ST PETERSBURG, FL, December 15, 2025 (Media Release)
The WTA announced today the first set of winners in the annual WTA Awards which honor the best players, tournaments and coach of the year, as well as those athletes who have made an exceptional contribution to the Tour away from the court.
The WTA will celebrate the stand-out performers over the coming days as part of WTA Awards Week, which kicks-off today with the announcement of the Player Award winners and are voted on by international media
Player of the Year – Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka has been voted as the Player of the Year for the second year in a row, becoming only the third player in the last 15 years to win the award more than once. She earned almost 80% of the media’s vote following a dominant season on the WTA Tour which saw her reach the most finals (nine), win the most titles (4), score the most wins (63) and set a new single season prize money record by banking $15,008,519. Sabalenka spent the entire year ranked as the PIF WTA World No.1, ending in the top spot for the second consecutive year, and now sits 12th on the all-time list for weeks in the No.1 position.
Doubles Team of the Year – Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend
Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend have enjoyed a history-making season and among many highlights won their second Grand Slam title together at the Australian Open, triumphed at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and reached a further major final at the US Open. Their results across 2025 helped propel Townsend to become the PIF WTA World No.1 in doubles for the first time in her career, and the first player to top the doubles rankings as a mother. Siniakova also wrote herself once again into the record books and now sits third on the all-time list for weeks as the doubles No.1 (174 weeks, as of December 15) and also has the joint-most finishes as the year-end doubles No.1 player (five, level with Martina Navratilova).
Most Improved Player – Amanda Anisimova
Amanda Anisimova was the only player this season to be nominated in two categories (also Player of the Year), which truly reflects her remarkable results in 2025. The American reached a total of five finals, winning the first WTA 1000 titles of her career at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open (Doha) and China Open (Beijing), in addition to contesting her first Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the US Open. Anisimova also reached the title match at the WTA 500 HSBC Championships at London’s Queen’s Club, made her Top 10 debut in July and qualified for the WTA Finals for the first time to cap off a memorable season.
Comeback Player – Belinda Bencic
Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic stepped away from the sport in September 2023 to give birth to daughter Bella, who arrived in April 2024. She returned to the WTA Tour at the beginning of this year at the United Cup before gaining further momentum with a strong Round-of-16 run at the Australian Open, her joint-best result in Melbourne. It was at the WTA 500 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open though were she cemented her comeback status, defeating World No.5 Elena Rybakina en route to lifting the title. Bencic went on to post her best result at Wimbledon thanks to a semifinal appearance and ended the season lifting her tenth career title, triumphing at the WTA 500 Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.
Newcomer of the Year – Victoria Mboko
19-year-old Newcomer of the Year Victoria Mboko was 2025’s breakout star, starting the season ranked outside the Top 300 before soaring to No.18 by the year’s end. Her incredible campaign began with her Tour debut at the WTA 1000 Miami Open presented by Itaú, then contesting her first Grand Slams at Roland-Garros (reaching the third-round) and Wimbledon, before her fairytale title run on home soil at the WTA 1000 National Bank Open presented by Rogers. Her success in Montreal broke a string of records, including becoming the second youngest woman in the Open Era to defeat four singles Grand Slam champions at the same tournament. Mboko closed out the year with more silverware at the WTA 250 Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open to round out a season to remember.
