Top-ranked Sabalenka Claims Back-to-Back WTA Player of the Year Awards.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka has been selected the Women's Tennis Association player of the year for a second successive season.
The 27-year-old won four tournament victories – the most on tour – including successfully defending the US Open in September against Amanda Anisimova to earn her fourth Grand Slam singles championship.
A Season of Dominance
Across the season, Sabalenka reached a tour-best nine finals, with defeats coming against Madison Keys in the Australian Open final at the start of the year and Coco Gauff in the French Open final.
The Belarusian also triumphed 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 top-ranked player, ending 2025 atop the rankings for a second straight year.
In July, she achieved the status of being the first player to top 12,000 WTA ranking points after Serena Williams did so nearly a decade ago.
Record-Breaking Numbers
Sabalenka finished the competitive year with a 63-12 win-loss record, and earned a record £11m in prize money.
She earned almost 80% of the votes cast by global tennis journalists.
On 28 December, she is scheduled to face 2022 Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios in a high-profile mixed-gender exhibition match in a bid to "help bring women's tennis to a higher level".
Other WTA Award Honorees
- Returning Star of the Year: Switzerland's Belinda Bencic, 28, received the award after taking a extended hiatus after the arrival of her first child and making her comeback to the sport earlier this season.
- Rookie of the Year: Canadian 19-year-old Victoria Mboko was honored with the award after starting the season positioned outside the world's top 300 and rising to world number 18.
- Partnership of the Year: Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend were selected after capturing their second career Grand Slam title as a pair.
- Biggest Leap of the Year: Amanda Anisimova received the accolade after advancing to five finals.
Recently, Carlos Alcaraz took home three honours in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Awards, including the year-end number one award, while Jannik Sinner was chosen as the fan favorite for a third time.
