WTA Awards

[RJD11]

WTA Countdown: Top 5 Interviews Of 2013

Today on WTA Countdown: The Top 5 Interviews Of 2013, No.3 - Serena Williams after beating Victoria Azarenka in a dream final at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia. Watch the interview right here!

Published November 27, 2013 12:05

All year you've been reading stories, looking at photo galleries and watching videos on wtatennis.com - well, now it's time to see which things you, the fans, liked the best throughout the 2013 season.

This week we present to you WTA Countdown: The Top 5 Interviews Of 2013, where we count down the most-viewed interview videos on wtatennis.com this year, one every day until No.1 on Friday.

Today, Serena Williams' thoughts after beating Victoria Azarenka in the Internazionali BNL d'Italia final - on how she felt about the match, the city, her search for perfection... watch the interview here!


- See more at: http://www.wtatennis.com/news/article/3549124/title/wta-countdown-top-5-interviews-of-2013#sthash.kCMAtLyE.dpuf

 

[RJD11]

Our 2013 tennis turkey awards

By Peter Bodo | ESPN.com


WTA
Victoria Azarenka: Shortly after squandering five match points while serving for the match against Sloane Stephens in the Australian Open quarterfinals, Azarenka left the court for a 10-minute medical timeout to deal with what later was called a “locked rib.” You have to wonder if the break wasn’t intended to loosen up her throat, or elbow, instead.

Sabine Lisicki: Somebody forgot to tell the young lady dubbed “the Laughing Girls from Germany” that you need to keep it light when you’re losing, too. Sure, we all sympathized with the 23-year-old whose dream Wimbledon turned into a nightmare of choking and paralysis against Marion Bartoli in the final. But coming totally unglued and crying on court just isn’t very professional -- or fun to watch.

The WTA: The organization looked the other way when the promoters of Linz did some unethical, if not necessarily illegal, maneuvering to get WTA star and local attraction Angelique Kerber a last-minute wild card into the tournament. She ended up winning it, displacing Caroline Wozniacki as the final qualifier for the elite, eight-woman WTA Championships.

Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova: This probably is the only time you will see both women mentioned in the same breath and treated as co-conspirators. But the bottom line is that both of them ought to have known better than to get into that nasty little cat fight over boyfriends and other things last June.

Martina Hingis: Shortly after being inducted into the International Hall of Fame, the former No. 1 and five-time Grand Slam singles champion Hingis announced that she’s … making another comeback. Granted, it was just in doubles (she is, after all, 33), but even that didn’t work out so well. Hingis and current tour pro Daniela Hantuchova were 3-5 and (thankfully) pulled the plug after their first-round loss at the US Open. Yes, Martina, you’re still good. But not that good




http://espn.go.com/blog/peter-bodo/post/_/id/525/our-2013-tennis-turkey-awards

 

[RJD11]

Our 2013 tennis turkey awards

By Peter Bodo | ESPN.com


WTA
Victoria Azarenka: Shortly after squandering five match points while serving for the match against Sloane Stephens in the Australian Open quarterfinals, Azarenka left the court for a 10-minute medical timeout to deal with what later was called a “locked rib.” You have to wonder if the break wasn’t intended to loosen up her throat, or elbow, instead.

Sabine Lisicki: Somebody forgot to tell the young lady dubbed “the Laughing Girls from Germany” that you need to keep it light when you’re losing, too. Sure, we all sympathized with the 23-year-old whose dream Wimbledon turned into a nightmare of choking and paralysis against Marion Bartoli in the final. But coming totally unglued and crying on court just isn’t very professional -- or fun to watch.

The WTA: The organization looked the other way when the promoters of Linz did some unethical, if not necessarily illegal, maneuvering to get WTA star and local attraction Angelique Kerber a last-minute wild card into the tournament. She ended up winning it, displacing Caroline Wozniacki as the final qualifier for the elite, eight-woman WTA Championships.

Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova: This probably is the only time you will see both women mentioned in the same breath and treated as co-conspirators. But the bottom line is that both of them ought to have known better than to get into that nasty little cat fight over boyfriends and other things last June.

Martina Hingis: Shortly after being inducted into the International Hall of Fame, the former No. 1 and five-time Grand Slam singles champion Hingis announced that she’s … making another comeback. Granted, it was just in doubles (she is, after all, 33), but even that didn’t work out so well. Hingis and current tour pro Daniela Hantuchova were 3-5 and (thankfully) pulled the plug after their first-round loss at the US Open. Yes, Martina, you’re still good. But not that good




http://espn.go.com/blog/peter-bodo/post/_/id/525/our-2013-tennis-turkey-awards

I thought Vika played Sloane in the Semis, not the quarters @ AO

Maybe Bozo needs to save one of those Turkey awards

for himself.

 

[RJD11]

2013 BTB Awards: The best reads of the year
2013 Season Awards | Comments


The Beyond The Baseline awards are our look back at the best — and worst — of the tennis season. Today we look back on some of our favorite reads of the season. Click here for our complete archive of year-end awards.

• The New York Times: Li Na, China’s Tennis Rebel

• Grantland: Nadal vs. Djokovic: Metal Gods on Fire

• Grantland: W�mbledämmerung: Surveying the carnage at the most terrifying tennis tournament in recent memory

• ESPN the Magazine: They Want Another Serena

• Tennis.com: Lonely at the Top



http://tennis.si.com/2013/11/27/2013-notable-media-pieces/

 

[RJD11]

Wertheim SI writer Mailbag

I understand how one feels that Sloane Stephens should have won Most Improved Player and how Simona Halep did not deserve it is ridiculous! Just want to hear your thoughts.
-- Malasia, Orlando

• For reasons unclear, this one got a bit ugly. There are credible cases to be made for both players who, ironically are ranked No. 11 and No. 12 respectively. Both had strong years. In Halep's case, she won six titles and more than $2 million. The knock is that there weren't a lot of signature wins (Wozniacki? A struggling Sam Stosur?) and her play at the majors was minor. In Stephens' case it was the reverse. Uneven play and zero titles, but solid runs at each of the four Grand Slams. So at some level, this is philosophical. How much do we value consistency? How much do we value big occasion surges?

Me? I vote for Stephens. She is American and Halep is not. We jest. I'm inclined to go with Stephens because of her play at the majors and her ability to assert herself on the big stage. (For what it's worth, she played Halep twice and didn't lose a set.) Bottom line: congrats to both. Let's see if they can sustain it in 2014.



Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/news/20131127/constant-attention-on-top-players-tennis-mailbag/#ixzz2lux9d9Zt

 

[Correspondent Kiu]

Halep definitely won the "most improved" award, Sloane gets an honorable mention.
Ms. Stephens needs to win a title first.

 

[Calvy]

I would put my money on Serena winning Female Athlete of the Year awards and the Espy.

 

[Fiero425]

I would put my money on Serena winning Female Athlete of the Year awards and the Espy.

Unless the Olympics were performed, the top tennis player's going to get it! With no Anaka Norstrom or Nancy Lopez-Melton in golf, ONLY a tennis player has a real chance! Women's basketball hasn't caught on enough and the soccer comes and goes! It'll be Serena; mark the words!

 

[Calvy]

I would put my money on Serena winning Female Athlete of the Year awards and the Espy.

Unless the Olympics were performed, the top tennis player's going to get it! With no Anaka Norstrom or Nancy Lopez-Melton in golf, ONLY a tennis player has a real chance! Women's basketball hasn't caught on enough and the soccer comes and goes! It'll be Serena; mark the words!

All due respect to Gaby, Serena should have won last year, two gold medals, Wimbledon and US Open.

 

[RJD11]

I would put my money on Serena winning Female Athlete of the Year awards and the Espy.

Unless the Olympics were performed, the top tennis player's going to get it! With no Anaka Norstrom or Nancy Lopez-Melton in golf, ONLY a tennis player has a real chance! Women's basketball hasn't caught on enough and the soccer comes and goes! It'll be Serena; mark the words!

All due respect to Gaby, Serena should have won last year, two gold medals, Wimbledon and US Open.

I agree, But you know how the Media is, they will go with

the fresh-faced new kid on the block and Gabby was the

big story of the Olympics.

 

[RJD11]

Allaster Receives Big Honor In Canada


TORONTO, Canada - Stacey Allaster has been revealed as a recipient of the Women's Executive Network's 2013 Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards. Co-Presented by Scotiabank and KPMG, these awards celebrate and highlight the professional achievements of women across the country in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors at a time when corporate Canada is under growing pressure to promote more female leaders to senior management and corporate director roles.



- See more at: http://www.wtatennis.com/news/article/3557550/title/allaster-receives-big-honor-in-canada#sthash.CLlcVuoH.dpuf

 

[RJD11]

Barty & Whytcross Honored In Melbourne

Ashleigh Barty may have finished as runner-up at three of the four majors, but on Monday evening she finally walked away with the silverware.

Published December 02, 2013 12:03


MELBOURNE, Australia - Ashleigh Barty was named Tennis Australia's Junior Athlete of the Year at the Newcombe Medal Awards on Monday evening.

Alongside doubles partner Casey Dellacqua, Barty, 17, finished runner-up at three of the four majors in 2013 to establish herself as one of the most exciting young talents on the WTA.

Pam Whytcross, who travelled from her home in Port Macquarie to attend the ceremony, saw off competition from John Blom and Thomas Sweeney to win the Excellence in Officiating award.



- See more at: http://www.wtatennis.com/news/article/3559427/title/barty-whytcross-honored-in-melbourne#sthash.hoa7euzK.dpuf

 

[RJD11]

ESPN



Editor's note: On Dec. 9, we begin our 10-part year-end awards series. Stay tuned each weekday for our latest entry.

 

[Fiero425]

ESPN



Editor's note: On Dec. 9, we begin our 10-part year-end awards series. Stay tuned each weekday for our latest entry.

What is it; part of Sportcenter telecast or just here on the board? :nono :huh: :nono

 

[RJD11]

2013 BTB Awards: Year in wackiness


, WTA Edition: Tennis Canada flew in ATP players (and paid them $20,000) to play an exhibition match during the Rogers Cup women’s tournament in Toronto in order to bolster the event’s marketability and help ticket sales.

Best Maria Sharapova Misstep: Floating the idea before the U.S. Open that she might change her last name to Sugarpova. The move was thoroughly mocked but, hey, who wasn’t talking about Sugarpova that week?

•Worst Maria Sharapova Misstep: Jimmy Connors? Really? Sharapova fired Connors as her coach after only one match, a loss to Sloane Stephens at the Western & Southern Open. That turned out to be the last 2013 appearance for Sharapova, who shut down her season with a shoulder injury.

Worst Wild-Card Snub: The Dubai Championships denied two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova a main-draw wild card, forcing her to play qualies. (She made it through qualifying before losing to No. 17 Roberta Vinci in the first round.) One of the three wild cards went to 18-year-old Yulia Putintseva, who was ranked No. 101.

Worst Wild-Card Grant: The Generali Ladies Linz gave Angelique Kerber a wild card after the draw had been made by asking a low-ranked Austrian player to withdraw, leading to a complete reshuffle of the draw.

Most Unfortunate Controversy Surrounding A Nude Photo Shoot: A Catholic youth group dropped Agnieszka Radwanskaas an ambassador over her “immoral behavior” in posing for a naked but not explicit picture for ESPN The Magazine‘s Body Issue.

Worst Choke: Sam Stosur vs. Zheng Jie at the Australian Open. Yes, Stosur has a horrible record on home soil, but even she admitted she choked in this second-round match. She was up a double break, at 5-2, in the third set but was broken twice when serving for the match, and she double-faulted on match point to lose 6-4, 1-6, 7-5.

• Worst Use Of A Changeover: Anabel Medina Garrigues intentionally fluffed up the tennis balls to slow down conditions against Serena Williams at the Madrid Open

Most inspiring over-40 player who also happens to endorse non-alcoholic beer: Kimiko Date Krumm, who made the third round of the Australian Open for the first time since 1995 and the third round of Wimbledon for the first time since reaching the semifinals in 1996.

• Best Half-Squat In Heels: Marion Bartoli.

• Worst Case Of Mistaken Identity: After Victoria Azarenka won the Australian Open for the second year in a row, the trophy engraver appeared to confuse Belarus for Belgium.

• Best Friday: #SerenaFriday.

• Best Sense Of Humor In The Face Of Yet Another Soul-Crushing Injury: Andrea Petkovic.


Andrea Petkovic ✔ @andreapetkovic
Follow

Eating cake and watching Interpol concert on TV. Hospital isn't too bad after all. And lips and botox face turned out fine btw.



http://tennis.si.com/2013/12/09/2013-tennis-offbeat-awards-roger-federer-maria-sharapova/[/size]

 

[RJD11]

ESPN



Editor's note: On Dec. 9, we begin our 10-part year-end awards series. Stay tuned each weekday for our latest entry.

What is it; part of Sportcenter telecast or just here on the board? :nono :huh: :nono

No Fiero. Its on the ESPN website. The first one, today, was

Rafa who got their Player of the year. But that was ATP


http://espn.go.com/blog/espntennis/post/_/id/967/amazing-year-makes-rafa-slam-dunk-poy

 

[RJD11]

Bodo


It's the awards season in tennis, and there isn't a more coveted title than Player of the Year. It’s an individual sport's answer to the Most Valuable Player award in team sports but, regrettably, it's rarely the horse race that it sometimes is in those league-based team sports. That's because of the importance of the Grand Slam events, and the extent to which they determine the Player of the Year.

In any year when one player wins more majors than his or her rivals, he (or she) is almost a lock for Player of the Year. That shuts down the debate pretty effectively. And it's too bad, because many great, sustained performances go unremarked because of our addiction to the majors. It’s fun to contemplate just who might be a worthy choice for PoY if you eliminate from consideration the obvious choice. Call it the Player of the Year runner-up derby. Let’s take a shot at it:

WTA: It's a little easier to come up with a Player of the Year if you take Serena Williams out of consideration. Jelena Jankovic made a great comeback, all the way to No. 8 (after starting the year at No. 22). But then, she has been the year-end No. 1 (2008), so it isn't as if she's breaking new ground. We have to look elsewhere, but not that far.

Simona Halep set forth in 2013 with a ranking of No. 47 and finished the year at No. 11. Moreover, the 22-year-old Romanian won six titles this year -- the first six of her career. While short (at 5-foot-6), she’s powerful and fearless.

Halep's greatest shortcoming this year was her inability to improve substantially on a career-long flaw -- failure in Grand Slam events. Through Wimbledon of this year, Halep had been as far as the third round at a major only once -- and that was way back in January 2011.

Perhaps it was an omen that Halep made the fourth round of the last US Open, thanks to a good win over No. 14 seed Maria Kirilenko. Whatever the case, to break a career of famine with a six-title feast is more than enough to make Halep the shadow Player of the Year in the WTA.

 

[duvsha123]

my opinion- stephens- newcomer of the year.

 

[RJD11]

ESPN POY


Serena boosts legacy with POY season


The toughest part about assessing Serena Williams' season is selecting the most remarkable achievement. Among the contenders:

" Becoming the oldest No. 1 in WTA history at 32 years old

" Winning 78 matches this season, 20 more than her previous best

" Going on a 34 match-winning streak, her personal best

" Winning two Grand Slams to extend her total to 17 majors, fourth on the all-time list

" Winning 11 titles, three more than her previous best of eight in 2002

" Taking a record $12.4 million in prize money, well above the previous high of $7.2 million won by Victoria Azarenka last year


Perhaps it's the combination of it all, that she's playing more and winning more than she ever has before. Though Williams won five of six Grand Slams between 2002 and 2003, until about 24 months ago she had rarely played a full schedule. Nearly a third of her 57 career titles have been won during that most recent span.

"Every tournament I play, I play to win. Not that I didn't do that before, but it was just different," Williams said, explaining what has changed. "And more than anything I enjoy playing tennis. I love being out there.

"I think maybe that makes a difference."

Williams' desire seems to have increased after she experienced serious health complications from a cut on her foot in 2010 and was off the tour for almost a year. After some mixed results initially, her form improved after she changed her racket strings in April last year and, following a first-round loss at the French Open, began working with coach Patrick Mouratoglou. She has been on a tear since then, going 124-6 overall with a 78-4 record for this season.

If there is any shortcoming to that run, it was that two of this year's four losses came at Grand Slams -- one an injury-affected defeat to Sloane Stephens, the other a loss to Sabine Lisicki at Wimbledon after being a break up in the third set. Though she has been affected by nerves on big occasions recently, that was one of the few times she has been overcome by them.

The other two defeats were to Azarenka, the player who came closest to giving Williams any semblance of competition this year.

On the court, her serving, consistency and variety may be better than ever. A full 14 years after winning her first Grand Slam and 10 years after her 'Serena Slam,' Williams is still setting the standard for the rest of the field.

Her ability to win big events was well-recognized, but she is now showing that she can dominate week in and week out, and stay around long enough to accumulate big numbers as well.

And that makes her not just the player of the year, but one of the greatest players in history.



http://espn.go.com/blog/espntennis/post/_/id/981/serena-boosts-legacy-with-another-poy-season

 

[RJD11]

SI's Jon Werteim WTA Awards - Mailbag



Awards for the 2013 season



• WTA MVP: Serena Williams. End of discussion.

• WTA Newcomer: Madison Keys. The 18-year-old, who jumped from No. 149 to No. 38, will be a top-20 player by this time next year and a top-10 player the year after that.

WTA Breakthrough Player: Sloane Stephens and Simona Halep. Because we make the rules here, we hereby announce a tie. Stephens made the fourth round or better at all four majors, while Halep ranked second on tour with six titles.

• WTA Match of the Year: Serena Williams def. 7-5, 6-7 (6), 6-1 in the U.S. Open final. Aesthetically, it was not a classic, the way their previous encounter, Azarenka's victory in the final of the Western & Southern Open, was. But the final in New York was still another example of Williams' peerless competitive instincts. Wait, it's the U.S. Open final? And I just lost the second set? Against my rival? Who beat me the last time we played? Oh, well, guess I'll have to regroup and win 6-1 in the decisive set.

WTA Upset of the Year: Sabine Lisicki def. Serena Williams 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 in the fourth round of Wimbledon. Victoria Duval's 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 win over 2011 champion Sam Stosur in the first round of the U.S. Open was a biggie. But we'll take Lisicki for outserving and out-nerving the defending champion Williams, who had won 34 matches in a row.

WTA Moment of the Year: Serena Williams winning the French Open, more than a decade removed from her last title at Roland Garros.

Women's Shot of the Year: Agnieszka Radwanska at the Sony Open. Putting the Wand (and an extra "ad" for the sake of the joke) in Radwandska:

Games(wo)manship of the Year: Anabel Medina Garrigues fluffs up new balls against Serena Williams. Anabel Medina Garrigues is Spanish for "well, technically it could be legal."

WTA Comeback Player of the Year: Alisa Kleybanova. She's barely ranked in the top 200, but anyone who is winning main-draw matches after battling Hodgkin's lymphoma gets the nod.



http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/news/20131211/season-awards-rafael-nadal-serena-williams-mailbag/