PARIS, Dec 17: The International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced on Monday that world No.1s Roger Federer and Justine Henin were the 2007 ITF World Champions. Federer, who won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open titles to bring his Grand Slam haul to 12, took the award for the fourth year running, while Henin, who won the French and US Open titles was named for the third time overall.

The 26-year-old Federer, who also won the season-ending Masters title in Shanghai, said: “It is an honour to be named ITF World Champion for the fourth year running.

“Each year brings new challenges, and I am proud that I have been able to raise the level of my game when needed. It gives me great satisfaction to have won another three Grand Slam titles and maintained the number one ranking.”

Henin becomes Women’s World Champion for the second year running, having also received the honour in 2003.

The 25-year-old Belgian also followed her Grand Slam triumphs with a win in the season-ending WTA Championships in Madrid.

“This has definitely been the best season of my career so far and I am delighted to be named ITF World Champion once again,” Henin said.

“It has been a very challenging year overall, but I have stayed positive and proved that nothing is impossible if you work hard. I still think my best tennis is yet to come.”

ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti commented: “Roger Federer and Justine Henin both enjoyed outstanding seasons to maintain their status as the world’s number one players. In particular their record in Grand Slam events saw them emerge as the clear choices for ITF World Champions.”

The ITF also announced that American twins Bob and Mike Bryan (US), and the Zimbabwe/US pairing on Cara Black and Liezel Huber were the 2007 ITF Doubles World Champions.

The Bryans are men’s Doubles World Champions for a record fifth successive year.

The pairing won a career-high 11 titles during 2007, including the Australian Open, and were runners-up at Wimbledon. They were also unbeaten for the US team that won the Davis Cup for the first time since 1995.

Black and Huber are women’s Doubles Champions for the first time in their first complete season together.

The duo won nine events during the year, including two Grand Slam titles, the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and the season-ending championships.—AFP