Roger Federer and Amelie Mauresmo Named 2006 TENNIS Magazine Players of the Year
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12/20/06 - Roger Federer and Amelie Mauresmo have been named the 2006 Male and Female Players of the Year by TENNIS Magazine in its January/February issue (out December 26). According to the editors, Federer “put together another historic year,” capturing three majors and compiling a 85-5 record, while Mauresmo, the Australian Open and Wimbledon women’s champ, finally broke through the Grand Slam wall. The issue features a revealing Q&A with each champion.
When asked how successful he thought he’d be on tour once turning pro, Federer, named the magazine’s Men’s Player of the Year for a third straight time, tells TENNIS, “I was hoping to become good. The dream was obviously to play Wimbledon, but I never thought I would be as good as this and dominate the sport. You can dream of winning one Grand Slam, if you are lucky. But to play so well – I never thought it was possible.”
At 25, Federer is just six Grand Slam titles away from surpassing Peter Sampras’ record of 14. After winning this year’s U.S. Open, Sampras sent Federer a congratulatory text message. “Three days later, he called me and asked if I received the message, Federer tells TENNIS. “I said yes; I would have answered anyway -- maybe I should have answered more quickly. He wanted to tell me how much he likes to watch me play, and so on. To hear this from him was something incredible for me, for one of my idols to call and tell me how happy he is for me. Pete said that I dominate the sport more than he used to at his time. It was a big compliment. It showed me that Sampras is pretty relaxed now. Records are there to be broken.”
When asked about chasing Sampras’ record, Federer tells the magazine, “I am much more interested in tennis history than ever before. But I don’t get crazy about it, like Tiger Woods. For him, all that counts is to beat Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 majors. I realized this when I met him. I am much more relaxed in this regard.”
Mauresmo, TENNIS Magazine’s Women’s Player of the Year, spent most of 2006 at the top of the rankings. In a game dominated by teenagers, at age 26, it’s been a long climb to the top for Mauresmo. Asked by TENNIS if she would trade that climb for winning majors as a teenager, she replied, “No, because I really enjoy winning much more now, knowing what I’ve done, what I’ve gone through. Making it the tough way makes the reward even bigger.”
The Year in Tennis
The January/February issue wraps up the year in tennis with a look at the most memorable people and events of 2006. While one of the biggest highlights of the year was Andre Agassi’s emotional exit from the sport, here are some other notable aces and faults of the last 12 months, according to the editors of TENNIS MAGAZINE:
BEST NEW INNOVATION: After two year of testing, instant-replay debuted in 2006. Players appreciated the chance to get bad calls overturned, while fans and commentators liked the system for its entertainment value and because players complained less.
WORST MOMENT: Tennis reached its low point in 2006 when Bjorn Borg, an 11-time Grand Slam champion announced in March that he was auctioning off his five Wimbledon trophies. But give Borg credit for listening to his [many] critics. “John [McEnroe] told me, ‘What the hell are you doing?’” he said, and in April, after the blitz of attention, Borg bought the trophies back from the auction house.
BEST FASHION STATEMENT: There were plenty of fashion dos and don’ts this year, but no piece of clothing garnered as much commentary as the monogrammed faux smoking jacket that Roger Federer sported at Wimbledon.
WHERE ARE THE AMERICANS? Last year’s Wimbledon may be remembered as America’s tennis waterloo. For the first time since 1911, no U.S. player reached the quarterfinals. The last one standing? Shenay Perry, ranked No. 62, who was ousted in the fourth round. It was also the first time since the 1976 Australian Open that no U.S. player reached the quarters at a major.
COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Martina Hingis – Proving again that athletes who retire early always return, Hingis launched a well-received comeback following a three-year absence.
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER: Marcos Baghdatis – Before 2006, most tennis fans knew little of Baghdatis, or his homeland of Cyprus. But he quickly took center stage at the Australian Open, where he fought – and was cheered – all the way to the final. He started the season outside the Top 50 and reached the Top 10 before he had even won his first title. But the ranking surge was well-earned because the 21-year-old’s best performances came in Slams.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Sam Querrey – As the year began, Querrey was ranked No. 616 and expected to begin his college career at USC in the fall. But the 6-foot-6, 19-year-old, went pro instead. He jumped 480 spots in less than nine months, peaking at No. 134.
BEST MEN’S MATCH: Rafael Nadal over Roger Federer in the Rome final – For just over five hours, the world’s No.1 and 2 ranged all over the red dirt at the Foro Italico. They needed every inch of the court to track down each other’s heavy topspin forehands, diabolical drop shots, and high-kicking serves.
BEST WOMEN’S MATCH: Nadia Petrova over Justine Henin-Hardenne in the Berlin final -- The women’s match of the year took place the same day as the men’s. In the end, Petrova showed more grit than her famously tough opponent, winning a series of long deuce games that were filled with terrific shot-making and some of the most entertaining points of the season.
About Miller Publishing Group: MPG publishes TENNIS Magazine, SMASH. Magazine and the photo annual The Year in Pictures. TENNIS, published 10 times annually, is the world’s largest tennis title, with a circulation of more than 600,000. MPG also owns TENNIS.com, the world’s leading tennis website, plus SMASHtennis.com and the blog Peter Bodo’s TennisWorld (peterbodostennisworld.com).
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Doug Drotman
Drotman Communications
631-462-1198 (doug@drotmanpr.com)
