Voting opens for 2015 Fed Cup Heart Awards

The ITF today announced a shortlist of ten players to receive the first four Fed Cup Heart Awards of 2015. Awards will be presented in four categories based on performances in the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group and World Group II first round ties, and the three Zone Group I events at the beginning of February.

Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU), Kristina Mladenovic (FRA), Andrea Petkovic (GER) and Arantxa Rus (NED) have all been shortlisted for the World Group/World Group II award. Cagla Buyukakcay (TUR) and Ivana Jorovic (SRB) have been shortlisted for Europe/Africa; Veronica Cepede Royg (PAR) and Marcela Zacarias (MEX) for Americas; and Kurumi Nara (JPN) and Tamarine Tanasugarn (THA) for Asia/Oceania.

The players were shortlisted by the Heart Award judging panel, consisting of ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti and a mixture of former players and members of the international media. A public vote, running on 30 March – 3 April, is being held on FedCup.com and FedCup.com/es to decide the four winners, who will all receive a cheque to be donated to their chosen charity. The winners will be announced during the week of the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group semifinals and play-off ties on 18-19 April.

ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said: “The Fed Cup Heart Award is entering its seventh year and continues to recognise the outstanding contributions made by players to their country and the competition. Fed Cup by BNP Paribas celebrated its 50th birthday in 2013 in the ITF centenary year, and I would like to acknowledge the efforts of all the players during this time who have helped Fed Cup grow to enjoy the success that it does today.”

The Fed Cup Heart Award is an ITF initiative that was first presented to USA’s Melanie Oudin at the 2009 Fed Cup Final. It aims to recognise players who have represented their country with distinction, shown exceptional courage on court and demonstrated outstanding commitment to their team. A total of five players will be recognised in 2015. To cast your vote, visit the Fed Cup website

Fed Cup by BNP Paribas is the World Cup of Tennis. It is the largest annual international team competition in women’s sport, with 99 nations entered in 2015. The event celebrated its 50th birthday in 2013 in the ITF’s centenary year. The title sponsor is BNP Paribas, the Official Bank of Fed Cup. Adecco (Official HR Sponsor) is an international sponsor and beIN SPORTS is the Official Global Media Rights Partner. For the latest news, visit http://www.fedcup.com, http://www.fedcup.com/es, http://www.twitter.com/fedcup, http://www.facebook.com/FedCup, http://www.Weibo.com/fedcupofficial and http://www.fedcup.tv.

PLAYER INFORMATION

World Group / World Group II

Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU)
With Romania trailing Spain 2-1, defeated Silvia Soler-Espinosa, then partnered Monica Niculescu to victory over Anabel Medina Garrigues and Garbine Muguruza.

Kristina Mladenovic (FRA)
Brought into singles on the second day, defeated Sara Errani, then partnered Caroline Garcia to a deciding doubles victory over Errani and Roberta Vinci.

Andrea Petkovic (GER)
Scored dramatic three-set victories over Samantha Stosur and Jarmila Gajdosova to give Germany a 3-1 winning lead over Australia.

Arantxa Rus (NED)
Ranked No. 230, upset No. 50 Magdalena Rybarikova and No. 59 Anna Schmiedlova to help Netherlands defeat Slovakia.

Europe/Africa Zone Group I

Cagla Buyukakcay (TUR)
Won all three singles rubbers for Turkey, upsetting the higher-ranked Elina Svitolina and Heather Watson.

Ivana Jorovic (SRB)
Won all three singles rubbers on her debut as Serbia qualified for the World Group II play-offs.

Americas Zone Group I

Veronica Cepede Royg (PAR)
Won all seven singles and doubles rubbers as Paraguay qualified for the World Group II play-offs.

Marcela Zacarias (MEX)
Won all three singles rubbers as Mexico narrowly lost out to Paraguay for a place in the promotional play-offs.

Asia/Oceania Zone Group I

Kurumi Nara (JPN)
Led Japan’s qualification for the World Group II play-offs, defeating Yaroslava Shvedova in a dramatic promotional play-off singles rubber.

Tamarine Tanasugarn (THA)
At the age of 37, won four of her five singles and doubles rubbers for Thailand, and has now played 57 ties for her country.

VALUE OF CHEQUES

$10,000: World Group semifinals winner (x1)
$6,000: World Group / World Group II first round winner (x1)
$1,000: Zone Group I winners (x3)

JUDGING PANEL

Francesco Ricci Bitti (ITA), ITF President
Sabine Appelmans (BEL), former Fed Cup player/captain
Mercedes Paz (ARG), former Fed Cup player
Craig Gabriel (AUS), international journalist
Sandra Harwitt (USA), international journalist
Corinne Dubreuil (FRA), international photographer
Ray Giubilo (ITA), international photographer

Williams And Djokovic Named 2014 ITF World Champions

International Tennis Federation

The ITF announced today that Serena Williams of the United States and Novak Djokovic of Serbia are the 2014 ITF World Champions. Williams is named Women’s World Champion for the fifth time, while this is the fourth occasion that Djokovic has received the honour.

Americans Bob and Mike Bryan are named Men’s Doubles World Champions for the 11th time in 12 years, while Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci of Italy become Women’s Doubles World Champions for the third successive year.

Catherine “CiCi” Bellis of the United States and Russia’s Andrey Rublev are named ITF Junior World Champions, while the ITF Wheelchair World Champions are Japanese duo Yui Kamiji and Shingo Kunieda, who becomes men’s champion for the sixth time.

The ITF World Champions will receive their awards at the 2015 ITF World Champions Dinner on Tuesday 2 June, in Paris, during Roland Garros.

Serena Williams is named Women’s World Champion for the fifth occasion, after maintaining the No. 1 ranking throughout the year. The 33-year-old captured her 18th Grand Slam title at the US Open to equal the achievements of Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. She won six other titles during the year, including the season-ending WTA Finals. Williams is the oldest player ever to be named an ITF Singles World Champion.

Williams said: “I’m so honored to be named ITF World Champion for the fifth time. This was a year of challenges and triumphs, so to win another Grand Slam and retain my year-end No. 1 ranking is an accomplishment I’m very proud of. I’m grateful to have the support of the tennis community in every way possible. I can’t wait for 2015.”

Novak Djokovic becomes Men’s World Champion for the fourth time after reclaiming the No. 1 ranking in 2014. The 27-year-old won his seventh Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, and was also a finalist at Roland Garros and semifinalist at the US Open. He won a total of seven titles during the year including the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals. Djokovic is one of only four men to be named World Champion four or more times, alongside Ivan Lendl, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer.

Bob and Mike Bryan become Men’s Doubles World Champions for the 11th time after capturing their 16th Grand Slam title and 100th title overall at the 2014 US Open. They won a total of ten titles during the year, including the ATP World Tour Finals, taking their total career titles to 103. They were also runners-up at Wimbledon. The brothers now stand within two trophies of the record of wheelchair tennis star Esther Vergeer, who was named World Champion 13 times.

Mike Bryan said: “The 2014 season was one of our best seasons on tour and it’s one we’ll fondly remember for a lot of reasons. We look forward to the awards dinner in Paris and sharing the stage with all the other world champions.”

Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci are only the second pair to be named Women’s Doubles World Champions on three occasions. The Italians completed the career Grand Slam with their first victory at Wimbledon, and were also champions at the Australian Open and runners-up at Roland Garros. They won a total of five titles during the year and finished 2014 co-ranked No. 1 on the WTA doubles rankings.

Errani and Vinci said: “We are both really happy to be Women’s Doubles World Champions for the third consecutive year. It is a great pleasure and honour to have finished this year as number one in the doubles ranking again. Our goal for 2015 is to defend our Australian Open and Wimbledon titles.”

Francesco Ricci Bitti, photo credit ITF.com

ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said: “All of our World Champions have demonstrated great consistency at the top of the game in one of the strongest eras for our sport. Serena Williams is one of the toughest competitors of all-time, while Novak Djokovic’s performances at the biggest events make him a deserving winner. Bob and Mike Bryan’s remarkable achievement is a testament to their continued drive and determination, while Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci have shown the importance of teamwork both on and off court.”

The ITF’s selection of its senior World Champions is based on an objective system that considers all results during the year, but gives special weight to the Grand Slam tournaments, and two ITF international team competitions, Davis Cup by BNP Paribas and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas.

Catherine “CiCi” Bellis is the second American in three years to become ITF Girls World Champion, and is the youngest world champion since 2006. The 15-year-old won four singles title during the year, sealing the year-end No. 1 ranking at last week’s Orange Bowl. She also led the United States to victory in the Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, one year after being a member of the USA’s 14-and-under ITF World Junior Tennis winning team.

Bellis said: “It was my goal to be the year-end No. 1 from when I started playing in the juniors two years ago and I am ecstatic that I was able to reach this milestone as a 15-year-old. It is an honour to be in such great company with all of the amazing and legendary juniors before me.”

Andrey Rublev is the first Russian male in any category to be named ITF World Champion after achieving the year-end No. 1 boys’ junior ranking. The 17-year-old was the most consistent performer on the ITF Junior Circuit, winning his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, and capturing singles bronze and doubles silver at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing. He reached a total of five singles finals during the year, winning two titles.

Rublev said: “I am happy to finish this year as World Champion. I thank my family, coaches and team for all the support I was getting all the time. I also understand that this is just the first step and will do my best to score further victories.”

Shingo Kunieda becomes Men’s Wheelchair World Champion for the sixth time after retaining the year-end world No. 1 ranking. The 30-year-old only lost one match all year, winning 12 singles titles on the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour and boasting a 51-1 overall win-loss record. He won all three Grand Slam singles events, taking his total major titles to 17, and was also champion at the season-ending NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters.

Kunieda said: “I am very happy to be world champion six times. I played well this year and still feel I am improving my tennis. I’d like to thank my team and am already looking forward to next season.”

Yui Kamiji is named Women’s Wheelchair World Champion for the first time after dominating the Grand Slam tournaments. The 20-year-old captured her first two major titles at Roland Garros and the US Open, and was runner-up at the Australian Open. She also partnered Britain’s Jordanne Whiley to the women’s doubles Grand Slam. Kamiji won a total of eight singles titles during 2014 and is the first Asian woman to receive this honour.

Kamiji said: “2014 is definitely the year to remember in my career. I was proud to win my first two Grand Slam titles and reach the final of the Australian Open. It was also very special to achieve the doubles calendar Grand Slam and win the Doubles Masters with my best friend on tour Jordanne Whiley.”

ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said: “I would like to thank all the 2014 ITF World Champions for their contribution to another memorable year for our sport.”