While the WTA Awards caused some conjecture over the past week in terms of picks, the WTA Player of the Year could be decided differently by the readers of TennisUpToDate giving you the chance to have your say.
From Iga Swiatek to Aryna Sabalenka to Diana Shnaider, many players have left their impact on the season that has just gone. With the truncated nature of the off-season, many will be back in action in a mere three weeks' time at the World Tennis League.
Some others will jet off for pre season prep in Dubai or the Middle East followed by a route to Australia or New Zealand. But either way, the 2025 season will soon be upon us.
Time to run over some of the leading picks and their seasons in 2024.
Iga Swiatek - Roland Garros winner but loses top spot
It has been an interesting year for Iga Swiatek. She claimed the French Open again.
Also she claimed titles in Qatar, Indian Wells, Madrid, Rome and of course the former aforementioned title for the fourth time. But also she suffered blows including being eliminated early from the WTA Finals and claiming Olympic bronze which seemed to knock her confidence.
Albeit she didn't play for most of the tail end of the year mainly due to the fact that she had appointed a new coach in Wim Fissette. So she is very much wanting to conquer all surfaces as opposed to just clay. Watch out for 2025.
An up and down year for the once imperious queen of WTA tennis.
Aryna Sabalenka - Queen of WTA with two major titles and World No.1 spot underlined
Perhaps the favourite for the main award in the WTA Awards is Aryna Sabalenka and rightfully so with the now World No.1 who led the sport albeit only momentarily back at the turn of the year now on top for six weeks and counting and likely won't be usurped for some time to go.
Albeit she did only get the spot due to both herself and Swiatek getting point penalties for missing mandatories that was then built on by Sabalenka. Winning both the US Open and the Australian Open again, she has underlined herself as not a one-slam wonder and also that she deserves her spot at the top.
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Jasmine Paolini - Most Improved albeit not according to WTA
Controversially Jasmine Paolini was left off the most improved list on the WTA Awards despite going from the top 30 to fourth in the world over the course of a year.
She started off by winning Dubai which saw herself and Anna Kalinskaya (also on the poll) breakout. But it was the Italian who maintained it. She reached the finals of Roland Garros and Wimbledon. She claimed Olympic doubles gold as well as anchoring Italy to Billie Jean King Cup glory.
A player that was seen as a player on the cusp of being towards the higher echelons of the game but never with the ceiling, she smashed through it in 2024 and showed the tennis world why Dubai was no fluke.
Coco Gauff - WTA Finals makes up for tough year at times
Coco Gauff claimed three titles in 2024 but it was somewhat a tougher sequel to her amazing 2023. The American went from US Open champion to having to live up to that hype.
She did fall towards even potentially being American No.3 after back-to-back Grand Slam losses to Emma Navarro. But she won Beijing and the WTA Finals under new coach Matt Daly to show that she is still very much among the elite.
Still at the age of only 20, she can certainly grow in 2025 to maybe challenge Sabalenka and Swiatek for the top spot.
Coco Gauff shone at the WTA Finals.
Zheng Qinwen - Queen of Fall
Autumn or fall depending on where you're based was the time for Zheng Qinwen. As evidenced with the alternative UTR Tennis Rankings, she shone in the latter half of 2024.
She won Olympic gold, reached the Australian Open final as well as claiming the title at the Pan Pacific Open. She also was the runner-up in Wuhan to Aryna Sabalenka. Also she reached a career high of World No.5 after losing the final of the WTA Finals to Coco Gauff.
A steely determination and a player who has openly admitted that she doesn't have friends on tour and doesn't want to as she pursues victory. A major champion elect in 2025?
Emma Navarro - Rising through billionaire bashing
A player who just missed out on the WTA Finals having reached the semi-finals of the US Open. Perhaps characterised more for articles by newspapers about her father being wealthy, Navarro has grown through the noise and a non typical route.
She has grinded through ITF and WTA 125k tournaments, the latter she still uses on occasions in order to reach the top 10 in the rankings. Similar to Jessica Pegula, she has let her racquet and personality do the talking. She won in Hobart and is set to rise further in 2025.
Emma Navarro had an epic season.
Diana Shnaider - A player firmly on the rise
One perhaps in the conversation next year is Diana Shnaider who has shone outside of the leading lights and alongside regular doubles partner, Mirra Andreeva is set to anchor the next generation.
She is only 20 and sits as World No.13 and is a product similar to Peyton Stearns for instance of the college system. Winning four titles in 2024 bookended by Hong Kong and starting with Hua Hin with Budapest and Bad Homburg in between.
She also won a silver medal in doubles with Mirra Andreeva in Paris. She reached the Last 16 at the US Open and perhaps the only part of her game needing to improve is a run in a Grand Slam but certainly the fundamentals are there after a breakout year.
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- Who is making up these rankings btw?
AceOfBase23-11-2024 - Paolini remarkably low. Must have won tons of matches against lower ranked players. Kind of like these rankings. Seem to be more fair.MrAndreeva23-11-2024
- Why does Tennisuptodate feel like her PR Department's constant deluge of daily/weekly media submissions are 'tennis news' ?
mandoist19-11-2024 - 'Apologies', in cases like this where people are caught being their True Selves, are best shoved up their butts.mandoist19-11-2024
- Paolini playing Swiatek and then has to come back an hour later to play doubles. The BJ Cup is like the rest of tennis entrepreneurs.PalopoDave18-11-2024
