The Belgian tennis sensation Kim Clijsters has been named as the WTA Player of the Year in awards voting on Wednesday.
The 27-year-old Clijsters captured a total of five crowns in 2010, highlighted by her year’s final Grand Slam victory, the United States Open back in September.
After making her debut on the WTA tour back in 1997, Clijsters announced her retirement three years ago. The right-hander however couldn’t stay away for long and thus came out of retirement last year during in August.
The former World No.1 has been playing some impressive tennis ever since her comeback on the tour. She started her 2010 campaign by competing at the Brisbane International in Australia as a warm up to the Australian Open where
she won her first season title after getting the better of Justine Henin in a three set final. The score line was 6–3, 4–6, 7–6(6).
At the Australian Open, the Belgian tennis star couldn’t go beyond the third round as a result of her straight set loss at the hands of Nadia Petrova. Her other season highlights include title victories in the 2010 Sony Ericsson
Open, the 2010 Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open, the United States Open, a runner-up effort in the WTA Championship and Quarter-final appearances in Eastbourne, Wimbledon and the Rogers Cup.
Currently ranked number three in the South African Airways WTA list, Kim Clijsters played her last tournament of the season at the WTA tournament of Champions where she did well to make her way into the final after posting wins
over Jelena Jankovic, Victoria Azerenka and Samantha Stosur before losing in the title battle at the hands of World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki.
The Belgian previously won the award back in 2005. Now, just a year after her comeback, she once again received the top honour in a balloting of contenders as well as the Player Service Award for supporting women's tennis off the
court.
"It is really nice to win the Player of the Year award just one year after making a comeback. While I did not think it would come so quickly, I am thrilled. This year I met a lot of new girls and it was very nice that so many of
them had positive reactions to my daughter Jada as well. I want to thank my fellow players and the media who voted for me and I look forward to seeing everyone again in Australia,” said the reigning United States Open Champion after receiving her award on
Wednesday.
Justine Henin, who also made a comeback to the WTA tour back in January last year, was voted WTA Comeback contender of the Year. The right hander made her way into the final in Brisbane, falling to her compatriot Clijsters in her
first competition back, and was the Australian Open finalist in her first Grand Slam after a one-season break. She won crowns on the Stuttgart clay and on grass at 's-Hertogenbosch.
The Russian tennis sensation, Maria Sharapova, on the other hand, was given the Humanitarian of the Year award for her work as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador. Sharapova visited Chernobyl and spent some time with the kids
affected by the disaster there.
Flavia Pennetta of Italy and Gisela Dulko from Argentine won the doubles pair of the season honour. The year-end top ranked tandem picked up a total of seven crowns in 2010, including the WTA tournaments, and enjoyed a seventeen
match win streak throughout the year.
The 20-year-old Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic, who made her way into her first major final at the grass court Grand Slam tournament, was named Newcomer of the Year whereas Elena Dementieva of Russia, who announced her retirement
from the WTA tour back in October, received the sportsmanship award.
Tags: