Dec 18: World number One Roger Federer (SUI) and Justine Henin (BEL) have been crowned with the title of 2007 ITF World Champions. This is the fourth successive year that Federer has received this honour, while Henin’s second consecutive with the third time overall.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced the awards on Monday, which will be given next year at the annual ITF World Champions Dinner on June 3 in Paris during Roland Garros.
After this achievement, Federer becomes only the second player to be named Men’s World Champion for four consecutive years after Pete Sampras. The 26-year-old reached at all the four Grand Slam finals for the second successive year, again capturing three titles, the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open.
He also won the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup, and became the first player to earn over $10 million in annual prize money.
On this honour Federer said, "It is an honour to be named ITF World Champion for the fourth year running. Each year brings new challenges, and I am proud that I have been able to raise the level of my game when needed.”
“It gives me great satisfaction to have won another three Grand Slam titles and maintained the number one ranking," he added.
Henin also becomes the Women’s World Champion for the second year running, having also received the honour in 2003. The 25-year-old won two Grand Slam titles, Roland Garros and US Open, and went on to triumph at the season-ending championships.
She captured a career-best 10 titles for the year, boasting a 63-4 win-loss record, and also became the first woman to earn more than $5 million in a single year.
"This has definitely been the best season of my career so far and I am delighted to be named ITF World Champion once again. It has been a very challenging year overall, but I have stayed positive and proved that nothing is impossible if you work hard. I still think my best tennis is yet to come," said Henin.
The US pair of Bob and Mike Bryan and Cara Black (ZIM) and Liezel Huber (USA) were awarded as the 2007 ITF Doubles World Champions.
The Bryans are Men’s Doubles World Champions for a record fifth successive year. The pairing won career-high 11 titles during 2007, including the Australian Open, and was runners-up at Wimbledon. They were also unbeaten for the USA team that won the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas for the first time since 1995.
Black and Huber are Women’s Doubles Champions for the first time in their first complete season together. The duo won nine events during the year, including two Grand Slam titles, the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and the season-ending championships.
This is the third ITF award for Black, who was Junior Singles and Doubles World Champion in 1997. Huber became a US citizen in July 2007 having previously represented her home nation South Africa.
Ricardas Berankis (LTU) and Urszula Radwanska (POL) are the 2007 ITF Junior World Champions, while the ITF Wheelchair World Champions are Shingo Kunieda (JPN) and Esther Vergeer (NED).
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