Iga Swiatek was declared the WTA Player of the Year for 2023, reclaiming her crown from the previous season. She became only the sixth player to win the award in consecutive years since it was introduced in 1977. Serena Williams was the last to secure the accolade for multiple years on the trot, from 2012 to 2015.
Swiatek bagged her fourth Grand Slam in 2023, the French Open. She also won the WTA 1000 China Open, additionally finishing runner-up in two 1000-level events. The Pole concluded the season triumphantly, lifting the WTA Finals and finishing as the Year-End No.1. This ensured she became the WTA Player of the Year for the second season running. She fended off the likes of Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff for the accolade.
In 2022, Swiatek won two Majors and four WTA 1000 titles to win her maiden Player of the Year Award. With her second POTY honour on the trot, she joined an exclusive club to have won the laurel for consecutive years. Williams’ four-year streak from 2012 to 2015 was the last instance of a player bagging the award for back-to-back years. The American also won in 2008 and 2009. Before Williams, Lindsay Davenport was the last to secure the prize consecutively, in 1998 and 1999.
Steffi Graf holds the record for most WTA Player of the Year awards. She won it eight times in two sequences of four on the trot, from 1987 to 1990 and then from 1993 to 1996. Monica Seles interrupted Graf’s streak and was the Player of the Year for 1991 and 1992. Martina Navratilova was the first player to receive the honour for consecutive years, first 1978 and 1979 and then 1982-1986.
Swiatek emulated Williams and the other aforementioned legends with two WTA Player of the Year accolades on the trot. The four-time Grand Slam winner will be in contention to make it a hat-trick in 2024.
All WTA Awards winners as Iga Swiatek bags premier honour to emulate Serena Williams
The 2023 WTA season saw many ups and downs, many thrilling matches, many comebacks, and many rising stars. The WTA Awards commemorated some notable names. Iga Swiatek dominated the field to finish as the Year-End No.1 again and bagged the Player of the Year Award for the second consecutive year.
Australian Storm Hunter and Belgian Elise Mertens won the Doubles Team of the Year honour. They finished No.1 and No.2 in the WTA Doubles Rankings, respectively. The pair secured two WTA 1000 trophies, the Italian Open and the Guadalajara Open, and finished runners-up at the Wimbledon. 16-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva bagged the Newcomer of the Year laurel after jumping from her 2022 Year-End rank of World No.405 to a career-high of No.46 in 2023.
Chinese star Qinwen Zheng was declared the Most Improved Player of the Year. Last year’s Newcomer of the Year continued her growth, bagging her first WTA 500 title in 2023 and concluding the season with a second-place finish at the WTA Elite trophy. She ended the year at a career-best rank of World No.15 and recently welcomed coach Pere Riba back into her team.
Elina Svitolina won the Comeback of the Year award after returning with a bang following her maternity break. She won a WTA 500 title a few weeks after getting back on the court and made it to the semi-finals of Wimbledon, ending the year at No.25.
Swiatek’s success meant her coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski, won the Coach of the Year Award. Ons Jabeur and Jessica Pegula bagged the player-voted Sportsmanship Award and ACES Award, respectively.
