Who was the best player of the 2009 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour tennis season?
Tell us your pick in this week’s edition of Open Forum Friday at On the Baseline!
We launched our 2009 Baseline Awards presented by Rebounces a few days ago and if you’ve not officially voted for Player of the Year, be sure to visit the site and cast your ballot now. In the meanwhile, let’s talk about who deserves the distinction this year.
Leave your pick (and why) in the comments below or send a reply on Twitter to @OnTheBaseline.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
SERENA the great of course
Player of the year is easily Serena Williams. Despite some tough losses, she could have easily won the Grand Slam.
Vera Zvonarëva is my player of the year. She was on a tremendous upward curve when her year was ruined by a very nasty right-ankle injury in April that required surgery in November.
Having reached the final of the 2008 Sony Ericsson Championships by beating four top-seven players in a row, Vera started 2009 by reaching her first Major singles semi-final at the Australian Open, winning her eighth WTA singles-title at Pattaya City, and winning her first Premier singles-title at Indian Wells.
Coming out of Indian Wells, Vera’s win/loss record for the year so far was 18:2 (90%) – the best of any player on the WTA Tour up to that point. Even at the end of the year, it was an impressive 33:14 (70%).
Clay has historically been Vera’s best surface, and I truly believe she could have won the French Open, were it not for her ankle-injury, which forced her to miss it.
Vera was definitely ready to step up and win her first Major in singles, and after that, who knows? It might even have opened the floodgates for her to dominate women’s tennis, which, let’s face it, has a bit of a power-vacuum at the moment!
(apart from Marion… :) Serena Williams. Even if she had only won one slam this year I would say Serena.
Caroline Wozniacki. She’s a rising star and I’m sure we’ll see her winning a slam in a year or two. She was inches away from it this US Open. Has a different style of the game as the rest of the field which is refreshing to watch.
And a down-to-earth personality on the top of that.
Kim Clijsters. Everyone’s heard the stats, but to come back from 2 years off to win the US Open as an unranked, wildcard mother is remarkable. Kim is the story of the past few years, and easily the player of the year. Kim didn’t play a full year, but that makes her current rank of 18 that much more stunning.
Easy Serena she even topped it with year end championship!
Dinara Safina
Player of the year is Dinara :)
Caroline Wozniacki is my pick of the player of 2009. Though no gland slam title, reached final & top5, she became the star.
Kim Clisters! What a come back. The player of the year should be determined by wins and behavior so she is at the top of the list!
Daniela Hantuchova. She always comes back from ups and downs…
Svetlana Kuznetsova. She is quietly and steadily overcoming her inability to close. She is a great player.
Serena bullying the lines person for calling a foot fault removes her from “best.” Watching her tower over the woman, screaming profanities and then getting a slap on the hand is a disgrace.
Dinara Safina. Having suffered so much bullying from media and some fellow players she kept her head up and played her best throughout the season, in spite of not having won a slam (yet) she was able to keep her ranking against someone who won several. She is a fighter and not an excuse maker with a respect for a game. That’s why she gets my vote.