The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour announced the winners of last year’s Player Awards tonight at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Florida and 2006 Australian Open and Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo was named the Player of the Year.
The Tour has not yet released an official press release on their site, but according to the Sony Ericsson Open website, Mauresmo, along with six other Tour players were honored this evening.
Last year proved to be the most successful year of her Sony Ericsson WTA Tour career for France’s star Amelie Mauresmo. She achieved her breakthrough Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, followed it up by recapturing the number one ranking, and then went on to win the title at Wimbledon. Mauresmo is not competing at the Sony Ericsson Open due to an emergency appendectomy she underwent on Sunday.
The doubles team of Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur won the Doubles Team of the Year award. The Grand Slam winning duo won Roland Garros last May and the Sony Ericsson Championships in November. This is the second consecutive year that Raymond and Stosur have won the award.
The soon-to-be retiring Kim Clijsters was the recipient of the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship award and was also honored as the Humanitarian of the Year. This was the sixth time that Clijsters has won the Sportsmanship award.
Polish teenager Agnieszka Radwanska received the Newcomer of the Year award. Radwanska won the junior title at Roland Garros last May and finished 2006 just outside of the top fifty at No. 57.
The Most Improved Player of the Year award went to twenty-one year old Jelena Jankovic. Jankovic had a rough start in 2006, but completely turned her season around by the summer for her first ever career finish inside of the top twenty.
Martina Hingis will be taking home the title of Comeback Player of the Year after starting the year in Australia unranked only to end 2006 back inside of the top ten and competing at the prestigious Sony Ericsson Championships.
Each recipient received a Waterford Crystal Amethyst Eclipse trophy.
[...] (Amelie Mauresmo Wins 2006 WTA Tour Player of the Year Award) [...]
Like Indian Wells coverage, The Tennis Challe is not showing any of the women matches at all…
Anyone has any idea why? Is ESPN forbidding them to show the women matches?
Nick, I’m not sure what gives with TTC’s coverage.
I flipped it on yesterday and they were showing a far-off shot of Venus and Maria playing on stadium court while overlaying the results of the men’s matches and holding a lengthy discussion of the men’s draw, only to then go to a tape of Federer’s match on Saturday.
Needless to say I was not a happy camper as I trotted back to my mac for live scoring.