Tennis
SPORTSOLDEST FEMALE TO DEBUT AT NO.1
IN THE WORLD RANKINGS
On 12 Sep 2016, Angelique Kerber (DEU, b. 18 Jan
1988) replaced Serena Williams at the top of the
Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) world rankings
aged 28 years 238 days. In a stellar 2016, Kerber
won the Australian Open – her maiden Grand
Slam title – and the US Open, and reached singles
finals at Wimbledon and the Olympic Games.MOST OLYMPIC SINGLES
GOLD MEDALS WON
At Rio 2016, Andy Murray (UK) successfully
defended the title he had won on home soil at
London 2012, becoming the first player to claim
a pair of gold medals in the tennis singles. Murray
defeated Juan Martín del Potro 7–5, 4–6, 6–2,
7–5 in an epic encounter lasting more than 4 hr.
Del Potro’s silver was his second Olympic singles
medal, having won the bronze in London.Tennis originated as the French game jeu de paume (“game of
the palm”), which was played with bare hands not rackets.MOST GRAND SLAM SINGLES
TITLES WON (FEMALE, OPEN ERA)
On 28 Jan 2017, Serena Williams (USA) beat
sister Venus 6–4, 6–4 to win the Australian Open
at Melbourne Park. It was Serena’s 23rd Grand
Slam title, putting her one ahead of Steffi Graf.
Since her main‑draw Grand Slam debut at the
1998 Australian Open, Serena has racked
up the most tennis Grand Slam singles
matches won – an incredible 316.Most consecutive main-draw
Grand Slam tournaments played
An injured Roger Federer (CHE) withdrew
from the 2016 French Open, bringing to an
end a sequence of 65 successive main‑
draw appearances at tennis’s four Grand
Slam tournaments. On his comeback at the
2017 Australian Open, a resurgent Federer beat
Rafael Nadal in the final to secure his 18th title
and extend his record for the most Grand Slam
singles titles won by a male.
As of 29 Jan 2017, Federer had also achieved
the most Grand Slam singles matches won by
a male – 314. Furthermore, according to Forbes,
he earned $68 m (£50.7 m) in the 12 months
leading up to 30 Jun 2016, giving him the
highest annual earnings for a male tennis
player (current year).
Most consecutive weeks
as world No.1 (female)
In a record‑breaking year for Serena Williams
(USA), she drew level with Steffi Graf’s (DEU)
record of 186 weeks at the top of
the WTA rankings. Serena’s reign
lasted from 18 Feb 2013 to 5 Sep
2016, when she was replaced
by Angelique Kerber.
Most Olympic tennis medals won
Venus Williams (USA) won her fifth Olympic
medal at Rio 2016, claiming a silver in the mixed
doubles with Rajeev Ram (USA) on 14 Aug 2016.
Her other four medals had been gold, winning
three doubles titles with her sister Serena and
the singles at Sydney 2000. Venus shares the
record with Kathleen “Kitty” McKane Godfree
(UK), who won five medals in 1920–24.
The 2017 Australian Open was Venus’s 73rd
Grand Slam – the most Grand Slam women’s
singles tournaments played in the open era.
She went on to reach the final.MOST DAVIS CUP DOUBLES MATCHES WON
On 16 Jul 2016, India’s Leander Paes (above right)
won his 42nd doubles match in the Davis Cup, with
Rohan Bopanna (IND, above left) in the third rubber
of an Asia/Oceania Group I tie against South Korea
in Chandigarh, India. Paes equalled the mark set
by Nicola Pietrangeli (ITA), who won 42 Davis Cup
doubles matches from 1954 to 1972.Fewest matches completed to
reach a Grand Slam semi-final
At the 2016 US Open, three of Novak
Djokovic’s opponents retired hurt.
Withdrawals by Jiří Veselý (CZE, arm
injury), Mikhail Youzhny (RUS, leg) and
Jo‑Wilfried Tsonga (FRA, knee) meant
that Djokovic reached the semi‑finals
having played just two matches –
with a total time of 6 hr 24 min.Most aces served in a WTA match
Kristýna Plíšková (CZE) hit 31 aces in the
second round of the Australian Open in
Melbourne on 20 Jan 2016. She went on
to lose against Monica Puig (PRI), having
squandered five match points.Longest wheelchair tennis match
On 13 Sep 2016, Jamie Burdekin and Andy
Lapthorne (UK) won the bronze‑medal match
in the men’s Paralympic quad doubles after a
4‑hr 25‑min epic. They beat the Israeli pair of Itai
Erenlib and Shraga Weinberg 3–6, 6–4, 7–6 (7–2).MOST CONSECUTIVE GRAND SLAM
SINGLES MATCHES WON (MALE, OPEN ERA)
Novak Djokovic (SRB) won 30 consecutive Grand
Slam matches from 29 Jun 2015 to 29 Jun 2016.
His streak included victories at Wimbledon and
the US, Australian and French Opens – a “Career
Grand Slam”, previously achieved by Australia’s
Rod Laver in 1969. “Nole” won 90 sets and lost
just 11 during his remarkable run.When theyplayed each (^) other
in the 2017 Australian^
Open (^) final, the^
sisters’^ Williams^
combined (^) age
was 71 years
the 349 days^ –^
oldest aggregate
age for Grand Slam
singles finalists
(open^
era).
A triumphant
2016 ended with
Andy Murray receiving
a knighthood in the
Queen’s New Year
Honours list.