Serena, Garbiñe & Vinci Earn ESPY Nods
LOS ANGELES, CA, USA – ESPN revealed today the nominees for The 2016 ESPYS presented by Capital One, and Serena Williams, Garbiñe Muguruza, Flavia Pennetta, Angelique Kerber and Roberta Vinci all received award nods across two categories.
The ESPYS recognize outstanding athletic achievements in the calendar year preceding the awards ceremony, and are awarded via an online fan vote.
Four WTA players are nominated for Best Female Tennis Player including World No.1 Serena Williams, who is chasing her eighth ESPY in the category (2003-2004, 2009-2011, 2013, 2015). Last year, Williams took home three of the four Grand Slam titles and was voted as 2015 WTA Player of the Year. Her 175 consecutive weeks at No.1 make up the second-longest streak in WTA history.
Williams faces a field of first-time nominees for the award, including reigning Roland Garros champion Garbiñe Muguruza, who avenged her 2015 Wimbledon final loss to Williams by upsetting her in the 2016 French Open final to win her career-first major and rise to World No.2.
Also vying for the Best Female Tennis Player award are Angelique Kerber, 2016 Australian Open champion and Flavia Pennetta, 2015 US Open champion.
Click here to vote for Best Female Tennis Player!
In addition, Roberta Vinci’s upset of Williams at the US Open is up for Best Upset, a category that also includes Holly Holm knocking out Ronda Rousey and No.15 Middle Tennessee State defeating No.2 seed Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament.
The unseeded Vinci pulled off the upset of the year when she famously halted Williams’ quest for a Calendar-Year Grand Slam, shocking everyone – including herself. Afterwards she addressed the crowd, saying: “Today is my day. Sorry guys!”
Click here to vote for Best Upset!
Fans will determine the winners in most ESPYS categories by voting online up to the start of The 2016 ESPYS. View all the categories and nominees, and cast your vote now at www.espys.com – voting ends on Wednesday, July 13th 8 p.m. (ET)!