The 2013 WTA Moods Awards

2013 has been a fabulous year for the WTA tour. Not only did the WTA celebrate its 40th anniversary, but the leading ladies of the tour have put forth some breath-taking performances. Serena Williams once again dominated the proceedings, making an emphatic return to No.1 before going on to win Roland Garros, the US Open, and the WTA Tour Championships. Her fiercest rival, Vika Azarenka, also showed glimpses of geniuses, successfully defending her Australian Open crown. More important, she set records straight with Serena, beating the American to win in Doha and Cincinnati. Sadly, she lost the Flushing Meadows final, one of the most emotional and electrifying matches I ever saw. 

Wimbledon provided one of the most beautiful stories of the year, with quirky Marion Bartoli achieving her life goal by crowning herself champion. The star of the tournament was German Sabine Lisicki though, who beat Serena Williams and Aga Radwanska en route to her first Grand Slam final. 

2013 also saw the emergence of two new stars in Sloane Stephens and the million-dollar Romanian, Simona Halep. Stephens fared better in majors, but Simona turned things around in the second half of the season, winning six titles, among them the Tournament of Champions in Sofia. 

Tennis Moods favourites Flavia Pennetta and Andrea Petkovic fought their way back to the top, while Bartoli and former world No. 5, Russian Anna Chakvedatze, sadly said good-bye to the sport sooner than expected. The queen of hearts, Martina Hingis, stirred waters in August announcing she'll be making a comeback in doubles alongside Slovak Daniela Hantuchova. Poor results quickly made her reconsider her plans and the Swiss Miss is still undecided whether she'll continue playing in 2014.

The young guns have stepped up their game this year with Canadian sweetheart Eugenie Bouchard, Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic, German Annika Beck, Croat Donna Vekic, as well as Americans Madison Keys, Victoria Duval, and Taylor Townsend showing their enormous potential. 

Tennis Moods looks back at all these incredible stories and rewards these amazing champions. Congrats to all the 2013 WTA Moods Awards winners!

The 'World's Greatest' Award (for the best player of the year)

Winner: Serena Williams

Runner-up: Victoria Azarenka

The 'She Found Love' Award (for the most improved player of the year)

Winner: Simona Halep

Runner-up: Sloane Stephens

The 'Homecoming' Award (for the most spectacular comeback)

Winner: Flavia Pennetta

Runner-up: Andrea Petkovic

The 'She Works Hard for the Money' Award (for the most hard-working player)

Winner: Agnieszka Radwanska

Runner-up: Sara Errani

The 'Here I Am' Award (for the newcomer of the year)

Winner: Sloane Stephens

Runner-up: Shuai Zhang

The 'We Are Young' Award (for the most promising youngster on the tour)

Winner: Eugenie Bouchard

Runner-up: Kristina Mladenovic

The 'Talk That Talk' Award (for the wittiest player on the tour)

Winner: Victoria Azarenka

Runner-up: Martina Hingis

The 'Broken Hearted Girl' Award (for the most disappointing player of the year)

Winner: Julia Goerges

Runner-up: Heather Watson

The 'Queen of Hearts' Award (for the Tennis Moods' favourite)

Winner: Victoria Azarenka

Runner-up: Marion Bartoli

The 'When We Collide' Award (for the most spectacular doubles team)

Winner: Daniela Hantuchova & Martina Hingis

Runner-up: Ashleigh Barty & Casey Dellacqua

The 'I Feel Pretty' Award (for the the most beautiful player)

Winner: Eugenie Bouchard

Runner-up: Maria Kirilenko

The 'Fashion of Her Love' Award (for the best dressed player throughout the year)

Winner: Serena Williams

Runner-up: Sloane Stephens

The 'Paparazzi' Award (for the most memorable outfit of the season)

Winner: Venus Williams (US Open outfit)

Runner-up: Serena Williams (US Open outfit)

The 'I Will Always Love You' Award (for the player who retired this year and will be missed the most)

Winner: Marion Bartoli

Runner-up: Anna Chakvetadze

The 'Imagine' Award (for the most emotional story of the year)

Winner: Victoria Azarenka winning Australian Open

Runner-up: Marion Bartoli winning Wimbledon

The 'I Dreamed a Dream' Award (for the accomplishment of a dream)

Winner: Marion Bartoli winning Wimbledon

Runner-up: Kristen Flipkens reaching Wimbledon semifinal

The 'Hero' Award (for the braveheart performance of the year)

Winner: Sabine Lisicki at Wimbledon

Runner-up: Victoria Azarenka at the Australian Open

The 'Clash of Titans' Award (for the most exhilarating duel of the year)

Winner: Victoria Azarenka & Serena Williams

Runner-up: Victoria Azarenka & Maria Sharapova

SEE ALSO: The 2011 WTA Moods Awards and The 2012 WTA Moods Awards

photos: GETTY IMAGES

The 2013 ATP Moods Awards

2013 has been a great year for tennis. It was highlighted by Nadal's magnificent comeback to the top of the rankings, Djokovic's flawless end to the season, the rejuvenation of tennis hopefuls Stanislas Wawrinka and Richard Gasquet, as well as the coming of age of young guns Bernard Tomic and Grigor Dimitrov. For me though, the biggest story of them all was Andy Murray winning Wimbledon to end the 77-year wait for the hungry home nation. In one of the most bizarre tournaments ever, the crowd carried Andy to the title, helping him fulfill his prophecy. 

2013 also marked a big disappointed as we've witnessed Roger Federer drift further away from the top. His series of surprising losses made headlines throughout the year, raising questions about his future. However, the Swiss has been adamant in declaring he will continue playing for many more years, proving determined to change fortunes in 2014. The world needs the almighty Federer back!

Exhilarating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga produced another disappointment as he let an enormous chance slip by. Facing hard-working David Ferrer for a place in the Roland Garros final, Jo played a terrible match to gift away the victory. The loss also marked the end of his season as he injured his knee at Wimbledon and was sidelined till October. Hope he comes back stronger next season!

On the bright side, Tommy Haas confirmed his good form, making an emphatic return to the top 10. At 35, the German is as dangerous as ever as he continues to break new grounds and push his opponents to their limits. Spaniard Tommy Robredo also put together a sensational comeback season, reaching the quarterfinals at both the French and the US Open. Although he is not fully recovered, Gael Monfils is showing steady progress in making his way back to where he was a few seasons ago. 

The young guns have also showed their great potential. Milos Raonic cracked the top 10, while outspoken Pole Jerzy Janowicz reached his first Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon.

Bob and Mike Bryan clearly dominated the doubles tour, winning most of the big tournaments. A near miss at Flushing Meadows prevented them from completing a calendar Grand Slam, but they did hold all four majors plus the Olympic gold at the same time (a.k.a. the Golden Bryan Slam) strengthening their credentials as the best doubles team in history.

Tennis Moods looks back at a rich 2013, recognizing the stand-out players of the year. Congrats to all the 2013 ATP Moods Awards winners!

The 'World's Greatest' Award (for the best player of the year)

Winner: Rafael Nadal

Runner-up: Andy Murray

The 'He Found Love' Award (for the most improved player of the year)

Winner: Stanislas Wawrinka

Runner-up: Richard Gasquet

The 'Homecoming' Award (for the most spectacular comeback)

Winner: Tommy Robredo

Runner-up: Gael Monfils

The 'He Works Hard for the Money' Award (for the most hard-working player)

Winner: David Ferrer

Runner-up: Rafael Nadal

The 'Here I Am' Award (for the newcomer of the year)

Winner: Jerzy Janowicz

Runner-up: Vasek Pospisil

The 'We Are Young' Award (for the most promising youngster on the tour)

Winner: Grigor Dimitrov

Runner-up: Bernard Tomic

The 'Talk That Talk' Award (for the wittiest player on the tour)

Winner: Novak Djokovic

Runner-up: Mike & Bob Bryan

The 'Broken Hearted Boy' Award (for the most disappointing player of the year)

Winner: Roger Federer

Runner-up: Brian Baker

The 'King of Hearts' Award (for the Tennis Moods' favourite)

Winner: Roger Federer

Runner-up: Tommy Haas

The 'I Will Always Love You' Award (for the player who retired this year and will be missed the most)

Winner: David Nalbandian

Runner-up: James Blake

The 'When We Collide' Award (for the most spectacular doubles team)

Winner: Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan

Runner-up: Michael Llodra & Nicholas Mahut

The 'Fashion of His Love' Award (for the best dressed player throughout the year)

Winner: Roger Federer

Runner-up: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

The 'Imagine' Award (for the most emotional story of the year)

Winner: Andy Murray winning Wimbledon

Runner-up: Rafael Nadal winning US Open

The 'I Dreamed a Dream' Award (for the accomplishment of a dream)

Winner: Andy Murray winning Wimbledon

Runner-up: David Ferrer reaching the French Open final

The 'Hero' Award (for the braveheart performance of the year)

Winner: Juan Martin del Potro at Wimbledon

Runner-up: Stanislas Wawrinka at the Australian Open

The 'Clash of Titans' Award (for the most exhilarating duel of the year)

Winner: Novak Djokovic & Rafael Nadal

Runner-up: Roger Federer & Juan Martin del Potro

SEE ALSO: The 2011 ATP Moods Awards and The 2012 ATP Moods Awards

photos: GETTY IMAGES