Serena Williams has been awarded the WTA's Player of the Year designation, which should come as no surprise to anyone. Among her other 2012 accomplishments, Williams won Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, the WTA Championships, and an Olympic gold medal. The Doubles Team of the Year award went to Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci, who went on a 25-match win streak, won the French Open and the U.S. Open, as well as several other titles.
Newcomer of the Year is Laura Robson, who took both Kim Clijsters and Li Na out of the U.S. Open. Yaroslava Shvedova was named Comeback Player of the Year, and Clijsters won the Karen Krantzche Sports(wo)manship Award. The Player Service Award was given to Venus Williams, and the Most Improved Player designation went to Sara Errani.
Fans chose Agnieszka Radwanska as the Fan Favorite for the second year in a row. Other fan choices can be seen here.
Victoria Azarenka received the Diamond Aces Award last month.
I don't think I'm ever in total agreement with these results, but I generally don't have much to quibble about, either. Comeback Player of the Year is generally my sticking point, though. I think Shvedova is deserving, for sure, but she probably wouldn't have been my choice. And a comment made earlier on this blog about giving Clijsters the Krantzche Award when she didn't play much in 2012 is a position with which I'm sympathetic, though I'm okay with Clijsters getting it.
On to the Backspin Awards, which are more interesting. If you missed any of them, scroll back and check them out. And once you've done that, settle in and read the 2012 WTA Yearbook. It's filled with fabulous photos (especially of Victoria Azarenka), the best quotes of the year ("Why Chinese still use chopsticks?"), videos, a faculty listing, all the titles in the 2012 class guest lecture series (except, of course, for the one canceled by JJ), and awards you definitely won't see on the WTA website.
And that brings me to the subject of quotations, which I should have included in my end-of-season summary (I also should have mentioned that Shvedova served a Golden Set--oops--always hard to recall everything). There are always so many great quotations that come out of the tour that I have trouble picking a favorite. It wasn't that hard this year, however, because "People complain about the noise I make, but I can get louder...." is hard to top.
Azarenka, Li, Schiavone, Sharapova, Williams, Jankovic, Kvitova, Robson. So much wit--intentional and otherwise. The tennis is pretty good, too.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Passing shots
Nathalie Tauziat will soon be asked to vacate her position on the French Tennis Federation's management committee. Tauziat, a former WTA star who was ranked as high as number 3 in the world, recently testified on behalf of former coach Regis de Camaret, who has been convicted of raping two young female players. Several more women have said that de Camaret raped or sexually assaulted them when they were young.
The Russian version of Glamour has picked Maria Sharapova as its International Star of 2012.
Sugarpova will be launched worldwide early next year.
The Czech Republic is the first nation to win Hopman Cup, Fed Cup and Davis Cup in the same year.
women's tennis blog looks back at Venus Williams' 2012 (and before) EleVen line of tennis clothing.
The Russian version of Glamour has picked Maria Sharapova as its International Star of 2012.
Sugarpova will be launched worldwide early next year.
The Czech Republic is the first nation to win Hopman Cup, Fed Cup and Davis Cup in the same year.
women's tennis blog looks back at Venus Williams' 2012 (and before) EleVen line of tennis clothing.
Friday, November 23, 2012
Monday, November 19, 2012
Dulko says goodbye
Gisela Dulko retired from professional tennis yesterday. For several years, Dulko, who is from Argentina, has served as the WTA standard-bearer for Latin America. Her singles career was a very good one, reflecting both her clay court finesse and her tendency to serve as one of the tour's most notable giant-killers. Her doubles career was outstanding.
Dulko is a physically slight woman. Only five feet, seven inches tall and weighing under 125 pounds, she doesn't appear to be "built" for tennis. I recall watching a match she played against Serena Williams in Charleston. I dislike quoting anything sexist, but it's worth noting that--in the middle of the match--a man in the stands shouted "That little girl can hit the ball hard!" She could. And when her serve was "on," she could be pretty dangerous because of her all-court skills. That serve could come and go, however, and Dulko would often end up having to rely strictly on her defensive skills.
The Argentine star reached her highest singles ranking, number 26 in the world, in 2005. She won four WTA singles titles, reached the round of 16 at the French Open in 2006 and 2011, and reached the round of 16 at the U.S. Open in 2009. Dulko made it through the third round of the 2011 French Open by defeating 2010 runner-up Samantha Stosur. In 2009, she upset Maria Sharapova in the second round of Wimbledon.
It was in doubles, however, that Gisela Dulko stood out. She and close friend Flavia Pennetta were frequent doubles partners for many years, though Dulko also played doubles with other partners. When the pair decided, in 2010, to play as an exclusive team, they had a marvelous run that included winning the 2010 WTA Championships and the 2011 Australian Open. Considering how well they played, it actually seems odd that they won only one major.
Dulko won 17 doubles titles (11 of those, she won with Pennetta), and was a runner-up 13 times. She also played on the Argentine Fed Cup and Olympic teams for several years. In November of 2010, Dulko reached a career-high doubles ranking of number 1 in the world. She held that title for 24 weeks; for 11 of those weeks, she shared the spot with Pennetta.
I have two special memories of Gisela Dulko. One concerns a spontaneous exhibition match played in Charleston a few years ago when a night match had to be canceled because of a participant's injury. Dulko and Pennetta "played" against Liezel Huber and Katarina Srebotnik, and Lynn Welch was the umpire. I generally get only moderate pleasure from watching exhibition antics, but this was a hilarious event; I laughed until I cried. And though everyone involved contributed to the hilarity, the standout comic was Dulko. I don't think any of us (fans, that is) knew how funny Dulko was until that night.
My most vivid memory of Dulko, however, was watching her (on television) in the 2011 Australian Open final. She and Pennetta played Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko for the title. Dulko and Pennetta came out of the tunnel looking fierce, but Dulko went to pieces early in the match, and left most of the heavy lifting to her partner. Azarenka and Kirilenko (who also wasn't playing quite up to her usual level) won the first set 6-2. They went up 4-1 in the second set and were one point away from going up 5-1 when Gisela Dulko simply went crazy on them.
Parking herself at the net and madly hitting every type of volley imaginable, Dulko appeared driven by a force that just couldn't be overcome. She and Pennetta won the second set 7-5, then handily won the third set 6-1. Unfortunately, the sports media was focused on singles play, and this very dramatic championship match was all but ignored.
Injury got the better of Dulko toward the end of her career. In 2011, she married footballer Fernando Gago. It was no surprise that, at age 27, she decided to put down her racket. I encourage you to read the beautiful letter she wrote to her fans, her team and the tour. There are undoubtedly a whole lot of fans who will miss the versatile and engaging Gisela Dulko. I know I will.
Dulko is a physically slight woman. Only five feet, seven inches tall and weighing under 125 pounds, she doesn't appear to be "built" for tennis. I recall watching a match she played against Serena Williams in Charleston. I dislike quoting anything sexist, but it's worth noting that--in the middle of the match--a man in the stands shouted "That little girl can hit the ball hard!" She could. And when her serve was "on," she could be pretty dangerous because of her all-court skills. That serve could come and go, however, and Dulko would often end up having to rely strictly on her defensive skills.The Argentine star reached her highest singles ranking, number 26 in the world, in 2005. She won four WTA singles titles, reached the round of 16 at the French Open in 2006 and 2011, and reached the round of 16 at the U.S. Open in 2009. Dulko made it through the third round of the 2011 French Open by defeating 2010 runner-up Samantha Stosur. In 2009, she upset Maria Sharapova in the second round of Wimbledon.
It was in doubles, however, that Gisela Dulko stood out. She and close friend Flavia Pennetta were frequent doubles partners for many years, though Dulko also played doubles with other partners. When the pair decided, in 2010, to play as an exclusive team, they had a marvelous run that included winning the 2010 WTA Championships and the 2011 Australian Open. Considering how well they played, it actually seems odd that they won only one major.
Dulko won 17 doubles titles (11 of those, she won with Pennetta), and was a runner-up 13 times. She also played on the Argentine Fed Cup and Olympic teams for several years. In November of 2010, Dulko reached a career-high doubles ranking of number 1 in the world. She held that title for 24 weeks; for 11 of those weeks, she shared the spot with Pennetta.
I have two special memories of Gisela Dulko. One concerns a spontaneous exhibition match played in Charleston a few years ago when a night match had to be canceled because of a participant's injury. Dulko and Pennetta "played" against Liezel Huber and Katarina Srebotnik, and Lynn Welch was the umpire. I generally get only moderate pleasure from watching exhibition antics, but this was a hilarious event; I laughed until I cried. And though everyone involved contributed to the hilarity, the standout comic was Dulko. I don't think any of us (fans, that is) knew how funny Dulko was until that night.
My most vivid memory of Dulko, however, was watching her (on television) in the 2011 Australian Open final. She and Pennetta played Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko for the title. Dulko and Pennetta came out of the tunnel looking fierce, but Dulko went to pieces early in the match, and left most of the heavy lifting to her partner. Azarenka and Kirilenko (who also wasn't playing quite up to her usual level) won the first set 6-2. They went up 4-1 in the second set and were one point away from going up 5-1 when Gisela Dulko simply went crazy on them.
Parking herself at the net and madly hitting every type of volley imaginable, Dulko appeared driven by a force that just couldn't be overcome. She and Pennetta won the second set 7-5, then handily won the third set 6-1. Unfortunately, the sports media was focused on singles play, and this very dramatic championship match was all but ignored.
Injury got the better of Dulko toward the end of her career. In 2011, she married footballer Fernando Gago. It was no surprise that, at age 27, she decided to put down her racket. I encourage you to read the beautiful letter she wrote to her fans, her team and the tour. There are undoubtedly a whole lot of fans who will miss the versatile and engaging Gisela Dulko. I know I will.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Passing shots
Heather Watson and Laura Robson have been named joint winners of the Sunday Times Young Sportswoman of the Year award.
Robson says she can sleep not only for twelve hours straight on a plane, but also in the car on the way to the airport.
Victoria Azarenka was voted by fans as the most popular player on the tour in 2012. (Not bad for someone who is "not liked.")
The International Tennis Hall of Fame has suspended former doubles star Bob Hewitt over allegations that he sexually abused multiple female players when he was a coach. When the allegations first became public, the Hall of Fame conducted an "investigation" which turned out to be, well, nothing at all. Later when pressed, the organization did launch an investigation. In announcing the suspensions, the Hall of Fame declares that Hewitt's "legacy ceases to exist in the Hall of Fame." The result appears to be no different from expulsion, but the Hall of Fame did not officially expel Hewitt because he has not been convicted of any crimes.
Zhang Yuxan has received a wild card into the main draw of the 2013 Australian Open. Zhang was a qualifier at the Asian-Pacific Australian Open Wild Card Playoff, so she had to win six matches.
Alexandra Dulgheru is back from having knee surgery and doing extensive rehab, and will begin playing again some time next year. During her time off, Dulgheru spent time reading, going to the movies, riding horses, and painting.
Chris Evert and Lindsay Davenport are scheduled to play themselves on a January episode of "CSI."
Robson says she can sleep not only for twelve hours straight on a plane, but also in the car on the way to the airport.
Victoria Azarenka was voted by fans as the most popular player on the tour in 2012. (Not bad for someone who is "not liked.")
The International Tennis Hall of Fame has suspended former doubles star Bob Hewitt over allegations that he sexually abused multiple female players when he was a coach. When the allegations first became public, the Hall of Fame conducted an "investigation" which turned out to be, well, nothing at all. Later when pressed, the organization did launch an investigation. In announcing the suspensions, the Hall of Fame declares that Hewitt's "legacy ceases to exist in the Hall of Fame." The result appears to be no different from expulsion, but the Hall of Fame did not officially expel Hewitt because he has not been convicted of any crimes.
Zhang Yuxan has received a wild card into the main draw of the 2013 Australian Open. Zhang was a qualifier at the Asian-Pacific Australian Open Wild Card Playoff, so she had to win six matches.
Alexandra Dulgheru is back from having knee surgery and doing extensive rehab, and will begin playing again some time next year. During her time off, Dulgheru spent time reading, going to the movies, riding horses, and painting.
Chris Evert and Lindsay Davenport are scheduled to play themselves on a January episode of "CSI."
Friday, November 16, 2012
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