MY WTA AWARDS (Part 2)

This will be the 2nd part of my WTA Awards for 2015!!It will feature the awards that the part 1 didn't include:WTA Newcomer of the year,Sportsmanship award,Diamond Aces Award and Fan Favourite!Hope you enjoy it and don't forget to vote for the #WTAOscars on twitter this week!! ;)

WTA NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
This year has been full of arrivals of new WTA Stars.We saw surprise young players winning titles and upsetting the seeds!! Some names are Daria Gavrilova,Nao Hibino and Margarita Gasparyan. However,i think one of them deserves this award a lot more!
WTA NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR:Daria Gavrilova

I selected Dasha not only because she is the highest ranked,but also she is the one who had the bigger wins and has been playing in WTA tournaments for all the year. Dasha's season was really incredible!! She started with a bang beating Angelique Kerber and winning 2 consecutive ITF 50k titles. In spring,she beat Maria Sharapova in Miami while she had a fairytale run in the SFs in Rome after beating Ana Ivanovic in her way. Those victories helped her stick out from the other Newcomers and be the favourite for this award. Also,most of the other plays were playing on the ITF Circuit for a big part of 2015,whilst Dasha played only 3 high ranked iTFs in the start of the year. Dasha is surely a very capable player with a very entertaining game style and I honestly look forward to seeing her in 2016!

SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
The sportsmanship award is undoubtably one of the toughest award categories. Every WTA player leaves a little shade or causes a little drama during the year! However,there are still players who are sportsmanship idols,like Petra Kvitova and Venus Williams. Petra have been dominating this award the past years,while Venus's come back has made her a favourite as well.I will pick:
WTA Sportsmanship Award:Venus Williams

Venus has always been a class act on and off the court. She is always smiley,calm and 'polite' in her actions and her manners. The exact opposite of her sister. Also,you will never see Venus producing unnecessary drama and as I say "crying over spilt milk". Venus,experienced as she is seems to know how to completely focus to her game letting all the other factors out of her mind and that is really important. We can say the same about Petra. I just picked Venus over her because she has had already many of these awards and Venus's comeback this year is something really inspiring. Anyway,either Petra wins in or Venus I will not be surprised. They both deserve it.


DIAMOND ACES AWARD 
I actually haven't completely understood this award. From what I have read in the WTA website it awards the players who have been advocates of the sport throughout the season and promote it on the large scale. There are many players who have been true advocates of the women's tennis and the women's sport in 2015 but I can't imagine someone else getting this award.
WTA Diamond Aces Award:Flavia Pennetta

I thing Flavia's US Open triumph and the bombshell of her retirement became a story in 2015. Flavia had a great career winning 1 Premier Mandatory Title and being a top 10 player but winning a slam and taking part to the WTA Finals was the tip of the iceberg to the Italian.Also, Flavia has been world no1 in doubles and has won the Australian Open with Dulko!! Closing, Flavs has had a great career and she will be missed to all of us and especially to her Italian(not only) fans. Personally,I will miss that shot of pure class,her Backhand down the line.



FAN FAVOURITE AWARD
This is actually my favourite WTA Award!! Aga,my fav,have been the story of it the past years and me(and all the other members of the #Agafam) are really proud of it!! I honestly hope that Aga can win this one as well and I will do my best to help her win it!However,they are as well many other players who are loved by their fans so I project it to be a derby! My pick is the following!
FAN FAVOURITE AWARD:Simona Halep

Honestly now has there been a match of this girl this year where there wasn't a team of Romanian fans shouting SI-MO-NA, SI-MO-NA. The support that this girl takes from her co-patriots is immense and it is unbelievable how she has been the most popular WTA player twice in a row. I remember reading the Power To Inspire this year and I was like "OMG This support...She will certainly be flag-bearer in the Olympics!" People in Romania really live for Simona and I believe that even if she does not have the same support in world-wide scale I think that the passion of this fans is enough for her to overcome the big names of the award-Maria Sharapova and Aga Radwanska.

P.S. Photos are from Getty

MY WTA AWARDS 2015

As the WTA Awards kicked off once again,I decided to write down and post here my own opinion about WTA Awards. In this article I will have the match of the year,the player of the year,the comeback player of the year and the most improved one. Next post will be about the sportsmanship award,the Diamond Aces and the Fan Favourite.

1.MATCH OF THE YEAR

This year,we can say it was full of amazing matches on the WTA tour. In this helped many things. Angie Kerber peaking,taking part in many great matches. Fierce antagonism after Serena and in general many old player bringing off their best and many young ones playing great.
For me match of the year is:SERENA VS VINCI US OPEN SF
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_haB1NHIC
HL from Tennis Stuff on Youtube

Quality wise this wasn't the best WTA match of 2015 for sure. However, I pick it because it will be a historical match,remember as probably the biggest upset in the history of the modern women's sport at least. It will be a match that will be remembered for years and Im so glad to have watched it live on my Tv.
Serena was 2 wins away from the Calendar Slam,to be the next after Steffi to achieve it.Serena had gave everything,every inch of her body and soul, to win the other 3 slams in thrilling matches. The next 2 matches seemed as easy as ABC for her. Roberta Vinci in the semis and Flavia Pennetta in the final. Two players ranked outside of the top 25 at the time. I remember I was sooo disappointed after the 1st semi. For the quality of the match,for the fact that Simona lost and for the lack of drama. I WANTED TO WATCH DRAMA.Everyone was saying that Serena would outlast Vinci with braces.I really wanted this match to be a thriller. I still have a screenshot in my phone(at least I hope) that Im saying Roberta peak I wanna see a huge match. And Roberta heard me... Robi's game had bursted out of heaven that day. She was incredible! Serena didn't play bad but not peak. She tried whatever she could in the end but the pressure and Vinci's inspired game wont help her. Roberta would reach her 1st Grand Slam Singles Final.To be honest before the US Open started I was saying to myself imagine if Serena collapses in the Final or the Semifinal from pressure and I was right in the end.Anyway,I should say again that ok I may dislike Serena as many of you know,but this is unbiased to its very best. I should say again that Im selecting this match because it was written in history,there were at least 5 better matches in terms of quality.

2.PLAYER OF THE YEAR
For many out there this is obvious. Serena is the player of the year because she won the 3 GS and she was so near to the Calendar Slam.I have a different opinion. Not only for who should take the award and about the philosophy of the award.
Player of the year:ANGELIQUE KERBER 

Many of you now you are like "Is he drunk"? Obviously,I am not drunk or anything else. Serena won the 3 Grand Slams,finished number 1 with loads of points ahead,but achievements in the season aren't the measurement for me. In this award,I will rate the entertainment and the level of game the athletes brought in this year. Serena may have won all these but she had some really bad matches in her road to the 3 titles,especially in the French Open. Her level wasn't supreme and she didn't in fact really amaze me game-wise. Her mental strength was out of this world,but in the game she was mediocre and lets say she didn't entertain me,and I think not only me but other tennis fans as well. From the other side, I think Angie pushed herself to her limits in some matches this year. Her level of play in many of them was just out of this world. She took part in many of the highest quality matches of the year and she had us,tennis fans, in the edge of our seats.From this year,I would like the term #Kerberclassic. I know my pic may have surprised you and you may say that Im a hater and my opinion is biased,but I don't think that Serena played that good and that entertaining this year! In 2013 her level of play was 5 times better from the others and she didn't in fact flop in early rounds or being constantly under the weather. In 2013,none could deny her the award,but this year I must say again she wasn't that good quality-wise.

3.COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Another tough decision is this of the comeback player of the year. There are many interesting and great stories for the players but I liked this one.
So,Comeback player of the year for me is TIMEA BACSINSZKY

Timea's year was amazing. She won 2 WTA titles,had a 15 match winning streak,her first GS QF and SF in Wimbledon and Roland Garros as well as her first Premier Mandatory Final in Beijing. Timea was once a great player of the top 40 back in 2008-2009 but a leg injury had left her out of tennis for really long. Timi had been almost completely out of tennis working in a hotel in Switzerland.Her story however is even more amazing at the start. Timi has remarked that her father was putting her pressure and that he ruined her life after he discovered the talent in her. His way of training was really bad and harsh according to her in a level that Timi tried to convince her mother to divorce him.From the story we can infer that Timi's father surely wasn't the best father.He was looking more for the money and for the fame than what made his daughter happy. In her first professional years Timi was a good player but as she said she never felt as an athlete, as she was always in a bad physical situation and despite her accomplishments she never felt happy and enthusiastic about tennis. This year,Timi not only was physically ready for first time after many years,but she was mentally ready as well. She was for first time happy into the court and she was full with passion to try and fight for the best. And she did reach the top 10 of the world! I was really touched by Timi's story and I thing she wholeheartedly deserves this award as she was able to bounce back not only physically but mentally as well.

4.MOST IMPROVED PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Also,this award needs a lot of thought as there were in fact many players that improved a lot not only in the rankings but in their level of play as well. For this award,I will pick a player that made a bang in 2015.
WTA Most Improved Player of the Year: GARBINE MUGURUZA

As I said,many were the players that improved dramatically in 2015,but Garbi reached the top of the mountains by ending the year as the World no 3,having reached her first WTA Finals,won her first Premier Mandatory Title and made it to her first slam Final. Garbine started the year ranked 24 in the world as one of the most promising Rising stars of the 2015 season. Until the grass court season she had in fact really good results and many great wins but nothing as tremendously big as what would happen next.Grass was known to not be the Spaniards cup of tea but her game which is quite suitable to the fast courts shone in the England slam. Her big serve,her great net skills and her big groundstrokes but most of all her fierce fighting spirit led her to her first Grand Slam Final after taking out a bunch o big names such as Angie Kerber,Aga Radwanska and Caroline Woznacki. In the US Open series she seemed to have hard time to get used to her new identity of a top player,in which she seemed to have fit well after some tough summer time in Asia. In the most populated continent of the planet she was truly dominant reaching the QF in Tokyo,the Final in Wuhan,winning her first Premier Mandatory title in Beijing and finally qualifying for the WTA Finals in both singles and doubles. In the Finals she went 3-0 in her group but lost a thriller match against Aga Radwanska in the Semi-final mainly due to her lack of rest day and the doubles she played all the week. Also,she made the Final in the doubles championship. Garbine finished in the world no3,jumping in fact 21 seats in the rankings. Garbi brought her tennis play to a completely other level and she let her bombing shots finally take over the elite of the WTA. Also,during the US series she had the time to grow more mentally that resulted in making Garbi a complete player.I think that Garbi turned from just an aspiring rising star to an elite player of the WTA this year in many ways so she deserves this award.

2016 Outlook:Belinda Bencic

The article series will feature today one of the most promising Rising Stars of the WTA,Belinda Bencic. The 18-year old has had an unbelievable year,reaching 4 WTA Finals and winning 2 WTA Premier Titles. Due to an injury that seems to be bothering her after Tokyo she pulled out of the WTA Elite Trophy to end her season. 2016 seems to be a really important year for the youngster who will "carry the burden" of her brilliant 2015 results.


2015:A Cinderella story

Belinda after beating Wozniacki in the Tokyo SFs

Belinda has been known as a promising player since the beginnings of 2014,however none would ever imagine that she would evolve that quickly considering our tennis era.Even though she hadnt the perfect start in 2015,neither had a good clay court season,losing in the 1st round of the Australian Open and in the 2nd of the French Open,she played really good tennis in the US series(both in summer and in March) and in the grass court season. Among her very good results are the Hertogenbosch Final,the R16 in Indian Wells,Miami and Wimbledon and the Tokyo Final. However, the most important moments of her season that really took the tennis world by storm were winning in Eastbourne and Toronto, both Premier tournaments(Premier 470 and Premier 5). After these triumphs she gained more fans, more self confidence and rose up the rankings very fast.

Belinda with her Eastbourne trophy

In Eastbourne she beat Genie Bouchard and Agnieszka Radwanska in a great final and we can pretty much say that it was the one little sample of what would come next in the land of Canada. After failing in the R16 of the Wimbledon Championships she played in Washington DC,where while as the 3rd seed she pretty much was a favourite.However,she lost to Anastasia Pavlychenkova. However,next week the miracle would happen.Belinda would beat 6(!!) former Grand Slam Finalists in a row to win her 2nd WTA Title,1st Premier Level 5. I remember when the SFs were to took place it was my name day and I would lose them,I didnt learn anything about them till the next morning. I woke up and I saw that Belinda had beaten Serena. I was like WOW! Quickly I tuned in youtube to watch the match. Serena was indeed mediocre,but to be honest she didn't play that match. Belinda from the other side however was the star!
Her steady baseline,constructive and clever game was in full sync and with many classy net points she was able to lead Serena to a 3 sets defeat which was in fact a lot more straightforward than the scoreline implies,as especially in the final set Belinda left Serena no space at all to lead 5-1 but she nearly choked to close it 5-4. This chokes were present all the week and wii be a topic to discuss in the 2016 preview.Then,she will go on to beat Halep 7-6 6-7 3-1(ret.) to become the 1st teenager to win the Rogers Cup in a lot of time(think since Ana Ivanovic back in 2006). In terms of her game,I can say it is really good,nearly perfect.Her shots can be aggressive,while we can say she is a really good athlete and has a great defensive play. Her game is really clever,proven after her victories over opponents with better athleticism like Caroline Wozniacki. In my opinion,her game is in a superior level in every domain of the sport of tennis,attack,defence,tactic! Surely, there is rome of improvement probably in the serve and the return but for her age her game is almost perfect. For mr,she is the definition of the all-around player.

2016:Α year question mark

Belinda with her Rogers Cup trophy

2016 should be an important year for the 18 year-old. Rising Stars tend to fail to live up to fans expectations after a good year just like Genie Bouchard in 2015. I believe that it would be a year that Belinda will get to meet the mental aspect of the game more. For me her game has very little imperfections but she needs to work a little in the psychological part. What I want to say is that Belinda won't be always the underdog. As soon as the next year starts she would be highly seeded at the first slam and it is evident that she will be a favourite to make at least the second week,so pressure starts accumulating. Even though she is young she needs to learn how to handle pressure early if she wants to be a champion like Maria and Serena in the future. This is a year to dedicate herself to her mental education. Some will probably say where is the problem with Belinda in this aspect and she is so mature etc. In the slams for example this year she had really tough matches in the US Open and Wimbledon before making the expected from her 3rd and 4rth round,for me there were resutls of pressure. Also,she has failed to be successful in smaller tournaments as well,for example in Prague and Washington DC, Moreover,in her Toronto run in many matches she choked leadings probably because she hadn't the courage to close it out the correct time,for example in the matches against Serena and Halep. Now, that she has even beat Serena she must understand that she can win any match if she believes in herself and to deal with the pressure,either the pressure of making the upset or the one of accomplishing the expected. Closing,I want to say that if you had asked me 2 weeks ago I would tell you that Belinda Bencic would be the 2016 Wimbledon champion but now I have changed my mind. I understand the needs of Belinda for mental education and that now is the right time in her career to do so. I expect from her to remain in the top 30 but not to do something really big as many would have thought after her 2015 year.

Zhuhai Previews:Day 1

As the WTA Finals came to an end ,with triumph of my fav,Aga Radwanska,I decided to post my daily previews for the WTA Elite Trophy. The draw is the following:

The matches are really good and tough to predict especially the ones of the Group B,in which literally all the players are out of form.The day 1 matches are Venus Williams vs Madison Keys,Sara Errani vs Jelena Jankovic and Elina Svitolina vs Andrea Petkovic.

VENUS WILLIAMS VS MADISON KEYS:
THE OLD VS THE NEW

Venus Williams and Madison Keys will kick off the action in the WTA Elite trophy on Tuesday,7 a.m. UK time. It will be their 2nd meeting this year after the Australian Open QF,where Keys prevailed in 3 sets to reach her maiden Grand Slam Semi-Final. Madison's play style is quite similar to the one of Venus. Both players have a big serve and hit the ball powerful and flat. Venus however has some more old-school variety to her game,such as some slices and a very good net play that Keys,following the modern game style, lacks. So, its evident that it will be a hard-hitting match with many firing winners but many easy errors as well.I will move on breaking down their season and their current form.

Venus Williams after winning her biggest title in 8 years at Wuhan

Madison had probably the best season in her career reaching the Aus Open SF,the Charleston Final and the Wimbledon QF. These was the highlights of Madison's season and probably her career so far. After the US Open Madison pulled out of the tournament in Quebec city due to a wrist injury. She seemed to have problems in Wuhan as well,while she was forced to retire in the second set of her R16 match in Beijing against Aga Radwanska. Also,she pulled out of Luxembourg as well.From the other side Venus had a really good season as well reaching the QFs in the US Open and the Australian Open and winning her biggest title in many years in Wuhan. Venus current form implies that she is playing her best since a while,but there is a little question mark due to a leg injury that she picked up in the Wuhan SF.That injury seemed to bother her both in Beijing and Hong Kong but it must have not been that serious.

Madison after her run in the Australian Open Semi-Finals

To the match now. I think that Keys is one of the few players that in fact can overpower Venus in a way. She has one of the best serves in tennis but she still needs work in many other aspects of the game,especially her movement.In the other part,Venus is a legend and there is no way I will criticise her game. However,I don't know how ready she will be physically due to the injury and her age as well. I think that it will be an interesting match but Im giving the edge to Venus as not only Keys is a question mark due to her injuries but she has a less mature game than Venus of course. Their H2H is 1-1,with Venus winning their first meeting in the Charleston 2013 QFs and Madison avenging that loss in this years Australian Open.
Prediction:Venus to defeat Madison in 3 sets