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50 Most Popular Players Of 2016: 20-11

Posted: Jan 01, 1970

The WTA’s all-star cast battle it out for wins, titles and ranking points all year long – but who is getting the most clicks? This week, wtatennis.com will count down the Top 50 Most Popular Players Of 2016.

Next on the list will be No.20 to No.11! Find out who made the cut…

20. Martina Hingis (SUI)
The third act of Hingis’ Hall Of Fame career brought six more doubles titles – including the Australian Open – alongside Sania Mirza in 2016, and a whole raft of new fans.

19. Belinda Bencic (SUI)
Hingis’ one-time protégé Bencic is proving to be another hit with tennis fans across the globe, despite an injury-hit season.

18. Ana Ivanovic (SRB)
Ivanovic also ensured an ongoing fitness battle in 2016, but it does not appear to have affected her status in the hearts of the tennis-following public.

17. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)
Kuznetsova’s resurgence was one of the feel-good stories of the year, titles in Sydney and Moscow securing a return to the Top 10 and WTA Finals.

16. Petra Kvitova (CZE)
After a slow start, Kvitova turned on the style in Asia, providing a timely reminder of her undoubted brilliance with dominant triumphs in first Wuhan then Zhuhai.

15. Madison Keys (USA)
Keys’ star continued to rise in 2016, victory on the lawns of Birmingham helping her crack the Top 10 for the first time.

14. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)
The ever-popular Wozniacki continues to factor at the business end of tennis’ showpiece events, as she proved by reaching the semifinals of the US Open.

13. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK)
There has never been any doubting Cibulkova’s ability, and with her Achilles problems now a distant memory she made good on her potential by winning Katowice, Eastbourne, Linz and, most memorably, the WTA Finals.

12. Venus Williams (USA)
Even in the twilight of her wonderful career, Williams remains as popular as ever, giving her fans reason to cheer at the Rio Olympics when she teamed up with Rajeev Ram to win mixed doubles silver – her fifth medal at the Olympics.

11. Maria Sharapova (RUS)
To the delight of her army of loyal followers, Sharapova will make her much-anticipated return to action in spring 2017.

Come back to wtatennis.com on Friday for No.20 to No.11 on the list…

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Wozniacki Heading Into 2017 With Unwavering Self-Belief

Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Caroline Wozniacki

2016 Quick Hits
Week 1 Ranking: No.17
Year-End Ranking: No.19 (Lowest ranking No.74, Aug 29)
Season Highlights: Title at Tokyo, Hong Kong
Best Major Result: SF (US Open)

19 Days left until the 2017 #WTA season! ? pic.twitter.com/IiR9929uR0

— WTA (@WTA) 13 de diciembre de 2016

2017 Outlook

Caroline Wozniacki’s Year-End Ranking of No.19 – just two spots below her Week 1 Ranking – belies the rollercoaster season that the Dane experienced in 2016.

Maybe another stat can paint a better picture: Caroline Wozniacki held a 13-14 win-loss record this year before the US Open; from New York until end it was 21-3.

After an impressive run to the ASB Classic semifinal in Auckland in January, Wozniacki’s season was derailed by injuries and she was sidelined for the entire clay court season. Her ranking took a beating after suffering a disappointing string of first and second round defeats, plummeting to its lowest point at No.74 in August.

But whether her ranking was inside the Top 20 or outside the Top 70, one thing stayed the same: Wozniacki’s self-belief never wavered.

“I never doubted that I could come back and make it here, because I’ve worked too hard my whole life on my fitness to keep my body in shape,” Wozniacki said in Hong Kong. “I was like, ‘It’s going to be okay, where it’s going to be a month, two months, four months.’

“I knew eventually I would be back.”

Wozniacki, no stranger to setbacks and comebacks, recovered empathically and put together a stunning run to the US Open semifinals, then backing it up in Asia with titles at the Toray Pan Pacific Open and Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open.

Looking ahead to next season, the former World No.1 is right where she wants to be. Finally fit and healthy and with a paltry 488 points to defend between Week 1 and the US Open, Wozniacki can expect to continue her rise into 2017.

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