Iga Swiatek has won the WTA Player of the Year for the second consecutive season and the Pole has become the first player to claim the award in back-to-back seasons since Serena Williams. After winning her first WTA Player of the Year award in 2022, 22-year-old Swiatek has also been voted as the player of the year for 2023.
The last player to win the award in back-to-back seasons was Williams, who was the WTA Player of the Year between from 2012 to 2016. Swiatek, ranked at No 1 in the world, won the most titles on the WTA Tour in 2023 – six. This past season, Swiatek won one Grand Slam title at the French Open – won the WTA Finals – won a WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing – won three WTA 500 titles – and also collected one WTA 250 title.
The WTA announces Swiatek as the WTA Player of the Year
“World No.1 Iga Swiatek has been voted as the WTA Player of the Year for the second year in a row, becoming the first player to earn the accolade in back-to-back seasons since Serena Williams from 2012 to 2016.
Swiatek won a tour-leading six titles, defending her Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, winning the WTA 1000 China Open (Beijing), WTA 500 events at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open (Doha) and Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (Stuttgart), on home soil at the WTA 250 BNP Paribas Warsaw Open before closing out the season going unbeaten at the GNP Seguros WTA Finals Cancun.
Her first WTA Finals crown also secured her the year-end No.1 singles ranking for the second consecutive season,” the WTA said in a statement. Swiatek faced challenges throughout 2023 but she still managed to achieve notable success and finish the season as the top-ranked player in the women’s game.
Currently, Swiatek is preparing for the 2024 season. After the offseason is done, Swiatek will kick off her 2024 season by representing Poland at the United Cup. Earlier this year, Swiatek’s Poland made the United Cup semifinal before losing. It remains to be seen if Swiatek can start the new season by leading Poland to the United Cup title.
Source: Tennis World USA