Serena Williams WTA Player of Year

http://www.wtatennis.com/news/201211...256076_2994943

PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL, USA - For the first three months of the year she was showing flashes of her former brilliance, and as soon as the tour moved to clay they were flashes no more - the legend was back. Serena Williams put together one of the greatest seven months in the history of women's tennis from April to October this year, winning two Grand Slam titles, Olympic gold and 48 of 50 matches - and for all of that, she is this year's WTA Player Of The Year.

By anyone else's standards, Williams' results from January to March were more than pleasing - she put together a 10-2 record, making the quarterfinals of Brisbane, the fourth round of the Australian Open and another quarterfinal at Miami. But she wanted more, and she was about to get more - much more.

From the beginning of the clay court season Williams went 48-2 the rest of the year, winning seven WTA titles - Charleston, Madrid, Wimbledon, Stanford, the Olympics, the US Open and last but not least the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships - Istanbul 2012. Wimbledon and the US Open marked her 14th and 15th Grand Slam titles, and her only two losses during those last seven months of the year came at Roland Garros (to Virginie Razzano in the first round) and Cincinnati (to Angelique Kerber in the quarterfinals).

Williams also picked up two more WTA doubles titles, her 13th Grand Slam doubles title at Wimbledon and third Olympic gold in doubles, with Venus.

Williams talked about her confidence and momentum after winning the WTA finale in Istanbul: "I've always said if I'm playing well and doing everything right, it's really difficult to beat me. I still believe that, which is great that I can still kind of play that way. I feel like there are always ways for me to improve, but I think it's a true statement, without trying to sound really full of myself or anything."

This is the fourth time Williams, who finished the year ranked No.3 in the world behind Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova, has received Player Of The Year, having also won it in 2002 (when she finished No.1), 2008 (when she finished No.2 behind Jelena Jankovic) and 2009 (when she finished No.1).

In the 36-year history of the Player Of The Year award, Williams is one of only three players to win it more than twice, alongside eight-time winner Steffi Graf and seven-time winner Martina Navratilova. Four players have won the award twice - Monica Seles, Lindsay Davenport, Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters.

Player Of The Year was voted for by international tennis media. Check out a list of former winners of all of the WTA Player Awards by clicking here.

The rest of the WTA Player Awards - including the Fan Favorite Awards, which you voted for - will all be revealed right here on wtatennis.com on Friday...

[tennis_pro]

To be honest, it would be a bigger controversy if anyone else got that award.

Wimbledon, the US Open, the WTA Championships, a gold medal, 6-7 titles (not sure how many total), absolutely destroying the field, especially the so called top 2 ranked WTA players in Azarenka and Sharapova (remember the 2012 Olympics when Serena led Sharapova 6-0 3-0 in the final? Just brutal), less than 5 losses in a year.

I think this is the first time when a player who ended the year ranked outside the top 2 (or simply - not first) was fully expected to win the WTA player of the year award.

At least it shouldn't take long for Serena to get back to no 1 as she's defending as much as nothing in the first 4-5 months of the year.

[The-Champ]

Music to my ears. No doubt, she is the rightful winner. Serena for the calendar grand slam next year.

[Razoredge]

Originally Posted by The-Champ

Music to my ears. No doubt, she is the rightful winner. Serena for the calendar grand slam next year.

She doesn't have the mental strength to pull off such a thing even with her serve advantage.

In many ways she's a GOAT that's entirely reflective of the poor generation she plays in.

[Razoredge]

Remember when Justine Henin was on top of things for a bit? Dominating everyone with her beautiful all-court, variegated, one-handed backhand game at the HEIGHT OF 5 ft 5!?!

That's what I watch tennis for. That's inspiring stuff, not some chick exposing the serving deficiencies of the rest of her field. zzzzzzzz

[Sabratha]

Serena deserves it for all her winnings this year.

[sureshs]

Serena is the most dominant player in the ATP and WTA combined.

[TMF]

Originally Posted by sureshs

Serena is the most dominant player in the ATP and WTA combined.

For this year alone I agree. However some Nole fan like 555 will disagree, that's for sure.

In the past 10 years(2003-2012), it's Federer who's the most dominant, 2nd behind him is either Nadal or Serena. 4th is Henin and 5th is Nole.

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by TMF

For this year alone I agree. However some Nole fan like 555 will disagree, that's for sure.

In the past 10 years(2003-2012), it's Federer who's the most dominant, 2nd behind him is either Nadal or Serena. 4th is Henin and 5th is Nole.

Serena has Olympics singles gold which Fed does not have. Sorry.

[NatF]

Yeah because winning a tournament which happens once every 4 years is dominance...

[tennis_pro]

Originally Posted by sureshs

Serena has Olympics singles gold which Fed does not have. Sorry.

Nobody cares whether it's singles, doubles or freaking curling. A gold medal is a gold medal.

[sureshs]

Plus Serena does not have a significant losing H2H against her rivals.

She is definitely the most dominant tennis player of the era, male or female.

[Mainad]

"I've always said if I'm playing well and doing everything right, it's really difficult to beat me."

It's difficult to disagree with her. Watching her destroy every single opponent at the Olympics with some ridiculously one-sided scores convinced me, if I didn't already know it, that she 's just way ahead of any other player in the WTA for sheer strength, fitness and power. The outcome of her matches really are on her racquet.

Serena >>>>>>>>>>>> rest of WTA!

[Razoredge]

Originally Posted by sureshs

Plus Serena does not have a significant losing H2H against her rivals.

She is definitely the most dominant tennis player of the era, male or female.

Federer leads Nadal on non-clay surfaces. Serena leads Henin on non-clay surfaces.

Nadal leads Federer on clay 12-2. Henin leads Serena on clay 4-1.

[Mainad]

Originally Posted by tennis_pro

Nobody cares whether it's singles, doubles or freaking curling. A gold medal is a gold medal.

Sure, but would you say the same about a Slam title, that it doesn't matter whether it's in singles or doubles?

[Razoredge]

Originally Posted by Mainad

"I've always said if I'm playing well and doing everything right, it's really difficult to beat me."

It's difficult to disagree with her. Watching her destroy every single opponent at the Olympics with some ridiculously one-sided scores convinced me, if I didn't already know it, that she 's just way ahead of any other player in the WTA for sheer strength, fitness and power. The outcome of her matches really are on her racquet.

Serena >>>>>>>>>>>> rest of WTA!

Well yes if you have a big serve and everyone else has no serve than the match is in your hands, goes without saying really.

[Ronaldo]

Originally Posted by sureshs

Plus Serena does not have a significant losing H2H against her rivals.

She is definitely the most dominant tennis player of the era, male or female.

Only because she retired most of her competition.

[tennis_pro]

Originally Posted by Mainad

Sure, but would you say the same about a Slam title, that it doesn't matter whether it's in singles or doubles?

It's a completely different format, the Summer Olympics is closer to DC than to any tour level title. Is Phelphs's 4×100 m medley relay gold medal worth less than his 100 m butterfly olympic win? I don't recal individual sportsmen getting paid more than in team effort, you get cash for a gold medal whether it's freaking curling, ski jumping or anything else.

Of course Wimbly won in singles is worth more than a title in doubles cause both are "tour" titles, whereas the Olympics or DC are not.

Originally Posted by Razoredge

Well yes if you have a big serve and everyone else has no serve than the match is in your hands, goes without saying really.

Especialy when you also have the best groundstrokes best movement, best volleys, best return of serve, and strongest mentality in the womens game like Serena. The only things anyone can beat her in is fitness and consistency. Serena is really on her way to cementing herself the undisputed female GOAT. If she reaches 20 slams nobody other than a desperate hater would even question it.

[TERRASTAR18]

Originally Posted by NatF

Yeah because winning a tournament which happens once every 4 years is dominance...

along with her other accomplishments it is......serena has no rivals.....fed loses to his.