WTAhotties Awards 2009 - Special Achievement Award: Kimiko Date-Krumm

When former WTA #4 Kimiko Date-Krumm announced that she was coming back to the Tour in 2008 at the age of 37 and after being retired for 12 years, nobody really expected too much as tennis has become a lot more physical and powerful in the last few years.
But Date has shown that a woman in her late 30s is still able to compete at a professional level, and that experience, mentality, technique and intelligence can compensate the physical handicap. On September 27, one day before her 39th birthday, Kimiko Date-Krumm made history as she captured the title in Seoul and became the second oldest woman to win a WTA title, just after Billie Jean King. And in November she made it to the semifinals of the Tournament of Champions.
For showing that age is no obstacle for keeping physical fitness, for her healthy and sporty lifestyle and for her possitive and fighting spirit, Kimiko Date-Krumm is a great ambassador of tennis and sport and truly deserves our Special Achievement Award.