Down in History: The 2011 Professional Tennis Season

The 2011 Pro Tennis season was an exciting one.  Historical records were set, crazy shots were seen, and emotional wins were experienced by both players and fans.  Below, you’ll find some of the most monumental highlights of the 2011 season.

Historical Facts from the 2011 Professional Tennis Season

• Li Na made history when she became the first ever Asian and Chinese tennis player to reach a Grand Slam singles championship at the Australian Open.
• Li Na made history when she became the first ever Asian and Chinese tennis player to win a Grand Slam singles championship at the French Open.
• For the first time since 2002, two new singles champions were seen at Wimbledon (Novak Djokovic and Petra Kvitová).
• Petra Kvitová’s win at Wimbledon made her the first Grand Slam winner to have been born in the 1990s.
• Novak Djokovic replaced previous title holder Rafael Nadal when he was ranked the number one player in the world by ATP; this replacement came from Djokovic’s 3 Grand Slam wins this season.
• The Bryan Brothers won their 11th men’s Grand Slam doubles title.
• At the U.S. Open, Samantha Stosur played one of the longest women’s singles as well as one of the longest tie-breakers matches in history.
• Women’s tennis made history when women from 10 different nations ranked in the world’s Top 10 players list.

The Grand Slam Tournaments

The Australian Open  –  99^th Edition

This year, the Australian Open took place in Melbourne, Victoria at Melbourne Park from January 17^th to January 30^th.  The outcomes were as follows:

• Women’s Singles: Kim Clijsters defeated Li Na.
• Men’s Singles: Novak Djokovic defeated Andy Murray.
• Women’s Doubles: Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta defeated Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko.
• Men’s Doubles: The Bryan Brothers defeated  Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes.
• Mixed Doubles: Daniel Nestor and Katarina Srebotnik defeated  Chan Yung-jan and Paul Hanley.

The French Open  –  101^st Edition

The 2011 French Open took place in Paris, France at the Stade Roland Garros from May 22^nd to June 5^th.  The winners were:

• Women’s Singles: Li Na defeated Francesca Schiavone.
• Men’s Singles: Rafael Nadal defeated  Roger Federer.
• Women’s Doubles: Andrea Hlavá?ková and Lucie Hradecká defeated Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina.
• Men’s Doubles: Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor defeated Juan Sebastián Cabal and Eduardo Schwank.
• Mixed Doubles: Andrea Hlavá?ková and Lucie Hradecká defeated  Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina.

Wimbledon  –  125^th Edition

Wimbledon 2011 took place in London, England at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club from June 20^th to July 3^rd.  The champions were:

• Women’s Singles: Petra Kvitová defeated Maria Sharapova.
• Men’s Singles: Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal.
• Women’s Doubles: Kv?ta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik defeated Sabine Lisicki and Samantha Stosur.
• Men’s Doubles: The Bryan Brothers defeated  Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tec?u.
• Mixed Doubles: Jürgen Melzer and Iveta Benešová defeated Mahesh Bhupathi and Elena Vesnina.

The U.S. Open

The 2011 U.S. Open took place in Queens, New York at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Park from August 29^th to September 12^th.

• Women’s Singles: Samantha Stosur defeated Serena Williams.
• Men’s Singles: Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal.
• Women’s Doubles: Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond defeated Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova.
• Men’s Doubles: Philipp Petzschner and Jurgen Melzer defeated Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski.
• Mixed Doubles: Melanie Oudin and Jack Sock defeated Gisela Dulko and Eduardo Schwank.

2011 Stats in WTA

Leading Winners

1. Petra Kvitova and Caroline Wozniacki (tied for 6)
2. Agnieszka Radwanska and Roberta Vinci (tied for 3)

Highest Prize Winners

1. Petra Kvitova ($5,145,943)
2. Caroline Wozniacki ($4,065,581)

Most Main Draw Match Wins

1. Caroline Wozniacki (63)
2. Marion Bartoli (58)

Most Aces

1. Marion Bartoli (270)
2. Jarmila Gajdosova (260)
3. Julia Goerges and Sabine Lisicki (tied for 245)

5. Lucie Safarova (243)

Best Main Draw Match Win Percentages

1. Serena Williams (88.0%; 22-3)
2. Petra Kvitova (83.6%; 56-11)

Most Main Draw Matches Played

1. Marion Bartoli (83: 58-25)
2. Caroline Wozniacki (80: 63-17)

Longest WTA Winning Streak

1. Kim Clijsters, Petra Kvitova, and Serena Williams (tied for 12)

Leading Doubles Team Title Winners

1. Kveta Peschke & Katarina Srebotnik (6)
2. Liezel Huber & Lisa Raymond and Iveta Benesova & Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (tied for 4)

Awesome Moments from the 2011 Season

Li Na Wins the French Open

Kvitova’s Defeat of Sharapova at Wimbledon

Djokovic: “The Shot”

Gina Williams is a guest post and article writer bringing to us highlights, stats, and amazing moments from the 2011 Professional Tennis season.  Gina enjoys sports, and began blogging about motorcycle accidents when she discovered the alarming injury and death rates inherent in motorcycling.

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