December 12, (THEWILL) – Iga Swiatek, the world’s top tennis player, has been named the WTA Player of the Year for 2022.
It is deserving for a successful season she has had, adding two more major titles to her current tally of three. She topped the WTA rankings for the first time in April, and amassed a 37-match winning streak on her way to eight titles.
In 2020, after winning her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, the 21-year-old beat off competition from Caroline Garcia, Coco Gauff, Ons Jabeur, Jessica Pegula, and Elena Rybakina in a media vote to take home the WTA’s Most Improved Award and has not looked back since then.
In other categories, the top-ranked doubles team in the world, Katerina Siniakova and her dependable partner Barbora Krejcikova, took home the Doubles Team of the Year trophy for the third time, having previously won it in 2018 and 2021.
They won the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and US Open in 2022 while remaining unbeaten in Grand Slam doubles competition. Krejcikova’s COVID-19 battle prevented them from competing at Roland Garros. The Czech team concluded the year by making a third appearance in the WTA Finals final, where they lost to Elise Mertens and Veronika Kudermetova.
After ending a career-defining 2022 season ranked inside the Top 20 for the first time, Beatriz Haddad Maia was voted Most Improved. The Brazilian superstar won back-to-back grass-court championships in Nottingham and Birmingham before making it to her first WTA 1000 final at the National Bank Open in Toronto.
With a thrilling first season on the WTA tour, Zheng Qinwen won Newcomer of the Year. She entered the Top 25 of the world rankings after reaching her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal in Toronto and her first Grand Slam fourth-round appearance at Roland Garros, where she upset reigning champion Simona Halep and forced eventual winner Swiatek to a third set.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
