Lindsay Davenport can't ascend to the No. 1 ranking for another week and a half, but she already has clinched one distinction.
Wednesday, Davenport received Player of the Year honors at the Sanex WTA Tour Annual Awards Ceremony. Seeded second at the Ericsson Open, Davenport won the award for the second consecutive year after co-leading the tour with seven singles titles, includingWimbledon and the Chase Championships.
Davenport joins Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles as the only players to win Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons.
''I wish there could be co-players of the year because I really think Martina [Hingis] deserves to share the award,'' Davenport said in a statement.
Hingis did not leave the ceremony empty-handed. Along with partner Anna Kournikova, Hingis earned a share of the 1999 Doubles Team of the Year award. The duo posted a 28-1 match record and won five doubles titles, including the Australian Open, Chase Championships, Indian Wells and the Italian Open.
In addition, the Hingis-Kournikova tandem reached the final of every tournament they entered. Kournikova and Hingis finished the year ranked first and second in the world in doubles, respectively.
They have since acquired other partners. Hingis plays doubles with Mary Pierce, and Kournikova is with Natasha Zvereva.
The Most Impressive Newcomer award went to Belgian teenager Kim Clijsters. Clijsters, 16, improved her ranking from No. 409 to No. 47 and won her first career singles title at Luxembourg.
''It's a great honor for me,'' said Clijsters, seeded 28th at the Ericsson. ''I had an amazing start to my career.''
Also receiving awards: Serena Williams (Most Improved Player), Sabine Appelmans (Comeback Player of the Year), Ai Sugiyama (Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship award), Nicole Pratt (Player Service Award), Jennifer Capriati (Eurosport Spirit of Cooperation Award), Steffi Graf (Most Exciting Player Award) and Butch Buchholz (David Gray Special Service).
Patrick Rafter and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario helped load boxes Wednesday afternoon during the Ericsson Open's Fourth Annual Feed the Children Food Drop. In conjunction with Feed the Children, an Oklahoma-based organization, the Ericsson will distribute more than 300,000 pounds of food to South Florida feeding centers.
Hingis today will be named a goodwill ambassador for Polio Eradication for the World Health Organization.
''As WHO ambassador, I will do everything I can to smash this frightening disease off the planet,'' Hingis said. ''I think all children should have the chance to be active.''
Hingis is expected to raise awareness regarding the during Grand Slam tournaments. She will also travel to an unnamed polio-endemic country, where she will help immunize children against the disease. That country has yet to be determined.