- Kerber becomes the 12th player to ever achieve year-end No.1 ranking
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) {Formed by GLADYS Heldman} announced today that Germany’s Angelique Kerber has secured the 2016 WTA Year-End World No. 1 Singles Ranking, presented by Dubai Duty Free.
Since the inception of computer rankings in 1975, Kerber becomes the 12th WTA player to achieve the year-end No.1 ranking and only the second German woman after Stefanie Graf, who achieved this feat a WTA record of eight times in her career.
“Our congratulations to Angelique Kerber who is a worthy winner of the WTA year-end World No.1 singles ranking. Angelique has had a good year and won two major titles—the 2016 Australian Open and the 2016 US Open,” said Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice President & CEO, Dubai Duty Free. “We wish her well for the remainder of the season and look forward to seeing her play in Dubai in the near future, where she has many ardent fans.”
Kerber became the oldest player to make her debut at No.1 on September 12, 2016 at 28 years-old. She has held on to the top spot for six weeks and is ensured to claim the position as the top player for the rest of the year. Serena Williams has held the year-end No.1 ranking for the past three years.
“Angie is completing what has been a remarkable year and we are honored to have her represent the WTA as the 2016 Year-End No.1 presented by Dubai Duty Free,” stated Steve Simon, WTA CEO. “Winning two Grand Slam titles, ascending as the No.1 player and holding a remarkable record all season long is a true testament to Angie’s hard work and dedication to the sport. We look forward to watching Angie continue her journey as the leading player on the WTA and the world.”
“It is a great honor and achievement to finish the year as the No.1 player in the world,” said Angelique Kerber. “This is one of the things I’ve always been dreaming of – to become No.1. I have worked extremely hard to become the best player I can be and this is a reflection of that effort and the wonderful year I have had.”
Kerber began the season by claiming her maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in her first major final. She then successfully defended her title at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, advanced to the Wimbledon final, captured a silver medal in singles at the Rio Olympics, and claimed her second Grand Slam title at the US Open while taking over as the World No.1 for the first time in her career. She also holds the 2016 record for seven WTA final round appearances.
Kerber leads the WTA for most main draw match wins this season, at 59-17, and her other highlights include reaching two finals at the Brisbane International and the Western & Southern Open – Cincinnati and the semifinals at the Miami Open, Volvo Car Open – Charleston and Rogers Cup – Montreal.
The Year-End No.1 trophy will be presented to Kerber by a representative of Dubai Duty Free at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, where the German will be the No.1 seed in her fourth appearance at the year-end finale.
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Topics: 10sballs.com, Angelique Kerber, Dubai Duty Free, Tennis News, Wta, WTA Finals Singapore