It was a pretty big year for women’s sports. The biggest event of course was the 2011 Woman’s World Cup, which was more exciting and more popular than ever before. Women’s tennis also got a big boost this year thanks to the return of it’s biggest star, Serena Williams, who had been out for the better part of a year. How did all of this affect this year’s results? You’ll have to read the list to find out.

So without any further ado, here are the world’s most popular female athletes in 2011 as measured by the number of Google search results from the past 12 months.

I’m not quite sure if this move makes Caroline Wozniacki look good or bad with her fans.  On the one hand, anyone would love to be seated behind the sexy tennis star as she lifts her skirt and gives the viewers a sneak peak at her backside.  However, the last time I checked, no one likes being teased, which is exactly what I would call it when a woman shakes her booty in your face.

Now that we know it was only a cramp Nadal had suffered, it is nice to see that some of his fellow tennis mates are getting a good laugh from the incident.  Caroline Wozniacki, the top-ranked female player, was among those poking fun at Nadal, as she decided to provide reporters with her best imitation of the second-seeded Spaniard following her fourth round victory at the US Open.

Perhaps next time Wozniacki decides to immitate Nadal, she should do so by winning a Grand Slam title, something she hasn’t been able to do during her WTA career…Sorry Caroline, but it had to be said.

Here is a look at Wozniacki imitating Nadal.

And for those of you who haven’t seen Nadal’s epic press conference cramp, here it is.

Luckily, they all look incredible sexy when worn by one of the hottest females on tour.  Here is a look at what you can expect to see Wozniacki in when she takes the court at Flushing Meadows at the end of August.  You can check out the full Stella McCartney tennis collection at the Adidas website.

Hat Tip – [Busted Racquet]

Think of them as the Country Club couple made in heaven.  One is the number-one ranked female tennis player in the world and the other is currently the hottest name on the PGA Tour and the so-called heir apparent to Tiger Wood’s throne atop the world of golf.

Caroline Wozniacki celebrated her 21st birthday yesterday and among the many to wish her the best of her special day was Rory McIlroy.  Apparently, the two met in Hamburg, Germany during a boxing match between Wladimir Klitschko vs. David Haye and they enjoyed a few drinks together afterwards.  Now that they are both of legal drinking age in America, they appear to be looking forward to their next meeting in hopes of enjoying some drinks on the other side of the Atlantic.

I’m no expert when it comes to analyzing and dissecting Twitter conversations, but it sure does seem like there is an awful lot of winking going on between two people who aren’t trying to get each other in the sack.

Hat Tip – [Fan Phooey]

That was the case at the Collector Swedish Open in Bastad, during a first round match between Alize Cornet and Caroline Wozniacki.  However, this time around it wasn’t the loud grunts, which have become a controversial part of the women’s game, causing the distraction.  Instead, it was Cornet’s phone, which went off in her bag as Wozniacki prepared to serve on match point.

If this was all part of Cornet’s plan to distract Wozniacki and throw her off her game, it worked…for about five minutes.  She would go on to win the point and the game, but it only delayed the inevitable as Wozniacki won the following game and the match, 6-4, 6-4.

Hopefully the call wasn’t an important one.

Don’t hate them cause they’re beautiful. Hate them because they are beautiful and more successful than you are. And most of them could probably kick your butt on and off the court.

Hate them for that.

Though these ladies have looks, don’t write them off as eye candy, as they are among the most decorated and talented athletes in the world. In case you’re not willing to take my word for it, see below for the proof.

9. Maria Sharapova

At 17, she took down Serena Williams at Wimbledon. Though she’s no longer number one, she’s still killing it, with a resume that includes over 20 titles, including victories in the Australian Open, the US Open, and Wimbledon. She’s currently holding strong at number six in the world, with a serve that could bring her back to the top at any moment. Look out, numbers 1-5.

8. Jennie Finch

Sure, she’s got great looks in a sport that gets little media attention, so it’s easy to write her off as something of a novelty. She is currently retired, but led the US National softball team to a gold medal in 2004 and a silver in 2008. In 2002, she won her NCAA-record 51st consecutive game. Since softball has been pulled from the Olympics beginning in 2012, Finch has crusaded to see its return in 2016 in her retirement.

On the flip side, she has many times over been voted the nation’s most attractive athlete and, in 2004, was named one of People’s 50 Most Beautiful People.

7. Misty May-Treanor

Treanor has won more tournaments than any other beach volleyball player in history. That should be enough right there, but in case it’s not, I’ll keep going. She won gold with her partner Kerri Walsh at both the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. As early as 1994 in high school, Misty was voted as the best female volleyball player in the nation by USA today.

Sure she’s a little tall for the some, but she’s a pro athlete. It comes with the territory. Maybe you’re just too short.

6. Serena Williams

While her body type might not be for everyone, she’s got an inordinate number of admirers, including famed producer/director Brett Ratner, who dated Williams for some time. Some guys just like a girl that can kick their ass.

Williams has notched an astonishing 27 Grand Slam titles in her career, putting her among the most successful female tennis players of all time. She has a $40 million contract with Nike to show off their wares and has a fashion line of her own. Oh yeah, and once she threatened to “kill” a ref that called her for a foot-fault. Pretty awesome.

5. Paula Creamer

At 24, she’s the defending US Open champion, with 9 LPGA Tour victories. 2010 was her only year to earn less than $1 million on the tour, but don’t expect that trend to stick. She’s demonstrated that she is still on the rise, so don’t let the looks fool you. Further, her last name is “Creamer,” which makes me happier than any other name on this list does. Yup, even happier than “Wozniacki” makes me.

4. Caroline Wozniacki

This Danish tennis player is ranked number one on the WTA Tour and has kept that ranking for 36 weeks. At 20 years old, she has earned almost $10 million in winnings. She also is a backer of Liverpool in the Premiere League, so don’t go running your mouth about Arsenal or Man U if you are lucky enough to speak to her. Also, don’t bring up doubles tennis around her – she’s not that great at it, having established a losing record of 36-53 in her career.

3. Lindsey Vonn

This 26 year-old downhill skier has notched three consecutive World Cup downhill championships in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Overall, she has 41 victories in events such as the downhill, Super G, slalom, and super combined. She is regarded as the most successful racer in US skiing history, a stat that is backed up by a gold and bronze medal for her Olympic performances.

Also, she’s a hot girl that skis. What’s not to like?

2.Stephanie Rice

Rice might not be as well-known a name as some of these other athletes, but rest assured, she’s got both looks and success in spades. The Australian holds the record in the 400 M individual medley and has three gold medals. She might be the most important swimmer not named “Phelps.”

However, she’s got a bit of a mean streak as she tweeted after an Australian team beat a South African team in rugby, “Suck on that, f*gg*ts.” Yikes. That cost her more than a little goodwill and a few of her sponsors.

1. Gina Carano

Though she only competed in a handful of matches, she had established herself as one of the premiere fighters in the world of MMA. However, after some time away from the sport, her return was waylaid in April of this year after failing to receive medical clearance to fight. Both the medical issue and her return date are unknown, but Carano is keeping busy as a star of what is expected to be director Steven Soderbergh’s last film, an action movie of all things.

It was a frightening scene as medical personnel rushed to assist Chakvetadze, who would recover after several minutes and play one more point before retiring from the match.  It was later announced that she was suffering from a gastro-intestinal illness.

As for Wozniacki, the unfortunate incident would help her earn her first victory since losing the number one seed to Kim Clijsters at the Australian Open.  With that win, and a few more which have since sent her into the semi-finals of the tournament, she has successfully regained the No. 1 ranking.

Her first victory on her road back to the top may not have come in the most pleasing manner, but she’ll take it…

On second thought, I guess she never really had a choice.

Hat Tip – [Reuters]

Caroline Wozniacki

Hat Tip – [Busted Racquet]

Whether she was speaking about her lack of sleep due to a snoring husband, he confusion over their wedding anniversary, or her mother’s refusal to watch her play, Li appeared to have won the crowd over with her quick wit and charming humor.

With the win, the 28-year-old became the first Chinese born female tennis player to enter a Grand Slam finals.  Should she defeat Kim Clijsters during Saturday’s final, it could be the start of something big for tennis in China.  Yao Ming has already shown us how the success of a Chinese athlete in their sport is enough to ignite a nationwide frenzy over it.  So can Li Na do for tennis what Yao has already done for basketball?

As for Li’s greatest moment of the post-match interview, that came when she was asked what got her through the third set.  Her answer?  “Prize Money.”

Hat Tip – [Busted Racquet]