Decade's Best: Players of the 2010's, #31-50

Well, a season's worth of "Decade's Best" yearly slam recaps (40 in all) and player nominations (168, so far) has finally come to this -- the first installment in the countdown of Backspin's "Fab 50" players of the 2010's (well, *technically* it's more like 55... so, shhh -- don't tell anyone).




First off, there's one final cut to reach the final fifty *entries* for this list, and all three (four, technically) are players who come up just short of following up a Top 25 finish for 2000-09 with an inclusion in the Top 50 for the 2010's, as well. Seven women *do* make that cross-decade leap, though. So, here are (essentially) #'s 51-53... well, 54, or maybe 55 (I'll explain):


Liezel Huber/Lisa Raymond, USA/USA - both women reached doubles #1 in the 2000's. They teamed with *other* partners in the 2010's -- Huber reached slams finals with Cara Black and Nadia Petrova, for instance -- but had their best results in the final chapters of their careers playing alongside one another. They won the U.S. Open and the WTAF in 2011, and played in (but lost) the Bronze match at the '12 Olympics. Huber picked up her second career Mixed crown at the U.S. Open in 2010 (and reached two other MX finals) to give her seven career slam titles (w/ 5 WD), and finished in the Top 10 from 2010-12 for a run of eleven such finishes in twelve years. Raymond reached two other WD slam finals, and won the '12 Wimbledon MX (her overall 11th slam win - 6 WD/5 MX). Her six straight Top 10 rankings wrapped with three straight to begin the decade. The duo were 9-5 in finals in the 2010's.

Cara Black, ZIM - the majority of Black's big-time results came in the 2000's (5 WD/3 MX slams), but the vet still managed to add a pair of Mixed crowns (both in 2010, the same season she reached the AO doubles final). A late career teaming with Sania Mirza got Black a third WTAF crown in '14, as well as a pair of high level Premier events (Tokyo/Beijing) in '13 (giving her 17 in her career) that helped her take home 9 of her 60 career WD titles during the decade.

Jelena Jankovic, SRB - a former #1 and slam finalist in the 2000's, Jankovic's fortunes gradually turned downward over the course of the 2010's even as her personality remained front and center for much of the decade (until she eventually up and disappeared sometime in '17). Still, she had two Top 10 seasons (2010/13), a slam semi ('10 RG) and reached five high Premier finals (going 1-4, winning only in Indian Wells in '10). Overall, 20 of JJ's 50 career Top 10 wins came in the decade, during which she was 4-10 in finals.


As things turned out, one more possible "addition" has been made to the nomination list, as well as a potential late riser threatening to do the same. Or, to be accurate, two previously eliminated singles nominees have been (for the purposes of this moment) unofficially combined to form a final "doubles duo-plus" entry, while a decade-closing career-best achievement could also open the door for a singles star. As of now, though, none will finish in the "Fab 50."


Elise Mertens/Aryna Sabalenka, BEL/BLR - while both had their moments in singles in the latter stages of the decade -- with Mertens reaching a slam semi ('18 AO), and Sabalenka the Top 10 (2019) and a Fed Cup final (2017) -- their coming together as a doubles duo in the final year of the 2010's upstaged all the rest. In 2019, the duo pulled off a "Sunshine Double" WD sweep of Indian Wells and Miami, then closed out the slam season with a U.S. Open title run. A small sample size, for sure, but one far too successful in the short term to overlook entirely.

Belinda Bencic, SUI - following in the footsteps of fellow Swiss Martina Hingis (and even coached by her mother, Melanie Molitor), Bencic was a junior star, winning the '13 girls titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. After climbing close to the Top 10 by 2015, injuries dragged her back down for much of the next two-plus years. Late in the decade, Bencic regained her footing, reached the Top 10 and posted her first slam semifinal result at the '19 U.S. Open. She produced two of the best single event performances of the decades, getting four Top 10 wins each while taking Premier 5 titles in Toronto (2015) and Dubai (2019). Bencic had over 20 Top 10 wins in the decade, including double-digit victories in her '19 campaign alone, and has recorded four wins over world #1's.


Both could still close out the decade by also adding the '19 WTA Finals title to their haul, meaning one or both could either knock someone off the "Fab 50" list, or be officially included as an "Honorable Mention" addition if either or both pull off the feat.

[NOTE: Mertens/Sabalenka were eliminated at the WTAF rr, and Bencic lost in the singles semis]

Actually, Mertens/Sabalenka and Bencic join few of the already-Fab-50-with-a-shot-to-rise-even-higher players on this list who have potential "unfinished business" remaining on the table for this decade, as the individuals either (at the time of this post) remain alive for a final big final/title at the season-ending WTAF or will take part in the upcoming last Fed Cup final (AUS vs. FRA) to take place under the (still current for a week or so) format. Any successful closing flourishes *could* bump those players up a notch or two in the final rankings, as well.

The first group of final "Fab 50" listees includes quite a few of the players who shined brightly for (sometimes) just one *huge* result, or whose major qualifying activities took place either in the early phase or in the eleventh hour of the decade. For many, overall inconsistency prevented them from rising still higher, while the versatility of others (i.e. Fed Cup heroics, and/or WD/MX results, for players who might otherwise have been left off entirely if they were viewed as strictly a *singles* player) perhaps helped them finish a new spots higher than they might have otherwise (or some may think they *should*).




#50 - Katarina Srebotnik, SLO
...the Slovenian vet's singles career didn't make the leap to the 2010's, but she continued her doubles success into a third decade. She finally won her first slam WD title ('11 Wimbledon) after having previously gone 0-4 in such slam finals, including a runner-up in Paris in 2010. She additionally picked up a pair of Mixed majors ('10 RG, '11 AO) in three final appearances after posting a 3-5 mark in MX finals in the 2000's. Her five career MX slams are tied for fifth most in the Open era. Srebotnik has collected 39 WTA doubles crowns (behind only Sania Mirza among active women as the decade comes to a close), picking up three in the 1990's, and 18 each in the 2000's and 2010's. Reaching the #1 doubles ranking in 2011, she had four Top 10 seasons during the decade.

#49 - Gisela Dulko, ARG
...the 2011 Australian Open doubles champ (and U.S. MX finalist), Dulko had something of a "monster" season in 2010 before finishing up her career at the end of '12. That year, the Argentine won high-level Premier WD titles in Miami, Rome and Montreal (and reached finals in Madrid and Wuhan) -- all w/ Flavia Pennetta -- while winning eight titles (in ten finals), including the WTAF, and reaching #1 in November. She won her final singles title in 2011 (ending up 4-4 in finals for her career, 1-1 in the decade)

#48 - Dominika Cibulkova, SVK
...a 2014 Australian Open finalist, and '16 WTA Finals champ, Cibulkova often outhit the significant size difference between herself and her opponents. Climbing to a career high of #4 in '17, the sometimes-ferocious Slovak won eight titles (in 19 finals) during the decade while recording 30 of her 35 career Top 10 wins, including four over world #1's. In 2016, Cibulkova reached a career-best six finals (3-3), posting runner-up results in big Premier events in Madrid and Wuhan, before closing out her career season (despite a 1-2 round robin record) with a victory in the WTA Finals championship match over that season's top player, Angelique Kerber.

#47 - Vania King/Yaroslava Shvedova, USA/KAZ
...early in the decade, King/Shvedova was one of the most dependable doubles duos around. They teamed to win the U.S. Open and Wimbledon in 2010, and reached the finals of the U.S. again a year later, as well as in Rome (L) and Cincinnati (W) that season. In singles, King reached a pair of finals (0-2), while Shvedova did so once (0-1) while also posting three slam QF and a pulling off the only "Golden Set" (winning all 24 points in a love set) in women's slam MD history at Wimbledon in '12 vs. Sara Errani. The Kazakh reached three more slam WD finals with other partners in the 2010's, as well as having a Roland Garros MX runner-up finish in '10.

#46 - Timea Babos, HUN
...a junior star at the start of the decade (she won three quarters of the Junior Doubles Slam in '10, playing in the finals of all four majors) and reached girls #2. While her singles success has been spotty, she reached doubles #1 in 2018, won back-to-back WTAF crowns (2017-18) and two doubles slams (playing in the finals of all four majors, going 2-4), as well as reaching a pair of MX finals and going 2-5 in Premier Mandatory/5 finals. She added three tour-level singles titles along the way. NOTE: still alive in WTAF

UPDATE: Babos became first player since 1998 to win a third stragith WTAF doubles crown.

#45 - Marion Bartoli, FRA
...the unorthodox (and streaky) French woman hit the jackpot at Wimbledon in 2013, taking advantage of an upset-laden fortnight to snatch her only slam crown in her second major final appearance (w/ '07 SW19), then only played a handful of additional matches before announcing her retirement. Still, she recorded four Top 16 finishes (including #9 in '11) during the decade, reaching the Roland Garros semis in 2011 and Indian Wells final that same season. All ten of her Top 10 wins in the 2010's came over former slam champions.

#44 - CoCo Vandeweghe, USA
...Vandeweghe's decade was marked by early inconsistency and late injury issues that cost her the chance to appropriately follow-up her well-earned success. While she only won two singles titles in the decade, she recorded sixteen Top 10 wins and briefly became a legitimate star. After making a name for herself in a testy match vs. Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon in 2015, the following season Vandeweghe appeared in two MX slam as well as the Indian Wells and Cincinnati WD finals (winning the former). In 2017, she led the U.S. Fed Cup team to its first title in 17 years (becoming the first to go 8-0 in a single FC year since the competition format was established in 2005), and reached a pair of slam singles semis (AO/U.S.) en route to a Top 10 season (she's never finished higher than #37 in any other year). In 2018, she won (w/ Ash Barty) doubles crowns in Miami and at the U.S. Open while also helping the U.S. return to another FC final. Vandeweghe won thirteen straight FC singles/doubles matches between 2015-18.

#43 - Vera Zvonareva, RUS
...the best stretch of the Russian's career came between 2008-11. In the early part of this decade, she climbed as high as #2 (2010) and reached the Wimbledon and U.S. Open singles finals that same season. A 2011 Australian Open semi followed, as well as an AO WD win with Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2012. Zvonareva reached 2010-11 high-level Premier singles finals in Montreal, Beijing and Tokyo. Extended breaks due to injuries, marriage and motherhood contributed to limiting her to just eight slam singles MD appearances between 2012-19. But in her mid-30's Zvonareva staged a late-decade comeback that saw her win her first tour-level titles (three WD in 2018-19) since '12, record her first Top 10 win in six years in '17, and return to the Top 100 in '19.

#42 - Bianca Andreescu, CAN
...much of the Canadian's work in the decade took place in junior competition, during which she won the Australian Open and Roland Garros girls doubles titles in '17. Come 2019, she'd rip off one of the best single season performances of the decade (even while missing essentially the entire clay and grass seasons with a shoulder injury). Finally having overcome her *previous* issues with injury, the teenager's multi-faceted game claimed big Premier wins in Indian Wells and in her hometown event in Toronto, then she extended her career-opening win streak vs. Top 10 players to eight matches during a stretch that saw the 19-year old take the U.S. Open by storm (def. Serena Williams in the slam final featuring the biggest age difference in tour history) to become the maiden Canadian slam champ and the only under-20 winner major winner of the 2010's. While still having not played her first *full* season on the WTA tour, Andreescu ends the decade as a Top 10 player already viewed as one of the most dangerous, strong-willed forces in the sport.

#41 - Alona Ostapenko, LAT
...before other members of Generation PDQ grabbed early-career slam titles, it was the (barely, by just two days) 20-year old Ostapenko's exciting Roland Garros championship run in 2017 that established the template that inspired the onslaught of young major winners in the decade's final two seasons. The first Latvian to reach the Top 10 and win a major, Ostapenko had already announced herself as a future threat as a junior, winning the Wimbledon girls crown in 2014, then reaching a Premier 5 final in Doha early in her pro career in '16. But while Ostapenko's laser-like power shots were often an overwhelming force, her battles with consistency (and an oft-troubling service game) would prove to be her undoing *after* her RG title run. Despite a Premier Mandatory final run in Miami (2018), and a semifinal at Wimbledon a few months later, she eventually fell out of the Top 50 by the end of '19 before closing out the decade with a title run (her third tour-level crown) in Luxembourg. Ostapenko recorded ten Top 10 wins, joined with Anastasija Sevastova to make Latvia a Fed Cup nation to contend with, won three WD titles, and in '19 reached the Wimbledon MX final.

#40 - Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE
...a superior doubles duo as juniors, the Czechs swept the Roland Garros, Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles in 2013 (while Krejcikova was also the girls doubles RU in Australia), they reunited as a top tour-level pair late in the decade. In 2018, they won back-to-back slams in Paris and London en route to taking over the #1 ranking. They also won a big Premier title in Toronto, and reached the WTAF, Miami and Indian Wells finals. Krejcikova picked up the AO mixed crown in 2019.

#39 - Peng Shuai, CHN
...arguably the most successful Chinese player ever not named Li Na, the versatile Peng has been a Top 20 player in singles (at the '14 U.S. Open she was the third player from China, after Li and Zheng Jie, to reach a slam semi) and the #1-ranked player in doubles (also 2014). Teaming with Hsieh Su-wei, Peng won a pair of slam titles ('13 Wimbledon/'14 RG) and reached two WTAF finals (going 1-1 in 2013-14). Six high high-level Premier crowns came alongside Hsieh, Zheng and Andrea Hlavackova (she reached the '17 AO final with the latter). Along with her 17 doubles titles in the decade came a pair of singles wins in 2016-17 after she'd dropped her first six tour finals between 2006-14.

#38 - Andrea Hlavackova/Lucie Hradecka, CZE/CZE
...despite multiple break-ups in their partnership, the Czechs were one of the most consistent winners of all the doubles duos in the 2010's. Two-time slam champs ('11 RG, '13 US), they reached five major finals, won a Premier Mandatory crown and Olympic Silver medal in '12 (and played in the Bronze match in '16) while winning ten tour-level titles together in the decade. Apart from their work as a twosome, Hradecka was a part of five of the Czech Republic's Fed Cup titles (Hlavackova-2), won two more Premier Mandatory crowns with different partners, reached the '17 U.S. Open WD final (w/ NextGen Czech Siniakova), won the MX at Roland Garros (2013) and Olympic MX Bronze in '16. She even reached four WTA finals in singles (though her 0-4 mark leaves her at 0-7 in her career). Meanwhile, Hlavackova won two other PM's and a WTAF title with three different partners, reached the '17 AO doubles final (w/ Peng), and claimed the '13 MX at Flushing Meadows. She also reached a singles final (a loss).

#37 - Latisha Chan, TPE
...Chan claimed a total of 25 WTA doubles titles in the decade, winning 14 with her sister Hao-Ching (they're second in tour history behind the Williamses for titles won by an all-sister duo) and teaming with Martina Hingis (in the Hall of Famer's farewell season) in a star-making '17 campaign in which she reached doubles #1 and the duo picked up ten titles, including the U.S. Open. Chan won eight Premier Mandatory/5 crowns (6 w/ Hingis in '17 alone), reached the '15 Australian Open WD final (w/ Zheng Jie) and claimed three MX slams alongside Ivan Dodig in 2018-19.

#36 - Hsieh Su-wei, TPE
...while a big-time doubles achiever throughout the decade, Hsieh's nonconformist, headache-inducing (for opponents) singles game heavy on slices, drops, lobs and angles sparked after her 30th birthday. Hsieh reached the doubles #1 ranking in '14, becoming the first Taiwanese woman to do so, and won three major titles, a WTA Finals and seven Premier Mandatory/5 crowns between 2013-19. After two early WTA singles titles in '12 (a season later, she was the first TPE player to reach the Top 25), she won a third six years later, posted a pair of career-best tying Round of 16 results at the AO and Wimbledon in '18 and collected all ten of her career Top 10 wins in 2017-19 from age 31-33. NOTE: still alive in WTAF

UPDATE: Hsieh lost in WTAF WD final.

#35 - Barbora Strycova, CZE
...the Czechs' "secret weapon" in Fed Cup play, Strycova was part of six title-winning teams. She was a solid doubles performer throughout the 2010's, winning six high level Premier crowns (3 w/ Hsieh) and reaching four other finals in such events, winning a '16 Olympic Bronze (w/ Safarova) and 22 overall titles. In 2019, she grabbed her maiden career slam crown (again w/ Hsieh) at Wimbledon, the same major at which she reached her first slam singles semifinal. Her late-blooming solo success followed a successful junior career in the early 2000's (1-2 in GS finals in 2002-03), as after turning 30 in '16 Strycova won her first WS title in six years in '17, had her five best slam singles results from 2016-19, and reached a career high of #16. NOTE: still alive in WTAF

UPDATE: Strycova lost in WTAF WD final.

#34 - Sloane Stephens, USA
...super-talented but with sometimes-questionable focus and consistency, Stephens' decade/career was made in 2017 when she returned from early season ankle surgery to put together one of the most remarkable summer runs in tour history as she went from #957 to #17 in six weeks time, topping things off by winning the U.S. Open. She reached #3 in '18, won in Miami and reached the finals of Roland Garros and the WTAF. Her long-awaited success in New York came after a banner junior career (especially in doubles, as she won RG-WI-US titles consecutively in '10) and an early-career slam run that saw her reach at least the Round of 16 at six straight majors in 2013-14, including a semi in Melbourne. Stephens won her first six singles finals on tour, recording seventeen Top 10 wins in the decade while having three Top 15 seasons, climbing as high as #3 at one point.

#33 - Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
...while Mladenovic's athletic singles game showed promise in the decade, producing two slam QF, a Premier Mandatory final (Madrid), fifteen Top 10 wins, and a Top 10 ranking (2017), the Pastry's lack of "finishing" results (1-7 in finals, 31-35 in slam MD) and a steep late-decade slump prove to cast her as more of a *versatile* player than a successful solo one. Fortunately for Mladenovic, her doubles and Fed Cup prowess were more than enough to solidify hers as a significant presence on tour during the decade. She was part of two French Fed Cup finalist teams in 2016 and '19 (the latter tie still to be played), notably teaming with Caroline Garcia to win multiple clinching doubles matches en route, and essentially put the team on her back when Garcia didn't participate in 2017-18 (an act for which Kiki publicly attacked her former-and-future teammate's patriotism, after having also questioned her intelligence when Garcia ended their doubles partnership the season after the pair won RG in '16). In all, Mladenovic won 21 women's doubles titles, going 3-4 in slam doubles finals (winning two majors in 2018-19 w/ Timea Babos, with whom she also won a WTAF crown) and 2-2 in Mixed for a combined 115-42 slam WD/MX mark. She reached doubles #1 in 2019. NOTE: still alive in WTAF and the Fed Cup final

UPDATE: Mladenovic successfully defended WTAF title w/ Babos.

#32 - Naomi Osaka, JPN
...armed with a Williams-esque power game, Osaka was the breakout star of the WTA in the final two years of the decade. The previously lethal-but-inconsistent (3rd Rd. or better in 8 of her first 10 majors, but prone to frustrating extended error-strewn stretches), she followed up her breakthrough Indian Wells title run in '18 by becoming the first Japanese singles slam champ by domination the field at the U.S. Open, including Serena Williams in (what else?) a controversial final that nearly spoiled her coming out party on the sport's biggest stage. While living with a newly-heightened level of expectation, Osaka then opened '19 by winning the Australian Open, making her the first player to follow up her maiden slam win with another title in her *next* major since 2001 (Capriati). After later that season becoming the first player from Japan to reach #1, she closed out the decade by improving her career record in tour finals to 5-2 with a pair or Premier wins (in Osaka and Beijing) during the 2010's final Asian swing. Starting with the '17 U.S. Open win over Angelique Kerber, she posted eleven Top 10 wins in the decade.

#31 - Francesca Schiavone, ITA
...forever and always a hard working and excitable battler, Schiavone carved out an historic place for her career during the 2010's, participating in some of the longest and most dramatic matches and with her surprise maiden slam title at Roland Garros in 2010 (the decade's second major) establishing an early template for several soon-to-develop trends in what was an unpredictable era of major champions. While she was the first, Schiavone was followed by fifteen more maiden slam winners in the span, a group of women who ran the gamut from late-blooming achievers such as her herself to the decade's only teen champ in the 40th and final major event contested. At 29, Schiavone was the oldest first-time major winner in the Open era (a mark surpassed by countrywoman Flavia Pennetta five years later). In all, eight of the eleven oldest first-time slam champs in tour history were crowned in the 2010's, as were seven of the eight players who appeared in the most major main draws before winning their maiden slam (Schiavone won in her 39th). Additionally, six of the seven oldest Open era slam champs won majors during the decade. No Italian woman had even reached a slam singles final before Schiavone's '10 run, which she backed up with a runner-up result in Paris a year later. Three of her countrywoman -- Pennetta, Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci -- soon followed in her footsteps. The "Italian Quartet" spearheaded a dominant Fed Cup run that stretched over the late 2000's and into the 2010's, producing four titles. Schiavone was part of her third FC championship in 2010. She won six tour-level singles titles during the decade (going 6-2 in finals), climbed as high as #4 in the rankings (2011), and played in sixty-one straight slam MD (and 70 of 71 from 2000-18).




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31. Francesca Schiavone, ITA
32. Naomi Osaka, JPN
33. Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
34. Sloane Stephens, USA
35. Barbora Strycova, CZE
36. Hsieh Su-wei, TPE
37. Latisha Chan, TPE
38. Andrea Hlavackova/Lucie Hradecka, CZE
39. Peng Shuai, CHN
40. Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova, CZE
41. Alona Ostapenko, LAT
42. Bianca Andreescu, CAN
43. Vera Zvonareva, RUS
44. CoCo Vandeweghe, USA
45. Marion Bartoli, FRA
46. Timea Babos, HUN
47. Vania King/Yaroslava Shvedova, USA/KAZ
48. Dominika Cibulkova, SVK
49. Gisela Dulko, ARG
50. Katarina Srebotnik, SLO


Here are the remaining 30 entries on the countdown list:

Victoria Azarenka, BLR
Ash Barty, AUS
Kim Clijsters, BEL
Diede de Groot, NED (wc)
Sara Errani, ITA
Jiske Griffioen, NED (wc)
Simona Halep, ROU
Martina Hingis, SUI
Yui Kamiji, JPN (wc)
Angelique Kerber, GER
Petra Kvitova, CZE
Li Na, CHN
Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina, RUS/RUS
Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA
Sania Mirza, IND
Garbine Muguruza, ESP
Flavia Pennetta, ITA
Karolina Pliskova, CZE
Aga Radwanska, POL
Lucie Safarova, CZE
Maria Sharapova, RUS
Samantha Stosur, AUS
Elina Svitolina, UKR
Aniek Van Koot, NED (wc)
Esther Vergeer, NED (wc)
Roberta Vinci, ITA
Jordanne Whiley, GBR (wc)
Serena Williams, USA
Venus Williams, USA
Caroline Wozniacki, DEN




*BACKSPIN'S non-"Fab 50" 2010-19 HONOR ROLL (to 168)* #
Akgul Amanmuradova, UZB
Amanda Anisimova, USA
Shuko Aoyama, JPN
Raquel Atawo, USA
Timea Bacsinszky, SUI
Irina-Camelia Begu, ROU
Belinda Bencic, SUI [as of now]
Iveta Benesova, CZE
Kiki Bertens, NED
Cara Black, ZIM
Genie Bouchard, CAN
Jennifer Brady, USA
Marjolein Buis, NED (wc)
Chan Chin-wei, TPE
Chan Hao-ching, TPE
Chuang Chia-jung, TPE
Danielle Collins, USA
Gaby Dabrowski, CAN
Harriet Dart, GBR
Kimiko Date, JPN
Casey Dellacqua, AUS
Elena Dementieva, RUS
Daniela Di Toro, AUS (wc)
Caroline Dolehide, USA
Duan Yingying, CHN
Vera Dushevina, RUS
Sabine Ellerbrock, GER (wc)
Marina Erakovic, NZL
Kirsten Flipkens, BEL
Jarmila Gajdosova (Wolfe; ex-Groth), AUS
Caroline Garcia, FRA
Margarita Gasparyan, RUS
Camila Giorgi, ITA
Julia Goerges, GER
Florence Gravellier, FRA (wc)
Anna-Lena Groenefeld, GER
Daniela Hantuchova, SVK
Justine Henin, BEL
Korie Homan, NED (wc)
Eri Hozumi, JPN
Liezel Huber, USA
Ana Ivanovic, SRB
Jelena Jankovic, SRB
Klaudia Jans-Ignacik, POL
Kaia Kanepi, EST
Dasha Kasatkina, RUS
Miyu Kato, JPN
Madison Keys, USA
Maria Kirilenko, RUS
Andreja Klepac, SLO
Ana Konjuh, CRO
Johanna Konta, GBR
Michaella Krajicek, NED
Luksika Kumkhum, THA
Viktoria Kuzmova, SVK
Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
Johanna Larsson, SWE
Varvara Lepchenko, USA
Sabine Lisicki, GER
Nuria Llagostera-Vives, ESP
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, CRO
Petra Martic, CRO
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, ESP
Christina McHale, USA
Anabel Medina-Garrigues, ESP
Nicole Melichar, USA
Elise Mertens, BEL
Karolina Muchova, CZE
Monica Niculescu, ROU
Makoto Ninomiya, JPN
Melanie Oudin, USA
Tamira Paszek, AUT
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS
Teliana Pereira, BRA
Kveta Peschke, CZE
Andrea Petkovic, GER
Nadia Petrova, RUS
Tsvetana Pironkova, BUL
Monica Puig, PUR
Yulia Putintseva, KAZ
Lisa Raymond, USA
Alison Riske, USA
Laura Robson, GBR
Anastasia Rodionova, RUS
Shelby Rogers, USA
Alicja Rosolska, POL
Magdalena Rybarikova, SVK
Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
Aliaksandra Sasnovich, BLR
Chanelle Scheepers, RSA
Demi Schuurs, NED
Anastasija Sevastova, LAT
Astra Sharma, AUS
Lucy Shuker, GBR (wc)
Laura Siegemund, GER
Abigail Spears, USA
Rennae Stubbs, AUS
Carla Suarez-Navarro, ESP
Aldila Sutjiadi, INA
Tamarine Tanasugarn, THA
Taylor Townsend, USA
Lesia Tsurenko, UKR
Alison Van Uytvanck, BEL
Donna Vekic, CRO
Marketa Vondrousova, CZE
Galina Voskoboeva, KAZ
Sharon Walraven, NED (wc)
Wang Qiang, CHN
Heather Watson, GBR
Xu Yifan, CHN
Yang Zhaoxuan, CHN
Zhang Shuai, CHN
Zheng Jie, CHN
Zheng Saisai, CHN
--
# - complete nomination list to date





*FED CUP PLAYERS*
1.Petra Kvitova, CZE
2.Flavia Pennetta, ITA
3.Karolina Pliskova, CZE
4.CoCo Vandeweghe, USA
5.Kiki Bertens, NED
6t.Roberta Vinci, ITA & Sara Errani, ITA
7.Ash Barty, USA #
8t.Caroline Garcia, FRA # & Kristina Mladenovic, FRA #
9.Barbora Strycova, CZE
10.Ekaterina Makarova, RUS
HM-Aliaksandra Sasnovich, BLR
Special Mention: Aleksandra Krunic, SRB
-
# - to play 2019 final
[captains]
1.Petr Pala, CZE
2.Kathy Rinaldi, USA
3.Corrado Barazzutti, ITA
4.Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
5.Julien Benneteau, FRA
HM-Paul Haarhuis, NED
[nations]
1.Czech Republic - 6 titles (2011-12,14-16,18), 3 semis
2.Italy - 2 titles (2010,13), 3 semis
3t.France - 2 finals, 2 semis #
3t.United States - 1 title (2017), 2 finals
5.Russia - 3 finals, 2 semis
6t.Australia - 1 final, 1 semi #
6t.Belarus - 1 final, 1 semi
8.Germany - 1 final, 2 semis
9.Netherlands - 1 semi
10.Romania - 1 semi
HM-Switzerland (2 semis) & Serbia (1 final)
-
# - to play 2019 final

*TOP OLYMPIANS*
1.Serena Williams, USA - 2012 singles/doubles Golds
2.Monica Puig, PUR - 2016 singles Gold
3.Victoria Azarenka, BLR - 2012 singles Bronze, 2012 mixed Gold
4.Venus Williams, USA - 2012 doubles Gold, 2016 mixed Silver
5.Lucie Hradecka, CZE - 2012 doubles Silver, 2016 mixed Bronze
6.Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA - 2016 mixed Gold
7.Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina, RUS - 2016 doubles Gold
8.Maria Sharapova, RUS - 2012 singles Silver
9.Angelique Kerber, GER - 2016 singles Silver
10.Timea Bacsinszky/Martina Hingis, SUI (2016 doubles Silver)
HM-Petra Kvitova, CZE (2016 singles Bronze) & Laura Robson, GBR (2012 mixed Silver)

*NCAA CHAMPIONS*
1.Nicole Gibbs, Stanford (USA) - 2011-12 singles
2.Danielle Collins, Virginia (USA) - 2014 and '16 singles
HM-Brienne Minor, Michigan (USA) - 2017 singles; first African-American NCAA WS champ

*TOP TEAMS*
[World Team Tennis]
1.Washington Castles - 2011-15 champions (2011-12 undefeated seasons)
2.Springfield Lasers - 2018-19 champions
[Hopman Cup]
1.Switzerland (Belinda Bencic/Roger Federer) - 2018-19 champions
2.Australia Green (Dasha Gavrilova/Nick Kyrgios) - 2016 champs; first AUS since '99
[Wheelchair World Team Cup]
1.Netherlands - 2010-16,18-19 champions
2.China - 2017 champions
[Junior Fed Cup 16s]
1.United States - 5 titles, 2 runners-up
2.Czech Republic - 1 title, 1 runner-up
3.Russia - 2 titles, 1 runner-up
[ITF World Junior 14s]
1.United States - 3 titles, 4 runners-up
2.Russia - 3 titles, 1 runner-up
3.Ukraine - 1 titles, 3 runners-up
[NCAA]
1.Stanford Cardinal - 2010,16,18-19 champions
2.Florida Gators - 2011-12,17 champions


Categories to be cont'd...





=Australian Open 2010-19=
[Top 10]
1.Serena Williams, USA
2.Li Na, CHN
3.Victoria Azarenka, BLR
4.Angelique Kerber, GER
5.Kim Clijsters, BEL
6.Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
7.Naomi Osaka, JPN
8.Maria Sharapova, RUS
9.Ekaterina Makarova, RUS
10.Aga Radwanska, POL
[Doubles]
1.Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA
2.Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Lucie Safarova, USA/CZE
3.Martina Hingis, SUI
4.Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
5.Svetlana Kuznetsova/Vera Zvonareva, RUS/RUS
HM-Serena Williams/Venus Williams, USA/USA
[Wheelchair]
1.Esther Vergeer, NED
2.Yui Kamiji, JPN
3.Diede de Groot, NED
4.Jiske Griffioen, NED
5.Aniek Van Koot, NED




=Roland Garros 2010-19=
[Top 10]
1.Serena Williams, USA
2.Maria Sharapova, RUS
3.Simona Halep, ROU
4.Garbine Muguruza, ESP
5.Francesca Schiavone, ITA
6.Samantha Stosur, AUS
7.Li Na, CHN
8.Sara Errani, ITA
9.Sloane Stephens, USA
10.Lucie Safarova, CZE
[Doubles]
1.Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA
2.Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
3.Mattek-Sands/Safarova, USA/CZE
4.Lucie Hradecka, CZE
5.Errani/Vinci, ITA/ITA
6.Latisha Chan, TPE
7.Hlavackova/Hradecka, CZE/CZE
8.Makarova/Vesnina, RUS/RUS
9.Sania Mirza, IND
10.Katarina Srebotnik, SLO
11.Gaby Dabrowski, CAN
12.Anna-Lena Groenefeld, GER
HM-Krejcikova/Siniakova, CZE/CZE
[Wheelchair]
1.Esther Vergeer, NED
2.Yui Kamiji, JPN
3.Jiske Griffioen, NED
4.Diede de Groot, NED
5.Marjolein Buis, NED




=Wimbledon 2010-19=
[Top 10]
1.Serena Williams, USA
2.Petra Kvitova, CZE
3.Angelique Kerber, GER
4.Garbine Muguruza, ESP
5.Aga Radwanska, POL
6.Sabine Lisicki, GER
7.Venus Williams, USA
8.Simona Halep, ROU
9.Marion Bartoli, FRA
10.Maria Sharapova, RUS
[Doubles]
1.Martina Hingis, SUI
2.Serena Williams/Venus Williams, USA/USA
3. Hsieh Su-wei, TPE
4.Elena Vesnina, RUS
5.Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina, RUS/RUS
7.Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
8.Heather Watson, GBR
9.Timea Babos, HUN
10.Lisa Raymond, USA
HM-Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA
[Wheelchair]
1.Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley, JPN/GBR
2.Diede de Groot, NED
3.AnieK Van Koot, NED
4.Jiske Griffioen, NED
5.Esther Vergeer, NED




=U.S. Open 2010-19=
[Top 10]
1.Serena Williams, USA
2.Flavia Pennetta, ITA
3.Angelique Kerber, GER
4.Samantha Stosur, AUS
5.Kim Clijsters, BEL
6.Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
7.Victoria Azarenka, BLR
8t.Sloane Stephens, USA and Naomi Osaka, JPN
9.Roberta Vinci, ITA
10.Bianca Andreescu, CAN
[Doubles]
1.Martina Hingis, SUI
2.Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA
3.Liezel Huber, USA
4.Sania Mirza, IND
5.Vania King/Yaroslava Shvedova, USA/KAZ
6.Ekaterina Makarova, RUS
7.Andrea Hlavackova/Lucie Hradecka, CZE/CZE
8.Ash Barty, AUS
9.Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA
10.Melanie Oudin, USA
[Wheelchair]
1.Esther Vergeer, NED
2.Diede de Groot, NED
3.Yui Kamiji, JPN
4.Aniek Van Koot, NED
5.Jordanne Whiley, GBR

1. Serena Williams, USA
2. Justine Henin, BEL
3. Maria Sharapova, RUS
4. Venus Williams, USA
5. Kim Clijsters, BEL
6. Jennifer Capriati, USA
7. Lindsay Davenport, USA
8. Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
9. Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
10. Cara Black, ZIM
11. Lisa Raymond, USA
12t. Virginia Ruano Pascual, ESP
12t. Paola Suarez, ARG
14. Rennae Stubbs, AUS
15. Elena Dementieva, RUS
16. Martina Hingis, SUI
17. Liezel Huber, RSA/USA
18. Mary Pierce, FRA
19. Dinara Safina, RUS
20. Daniela Hantuchova, SVK
21. Ana Ivanovic, SRB
22. Jelena Jankovic, SRB
23. Ai Sugiyama, JPN
24. Anastasia Myskina, RUS
25. Patty Schnyder, SUI
HONORABLE MENTION- Martina Navratilova, USA

*TOP PERFORMANCE*
Serena Williams' "Serena Slam" (2002-03)

[Tournament]
Justine Henin-Hardenne, 2004 Athens Olympics
[Weekend]
Justine Henin, 2003 U.S. Open (SF-def. Capriati, Final-def. Clijsters)
[Team]
Russia wins four Fed Cup titles (2004-05, 2007-08)
[Misc.]
Russians sweep Beijing '08 Olympics Medal stand (Dementieva-Safina-Zvonareva)

*TOP DOUBLES TEAMS*
1. Serena Williams/Venus Williams, USA
2. Virginia Ruano Pascual/Paola Suarez, ESP/ARG
3. Cara Black/Liezel Huber, ZIM/RSA-USA
HM- Lisa Raymond/Rennae Stubbs, USA/AUS

*TOP*
[Junior]
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS
[Breakout]
Maria Sharapova wins Wimbledon (2004)
[Comeback]
Jennifer Capriati (2001)
[Adopted Technology]
Instant Replay review

*MATCHES OF THE DECADE*
2001 Roland Garros Final - Capriati def. Clijsters
...1-6/6-4/12-10. So what if it was the only three-set RG final this decade. It was the most dramatic, historic match. Period.
=============================
2003 U.S. Open SF - Henin def. Capriati
...4-6/7-5/7-6. The legend of La Petit Taureau is born.
=============================

*BEST*
[Story]
The Williams Sisters
[Unlikely Tennis Power]
Belgium
[Revolution]
Russian

*Ms. Backspin of the 2000's*
THE Serena Williams


All for now.