Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/867059
ITFWORLD SUMMER 2017 29 www.itftennis.com Kerber was the first German woman to receive the award since Steffi Graf took the last of her six World Champion titles in 1996. She also finished runner-up at Wimbledon, where she lost to Serena Williams, although she had beaten the American legend in the final in Melbourne. She was a silver medallist in the singles in Rio. The French pair Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia only got together on a regular basis at the start of 2016. They just got better and better during the season, winning four clay court titles on the trot, culminating in their much-treasured French Open success. Mladenovic had previously won a World Champion award in 2009 as a junior. Among 2016's top juniors, Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic achieved something that his illustrious compatriot Novak Djokovic never managed despite five senior awards, which was to be named boys World Champion. Anastasia Potapova, of Russia, the girls' winner, also did something quite remarkable by winning junior Wimbledon at the age of 15. Gordon Reid, a third British World Champion, received the men's wheelchair award after winning two Grand Slam singles titles as well as gold and silver medals in Rio. Jiske Griffioen meanwhile maintained Dutch traditions in women's wheelchair tennis, being the only returning World Champion after taking double Paralympic gold in 2016. The dinner also celebrated Czech Republic and Argentina as the 2016 World Champions of Fed Cup by BNP Paribas and Davis Cup by BNP Paribas respectively, and the winning captains, Petr Pala and Daniel Orsanic, were honoured on stage. Guests were reminded of the Czechs' narrow victory over France which handed them their tenth Fed Cup title overall and, in case they'd forgotten, of Argentina's stunning comeback against Croatia which earned them their longed-for Davis Cup triumph. The Pavillon Cambon Capucines Miomir Kecmanovic with his junior award Junior champion Anastasia Potapova Bruno Soares on stage with David Haggerty Nicola Pietrangeli, Daniel Orsanic and Manolo Santana with the Davis Cup trophy Wheelchair winners Jiske Griffioen and Gordon Reid The trophies