Details | |
---|---|
Duration | January 3 – November 13, 2004 |
Edition | 34th |
Tournaments | 60 |
Categories | Grand Slam (4) WTA Championships Summer Olympics WTA Tier I (10) WTA Tier II (15) WTA Tier III (16) WTA Tier IV (5) WTA Tier V (8) |
Achievements (singles) | |
Most tournament titles | Lindsay Davenport (7) |
Most tournament finals | Lindsay Davenport (9) Amélie Mauresmo (9) |
Prize money leader | Maria Sharapova ($2,506,263) |
Points leader | Lindsay Davenport (4,760) |
Awards | |
Player of the year | Maria Sharapova |
Doubles team of the year | Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suárez |
Most improved player of the year | Maria Sharapova |
Newcomer of the year | Tatiana Golovin |
Comeback player of the year | Serena Williams |
← 2003 2005 → |
The 2004 WTA Tour was the elite professional tennis circuit organized by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for the 2004 season. The 2004 WTA Tour calendar comprised the Grand Slam tournaments (supervised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF)), the WTA Tier I-V Events, the Fed Cup (organized by the ITF), the Summer Olympic Games and the year-end championships.
In an open year, Lindsay Davenport finished the season at No. 1 for the third time after 1998 and 2001, despite not reaching a Grand Slam final. Amélie Mauresmo put together a consistent season, reaching No. 1 in September and finishing the year ranked No. 2. The Russian contingent enjoyed an impressive rise into the elite of women's tennis, with Anastasia Myskina, Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova all winning their first Grand Slam titles, and Elena Dementieva twice being a runner-up. The Belgian pair of Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne, who had risen to the top of women's tennis during 2003, both struggled with injuries throughout the season. Likewise, the dominance of the Williams sisters diminished, with both finishing the season outside the top 5.
World No. 1 Justine Henin-Hardenne started the season on a high note, taking the title in Sydney and then winning her third Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, defeating Kim Clijsters in the final. Fabiola Zuluaga and Patty Schnyder enjoyed runs to their first ever Grand Slam semifinals in singles. Schnyder took advantage of an open draw which saw Venus Williams dumped out in the third round by Lisa Raymond. Zuluaga advanced after Elena Dementieva and Nadia Petrova were early upset victims in her section of the draw, and then benefitted from a walkover from Amélie Mauresmo in the quarterfinals. Defending champion Serena Williams withdrew from the tournament due to her continuing recovery from knee surgery.
Henin-Hardenne won in Dubai amidst a 16-match win streak, which was snapped by Svetlana Kuznetsova in Doha. Kuznetsova lost to the defending champion Anastasia Myskina in the final. Elsewhere, Lindsay Davenport won her fourth title in Tokyo, tying Martina Hingis for the most wins at the event. Clijsters won the indoor tournaments in Paris and Antwerp, but struggled with injury for the rest of the season. Henin-Hardenne moved straight back to winning ways by taking the title in Indian Wells. Serena Williams would return in March, winning her first tournament back in Miami.
The clay court season began with Davenport claiming the title in Amelia Island. Venus Williams then won both Charleston and Warsaw in succession. Amélie Mauresmo won the two biggest warm-up tournaments on red clay at Berlin and Rome, with Williams also reaching the final in Germany. Mauresmo's feat of winning both events was previously matched by Steffi Graf and Monica Seles, both of whom also lifted the French Open that same year.
However, it proved not to be a good omen for Mauresmo as she lost to Elena Dementieva in the quarterfinals. Clijsters withdrew from the tournament with a wrist injury, [1] whilst her compatriot and defending champion Henin-Hardenne bowed out in the second round with injury against Tathiana Garbin. It was the earliest loss for the No. 1 seed there since 1925. That upset allowed Paola Suárez to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal in singles, where she lost to Dementieva. In the bottom half of the draw, Anastasia Myskina came through after wins over Venus Williams and Jennifer Capriati. The first all-Russian Grand Slam final ended quickly, with Myskina routing a nervous Dementieva to become the first Grand Slam singles champion from Russia.
Russian dominance continued in the grass court warmups, with Maria Sharapova winning in Birmingham and Svetlana Kuznetsova prevailing in Eastbourne. Mary Pierce also claimed her first tour title since the French Open four years previously, winning in 's-Hertogenbosch. Clijsters and Henin-Hardenne sat out the year's third Grand Slam with the same injuries that put them out of the French Open. The first week of Wimbledon saw Venus Williams sent home in the second round by Karolina Šprem, whilst the two French Open finalists failed to make the successful transition between clay and grass: Dementieva lost to Sandra Kleinová, and Myskina to Amy Frazier. The final was to be contested between Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, who both made impressive comebacks in their semifinals from a set and a break down. [2] [3] In the final, Sharapova upset the two-time defending champion to win her first Grand Slam title, the third youngest winner ever at Wimbledon. [4]
Davenport started the summer hardcourt season on a hot streak, winning events in Stanford, Los Angeles, San Diego and Cincinnati to build an impressive winning run going into the year's final Grand Slam. Nicole Vaidišová became one of the youngest tour titlists in history by winning a smaller event in Vancouver. Mauresmo won the Tier I event in Toronto, beating Elena Likhovtseva in the final. Henin-Hardenne returned from her illness to play the Athens Olympics, where she won the gold medal match over Mauresmo. In the bronze medal match, Alicia Molik beat Myskina.
Davenport was the favourite to take her second U.S. Open title, but she was stopped in the semifinals by Svetlana Kuznetsova. It was a half of upsets with Henin-Hardenne falling to Nadia Petrova, and Myskina and Sharapova also departing early. Henin-Hardenne's loss meant that Mauresmo would reach the No. 1 ranking position for the first time. In the bottom half of the draw, Elena Dementieva beat Mauresmo and Capriati—who was coming off a controversial win against Serena Williams in the quarterfinals with several contentious line calls going against Williams—to reach her second Grand Slam final. In another all-Russian final, Kuznetsova became the third player from the country to win her maiden Grand Slam in succession.
Mauresmo's reign at No. 1 turned out to be short-lived, with Davenport, who won the title in Stuttgart during the fall season, displacing her one-month later. Nevertheless, it turned out to be a successful stretch for Mauresmo, who claimed titles in Linz and Philadelphia. Alicia Molik won her biggest career title in Zurich and a smaller event in Luxembourg, while Myskina defended her title in Moscow. Svetlana Kuznetsova won the title in Bali and reached the final in Beijing, losing to Serena Williams. It was Sharapova who ended up winning the season-ending WTA Tour Championships, beating Williams in the final, after picking up smaller titles in Seoul and Tokyo, and reaching the final in Zurich. Nadia Petrova and Meghann Shaughnessy won the doubles event.
The table below shows the 2004 WTA Tour schedule.
Grand Slam events |
Summer Olympic Games |
Year-end championships |
Tier I events |
Tier II events |
Tier III events |
Tier IV and V events |
Team events |
List of players and titles won, last name alphabetically:
The following players won their first title:
Titles won by nation:
Below are the 2004 WTA year-end rankings:
No | Player Name | Nation | Points | 2003 | Change |
1 | Lindsay Davenport | USA | 4,760 | 5 | +4 |
2 | Amélie Mauresmo | FRA | 4,546 | 4 | +2 |
3 | Anastasia Myskina | RUS | 4,012 | 7 | +4 |
4 | Maria Sharapova | RUS | 3,536 | 32 | +28 |
5 | Svetlana Kuznetsova | RUS | 3,533 | 36 | +31 |
6 | Elena Dementieva | RUS | 3,448 | 8 | +2 |
7 | Serena Williams | USA | 3,128 | 3 | –4 |
8 | Justine Henin-Hardenne | BEL | 2,884 | 1 | –7 |
9 | Venus Williams | USA | 2,400 | 11 | +2 |
10 | Jennifer Capriati | USA | 2,359 | 6 | –4 |
11 | Vera Zvonareva | RUS | 2,299 | 13 | +2 |
12 | Nadia Petrova | RUS | 2,022 | 12 | = |
13 | Alicia Molik | AUS | 1,971 | 35 | +22 |
14 | Patty Schnyder | SUI | 1,638 | 23 | +9 |
15 | Elena Bovina | RUS | 1,598 | 21 | +6 |
16 | Paola Suárez | ARG | 1,535 | 14 | –2 |
17 | Ai Sugiyama | JPN | 1,469 | 10 | –7 |
18 | Karolina Šprem | CRO | 1,452 | 59 | +41 |
19 | Francesca Schiavone | ITA | 1,403 | 20 | +1 |
20 | Silvia Farina Elia | ITA | 1,334 | 24 | +4 |
Holder | Date gained | Date forfeited |
---|---|---|
Justine Henin-Hardenne (BEL) | Year-End 2003 | 12 September 2004 |
Amélie Mauresmo (FRA) | 13 September 2004 | 17 October 2004 |
Lindsay Davenport (USA) | 18 October 2004 | Year-End 2004 |
"Full 2004 Year-End Rankings" (PDF). Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-09-18. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
Amélie Simone Mauresmo is a French former world No. 1 tennis player and tournament director. Mauresmo won two major singles titles at the 2006 Australian Open and Wimbledon Championships, and also won the silver medal in singles at the 2004 Summer Olympics and the singles title at the 2005 year-end championships.
Justine Henin is a Belgian former world No. 1 tennis player. She spent a total of 117 weeks as the world No. 1 and was the year-end No. 1 in 2003, 2006 and 2007. Henin, coming from a country with limited success in tennis, helped establish Belgium as a leading force in women's tennis alongside Kim Clijsters, and led the country to its first Fed Cup crown in 2001. She was known for her all-court style of play and for being one of the few female players to use a single-handed backhand.
This page covers all the important events in the sport of tennis in 2004. Primarily, it provides the results of notable tournaments throughout the year on both the ATP and WTA Tours, the Davis Cup, and the Fed Cup.
The 2005 WTA Tour was the elite professional tennis circuit organized by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for the 2005 tennis season. The 2005 WTA Tour included the four Grand Slam tournaments, the WTA Tour Championships and the WTA Tier I, Tier II, Tier III, Tier IV and Tier V events. ITF tournaments were not part of the WTA Tour, although they award points for the WTA World Ranking.
The 2006 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour was the 36th season since the founding of the Women's Tennis Association. It commenced on January 2, 2006, and concluded on November 12, 2006, after 61 events.
Venus Williams defeated Lindsay Davenport in the final, 4–6, 7–6(7–4), 9–7 to win the ladies' singles tennis title at the 2005 Wimbledon Championships. It was her third Wimbledon singles title and fifth major singles title overall. At two hours and 45 minutes, it was the longest Wimbledon women's final in history. Williams became the first woman in the Open Era, and the first since Helen Wills in 1935, to win the title after saving a championship point. She lost only one set during the tournament, to Davenport in the final — which was a rematch of the 2000 final.
Amélie Mauresmo defeated Justine Henin-Hardenne in the final, 6–1, 2–0 ret., to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2006 Australian Open. It was her first major title. Henin-Hardenne was suffering from stomach cramps resulting from the accidental misuse of anti-inflammatories for a chronic shoulder injury. This was Mauresmo's third match of the tournament where her opponent retired. Mauresmo and Henin-Hardenne would have a rematch in the Wimbledon final later that year, where Mauresmo would win in three sets.
Justine Henin-Hardenne defeated Kim Clijsters in the final, 6–3, 4–6, 6–3 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2004 Australian Open. It was her third major title, each time defeating Clijsters in the final. Clijsters would eventually win the title seven years later.
Serena Williams defeated Lindsay Davenport in the final, 2–6, 6–3, 6–0 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2005 Australian Open. It was her second Australian Open singles title and her seventh major singles title overall. Williams saved three match points en route to the title, in the semifinals against Maria Sharapova.
Defending champion Serena Williams defeated her sister Venus Williams in a rematch of the previous year's final, 4–6, 6–4, 6–2 to win the ladies' singles tennis title at the 2003 Wimbledon Championships. It was her second Wimbledon singles title and her sixth major singles title overall.
Justine Henin-Hardenne defeated Mary Pierce in the final, 6–1, 6–1 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2005 French Open. It was her second French Open title, and her first of three consecutive French Open titles. Henin became the second woman in the Open Era to win the title after saving a match point, doing so in the fourth round against Svetlana Kuznetsova.
The 2006 Wimbledon Championships was a tennis tournament played on grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London in the United Kingdom. It was the 120th edition of the Wimbledon Championships and were held from 26 June to 9 July 2006. It was the third Grand Slam tennis event of the year.
Amélie Mauresmo defeated Justine Henin-Hardenne in the final, 2–6, 6–3, 6–4 to win the ladies' singles tennis title at the 2006 Wimbledon Championships. It was her second major title, having won the Australian Open earlier in the year. Mauresmo also became the first Frenchwoman to win Wimbledon since Suzanne Lenglen in 1925. Henin-Hardenne was attempting to complete the career Grand Slam.
Maria Sharapova defeated Justine Henin-Hardenne in the final, 6–4, 6–4 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2006 US Open. It was her second major title. She lost just one set during the tournament. By reaching the final, Henin-Hardenne became the eighth woman to reach all four major finals in a calendar year.
The 2007 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour was the elite professional tennis circuit organized by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for the 2007 tennis season. The calendar comprises the Grand Slam tournaments, the WTA Tier I-IV Events, the Fed Cup and the year-end championships.
Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova in the final, 6–1, 6–2 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2007 Australian Open. It was her third Australian Open singles title and her eighth major singles title overall. Ranked as the world No. 81, she became the first unseeded player to win the title since Christine O'Neil in 1978.
Elena Viacheslavovna Dementieva is a Russian former professional tennis player. She won the singles gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, having previously won the silver medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. She won 16 WTA singles titles, reached the finals of the 2004 French Open and 2004 US Open and reached seven other Grand Slam semifinals. Dementieva was also part of the Russian team that won the 2005 Fed Cup. In doubles, she won the 2002 WTA Championships with Janette Husárová and was the runner-up in two US Open doubles finals – in 2002 with Husárová and in 2005 with Flavia Pennetta. Dementieva achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 3, which was accomplished on 6 April 2009. She announced her retirement on 29 October 2010, after her final match at the 2010 WTA Championships. Between 2003 and 2010, she only ended one year, in 2007, outside the top 10. She is considered to be one of the most talented players never to have won a Grand Slam tournament.
Maria Sharapova defeated Serena Williams in the final, 4–6, 6–2, 6–4 to win the singles tennis title at the 2004 WTA Tour Championships. This was also the second and final time in which Sharapova defeated Williams, as she would lose their next 19 encounters.
Results and statistics from Maria Sharapova's 2006 tennis season.
Results and statistics from Maria Sharapova's 2005 tennis season.