Someone who is in between... so you can't really say they are one or the other but have both qualities. But realistically I don't think people are completely one or the other. Most people are probably ambivert, more or less.
what actually is being socially awkward ? I know it's different from extrovert/introvert which is why i separated them in the thread title, but I wonder what exactly it is to be socially awkward as many seem to confuse it with being shy etc.
Azarenka and Serena sometimes come across quite socially awkward during on court interviews. Azarenka can try to be funny but instead say something completely inappropriate (like after her match with Hampton). Serena can sometimes be in a different world, responding to questions without saying an actual sentence ie "I mean, yeah, like...wow, you know?" Or something along those lines.
I think being socially awkward is, you don't know the right thing to do or say when you try to interact with others. Like, your neighbor's dog goes missing, say, for a few months, you just try to express concerns, but end up saying, oh... so... anything about the dog? Is it found dead yet?
It'd be really difficult to know any of this info without having consistent, protracted social interactions with these players. As someone else said, being an introvert isn't the same as being socially awkward and being an extrovert isn't the same as being popular or a social butterfly. Extroverted people like having social interaction with others. It replenishes and rejuvenates them. If an extroverted person is tired or stressed out, that person would probably want to congregate with their friends or even a group of strangers and do something (clubbing, group dinner, board game, etc.) with those people. Introverts are the opposite. They recharge by being alone. An introverted person who is tired or stressed out would probably gravitate toward having dinner, reading a book, or watching a movie alone in their apartment. Social interaction tends to take energy from introverts whereas those same interactions bolster the energy of extroverts.
There are a lot of theories that President Obama is actually an introvert. Clearly he has a lot of friends and doesn't have problems interacting with people in social settings. On the other hand, Steve Jobs, who was known for being an intensely private person, is supposedly one of the world's most successul extroverts. Famous people aren't always what they appear to be. I'm sure the same goes for the WTA.
Extroverts - Sloane, Serena, JJ, Li, Caro, Heather
Ambivert- Laura (she can be really loud and talkative in certain situations but she has a reserved persona when being interviewed etc.)
Introverts - Masha, Venus, Ana, Petra
Socially Awkward - Davenport, Bartoli,
Being introverted can be a good thing in tennis, at least when it comes to fellow players (see Sharapova ). It means you're less likely to form emotional attachments that could hinder your ability to play your best against someone (subconsciously I bet a lot of players have trouble bringing it against someone who's a good friend :shrug.