5 tennis players who have won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award
Emma Raducanu's remarkable victory at the 2021 US Open helped her win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award on Sunday. Raducanu is the first British woman to win a Major since Virginia Wade in 1977.
Among the nominees were Tom Daley and Adam Peaty, both of whom won gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics this year. Daley won gold in the synchronized 10 meter platform event and bronze in the 10 meter platform event in Tokyo. Peaty became the first British swimmer to retain his Olympic crown by winning the 100m breast stroke event. He was also a part of the team that won gold in the 4×100m mixed medley.
Heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury was nominated for his exploits in the ring while Manchester City footballer Raheem Sterling was nominated for his dazzling performances at Euro 2020. Sterling also helped Manchester City reach the Champions League final and win the English Premier League.
Completing the list of nominees was Sarah Storey, who won three cycling golds at this year's Tokyo Paralympics. This took the 43-year-old's tally to 17 gold medals across cycling and swimming, thus making her the most successful British Paralympic athlete of all time.
However, Raducanu's sensational victory in New York stood out from the rest and she became the youngest female to be adjudged the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. The teenager became only the fifth tennis player upon whom this honor has been bestowed.
Since the award's inception in 1954, only nine tennis players have been nominated for it. This includes Ann Mortimer, Roger Taylor, Tim Henman and Johanna Konta, who were nominated but did not win.
So without any further ado, let us take a detailed look at the five tennis players who have been adjudged the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
#1. Ann Jones - 1969
Ann Jones was one of the best players of the 1960s, winning a total of eight Grand Slam titles across singles, doubles and mixed doubles.
Her first two Grand Slam wins came at the the French Open in 1961 and 1966. But after losing the French Open final in 1969, Jones was keen to win Wimbledon.
Seeded fourth in the competition, she reached the semifinals after five straight-set victories. In the last four, Jones' opponent was top seed Margaret Court, who had beaten her in the final at Roland Garros. The Englishwoman fought back from a set down to avenge that loss and reach her second Wimbledon final.
Facing her in the final was the very same opponent who beat her to the title in 1967, three-time defending champion Billie Jean King. The American took the first set 6-3 but Jones rebounded strongly to win the match and the Championship, thus becoming the first female left-handed player to win Wimbledon.
Ann Jones won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 1969 ahead of Tony Jacklin and George Best.
#2. Virginia Wade - 1977
Virginia Wade made her Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon in 1962. At the time of her 16th successive appearance in the tournament, she had already won two Majors.
In 1977, Wade was seeded third and had little trouble reaching the semifinals. Here, she was up against top seed and reigning champion Chris Evert. Wade beat Evert in three sets to reach her first Wimbledon final.
Standing between Wade and the Championship was seventh seed Bettie Stove. The Dutchwoman took the first set 6-4 but Wade bounced back strongly to win the next two and finally lift the Wimbledon trophy.
Virginia Wade became only the second tennis player to win the Sports Personality of the Year award, beating Geoffrey Boycott, who had scored his 100th first-class century that year.
#3. Greg Rusedski - 1997
1997 was probably the best year of Greg Rusedski's career. He made his mark at Wimbledon where he reached the quarterfinals. However, his finest performance came at the US Open.
Unseeded in the competition, Rusedski had little trouble reaching the quarterfinals, where he defeated Richard Krajicek. He then beat Jonas Bjorkman in a five-set thriller to become Britain's first male Grand Slam finalist in over 60 years.
In the final, Rusedski faced his first seeded opponent, Patrick Rafter. The Australian beat him in four sets to win his first Grand Slam title.
Despite the defeat, Rusedski was adjudged 1997's BBC Sports Personality of the Year ahead of colleague Tim Henman and rowing legend Steve Redgrave.
#4. Andy Murray - 2013, 2015 and 2016
Andy Murray has won this award a record three times. The first instance came in 2013 when he won Wimbledon, becoming the first British man to win at the All England Club since Fred Perry in 1936.
The second time Murray won the award was in 2015, the year he helped Great Britain win the Davis Cup for the first time in nearly 80 years. Individually, he won the Madrid Masters and Canadian Open, and returned to the top two of the ATP rankings.
2016 was by far the best year of Murray's career as he won his second Wimbledon crown, became the first tennis player to win back-to-back Olympic golds in singles and reached the World No. 1 ranking.
The Scot won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 2016 for a third time, more than any other individual.
#5. Emma Raducanu
Emma Raducanu was perhaps the biggest revelation of 2021. She burst onto the scene during Wimbledon where she reached the fourth round, before retiring against Ajla Tomjlanovic.
Raducanu entered the qualifying stages of the US Open ranked 150th in the world. She reached the main draw of the tournament and managed to qualify for the quarterfinals, where she faced Olympic champion Belinda Bencic. After defeating the Swiss, Raducanu got the better of Maria Sakkari to reach her maiden Grand Slam final.
The teenager then defeated Canada's Leylah Fernandez to become the first qualifier to win a Major in the Open Era.
That achievement was enough to bag Raducanu the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, thus making her the youngest winner of the prize since Michael Owen in 1998.