Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova was named Player of the Year today as the WTA announced its annual awards, as voted by fans and the media.
The 21-year-old Czech enjoyed a breakout season, highlighted by winning her first Grand Slam title and the season-ending WTA Championships, while improving her ranking from No. 34 to No. 2. In addition to winning six tournaments to match No. 1-ranked Caroline Wozniacki, Kvitova won all six of her Fed Cup matches in 2011 to spearhead the Czech Republic’s first victory in the team competition as an independent nation. Kvitova ended the season winning two back-to-back tournaments and is headed into the 2012 season on a 12-match winning streak.
“This season has been simply a dream. It is an incredible honor to win the Player of the Year award and join the ranks of some of the best players that have ever played the sport, especially Martina Navratilova,” said Kvitova, referencing her home-country hero.
Previous recipients of the Player of the Year award include Steffi Graf, Serena Williams, Justine Henin, Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Martina Hingis and Kim Clijsters.
For her on-court achievements, Kvitova was also named Most Improved Player and was further honored with the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award, which acknowledges a player’s professionalism, attitude and sense of fair play.
The World No. 1 doubles team of Kveta Peschke/Katarina Srebotnik earned its first award for Doubles Team of the Year. In a fiercely-contested season, the Czech-Slovenian duo won a WTA-leading six titles, highlighted by Wimbledon, the first Grand Slam for both. Peschke/Srebotnik began the season by capturing the trophy in Auckland, and went on to win titles in Doha, Eastbourne, Carlsbad and Beijing. They also reached four finals, including the WTA Championships.
Irina-Camelia Begu won the Newcomer of the Year Award after a breakthrough season that saw the young Romanian rise from No. 214 to No. 38, finishing the season at No. 40. Now 21, Begu reached her first WTA final in Marbella as a qualifier, and a second final in Budapest.
Comeback Player of the Year honors went to Sabine Lisicki. Now 22, the big-serving German first made headlines in 2009, when she won her first WTA title in Charleston and reached the Wimbledon quartarfinals, finishing the year ranked No. 23. Lisicki’s 2010 was marred by injuries and by March of this year, she had fallen out of the top 200. In a stunning reversal of fortune, Lisicki won two titles in 2011 — Birmingham) and Dallas. She reached three semifinals — Stanford, Bali and, as a wildcard, at Wimbledon — the first German to reach the last four at any major in 12 years. While attaining a new career-high ranking of No. 15 in singles, Lisicki also found success in doubles, winning Stuttgart and reaching the Wimbledon final, both with Sam Stosur.
For her off-court achievements Francesca Schiavone won the Player Service Award, which recognizes the player who has done the most to support her fellow players through the WTA Players’ Council and other initiatives.
Fans were also given an opportunity to vote for their Favorite Singles Player, Doubles Team and Breakthrough Player. Kvitova earned yet another award, this time by the fans, as she scooped up the Breakthrough Player category. Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska was named Fan Favorite Singles Player. The duo of Victoria Azarenka/Maria Kirilenko was named Fan Favorite Doubles Team.
WTA players also voted on Tournaments of the Year, with the Stuttgart retaining its crown as favorite Premier event, and Acapulco named favorite International event.
