The top-ranked female tennis player, Aryna Sabalenka, has been recognized by the WTA as its athlete of the year for two consecutive periods.
The 27-year-old secured four championships, a record number for the tour, successfully defending her US Open title against Amanda Anisimova in September, which marked her fourth major singles victory.
Throughout the season, Sabalenka reached an unparalleled nine championship matches, experiencing defeats to Madison Keys in January’s Australian Open final and to Coco Gauff in the French Open final held in June.
The athlete from Belarus additionally captured victories at the Brisbane International in January, the Miami Open in March, and the Madrid Open in May, maintaining her status as the global top player for the full year and concluding 2025 at the pinnacle of the rankings for the second year in a row.
During July, she achieved the distinction of being the initial competitor to surpass 12,000 WTA ranking points since Serena Williams accomplished this feat in 2015.
Sabalenka concluded the season with an impressive 63-12 match record, and accumulated an unprecedented £11 million in winnings.
Nearly 80% of the ballots submitted by global tennis journalists were cast in her favor.
On December 28, she is scheduled to compete against Nick Kyrgios, the 2022 Wimbledon finalist, in an exhibition contest reminiscent of the ‘Battle of the Sexes,’ aiming to “contribute to elevating the stature of women’s tennis.”
Belinda Bencic, the 28-year-old from Switzerland, was named the comeback player of the year, having resumed her career at the beginning of this year after a 13-month hiatus that followed the arrival of her first baby.
The 19-year-old Canadian, Victoria Mboko, earned the newcomer of the year award, having commenced the season beyond the world’s top 300 players and ascending to the 18th position globally.
Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend were chosen as the doubles team of the year after securing their second major title as a duo, concurrently, Anisimova received the most improved player of the year recognition for advancing to five championship matches.
In the previous week, Carlos Alcaraz claimed three accolades at the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Awards, among them the season-ending top ranking award, whereas Jannik Sinner was selected as the supporters’ preferred player for the third occasion.
