- All four 2017 tournament winners reclaim the accolades they won in 2016
- Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova and Lucie Safarova repeat winners for Karen Krantzcke
- Sportsmanship Award and Peachy Kellmeyer Player Service Award
ST. PETERSBURG, FL, USA – The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) announced today the winners of the annual year-end tournament and player awards, as voted on by the players themselves.
The WTA Tournament of the Year Awards have received recognition from WTA players due to the excellence of their staff and organization, passionate fans, dedication to the sport and its athletes and much more.
The 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: Internazionali BNL d’Italia (Rome)
WTA Premier: Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (Stuttgart)
WTA International: Abierto Mexicano TELCEL presentado por HSBC (Acapulco)
Since the new format was introduced in 2014 for Tournaments of the Year, this becomes the fourth year in a row that Indian Wells, Stuttgart and Acapulco have been voted as winners in their respective categories. Meanwhile it is Rome’s second triumph in a row in the Premier 5 category.
Czech Republic’s Lucie Safarova has once again earned the Peachy Kellmeyer Player Service Award, while countrywoman Petra Kvitova again picked up the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award, both of which are voted for by their WTA athlete peers.
Lucie Safarova has claimed the Peachy Kellmeyer Player Service Award for the fourth consecutive year, recognizing the work she has done to support her fellow players, such as efforts made on the Player Council (which she has been a member of since 2009) and other initiatives on behalf of the general player population. This award has been voted on by players since 1977 and has recognized athletes including Kim Clijsters, Nicole Pratt, Francesca Schiavone, Pam Shriver and Venus Williams.
Safarova commented, “Once again, I am truly honored to win the Peachy Kellmeyer Player Service Award for the fourth time. It’s a very special feeling to be honored by your fellow players, and it makes me very happy.”
The second individual award winner, Petra Kvitova, also has a rich history with her accolade, having won the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award six out of the last seven years. This award highlights a 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.
“I know I have won this award several times, but this year is extra special for me because I missed the first half of the season,” said Kvitova. “We are fighters, we are opponents, but on the other hand we are colleagues as well. So for me, the biggest thing is respect.”
