The 2014 WTA Moods Awards

2014 was definitely one of the most interesting years on the WTA tour. The once unshaven dominance of Serena Williams was strongly contested not by closest rival, Victoria Azarenka, but by the rising stars Simona Halep and Eugenie Bouchard. In addition to these young guns, established players like Ana Ivanovic, Caroline Wozniacki, Andrea Petkovic, Venus Williams, or Alize Cornet made a much-awaited return to top form. Frenchwoman Cornet achieved what once seemed like an impossible performance, stunning Serena three consecutive times to derail the American's quest for an historic 18th Slam. After struggling in the first half of the season, Williams caught wings during the North American season when she successfully defended her US Open crown, before claiming the WTA Championships trophy and ensuring another No.1 season-ending finish. 

Simona Halep won over the world during her heartbreaking defeat to Maria Sharapova in the French Open final—the Russian proving once again she is the queen of clay. After two semifinals, Genie Bouchard took it one step further by reaching the Wimbledon final, becoming the first Canadian to achieve the feat. Other youngsters who have made their mark in 2014 were Belinda Bencic—who made the quarterfinals at the US Open—Caroline Garcia and Madison Keys—who both won their maiden title—as well as Spanish Garbine Muguruza, who stunned Serena at Roland Garros en route to the last eight.

Making a powerful revival this season was former world No.1, Ana Ivanovic—who collected four titles to strengthen her presence inside the top 5—Flavia Pennetta—who claimed the biggest title of her career at Indian Wells—and Andrea Petkovic, who won three titles and made the semifinals at Roland Garros. 

In the shock of the season, recently crowned Australian Open champion Na Li announced her retirement from the game due to medical reasons. But while other hang up the racquet, other were mounted a fabulous comeback. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, the former teen prodigy, stirred waters with her fourth round appearance at Flushing Meadows, before making tennis history with her title in Quebec. 

Although Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci maintained their doubles supremacy, Martina Hingis and Flavia Pennetta joined forces late in the season to form the most enthusiastic duo on the tour.

Tennis Moods looks back at all these incredible stories and rewards these amazing champions. Congrats to all the 2014 WTA Moods Awards winners!

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

Winner: Serena Williams

Runner-up: Simona Halep

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

Winner: Eugenie Bouchard

Runner-up: Ana Ivanovic

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

Winner: Mirjana Lucic-Baroni

Runner-up: Caroline Wozniacki

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

Winner: Angelique Kerber

Runner-up: Agnieszka Radwanska

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

Winner: Eugenie Bouchard

Runner-up: Garbine Muguruza

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

Winner: Belinda Bencic

Runner-up: Caroline Garcia

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

Winner: Caroline Wozniacki

Runner-up: Na Li

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

Winner: Victoria Azarenka

Runner-up: Maria Kirilenko

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

Winner: Victoria Azarenka

Runner-up: Ana Ivanovic

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

Winner: Martina Hingis & Flavia Pennetta

Runner-up: Timea Babos & Kristina Mladenovic

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: Venus Williams

Runner-up: Eugenie Bouchard

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

Winner: Serena Williams (US Open outfit)

Runner-up: Caroline Wozniacki (US Open outfit)

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

Winner: Na Li

Runner-up: Dinara Safina

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

Winner: Simona Halep reaching the Roland Garros final

Runner-up: Simona Halep reaching the WTA Championships

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

Winner: Na Li winning the Australian Open

Runner-up: Dominika Cibulkova reaching the Australian Open final

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

Winner: Maria Sharapova at Roland Garros

Runner-up: Serena Williams at the WTA Championships

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

Winner: Simona Halep & Maria Sharapova

Runner-up: Ana Ivanovic & Maria Sharapova

SEE ALSO: The 2011 WTA Moods Awards, The 2012 WTA Moods Awards, and The 2013 WTA Moods Awards

Old Fox Serena Still Reigns Supreme

It's clear to me that a miracle doesn't happen every day—that's why it's called a miracle. When Simona Halep destroyed world No.1 Serena Williams in their round robin match, the world was quick to announce the emergence of a new queen. The Romanian had played fabulous tennis in her first two clashed losing a total of seven games against Serena (6-0,6-2) and Canadian darling, Eugenie Bouchard (6-2,6-3). Courteosy of the result, she was guaranteed a place in the semis independent on the outcome of her final clash with Ana Ivanovic. However, should she had lost to the Serb in straight sets, her biggest rival, i.e. Serena, would exit the competition and Ivanovic would go through. 

The situation was tricky. On one hand you don't want to give Serena a chance at revenge, but on the other hand you want to win the battle on court and dot want to get involved in strategic calculations—or need be, do you? The confusion was such that it completely derailed Simona. She "chose" the worst option: she lost to Ivanovic in three sets. It's easy to do the shoulda-woulda-coulda now, but in my view a true champion should be smart and make the most of his/her opportunities. What followed was the most natural of scenarios: Halep crushed Radwanska in the semis, Serena struggled against bestie Wozniacki, and the two got to meet again in the championship showdown.

Simona was overconfident that she can beat Williams again. She started strong breaking her opponent to seize an early lead. What she didn't consider is that the American is the fiercest competitor out there and that she's at her best when she feels she has nothing to lose. In a fracture of a second, she turned things around going to serve out a devastating 6-3,6-0 victory to three-peat at the Season's Ending WTA Championships.

"She was playing so well in the first set, like she did the last time we played," Williams said. "I was literally on the side of the court and I laughed. But then I just told myself I had nothing to lose. I knew I just had to relax and start playing better if I wanted to win—and I really wanted to win."

"It's just been an unbelievable week," Williams confessed. "I just started training again last week because I had such a bad knee in Beijing. I can't believe I even made it to Singapore, and now I have the Billie Jean King Trophy, so I'm just really excited."

To add to the celebration, Serena also clinched the year-end No.1 spot this week, for the second season running, straightening her reign as the WTA's leading lady. In 2014, the American didn't have things quite her way, having to wait until the US Open to make a Grand Slam quarterfinals. However, she won in New York and she retained the No.1 ranking throughout the season. With the emergence of the young guns, it remains to be seen if she can maintain her dominance in 2015. My guess is that Serena will not go away any time soon. 

In their round robin match, Simona Halep destroyed Serena, stunning the world No.1 6-0,6-2.

Courtesy of the results this week, Serena clinched the year-end No.1 trophy for the second season running.

When the two met again in the final, Serena was better prepared. She returned the favour, quickly dismissing Halep 6-3,6-0 to three-peat at the WTA Championships in Singapore. 

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Wozniacki's Back in Business

Former world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki has had a tough couples of years sitting by and watching powerless how she slipped down the rankings without any real strength to retain her front seat. 

While she still won titles, the Dane has fared poorly in Grand Slams failing to make the quarterfinals since the 2012 US Open (when she lost to Russian Vera Zvonareva in the semifinals). This summer however marked a slight change in fortunes for the popular Dane. It all started at Wimbledon where she reached the fourth round losing to Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova. She then won in Istanbul and pushed Serena Williams to three sets in Montreal and Cincinnati.

She kept the good form going at Flushing Meadows where she took full advantage of an open bottom draw to make it all the way to the final. Wozniacki's master performance came against reigning French Open champ, Maria Sharapova, whom she beat 6-4,2-6,6-2 in the fourth round. It was a vintage display from the Dane who once again turned defense into attack to beat an erratic Sharapova. She followed up on the win in convincing fashion, quickly dismissing feisty Italian Sara Errani and surprise Chinese package Shuai Peng to set up another clash with two-time defending champion, Serena Williams. 

Talking about her achievement, an ecstatic Wozniacki said: "It's incredible. I have goosebumps right now. It's been five years since I've been in the final here, so it's incredible to be back."

As expected, the American had little trouble enforcing her power game against her good friend, winning the match 6-3,6-3. Although she lost the battle and the maiden Slam still eludes her, Caroline has showed this fortnight that she is heading in the right direction.

Caroline produced one of her best performances in years to defeat reigning French Open champion, Maria Sharapova, 6-4,2-6,6-2 in the fourth round.

In the quarterfinals, the Dane was flawless against Italian Sara Errani dropping just one game.

It may not have come the way she wanted it, but injury put a stop to Shuai Peng's dream run at the US Open, allowing Wozniacki to book her place in her second Grand Slam final.

In the final, Wozniacki lost 6-3,6-3 to her good friend, Serena Williams. While the Dane is still searching for her elusive Grand Slam, the American equalled Navratilova and Evert's tally of 18 majors.

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Serena Redeems to Equal Navratilova and Evert

Coming into the US Open, Serena Williams was under immense pressure. The world No.1 has endured a bit of a Grand Slam misery this season, failing to reach the quarterfinals at all three majors (lost to Ivanovic in Australia, to Muguruza in Paris, and to Cornet in London). But as she proved time and time again, after every failure, she's come back stronger than ever.

After a successful summer in which she won titles in Stanford and Cincinnati, the American was determined to make amends on home soil, at the US Open. While the other favourite had exited earlier than expected, a focused Serena kept her eyes on the prize. She took it one match at a time,  played smart tennis when it mattered most, avoiding thus any unpleasant surprises to eventually claim her 18th Slam. Serena was dominant from the get-go. She cruised through the draw with relative ease, beating compatriots Taylor Townsend, Vania King, and Varvara Lepchenko, Estonian Kaia Kanepi, Italian Flavia Pennetta, respectively Russian Ekaterina Makarova to make the final without dropping a set. In the final, she handled perfectly what could have been a very tricky opponent—throughout the summer, former world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki had pushed her good friend to the limit in both Montreal and Cincinnati, but this time the American was untouchable. She closed out a 6-3,6-3 victory to tie all-time legends Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert at 18 Slams. "I couldn't have finished things in a better way. It is a pleasure for me to win here, I am really emotional. I couldn't ask to do it at a better place."

"It was definitely on my shoulders. It was definitely like, 'Oh, get there. Get there. Get there.'''

The No. 1 seed also collected a record prize ($3 for winning the US Open this year, plus an additional $1 million bonus for winning the Emirates Airline US Open Series), making her $4 million check the largest winner's purse in tennis history. 

Just when people were quick to announce the end of the Serena era, the two-time defending champ put on a master performance to stress her authority at the top of the rankings. She has no plans of going away any time soon, so it looks like sky is the limit for this fierce competitor.

Serena Williams defeated good friend Caroline Wozniacki 6-3,6-3 to claim her 18th Grand Slam title, equalling Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert.

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Oops ... She Did It Again! Alize Stuns Serena

When she beat Serena Williams in straight sets in Dubai I assumed the victory was a one-hit wonder. However, Alize Cornet proved she is the real deal, stunning the world No.1 in her backyard, on the Center Court at Wimbledon—a place where the American shone brightly so many times. 

The match seemed headed for a quick finish, Serena cruising through the first set 6-1. Not sure how, but the Frenchwoman found the strength and inspiration to turn it around, leveling the dispute in tremendous fashion. With the momentum swinging in her favour, Alize built what seemed like a decisive lead. But at 2-5 down in the decider, Serena caught fire. As she did so many times before, the American mounted a comeback cutting down the deficit to force the Frenchwoman serve out the match for the second time at 5-4. A few unforced mistakes to start the game proved vital for Serena who watched her opponent serve out the biggest win of her career. 

"I'm just calming down now because I was very excited for an hour. I couldn't believe it. I still cannot believe it, actually," Cornet said. "If somebody would have told me a couple years ago that I would be in the second week here at Wimbledon, and beating Serena, I wouldn't have believed it. 

"It feels great. Of course, what a victory. It's the best way to get to the second week."

While Cornet reached just her second Grand Slam fourth round, Williams has now failed to make the quarterfinals at all three majors this year—she lost to Ana Ivanovic in the fourth round in Melbourne and to Garbine Muguruza in the second round at Roland Garros.

Next up for the jubilant Frenchwoman is young sensation, Canadian darling, Eugenie Bouchard whom she beat in their previous meeting.

Alize Cornet won the biggest match of her career, recovering from the loss of the first set to stun world No.1 on the Centre Court at Wimbledon. The Frenchwoman beat Serena Williams 1-6,6-3,6-4 to reach the fourth round.

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Serena N'Est Parle Pas Plus Français Cette Année

A day after up-and-coming Kristina Mladenovic took out world No.2 and reigning Australian Open champion, Na Li, another rising star produced the shock of the tournament when she dismissed none other than the undisputed queen herself, American Serena Williams. Spanish Garbine Muguruza produced the performance of her lifetime to bruise aside the world No.1, 6-2,6-2.

Although Garbine has been pilling up great results this season—winning her maiden title in Hobart and reaching the fourth round in Melbourne—there was really nothing to announce this victory. The American seemed in solid form going into the meeting, having won in Rome just a week ago before crushing French teenager, Alizé Lim,  6-2,6-1 in the opening round. Plus, having lost in the fourth round Down Under, Williams was hungry to add another Grand Slam to her already impressive collection. And when she is hungry, there usually nothing standing in her way. Nothing but this talented, uninhibited Spanish player who took full advantage of her opponent’s error-strewn display to score the biggest win of her career. 

"It was one of those days," Williams said. "You know, you can't be on every day. I hate to be off during a Grand Slam, but it happens. It's not the end of the world. It is what it is.

"I love it here, but there's always next year. At least I won't have any points to defend next year, so I look forward to it.

"I'm going to go home and work five times as hard to make sure I never lose again."

What promised to be a family affair in the third round was quickly dismissed in a matter of hours, with both Williams sisters going out at more or less the same time—Venus lost a close battle to Slovakian teenager Anna Schmieldlova. 

Similar to what happen in 2012 when she was stunned by Virginie Razzano, Serena sees her Parisian adventure come to a sudden, early ending. It remains to be seen if she can make amends like she did last season when she went on to capture the title. The American did lose a bit of her invincibility this year, so I am curious how she will regroup for Wimbledon and if she will indeed fulfill her promise and go on to win the title. In the meantime, congrats to Garbine for keeping a clear head and closing out an amazing victory. It's never easy to beat Serena in a major!

A strong favourite to defend her crown, Serena saw her Parisian adventure come to an shocking end when she was defeated 6-2,6-2 by Spanish Garbine Muguruza.

While Serena was making tons of errors, Garbine remained focus and mentally strong to close out a pretty straight-forward win over her childhood idol.

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The 2014 Fashion Scoop from DOWN UNDER

Every January, the Australian Open sets the fashion trends for the upcoming season. Disappointingly enough, this year there weren't many highlights. The outfits were relatively boring, with just a handful providing some kind of excitement. The standout piece came from Venus Williams' EleVen line, the clean-cut zebra dress being both edgy and classy. In the men's camp, Roger Federer continues to set the tone, looking sharp and fresh in his signature RF attire. 

In terms of colours, light blue and pink dominated the scene. While Adidas put forth a light blue-orange combo, Nike opted for shades of pink for its main collection. Again nothing spectacular here. Stella McCartney tried to spice things up and selected a sunny, vintage-looking print. She failed miserably. Her garments looked overdesigned and dusty. Wozniacki's dress is again a hot mess—so many weird things going on there, plus the use of green in addition to the heavy yellow print and the orange.

I was pleasantly surprised by Lacoste. They're line is always fresh and has that expensive feel to it. Also, Maria Sharapova chose turquoise to make her look better than I've seen her in ages.

The Queen of Style

Venus Williams - EleVen

Although she toned down her eccentricity, Venus remains the most exciting tennis fashionista. Although the dress is simple, the zebra print makes it interesting and exciting. This was my favourite piece from this year's Aussie Open. The garment is the perfect example that the American found the great balance between making fashion statements and creating clothing appropriate for the tennis court. 

I'm Blue da ba dee da ba die

Ana Ivanovic - AdiZero

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - AdiZero

Although I do not like the blue-orange combo, AdiZero continues to be the definition of coolness on the tennis court. However, while Ivanovic and Tsonga can look good wearing a plastic bag, the same does not stand for some of the other players—and this collection can easily highlight that. The overall proposition is relatively weak (boring design, uninspired colours, same cut as in previous seasons), but the clothes do maintain the line's trademark cool vibe.

Angelique Kerber - Adidas

Boooring … this Adidas look is so dull it's not even worth the bother. Please, I know you can do better! 

Maria Sharpova - Nike 'Maria Sharapova' Group

I am not a fan of Sharapova's on-court style these days, but there are a few positives about her Australian Open garment. First, the colour—the vibrant turquoise, which looks great in contrast with her skin tone. Second, the attempt to spice things up with the crazy printed underpants. Third, the cutout in the back, which is nice. Not sure why, but I actually like how this outfit looks on her. It's probably due to the colour, which does wonders against her skin, but I think this is the best I've seen her look in quite a while. 

Jelena Jankovic - FILA

Julia Goerges - FILA

I've always been a fan of Fila. They constantly produce great clothes that are sharp and expensive-looking. I particularly like this year's colour palette with the mix of turquoise, purple, and black. Although Jankovic's dress is interesting, I prefer the separates that Goerges is wearing—the colour blocking works better there.

Genie in a Bottle

Eugenie Bouchard - Nike 'Maria Sharapova' Group

Eugenie Bouchard is the latest tennis sensation. The young Canadian is quickly emerging as one veritable fashionista. As a consequence, she was given an upgrade in style by Nike, being among the exclusive few to wear Sharapova's limited signature line. Although the clothes stand out, they're not always the most flattering. Take this garment for example. It's the same problem that Vika had at the US Open. The skirt should probably be a few inches shorter and pulled a little lower, but Genie is one of those players that would look good in basically anything. She can do no wrong.

The Master

Roger Federer - Nike RF Group

I strongly believe that Roger Federer is the best dressed tennis player. Although his signature line is relatively classic in the approach, the Swiss always finds a way to look fresh and cool. In Melbourne, he wore checked shorts, part of a nicely balanced airy outfit. The greatest thing about Federer's attire is the detailing—the red touches providing a nice pop of colour.

Pink Overdose

Serena Williams - Nike

Serena came to Melbourne determined to win the crown. The overwhelming favourite, the American opted to make a load fashion statement wearing a bright pink, polka dot dress. The dress has an interesting colour blocking, the front and upper part being pink, while the back is all black. I wasn't blown away by the garment. It is a pretty safe choice—the cut is the standard V-neck, plunging neckline the American so loves—but in true Serena manner, she upped the styling by adding a pink blazer and matching pink-black nails to the ensemble. When she steps on to the court she is truly a presence, so I applaud her for that.

Victoria Azarenka - Nike

Worrisomely Vika did not just lose her mojo on court, but she's also gone astray with her fashion choices. The pink ensemble does not do her justice. This is just a pretty dull, too pinkish top and skirt that does not live up the expectations. The hip Belorussian should be wearing bold, edgy clothes. Let's relight the magic, Vika! Let's go back to Melbourne 2011. 

Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci - Nike

Boooring again. Nice palette, but I feel the colour blocking is exaggerated. I was confused when I first saw this outfit.

Sloane Stephens - UnderArmour

As I said a couple of times before, I strongly believe that Sloane Stephens is the shiniest fashion prospect in tennis at the moment. Although extremely young, the American has a cohesive style. She is classy, but extra hip and fresh. She loves daring colours—like pink, fuchsia, neon yellow or orange—which perfectly complement her dark skin tone. In Melbourne, she wore a vibrant peach dress, which had a looser fit than what she's usually wearing. While I like the change, I feel this cut is not the most flattering for her. The bottom part is too wide and it opens too much, adding a few extra kilos to the hip area. She should stick to wearing fitted clothes.

Stella's Sunny Disaster

Laura Robson - Adidas by Stella McCartney

Andrea Petkovic - Adidas by Stella McCartney

Flavia Pennetta - Adidas by Stella McCartney

Caroline Wozniacki - Adidas by Stella McCartney

Oh my, oh my! What a mess did miss Stella McCartney put together here?! Not really sure where to start, but I cannot quite digest this whole collection. OK, she chose a vintage print, which could have been wow, but she kept adding until the end result became yow (made up the word to rhyme). Let's take the separates. The sunny skirt is nice. The top though is crazy. There's so many things going on. First, it's the use of the print in blocks—something I cannot quite understand—it looks like she run out of fabric and found no other solution to fix the problem. Second, the orange waistline stripe. Third, the sheer upper part and the heart-shaped breast line. Four, the busy back. However, regardless of the numerous flaws, this garment still looks fresher than Wozniacki's grandma dress. The use of the print on the lambada skirt makes the dress seem dull and dusted. Plus, the top part comes from a completely different story. The mint waistline strip and the use of the green do not match with the sunny print. Sorry, Stella dear, but this is a hot mess. A failed experiment. I am confident you can do better. Pretty please, show us something designer worthy!

Classy Lacoste

Dominika Cibulkova - Lacoste

Alize Cornet - Lacoste

Simona Halep - Lacoste

As said, I like Lacoste. The cut is clean, the fabrics are rich, the clothes seem comfortable, and the design is nice, without being exaggerated. Plus, the colour palette is warm. 

Pijamas made in Japan

Novak Djokovic - UNIQLO

Since signing with Japanese producer, Uniqlo, Novak Djokovic seems to be playing in his pajamas all the time. Might sound mean, but it's the truth. The design is always the same, thus it looks dated, while the colours are dusted, especially the ever-present rat grey. The Serbian is in desperate need of a fashion make-over.

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