The ITF announced today that Rafael Nadal (ESP) and Jelena Jankovic (SRB) are the 2008 ITF World Champions. This is the first time that either player has received this honour.
Nadal becomes the first Spanish man to be named Men’s World Champion, following his compatriot Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, who was Women’s World Champion in 1994. The 22-year-old from Mallorca crowned a dream year by securing the year-end No. 1 ranking following his fourth successive Roland Garros title and first triumph at Wimbledon. He also became Spain’s first Olympic tennis gold medallist, and helped his country win its third Davis Cup by BNP Paribas title.
Nadal said: "It has been an incredible year for me and I will never forget all that’s happened. To finish the year ranked No. 1 was really special. At the same time I was proud to win the Olympic gold medal, and help Spain regain the Davis Cup. It has been a wonderful year for Spanish sport, and I am happy to have been part of it.”
Jankovic becomes Serbia’s first Singles World Champion after securing the year-end No. 1 ranking in a standout year. She reached her first Grand Slam final at the US Open, and won more matches on the tour than any other player, capturing four titles in Rome, Beijing, Stuttgart and Moscow. The 23-year-old also represented her country at the Olympics and in Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, where she helped Serbia qualify for the World Group for the first time ever.
Jankovic said: "I am very proud of myself for all I have accomplished in 2008 and am delighted to be named ITF World Champion. I worked really hard this year and to finish No.1 is where I want to be and where I want to stay. It was also an honour to represent Serbia in the Beijing Olympics and I hope I can achieve further success for my country in Fed Cup."
The ITF’s selection of its World Champions is based on an objective system that considers not only performances at the Grand Slams, Olympic Games and respective tours, but also gives weight to performances in the two ITF international team competitions, Davis Cup by BNP Paribas and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, and the Olympic Games.
ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said: “Rafael Nadal and Jelena Jankovic both enjoyed breakthrough years in 2008. Both players are excellent ambassadors for their countries, for whom they have achieved considerable success both as individuals and in the ITF team competitions.”
The ITF also announced that Daniel Nestor (CAN) and Nenad Zimonjic (SRB), and Cara Black (ZIM) and Liezel Huber (USA) are the 2008 ITF Doubles World Champions.
Nestor and Zimonjic end Bob and Mike Bryan’s five-year reign as Men’s Doubles World Champions, with Nestor winning the award for the second time following his success with Mark Knowles in 2002. In their first full season together, the pair won five titles including Wimbledon and the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai. Their victory over the Bryans in the Shanghai final saw them finish the year as the No. 1-ranked team.
Black and Huber are Women’s Doubles Champions for the second successive year. The duo surpassed their 2007 effort by capturing ten titles during the year, including the US Open and the season-ending championships. For the second year running Black and Huber ended the year co-ranked world No. 1 in the individual doubles rankings. Huber also made her Fed Cup and Olympic debut for the United States, having formerly represented her home nation South Africa.
Tsung-Hua Yang (TPE) and Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (THA) are the 2008 ITF Junior World Champions. They become the first ever Asian players to receive this honour.
Yang clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking at last week’s Junior Orange Bowl, the final tournament of the season. The 17-year-old from Taipei captured his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, and was also a finalist at the Australian Open and semifinalist at the US Open. Yang also captured two Grand Slam doubles titles with countryman Cheng-Peng Hsieh, at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. He finished the season with a 20-7 record in singles and 25-6 in doubles.
Lertcheewakarn was the most consistent player on the girls’ circuit, capturing four singles and two doubles titles during the year. A member of the ITF/Grand Slam Touring Team, the 17-year-old reached her first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon, and won four events in Asia. In doubles, Lertcheewakarn teamed up with Sweden’s Sandra Roma to win the Junior US Open, and was also champion at the pre-Wimbledon event at Roehampton. Her overall win-loss records for the year were 39-12 in singles and 31-11 in doubles.
The ITF Wheelchair World Champions are Shingo Kunieda (JPN) and Esther Vergeer (NED), with both players remaining unbeaten in singles all year.
Kunieda becomes Men’s Wheelchair World Champion for the second successive year. The 24-year-old was undefeated in 40 singles matches in 2008, capturing a total of seven singles and five doubles titles. The highlight of Kunieda’s year came at the Beijing Paralympics, where he won singles gold defeating defending champion Robin Ammerlaan in the final. He also won doubles bronze with Satoshi Saida, with whom he reached the semifinals of the Invacare World Team Cup for Japan.
Twenty-seven-year-old Vergeer finishes 2008 as Women’s Wheelchair World Champion for an historic ninth consecutive year. She extended her singles winning streak to 354 straight matches, having remained unbeaten since January 2003. Vergeer’s streak nearly ended in the final of the Beijing Paralympics, where she saved a match point to win her third successive singles gold medal, before going on to win doubles silver. During the year she collected a total of 12 singles and 12 doubles titles, and led Netherlands to victory in the Invacare World Team Cup.
ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said: “I would like to pay tribute to all the ITF World Champions for 2008, who have contributed to another memorable year for the sport at all levels.”
The ITF World Champions will receive their awards at the annual ITF World Champions Dinner on Tuesday 2 June, in Paris, during Roland Garros.
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