ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Aryna Sabalenka obtained the WTA Participant of the Yr award for the primary time on Monday after profitable two Grand Slam titles and ending 2024 at No. 1 within the rankings.
In different outcomes of voting by tennis media, Emma Navarro was honoured as Most Improved Participant, Paula Badosa was named Comeback Participant, Lulu Solar was Newcomer of the Yr, and Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini have been picked because the Doubles Group of the Yr.
Sabalenka, a 26-year-old from Belarus, received the Australian Open in January and the U.S. Open in September, together with two different titles this season, going 56-14 with practically $10 million in prize cash. She overtook Iga Swiatek for the highest rating in October.
Navarro made her debut within the WTA’s prime 10 in September after making her deepest Grand Slam run on the U.S. Open, the place she eradicated defending champion Coco Gauff within the fourth spherical earlier than shedding to Sabalenka within the semifinals.
The 23-year-old Navarro, who grew up in South Carolina and received the 2021 NCAA singles championship on the College of Virginia, received her first tour title at Hobart, Australia, in January, and moved from No. 32 within the rankings firstly of 2024 to No. 8 on the finish.
Badosa sat out the final half of 2023 with a again harm however the 27-year-old Spaniard was again close to the highest of the game this yr, climbing to No. 12 within the rankings, profitable the title in Washington and equaling her finest end result at a Grand Slam event by attending to the U.S. Open quarterfinals.
Solar went from outdoors the highest 200 within the rankings to a career-best No. 39, highlighted by a quarterfinal exhibiting as a qualifier at Wimbledon in July and a runner-up end on the Monterrey Open in August. Solar, 23, was born in New Zealand, grew up in Switzerland and helped the College of Texas win an NCAA crew championship.
Errani and Paolini received a doubles gold medal for Italy on the Paris Olympics and helped their nation win the Billie Jean King Cup. Additionally they reached the French Open doubles last collectively. In singles, Paolini was the runner-up at each the French Open and Wimbledon.
