Belinda Bencic and Karolina Pliskova led the OUE Singapore Slammers to the International Premier Tennis League championship, upsetting Sania Mirza’s Micromax Indian Aces.
Andy Murray has been voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year for the second time in three years.
The 2013 winner helped make history by guiding Britain’s tennis team to a first Davis Cup victory for 79 years.
Rugby League star Kevin Sinfield was runner-up, with heptathlete Jessica Ennis-Hill third.
The Scot won 361,446 of the 1,009,498 votes cast (35%), with Sinfield getting 278,353 (28%) and Ennis-Hill 78,898 (8%).
Murray was presented the award by Irish boxing legend Barry McGuigan, in front of a sell-out 7,500 crowd at the SSE Arena in Belfast.
A two-time major winner in his career, this year he reached the final of the Australian Open and the semi-finals of both Wimbledon and the French Open.
The 28-year-old, who finished the year second in the world tennis rankings, won all 11 of his Davis Cup rubbers, three in the final against Belgium.
He was also named Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2004.
An emotional Murray said: “Thank you very much. I didn’t expect this.
“A friend sent me a message the other day with an article saying: ‘Andy Murray is duller than a weekend in Worthing,’ which I thought was a bit harsh – on Worthing.
“Congratulations to everyone who was involved tonight. This has been a five-year journey – we were down in the bottom level of tennis and now we’re number one.
“I dedicate my life to this sport and I work extremely hard every day to make you proud.”
One of the biggest cheers of the night was saved for Northern Ireland football manager Michael O’Neill, who was given a standing ovation as he was presented with the Coach of the Year award after guiding his country to their first major finals for 30 years.
The winner of the Helen Rollason Award, eight-year-old Bailey Matthews, who has cerebral palsy, captured the hearts of the crowd as he asked for them to stop cheering and received another big ovation as he said a small speech.
World heavyweight champion boxer Tyson Fury, a contender for the main award, was jeered by a section of the crowd after recent comments he made about women and homosexuality.
But during the show he apologised for comments he made that might have “hurt people”.
The other winners in Sunday’s awards ceremony were:
Overseas Sports Personality of the Year: Dan Carter: An integral part of the New Zealand team that beat Australia 34-17 to win the World Cup in October.
Young Sports Personality of the Year: Ellie Downie: The 16-year-old gymnast won bronze in the all-around at the European Championships to make her the first female gymnast to win an individual all-around medal for Great Britain.
Coach of the Year: Michael O’Neill: The Northern Ireland manager helped his country end a 30-year absence from tournament football by sealing a spot at Euro 2016 last month.
Lifetime Achievement: AP McCoy: Twenty-time champion jump jockey AP McCoy, 41, who retired in April after a record-breaking career.
Helen Rollason: Bailey Matthews: The eight-year-old, who has cerebral palsy, completed his first triathlon unaided.
Sport’s Unsung Hero: Damien Lindsay: The west Belfast youth football coach played a huge role in his local community in his work with the St James Swifts Football Club.
Great Britain’s triumphant Davis Cup side won the Team of the Year award at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year show.
Victory over Belgium in November’s final saw Britain win the Davis Cup for the first time since 1936.
Captain Leon Smith guided Britain from the third tier to glory in five years.
British number one Andy Murray played a key role, alongside his brother Jamie, Kyle Edmund, James Ward, Dom Inglot and Dan Evans.
Andy Murray, 28, won 11 of 12 points during Britain’s successful campaign.
The award was presented by former pentathlete and 1972 Sports Personality of the Year winner Dame Mary Peters, and Republic of Ireland boss Martin O’Neill.
Captain Leon Smith said: “It is hugely humbling, it is very prestigious. It has been 79 years since we last won the Davis Cup, let’s hope it doesn’t take another 79 years.
“I hope what it has achieved is we get a lasting legacy for tennis.”
Murray joins American John McEnroe and Swede Mats Wilander as the only men to have an 8-0 singles record in a Davis Cup year. In the doubles he is only the fourth man to win 11 rubbers in a single year.
| Recent Team of the Year winners | |
|---|---|
| 2014: England women’s rugby team | 2013: British & Irish Lions rugby union squad |
| 2012: Great Britain Olympic and Paralympic teams | 2011: England cricket team |
| 2010: Europe Ryder Cup team | 2009: England cricket team |
James Duckworth will make a fifth consecutive main draw appearance at the Australian Open after winning the Australian Wildcard Playoff on Sunday. The top seed was the last player standing in the 16-man draw after Benjamin Mitchell withdrew ahead of the final to be with his girlfriend for the birth of their first child.
“It would have been nice to win properly but that’s the way it goes,” Duckworth said. “I managed to get through a couple of tough matches [this week], especially the semifinal against Marinko [Matosevic]. I’d never beaten him before. I didn’t play so well the last four months of the year so to come here and win a few matches, especially some tight ones, some tight tie-breaks, really helps the confidence a lot. Hopefully I can use it as a bit of a springboard and start the year off well and have a good year.”
World No. 120 Duckworth reached the second round at Melbourne Park in 2012, ’13 & ’15, claiming a pair of five-set victories. He cracked the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time earlier this year, peaking at No. 82, following his first match win at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level in Indian Wells.
In the Asia-Pacific Wildcard Playoff, top seed Yoshihito Nishioka rallied past Chinese Taipei’s Jason Jung 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the final. The Japanese will make his Australian Open debut, contesting his fourth Grand Slam main draw. One of 10 players under the age of 22 in the Top 150, Nishioka reached his first ATP World Tour quarter-final earlier this year in Delray Beach. The 20 year old also captured his second ATP Challenger Tour title last month in Toyota.
“I’m so excited that I can play main draw in the Australian Open, it will be the first time for me,” said Nishioka. “Entering the Top 100 was actually my goal for this year, but I didn’t make it. Hopefully next year I’m able to be in the Top 70. And I already won a first round match at the US Open this year, so next time I hope I can win a second round at a Grand Slam.”
Duckworth and Nishioka join former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt, American teen Noah Rubin and France’s Quentin Halys among wild card recipients.
The OUE Singapore Slammers – led by Belinda Bencic and Karolina Pliskova – and the Micromax Indian Aces – led by doubles No.1 Sania Mirza and Svetlana Kuznetsova – did battle in the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Saturday, and will compete one more time to decide who wins the second annual International Premier Tennis League trophy.
Playing at home, the Slammers have an undoubted edge, having just beaten the Aces last night. Though Mirza helped the Aces win their set of mixed doubles 6-4 with partner Rohan Bopanna over Pliskova and Dustin Brown, Bencic was all business against late arrival Kuznetsova, winning their set of women’s singles, 6-2, en route to a 27-21 victory.
Earlier in the night, the Philippine Mavericks ended their season with a win over the OBI UAE Royals. Jarmila Gajdosova capped an upset victory over Mladenovic, and though the Frenchwoman got her revenge in the mixed doubles, their women’s singles set proved crucial as the Mavericks won, 24-23.
Stay tuned for the best tweets of the night:
ATPWorldTour.com highlights the best off-court moments from the 2015 season
Do you have a favourite? Have your say on MyATP.
Murray Pranks Fans
Andy Murray dressed up as an ice cream salesman to fool unsuspecting fans in Cincinnati and found out that, while you can fool some fans some of the time, you can’t fool all of the fans, all the time.
Wawrinka Takes It Off
The two-time Grand Slam champion followed in the footsteps of John Isner and Tomas Berdych by posing for ESPN The Magazine’s The Body Issue, which annually celebrates the physique of athletes.
“My body is for my tennis, it’s for my sport,” Wawrinka said in a behind-the-scenes interview. “I’m not a model at all. I don’t work out to go to the beach, I work out to play well and to do well on the court.”
Chef Rafa
Off the court, Rafael Nadal’s favourite pastimes include golfing, fishing, and cooking for friends and family. At Wimbledon, he showed off his flair in the kitchen.
I was the chef today. First course, salad with olives! #Wimbledon #RafaNadalAlimentosEspaña pic.twitter.com/BJ3dK9gnOB
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) July 1, 2015
Federer Meets Manchester United Stars
Football fan Roger Federer had the chance to meet Manchester United stars Juan Mata, David De Gea and Ander Herrera at the All England Club. The Spanish trio were seated on Centre Court to see Andy Murray reach the semi-finals, before meeting Federer on the competitor’s lawn.
The quartet chatted about Federer’s home team, Basel, and United’s upcoming pre-season tour to the west coast of the United States.
“It’s been amazing,” said Mata. “I always wanted to come to Wimbledon but I never could because we are now in pre-season so sometimes we were abroad. But today was unbelievable. The atmosphere and feeling here is something special.”
Wedding Season
In July, Tomas Berdych tied the knot with longtime girlfriend Ester Satorova.
Speechless pic.twitter.com/Xi52tOwssy
— Tomáš Berdych (@tomasberdych) July 16, 2015
On the same week, fellow Czech Lukas Rosol wed Michaela Ochotska, while Feliciano Lopez wed Alba Carrillo with friends David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco and Marcel Granollers in attendance.
Congratulations to @feliciano_lopez and Alba! Read more about their star-studded wedding: http://t.co/gGLfQ0h4z6 #atp pic.twitter.com/8idrXWY1bH
— ATP World Tour (@ATPWorldTour) July 18, 2015
Other ATP World Tour players tying the knot in 2015 included Marc Lopez, David Ferrer, Andy Murray, Tim Smyczek, Andreas Haider-Maurer and Martin Emmrich.
Monaco Parties In Bastad
What is it like to attend the player party at the SkiStar Swedish Open? Find out as Juan Monaco assumed the role of ATP behind-the-scenes reporter to interview his fellow players at the party.
The Argentine compared outfits with Almagro, teased Diego Schwartzman about his time in Bastad and reminisced with Lindstedt about the time doubles partner Rafael Nadal accidentally hit him in the face with his racquet…
Read Part 1 – Novak’s Biggest Fan
Read Part 3 – An Hour With Roger
Best Of ATP Stars 2015
Open Gallery
Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers shows that Roger Federer was often at or near his statistical best in 2015 on the ATP World Tour
If you’re waiting for Roger Federer to ride off into the sunset, to fade into statistical obsolescence, don’t hold your breath. A look at his 2015 Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers stats shows that, at 34, he’s still playing some of his best tennis.
For starters, let’s zero in on a few key serving stats: in some respects, the World No. 3 has never been more efficient. This year he matched career marks in both first-serve percentage (64%) and service games won (92%), while setting a career-best in first-serve points won (80%). Not bad for a tennis tricenarian.
| Year | 1st Serve % |
1st Serve Pts. Won |
Service Games Won |
| 1999 | 58% | 70% | 76% |
| 2000 | 59% | 72% | 82% |
| 2001 | 60% | 74% | 83% |
| 2002 | 60% | 76% | 86% |
| 2003 | 60% | 78% | 87% |
| 2004 | 62% | 78% | 92%* |
| 2005 | 63% | 76% | 89% |
| 2006 | 63% | 77% | 90% |
| 2007 | 62% | 77% | 89% |
| 2008 | 64% | 77% | 89% |
| 2009 | 62% | 79% | 90% |
| 2010 | 62% | 78% | 89% |
| 2011 | 64% | 79% | 90% |
| 2012 | 63% | 78% | 91% |
| 2013 | 63% | 76% | 87% |
| 2014 | 64% | 79% | 91% |
| 2015 | 64% | 80% | 92% |
BOLD = career-best, * = ATP World Tour leader
When it comes to the Swiss’ return games, while there were no career-bests established, Federer remains among the elite. For the 11th time in the past 13 years, he finished among the top 10 in return points won off his opponents’ first serve (33%), and he won 27 per cent of his return games, good enough for eighth overall on the ATP World Tour.
| Year |
Return Pts. Won Off 1st Serve |
Return Games Won |
| 1999 | 29% | 20% |
| 2000 | 27% | 19% |
| 2001 | 30% | 23% |
| 2002 | 31% | 25% |
| 2003 | 40% | 29% |
| 2004 | 35%* | 30% |
| 2005 | 35% | 31% |
| 2006 | 35%* | 32% |
| 2007 | 34% | 29% |
| 2008 | 32% | 27% |
| 2009 | 31% | 24% |
| 2010 | 34% | 27% |
| 2011 | 33% | 28% |
| 2012 | 31% | 26% |
| 2013 | 33% | 26% |
| 2014 | 32% | 26% |
| 2015 | 33% | 27% |
BOLD = career-best, * = ATP World Tour leader
So how did this all translate on the court for the 24-time ATP Masters 1000 champ? A 63-11 year, six titles and a Top-3 year-end finish in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the 11th time. Against Top-10 competition, he was 15-6, his only losses coming against World No. 1 Novak Djokovic (five) and Stan Wawrinka.
| Year | W-L | vs. Top 10 |
| 1999 | 13-17 | 1-4 |
| 2000 | 36-30 | 3-8 |
| 2001 | 49-21 | 5-5 |
| 2002 | 58-22 | 10-5 |
| 2003 | 78-17 | 9-5 |
| 2004 | 74-6 | 18-0 |
| 2005 | 81-4 | 15-2 |
| 2006 | 92-5 | 19-4 |
| 2007 | 68-9 | 17-4 |
| 2008 | 66-15 | 7-10 |
| 2009 | 61-12 | 15-10 |
| 2010 | 65-13 | 16-6 |
| 2011 | 64-12 | 10-9 |
| 2012 | 71-12 | 16-9 |
| 2013 | 45-17 | 4-10 |
| 2014 | 73-12 | 17-5 |
| 2015 | 63-11 | 15-6 |
BOLD = career-best
Το IPTL προσφέρει στιγμές χαλάρωσης στους παίκτες, ώστε η νέα αγωνιστική χρονία να τους βρεί έτοιμους για σκληρές αναμετρήσεις.
ATPWorldTour.com highlights the best off-court moments from the 2015 season
Do you have a favourite? Have your say on Facebook.
Traveling Heavy
Tour veteran Gilles Simon knows that one of the toughest parts of the new tennis season is making sure all the bags are packed and ready.
“Traveling with family = moving,” he tweeted on his way to Melbourne for the year’s first Grand Slam.
Voyager en famille = déménager… #direction Melbourne pic.twitter.com/4BRUbrgtnR
— Gilles SIMON (@GillesSimon84) January 10, 2015
Like Father, Like Son
While thousands of fans came to Rod Laver Arena to watch Novak Djokovic top Milos Raonic in the Australian Open quarter-finals, the World No. 1 had one special supporter watching from the comfort of home: his infant son Stefan.
Ajde tatice! Come on daddy! #NoleFam #AusOpen2015 @DjokerNole @AustralianOpen pic.twitter.com/Q3UYGGLYA6
— Jelena Djokovic (@JelenaRisticNDF) January 28, 2015
Djokovic was told about wife Jelena’s Twitter post following his win and said: “See how he enjoys watching TV? He’s daddy’s boy, definitely.”
It’s no wonder, considering how much the World No. 1 enjoys spending time with his newborn.
This little buddy is my most precious trophy! No better way to end the day than with my family 🙂 #NoleFam pic.twitter.com/7oO5YIFGR6
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) April 5, 2015
Year Of The Goat
Defending champion Roger Federer helped ring in the Year of the Goat as he launched the Chinese New Year celebrations at Burj Al Arab. Federer was invited to participate in the ceremony for the colouring of the eyes of the lion.
Puppy Love
Vasek Pospisil had special visitors at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden: seven dogs from Guide Dogs of the Desert.
Nothing more fun than playing with puppies! Thanks @ATPWorldTour.. Wish I could do this every day. pic.twitter.com/FWmjWzj3Dc
— Vasek Pospisil (@VasekPospisil) March 19, 2015
“Can I take one home?” the Canadian asked, as the Poodles, Labradors and a German Shepherd crowded around him for some TLC.
“I wish I had seven hands!” said Pospisil. “They were all so cute. You want to play with all of them at the same time… It was definitely the most fun I’ve had doing something like that at a tournament.”
On The Table
“I scrap a lot, make a lot of balls,” Jack Sock, the self-proclaimed No. 1 table tennis player on the ATP World Tour, said. “I play pretty far behind the table and just annoy guys.”
Nick Kyrgios got a taste of Sock’s skills in Rome when the two faced off in the players’ lounge. At stake was a haircut with the on-site stylist. Sock, who has boldly described himself as the “Ferrer or Djokovic of ping pong”, got the last laugh, maintaining his undefeated record against fellow players.
@NickKyrgios needed a chop of the hair after I chopped him in table tennis lol ? pic.twitter.com/mztwrE6zgs
— Jack Sock (@JackSock) May 13, 2015
Emoji Game Strong
Want to learn Roger Federer’s Wimbledon routine? Look no further:
???????⏰?? ??☕️????????⛅️????✨???????☕️??????☀️??????? #DayOff
— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) July 3, 2015
What about Andy Murray’s wedding day? Here it is:
?☔???????????????????????????????????????❤?????????
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) April 11, 2015
Best Of ATP Stars 2015
Open Gallery