WTA TOURNAMENT, PLAYER AND COACH AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED
· BNP Paribas Open earns the Premier Mandatory award for sixth successive year, as the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships takes the Premier 5 category
· St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy and Porsche Tennis Grand Prix tie for the Premier Tournament of the Year, while ASB Classic Auckland and Abierto Mexicano TELCEL presentado por HSBC (Acapulco) share the International award
· Petra Kvitova collects seventh straight Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award and Gabriela Dabrowski lands her first Peachy Kellmeyer Player Service Award
· Craig Tyzzer receives WTA Coach of the Year honor
ST PETERSBURG, FL, USA – The WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) announced today the winners of the annual year-end tournament and player awards, as voted on by the player body. In addition, the second annual WTA Coach of the Year award has been announced, selected by members of the WTA Coach Program.
The WTA Tournament of the Year Award winners have received recognition from WTA players due to the excellence of their staff and organization, passionate fans, and wider dedication to the sport and its athletes.
The tournament awards are broken down into four categories, reflecting the different levels of WTA tournaments, with the winners as follows:
· WTA Premier Mandatory: BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells)
· WTA Premier 5: Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
· WTA Premier: Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (Stuttgart) and St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy (tied)
· WTA International: Abierto Mexicano TELCEL presentado por HSBC (Acapulco) and ASB Classic Auckland (tied)
Since the new format was introduced in 2014 for Tournaments of the Year, 2019 marks the sixth consecutive year that Indian Wells has been voted as winner in the WTA Premier Mandatory category (11th overall), as well as Dubai’s second triumph in the WTA Premier 5 group.
The WTA Premier classification resulted in a tie, as St. Petersburg picks up the award for the second straight year and Stuttgart records its 10th time receiving this honor. There was also a tie in the WTA International category, as Auckland earns the accolade for the fourth time and Acapulco receives its 12th award.
The Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova was voted to receive the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award for the seventh successive year and eighth time overall. This honor is presented to the player who conducts herself in a manner fitting of a professional sports figure and observes the rules of fair play, shows respect for others and is gracious on and off the court. Introduced in 1978, previous award winners include Kim Clijsters, Elena Dementieva, Ana Ivanovic, Lindsay Davenport, Chris Evert and Evonne Goolagong-Cawley.
“Receiving this award for the eighth time makes me very proud and means so much to me,” said Kvitova. “Being recognized by my colleagues for sportsmanship and fair play is an honor as I always pride myself on treating my opponents with respect. I hope to inspire the future generations to love the sport of tennis as much as I do.”
Very moved by this. Thank you to all my fellow players who voted, it means a lot to me ?
I hope to teach our future tennis generations to love and respect the sport as much as I do ❤️ pic.twitter.com/ZUYA6sDFDN
— Petra Kvitova (@Petra_Kvitova) December 9, 2019
Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski earns the Peachy Kellmeyer Player Service Award for the first time in her career, recognizing the work she has done to support her fellow players as well as the wider initiatives on behalf of the WTA. This award has been voted on by players since 1977 and has recognized athletes including Chris Evert, Francesca Schiavone, Pam Shriver and Venus Williams.
“I’m extremely honored to receive this award from my friends and colleagues on Tour,” said Dabrowski. “Being part of the WTA Players’ Council has been an incredibly eye-opening experience. It has enabled me to give the player group I represent a voice, encompassing everyone’s input. I look forward to working on further initiatives offering equal opportunity to all players, such as doubles promotion and fan engagement.”
Craig Tyzzer, coach of Ashleigh Barty, becomes the second recipient of the annual WTA Coach of the Year Award. This award recognizes the winning coach for success on the court, but also for serving as an ambassador of the sport and bringing coaching to the forefront of the game.
Having worked with Barty for four years, Tyzzer helped bring the Australian’s game to new heights in 2019, as she won her first WTA Premier Mandatory title at the Miami Open presented by Itaú, her maiden Grand Slam singles trophy at Roland Garros, and finished the year by lifting the Billie Jean King Trophy at the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen and as the WTA Year-End World No.1.
Tyzzer serves as a Gold Member of the WTA Coach Program, taking part in numerous panel discussions, conferences and media interviews throughout the year to promote and enhance women’s tennis.
Click here to read more on the 2019 WTA Tournament, Player and Coach Awards.
The annual WTA Player Awards, which highlight the top performers of the season and is voted on by members of the international media, will be announced on Wednesday, December 11.
