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The 2000 Baggie Awards
Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Wertheim will return Jan. 2. Click here to send a question. It's that time of year again: trees, ornaments, good will, Dick Clark and, of course, the Gold Flake Open. Time to reflect on another enthralling, stranger-than-fiction year in professional tennis with the third annual Baggie Awards. (Who would have guessed we'd have lasted longer than the John McEnroe Davis Cup administration?) Before handing out the virtual hardware, indulge me this blessedly brief lapse in cynicism to offer a sincere thanks to all of you who happen by this address. As I've said in the past, if you have half as much fun reading this page as I have writing it, we're doing OK. I'll be back the week after next so feel free to keep the questions coming. Best for 2001. Without further ado ... Player of the Year (women): Rankings be damned, Venus Williams. Two Slams plus two Olympic gold medals = no doubts that she has arrived. Player of the Year (men): Gustavo Kuerten. The French Open title was smashing but the points-race winner really earned his stripes in Lisbon. Hoax of the Year: Venus Williams' retirement. Gabe Kaplan (a.k.a. Welcome Back) Award: Martina Navratilova. Comeback Player of the Year (women): Maggie Maleeva. AWOL for two years rehabbing an injured shoulder, the youngest of the pre-Williams Family Act finishes 2000 on the fringes of the top 20. Comeback Player of the Year (men): Pat Rafter. Left for dead after rotator-cuff surgery, Aussie former No. 1 plays sensational, anachronistic serve-and-volley tennis to reach Wimbledon final. Newcomer of the Year (women): Elena Dementieva. Unknown to start the year, she finishes 2000 a Grand Slam semifinalist, Olympic silver medalist and player to be reckoned with. Newcomer of the Year (men): Juan Carlos Ferrero. Tapered off after reaching French semifinal, but, as he showed in sealing Spain's Davis Cup title, the Mosquito has plenty of bite. Most Improved Player (women): Sonya Jeyaseelan. Canadian veteran started the year ranked No. 149 and finished some 100 spots higher. Most Improved Player (men): Arnaud Clement. Diminutive Frenchman made the jump from also-ran to contender with potent baseline game reminiscent of Andre Agassi, the player he beat at 2000 U.S. Open. And we love the shades. Regression Award (women): Anna Kournikova. Sure, she finished the year with a top-10 ranking. But as long as that first tournament win remains elusive (and, more important, she failed to get past the fourth round of a Slam), she's a blonde billboard first and an athlete second. Regression Award (men): Mark Philippoussis. In the time we've spent waiting for Scud's big breakthrough, we could hand-count the Florida ballots. Where's Waldo? Award (women): Alexandra Stevenson, Patty Schnyder, Irina Spirlea. Where's Waldo? Award (men): Marcelo Rios, Nicolas Lapentti, Vince Spadea. Schizophrenia Award: Marat Safin. The new Russian rocket won five matches through April. Then he turned his year (career?) around, winning the U.S. Open and coming within a match of finishing first in the points race. So Long, Farewell: Mary Joe Fernandez, Mark Woodforde, Dominique Van Roost, Julie Halard-Decugis, Yayuk Basuki, Debbie Graham, Geoff Grant, Bernd Karbacher, Irina Spirlea (?), McEnroe's Davis Cup captaincy. Matches of the Year (men)
1) Andre Agassi vs. Pete Sampras, Australian Open.
Matches of the Year (women)
1) Venus Williams vs. Martina Hingis, U.S. Open.
Jeff Tarango Sportsmanship Award 1) Jeff Tarango: For refusing the shake Paul Goldstein's hand after an epic five-setter at Wimbledon and then nearly coming to blows with Tom Gullikson in the locker room afterward. 2) Anna Smashnova: For rifling a ball at the husband of her Wimbledon opponent and pelting a spectator instead. 3) Jelena Dokic: For dismissing her Australian Open conqueror, Rita Kuti Kis, as a "never will be" in one breath, then alleging the draws were rigged against her in the next. 4) Richard Williams: For informing us that IT'S VENUS' PARTY AND NO ONE'S INVITED. Does that mean no one's invited to buy her Reebok lines either? Justin Gimelstob Quote of the Year Award
1) "I'm not here to talk about my personal life, I'm here to talk about bras."
2) "I saw the hot chick was with [Bjorn] Borg so I said, 'No chance.'"
3) "Maybe the Israelis won't be all over me for donations now that one of their own is doing well."
4) "He's the little brother of the guy you've never heard of."
5) "The queen is on the side of democracy. The rest of the country is fascist." Worst Dye Job in Tennis: http://geocities.com/szphotos/blondemark.html
Click here to send a question or comment to Jon Wertheim's Tennis Mailbag.
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