Top-ranked Sabalenka Claims Back-to-Back WTA Player of the Year Accolades.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka has been selected the Women's Tennis Association player of the year for a second straight season.
The twenty-seven-year-old won four tournament victories – the most on tour – including retaining the US Open in September versus Amanda Anisimova to claim her fourth Grand Slam singles title.
A Year of Dominance
Over the course of the tour, Sabalenka competed in a circuit-leading nine finals, with defeats coming against Madison Keys in the Australian Open final at the start of the year and Coco Gauff in June's French Open final.
The Belarusian also claimed victory at the Brisbane International early in the season, the Miami Open in March, and the Madrid Open in May. She spent the entire year as the world number one, ending 2025 atop the rankings for a second successive year.
In July, she achieved the status of being the first player to exceed 12,000 WTA ranking points since Serena Williams did so nearly a decade ago.
Historic Achievements
Sabalenka ended the competitive year with a sixty-three to twelve win-loss record, and picked up a record £11m in earnings.
She garnered almost 80% of the votes cast by international tennis media.
Later this month, she is scheduled to face 2022 Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios in a Battle of the Sexes-style exhibition match in a bid to "raise women's tennis to a new level".
Additional WTA Award Winners
- Returning Star of the Year: Switzerland's Belinda Bencic, twenty-eight, was voted after taking 13-month break after the birth of her first child and returning to the sport earlier this season.
- Fresh Face of the Year: Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko was honored with the award after starting the season ranked beyond the world's top 300 and climbing to world number 18.
- Doubles Team of the Year: Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend were voted after winning their second career Grand Slam title together.
- Most Improved Player of the Year: Amanda Anisimova received the accolade after making five finals.
Last week, Carlos Alcaraz secured three honours in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Awards, including the year-end number one award, while Jannik Sinner was voted the fan favorite for a third consecutive time.
