Aryna Sabalenka has made dominance feel routine. The world No.1 was crowned WTA Player of the Year once more, sealing a second straight coronation after a 2025 season that left little room for debate—and even less for rivals.

Sabalenka Sets the Standard

Sabalenka claimed almost 80 percent of the media vote, becoming just the third woman in the past 15 years to win the WTA Player of the Year award more than once. It was a landslide built on volume and authority.

She reached a tour-leading nine finals, won four titles, and posted a competition-high 63 victories. The Belarusian also rewrote the financial record books, banking $15,008,519 in prize money—more than any woman in a single season.

She spent the entire year at world No.1, finishing top for the second consecutive season, and now sits 12th on the all-time list for weeks at No.1. In 2025, Sabalenka was not chasing history so much as calmly adding to it.

Doubles Honors for Siniakova and Townsend

The WTA Doubles Team of the Year award went to Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, though the decision was not without credible alternatives. Elise Mertens and Veronika Kudermetova mounted a compelling case after lifting the Wimbledon title and capturing the WTA Finals crown. Ultimately, consistency perhaps carried the vote. Siniakova and Townsend claimed their second Grand Slam together at the Australian Open, won the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, and reached the US Open final, a body of work that kept them at the forefront of the doubles conversation all season.

Their success carried historic resonance. Townsend rose to world No.1 in doubles for the first time, becoming the first mother to top the doubles rankings. Siniakova, meanwhile, continued to build her legacy, tying Martina Navratilova for the most year-end No.1 finishes in doubles and climbing the all-time list for weeks at the summit.

Anisimova’s Breakthrough Season Rewarded

Amanda Anisimova was named Most Improved Player of the Year after a season that reshaped her career trajectory. She was the only player nominated in two award categories and reached five finals across the year.

Her breakthroughs were unmistakable. Anisimova won her first WTA 1000 titles in Doha and Beijing, reached her maiden Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the US Open, and contested the title match at the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club. A Top 10 debut in July and first-time qualification for the WTA Finals completed a statement season, even if the top individual prize went elsewhere.

Bencic Completes the Comeback

Belinda Bencic took home Comeback Player of the Year, a recognition that reflected both resilience and results. After stepping away in September 2023 to become a mother, she returned to full-time competition late last year and quickly found her footing.

In 2025, she reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, then won the Abu Dhabi Open just a month later, defeating Elena Rybakina along the way. Bencic added a first Wimbledon semifinal appearance to her résumé and closed the season by lifting her 10th career title at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.

Mboko’s Meteoric Rise

Victoria Mboko was named Breakout Star of the Year after one of the sharpest ranking climbs on tour. She began the season outside the Top 300 and finished it at world No.18.

Her year featured a headline-making tour debut in Miami, first Grand Slam appearances at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and a fairy-tale title on home soil at the Canadian Open. There, Mboko became the second youngest woman in the Open Era to defeat four singles Grand Slam champions in a single event. She later added the Hong Kong Tennis Open title, rebounding strongly after a post-Canada lull to finish the year with momentum.

A Year Defined by Authority and Arrival

From Sabalenka’s sustained supremacy to the arrival of new forces and the return of proven ones, the 2025 WTA Awards reflected a tour in full stride. Power, persistence, and personality all found their place—and for Sabalenka, the crown never truly left her head.

Every WTA Player of the Year (1977–Present)

• 2025 – Aryna Sabalenka (second win), Belarus
• 2024 – Aryna Sabalenka, Belarus
• 2023 – Iga Świątek (second win), Poland
• 2022 – Iga Świątek, Poland
• 2021 – Ashleigh Barty (second win), Australia
• 2020 – Sofia Kenin, United States
• 2019 – Ashleigh Barty, Australia
• 2018 – Simona Halep, Romania
• 2017 – Garbiñe Muguruza, Spain
• 2016 – Angelique Kerber, Germany
• 2015 – Serena Williams (seventh win), United States
• 2014 – Serena Williams (sixth win), United States
• 2013 – Serena Williams (fifth win), United States
• 2012 – Serena Williams (fourth win), United States
• 2011 – Petra Kvitová, Czech Republic
• 2010 – Kim Clijsters (second win), Belgium
• 2009 – Serena Williams (third win), United States
• 2008 – Serena Williams (second win), United States
• 2007 – Justine Henin (second win), Belgium
• 2006 – Amélie Mauresmo, France
• 2005 – Kim Clijsters, Belgium
• 2004 – Maria Sharapova, Russia
• 2003 – Justine Henin, Belgium
• 2002 – Serena Williams, United States
• 2001 – Jennifer Capriati, United States
• 2000 – Venus Williams, United States
• 1999 – Lindsay Davenport (second win), United States
• 1998 – Lindsay Davenport, United States
• 1997 – Martina Hingis, Switzerland
• 1996 – Steffi Graf (eighth win), Germany
• 1995 – Steffi Graf (seventh win), Germany
• 1994 – Steffi Graf (sixth win), Germany
• 1993 – Steffi Graf (fifth win), Germany
• 1992 – Monica Seles (second win), Yugoslavia
• 1991 – Monica Seles, Yugoslavia
• 1990 – Steffi Graf (fourth win), Germany
• 1989 – Steffi Graf (third win), West Germany
• 1988 – Steffi Graf (second win), West Germany
• 1987 – Steffi Graf, West Germany
• 1986 – Martina Navratilova (seventh win), United States
• 1985 – Martina Navratilova (sixth win), United States
• 1984 – Martina Navratilova (fifth win), United States
• 1983 – Martina Navratilova (fourth win), United States
• 1982 – Martina Navratilova (third win), United States
• 1981 – Chris Evert-Lloyd, United States
• 1980 – Tracy Austin, United States
• 1979 – Martina Navratilova (second win), Czechoslovakia
• 1978 – Martina Navratilova, Czechoslovakia
• 1977 – Virginia Wade, United Kingdom

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