Australia’s newest Grand Slam champion and World No.6, US Open winner Samantha Stosur, leads the field of finalists for the second annual Newcombe Medal, to be staged at Crown Palladium on Monday, December 5.
Stosur was the inaugural winner in 2010, the first time the tennis community gathered to recognize not only the player of the year with the Newcombe Medal, but the entire tennis community through the Australian Tennis Awards.
Joining Stosur in contention for the Newcombe Medal are Wimbledon quarterfinalist, rising Davis Cup star and the only teenager in the ATP’s top 45 Bernard Tomic; Perth’s Matthew Ebden who broke through to reach the quarterfinals at the Shanghai Masters, and Jarmila Gajdosova who achieved a career-high ranking of 25 during 2011 after reaching the third round of Roland Garros and Wimbledon and shining in Fed Cup competition.
The Newcombe Medal, Australian Tennis Awards recognizes service to tennis at all levels – club, coaches, volunteers, community, officials and players. The evening’s top prize, the Newcombe Medal, is awarded to the year’s most elite player and is named in honor of Australian tennis legend John Newcombe.
Stosur commented, “Tennis is such an intrinsic part of our culture in Australia and it has a great history. Recognizing those who are doing their best for the sport, now and in the past, will only develop this rich history further.
“I was extremely honored to be the first winner of the Newcombe Medal in 2010 and I am looking forward to attending the event at Crown next week,” Stosur continued.
In 2011 the night will also feature a showcase of Australian entertainment.
Two of the many categories include:
Newcombe Medal Finalists: Matthew Ebden (WA), Jarmila Gajdosova (Vic), Samantha Stosur (Qld), Bernard Tomic (Qld)
Coaching Excellence – High Performance Finalists: Matthew Limpus (Qld), Anthony Richardson (Qld), David Taylor (NSW)
“DAILY TENNIS NEWS WIRE”
Topics: Newcombe Medal