 1
Winston-Salem (Winner: Kevin Anderson)
Trivia Question for the Day! Kevin Anderson just won the:
a. Sea Mine Tennis Championships
b. Death Star Invitational
c. Winston-Salem Open
What does this trophy have anything to do with the Winston-Salem Open? Like Hamburg's fan factory, is there a sea mine factory in North Carolina that sponsors the tournament? I would really like to see the expression on Anderson’s face when they wheeled that thing out. Any trophy that could cause injury to the winner is never good.
So there it is. Agree or Disagree? Not all is lost as we'll look at the best trophies next.
Top Ten Worst Trophies of the 2015 WTA Tour
And take heart, the Top Ten Best Trophies will come out tomorrow so it's not all bad!
No. 10
Paris Masters (Winner: Novak Djokovic)
The No. 10 spot was a toss up between this one and the medieval sex toy they give to the winner of the Madrid Masters (Winner: Andy Murray). Apparently, they put the name of each winner on one of the branches. It's original but that's about all it has going for it. It's just plain ugly.
No. 9
Indian Wells (Winner: Novak Djokovic)
No. 9 goes to the chunk of glass/crystal/something that Indian Wells gives out. It's too unwieldy to hold, instantly forgettable and you have to climb up to the top of a 7-ft ladder to look down on it and only then discover that it is in the shape of the tournament logo. This pretty much includes all chunks of glass/crystal trophies.
No. 8
Quito (Winner: Victor Estrella Burgos)
It was so exciting to see a player like Burgos to finally get his first ever tour title. But what a letdown that trophy must have been. It looks like some kind of wire art stuck in a base-block with a birdie on the end. Such a shame to finally win a tournament and then to get a trophy like that.
No. 7
Hamburg (Winner: Rafael Nadal)
I’m sure there’s some kind of symbolic meaning to this trophy of a metallic fan. Maybe there’s a huge fan factory in Hamburg and they just happen to be the sponsor or something. Let’s hope that thing will at least turn on when you plug it in.
No. 6
Nice (Winner: Dominic Thiem)
Another example of the first tournament win but crappy trophy. When I saw the pic for the first time, I thought my picture was distorted or maybe there was a smudge on my monitor. What is that thing Thiem is holding? Must be one of them there fancy modern art pieces you city folks like to gawk at.
No. 5
Zagreb (Winner: Guillermo Garcia-Lopez
It may not be so bad if there wasn’t a big ‘ol 2 stuck to the side of it. I’m sure that “2†signifies something. Garcia-Lopez goes on to win another tournament in Bucharest and it’s almost identical to the Zagreb trophy. Except that it’s red. And without the “2â€.
No. 4
Atlanta (Winner: John Isner)
Since when did people think a vase would make a nice trophy? Cincinnati Masters deserves an honorary mention here, but the orange thing they give the winner at Atlanta is horrible. And Isner has three of them in his trophy case now. How nice. Stop with the vases.
No. 3.
Delray Beach (Winner: Ivo Karlovic)
Is the Delray Beach tournament hurting for money or something? Because that’s a dollar-store ash tray that Karlovic is holding. When you hold a tournament, how about giving the winner a trophy they would be happy to receive?
No. 2
Bastad (Winner: Benoit Paire)
Yes, that is a pig with wings on top of the trophy that Paire is holding. Maybe flying pigs have a special meaning in that city or something. I sincerely hope that Paire wins another tournament in his career so that his trophy will have something to showcase other than that.
No. 1
Winston-Salem (Winner: Kevin Anderson)
Trivia Question for the Day! Kevin Anderson just won the:
a. Sea Mine Tennis Championships
b. Death Star Invitational
c. Winston-Salem Open
What does this trophy have anything to do with the Winston-Salem Open? Like Hamburg's fan factory, is there a sea mine factory in North Carolina that sponsors the tournament? I would really like to see the expression on Anderson’s face when they wheeled that thing out. Any trophy that could cause injury to the winner is never good.
So there it is. Agree or Disagree? Not all is lost as we'll look at the best trophies next.
Top Ten Worst Trophies of the 2015 WTA Tour
