2024 WTA Players Awards: Raducanu and Osaka highlight comeback of the year; Sabalenka, Swiatek, and Gauff fight for top honour

The WTA announced the nominees for the WTA Player Awards, with Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff among the candidates for Player of the Year. There will be five awards, each with five nominees, including Newcomer of the Year, Most Improved Player of the Year, Doubles Team of the Year, and Comeback Player of the Year.

In the Player of the Year category, there were no major surprises, with nominations for the five players in the top 5, including Jasmine Paolini and Zheng Qinwen. The winners will be announced on December 9, while other categories feature notable nominations such as Naomi Osaka, Emma Raducanu, and Paula Badosa.

Swiatek was the Player of the Year winner in 2022 and 2023, although this year, World No. 1 Sabalenka seems to be the favourite for the award. On the other hand, Zheng already secured the Newcomer of the Year award in 2022 and the Progress of the Year award in 2023.

Meanwhile, Katerina Siniakova (partnering with Townsend) and Sara Errani (partnering with Paolini) are part of the Doubles Teams of the Year nominees, each competing for the award for the fourth time — something last achieved by Gigi Fernandez and Natasha Zvereva in 1997.

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WTA Player of the Year 

Aryna Sabalenka

• Year-end Ranking: No. 1
• Record: 56-14
• Titles: 4 – Wuhan, Cincinnati (1000); Australian Open, US Open (Grand Slam)
• Grand Slam Best Result: 2 titles (Australian Open, US Open)
• Top-10 Wins: 11

Iga Swiatek

• Year-end Ranking: No. 2
• Record: 56-8
• Titles: 5 – Doha, Indian Wells, Madrid, Rome (1000); French Open (Grand Slam)
• Grand Slam Best Result: 1 title (French Open)
• Top-10 Wins: 11
• Olympic Achievement: Singles bronze medalist

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Coco Gauff

• Year-end Ranking: No. 3
• Record: 52-16
• Titles: 3 – Auckland (250), Beijing (1000), WTA Finals
• Grand Slam Best Result: Quarterfinals (Best result to be confirmed)
• Top-10 Wins: 7

Jasmine Paolini

• Year-end Ranking: No. 4
• Record: 38-19
• Titles: 1 – Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
• Grand Slam Best Result: 2-time runner-up (French Open, Wimbledon)
• Top-10 Wins: 3
• Olympic Achievement: Gold medal in doubles (with Sara Errani)

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Zheng Qinwen

• Year-end Ranking: No. 5
• Record: 44-18
• Titles: 2 – Palermo Ladies Open (250), Pan Pacific Open (500)
• Grand Slam Best Result: Runner-up (Australian Open)
• Olympic Achievement: Singles gold medalist

Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff at 2024 French Open semifinals

Doubles Team of the Year

1. Gabriela Dabrowski / Erin Routliffe
2. Katerina Siniakova / Taylor Townsend
3. Sara Errani / Jasmine Paolini
4. Lyudmyla Kichenok / Jelena Ostapenko
5. Hsieh Su-Wei / Elise Mertens
6. Anna Danilina / Irina Khromacheva

Comeback Player of the Year

1. Naomi Osaka
2. Paula Badosa
3. Karolina Muchova
4. Amanda Anisimova
5. Emma Raducanu

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Newcomer of the Year

1. Lulu Sun
2. Erika Andreeva
3. Rebecca Sramkova
4. Zeynep Sonmez
5. Sonay Kartal

Most Improved Player of the Year

1. Emma Navarro
2. Anna Kalinskaya
3. Danielle Collins
4. Diana Shnaider
5. Marta Kostyuk