– Serena Williams mourns the loss of a long-time friend: Serena’s four-legged companion Jackie-Lauralei passed away. Here’s what Serena wrote on Instagram:

“Today really is hard for me. My special friend in which I got at 17 (2 weeks before I won my very first Grand Slam) left me today. She was 16 years young and up until a few days ago was still sprinting. Her poor body gave out this morning and she had a way of telling me it was time for me to be brave and let her go. With my dad by my side we were able to say a loving goodbye. She was with me from 1999 until today and I miss her so much. I got out of the shower this afternoon and she was not there to lick my leg as she always did everyday to remind me how much she loved me. I feel so lucky to have such a special friend. Give your dog, cat, pet a big hug. #breakingheart #bff Jackie Baila Pete Williams I will miss you and your memory will live forever.”

– Andy Roddick on Serena Williams: Roddick pens an essay for SI.com making the case for why Serena is his 2015 SI Sportsman of the Year.

People will talk about the dominance – I don’t think anyone would argue that on her best day she is the best women’s player of all time – but she’s kind of developed this nuance to get through matches and win deciding sets. During the entire tournament at Roland Garros, she was sick and not at her best physically. But she still fought through mentally and won the title, adding to her Slam total and giving herself some chance at the calendar year Grand Slam. That was probably my favorite Grand Slam that she’s won. I don’t know that she would tell you that because it was probably grueling and terrible at the moment. But looking back, knowing how hard it is to be at your best when you’re under the weather, I think that was the most impressive win for me.

– Agnieszka Radwanska on CNN: The BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global champion sat down with Pat Cash after winning the biggest title of her career last month.

– Frozen: Looks like it might be a gym day for Simona Halep and Darren Cahill.

Don't forget to bring the balls for practice @Simona_Halep. I booked the court ? #romania ☃? #beautifulhere pic.twitter.com/Xitc43hUOi

— Darren Cahill (@darren_cahill) November 24, 2015

– Rough Day for Alla Kudryavtseva: The Russian was disqualified from her match against Nicole Gibbs at the Carlsbad Classic on Monday. Though it’s unclear what exactly happened, the Russian posted this heartfelt apology afterwards:

@AllaK11: To @WTA @queen_v21 @Gibbsyyyy and everyone who was following my match tonight….140 words ain't enough… pic.twitter.com/aQM9c0EiIZ

— Alla Kudryavtseva (@AllaK11) November 24, 2015

– Podcast Up for Travel Days: If you’re planning to be on the move for Thanksgiving in America, what better way to prepare than to load your phone with some podcasts to get your through the potentially trying times. It’s a perfect time to catch up on all the episodes of the WTA Insider Podcast you’ve missed

– Stay Warm, Bethanie: Bundle up, folks!

When you tell your hubby you need a blanket because you're cold and not feelin so good. @MirzaSania knows this face? pic.twitter.com/6395GvNcSj

— Bethanie MattekSands (@BMATTEK) November 24, 2015

Standards in women’s tennis fashion are on an all-time high, pushing brands to work day and night to stay competitive and deliver always-striking and ever more functional outfits. The 2015 season was highly prolific in terms of women’s tennis apparel and our fashion contributor Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog narrowed down the selection of clothes to those that made the greatest impact in the season behind us.

Serena Williams had a number of memorable outfits in 2015 and even Nike, Inc. President and CEO Mark Parker joined the design process for her US Open range of clothes entitled the Greatness Collection. The item that, however, beats all else is this yellow and pink eye-catching and powerful tunic that absolutely stole the show during the Australian Open and in which the American started her quest for the Calendar Slam by claiming the Melbourne title. Everyone was talking about this vibrant outfit with huge back cutout that goes all the way to the waist and even now, ten months later, it is still alive in our memory.

Lotto pushed the boundaries when it comes to what qualifies for sports clothing, going sexy and disco for most Agnieszka Radwanska’s dresses this year.

From the Pole’s provocative lace statement piece in many different colors (navy, red, blue, and black) and even more extraordinary shiny silver dress, to the very daring printed metallic dress with ruffled hem and thin criss-cross straps.

Prints are Venus Williams’ specialty and without hesitation the EleVen’s Ndebele pattern is the 2015 favorite. Inspired by the Ndebele South African tribe, this colorful zig-zag print is a wonderful marriage of lively colors and geometry, while dark side colorblocks provide the always-welcome slimming effect.

Even though Yohji Yamamoto’s Y-3 collection for the French Open campaigns of adidas’ top athletes was unarguably wonderful refreshment with its combination of powerful blacks and Hawaiian floral prints, looking back at the 2015 season, the brand’s spring and summer adizero groups of clothes edge the Japanese designer.

Adizero is the absolute perfect mix of modern style and sports design with ultimate use of technological advancements. The Adizero items a great choice for all those looking for one solid outfit that will be both trendy and functional for the long time to come. Be it in night flash with orange accents, or in flash red with vibrant green details, these ensembles get five stars in every aspect.

Garbiñe Muguruza always looked stylish during her stellar 2015 rise to number three in the WTA rankings, wearing a variety of adidas separates designed by Stella McCartney. From the peach romantic florals in the spring, to flirtatious laser cut open mesh skirt during the run to the Wimbledon final, and finally to the closing of the big season in the winter colorblock tank with a nice half-ellipse back cutout and dark grey paneled skirt.

Finally, Maria Sharapova deserves an honorable mention, even though some of her best outfits were barely exposed this year, such as the Roland Garros dress which was constantly covered by striped long-sleeve shirt and her black and white US Open dress that she wore only briefly in Wuhan. The Wimbledon dress is characterized by strategically-placed contrasting triangles that add a subtle element of visual interest, while also ensuring a figure-flattering dimension, and Sharapova looked wonderful in it, going all the way to the semifinals.

DUBAI, UAE – Ana Ivanovic and Caroline Wozniacki, longtime Dubai Duty Free Global Brand Ambassadors and former World No.1s, had a magical night at the Dubai Airshow Dinner Gala earlier this month, watching the fastest-growing air show in the world, as well as one of the biggest singing sensations in the world, Katy Perry, who performed an exclusive concert for the guests at the gala.

Dubai Duty Free, who hosted Ivanovic and Wozniacki on the night, are the WTA’s longest standing partner – they’re also presenting partner of the WTA Pre-Wimbledon Party and the Year-End World No.1 Awards, which went to Serena Williams and Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza this year.

“For as long as I can remember, Dubai Duty Free has been one of the biggest supporters of women’s tennis. I am thrilled to continue my partnership with such a wonderful brand – we are now in our fourth year together,” Ivanovic commented. “As part of my role as their Global Ambassador I’ve taken part in many exciting activities and learnt a lot more about the culture of the region. I’m looking forward to coming back to Dubai in 2016 to compete for the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title.”

Speaking of which, the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships – which has attracted the top women’s players in the world since its inaugural year on the WTA calendar back in 2001, and will do the same in 2016 – was also honored last Monday, receiving a five-star rating by the Dubai Sports Council.

Here are some of the best pics from both of these events in Dubai, all courtesy of Dubai Duty Free:

Here’s Ivanovic and Wozniacki with Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman of Dubai Duty Free:

Here they are with Salah Tahlak, Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships Tournament Director:

Here’s Tahlak receiving the award from Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai International Marine Club, along with Bernard Creed of Dubai Duty Free.

Ana Ivanovic arrived Down Under at the start of 2014 still searching for the form that once took her to the top of the tennis world. Victory in Auckland, and then a run to the quarterfinals at the Australian Open provided the springboard for a tremendous campaign that saw her return to the Top 10.

The highlight of this early resurgence came when she kicked out top seed and red-hot favorite Serena Williams on a sweltering afternoon on Rod Laver. However, 12 months later the boot was very much on the other foot.

Coming into the tournament seeded No.5 and fresh from a final in Brisbane, Ivanovic was in buoyant mood. On the face of it, the draw had been kind, too, pitting her against Czech qualifier Lucie Hradecka and far away from any of the dangerous floaters.

What followed was the upset of the tournament.

There was no hint at what was to come from the opening set, a tentative Hradecka struggling to keep the ball in court in her first Grand Slam main draw outing for 12 months. But even then, the World No.142 sensed she had a chance, Ivanovic looking uncharacteristically ordinary.

Spying a chink in the Serb’s armor, Hradecka went for the jugular, taking charge of the rallies and clubbing double-fisted winner after winner. For much of the final two sets, she was irresistible, and to the shock of those watching on quelled the nerves that must surely have been lurking to close out a famous 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 triumph.

“I was so nervous in the beginning. My hand was shaky,” Hradecka said afterwards. “But I played one time against Ana before, at Wimbledon five years ago, and I had two match points, so my goal was if I had match point this time to finish it. And I’m so happy I did it this time.”

For all her success the previous year, by her own admission, Ivanovic had underperformed at the majors, making her opening day setback all the more difficult to stomach.

“I think it’s just mentally how you approach each match,” Ivanovic said. “I really felt good before the tournament started. I had a great week in Brisbane. The level was really high. But you just have to accept that you’re going to have tough days and you got to go through the tough days to improve. I’m such a perfectionist and sometimes I judge myself too much.”

The stars of the WTA battle it out day after day and week after week for wins, titles and ranking points – but who’s getting the most clicks on wtatennis.com, the official website of the WTA? That’s what we’ll be finding out all week this week as we count down the Top 50 Most Popular Players Of 2015.

From marquee names to WTA Rising Stars and doubles specialists, the WTA has an all-star cast battling it out all season long, and they’re all on the countdown. Where’s your favorite player on the list?

Let’s kick off the Top 50 Most Popular Players Of 2015 countdown today with No.50 to No.41!

50] Monica Niculescu (ROU)
Niculescu, whose 2015 season was highlighted by reaching her fifth WTA final at Nottingham – which included a semifinal stunner over Agnieszka Radwanska – kicks off our Top 50 countdown at No.50.