By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday December 7, 2021
The WTA’s player of the year awards were announced today, with Ashleigh Barty taking Player of the Year honors, while Emma Raducanu notched Newcomer of the Year.
Per the WTA, the 2021 WTA Player Awards as voted on by members of the international media which recognizes the stand-out performers from this season. The awards are broken down into five categories: Player of the Year, Doubles Team of the Year, Most Improved Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year.
The 2021 WTA Player Award winners are as follows:
WTA Player of the Year: Ashleigh Barty (AUS)
Barty ran the table at No.1 in 2021, winning her maiden Wimbledon title and leading the tour with five titles overall. She also went 14-1 against the Top-20.
WTA Doubles Team of the Year: Barbora Krejcikova (CZE) / Katerina Siniakova (CZE)
Krejcikova and Siniakova won the Roland Garros title, as well as the Olympic god medal and the WTA Finals crown. Siniakova finished the season as the WTA’s No.1 doubles player.
WTA Most Improved Player of the Year: Barbora Krejcikova (CZE)
Krejcikova rose from 65 to 5 in the WTA rankings and won her maiden major title at Roland-Garros.
WTA Newcomer of the Year: Emma Raducanu (GBR)
Raducanu captivated the tennis world by winning the US Open title on her main draw debut – from qualifying. The Brit became the first woman from her country to win a major title in 44 years. She rises from outside the Top-300 to 19 in the world.
WTA Comeback Player of the Year: Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP)
Carla Suarez Navarro finished her career on her terms, returning to the tour cancer-free after a bout with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and playing at Roland-Garros, Wimbledon, the Olympics and the US Open before finishing her career at Fed Cup with Team Spain.