2022 WTA player awards nominees revealed with Iga Swiatek hot favourite to land big prize

WTA Tour

Shahida Jacobs
November 18, 2022

Iga Swiatek is among six players who have been nominated for the 2022 WTA Player of the Year award while Serena Williams is also in the running for a gong in the annual WTA end-of-season awards.

World No 1 Swiatek is the front-runner for the top award as it has been a dominant season from the Pole.

The 21-year-old became world No 1 on the back of Ashleigh Barty’s retirement, but it was no fluke as she won six consecutive titles and went on a 37-match winning streak from February until June.

During that unbeaten run Swiatek won her second French Open title while she became a three-time Grand Slam winner in September after winning the US Open. She finished the year with eight titles.

Swiatek is up against Ons Jabeur as the Tunisian surged to No 2 in the WTA Rankings and finished runner-up at Wimbledon and the US Open.

She was the first woman from the African continent to reach a Grand Slam final at Wimbledon while she was also the first Arab/African woman to win a WTA 1000 title when she lifted the Madrid Open trophy.

Americans Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff have also been nominated with the former climbing to a career-high No 3. Pegula reached the quarter-final in three of the four Grand Slams and won the Guadalajara Open while she finished runner-up at the Madrid Open.

World No 7 Gauff finished runner-up at the French Open and also broke into the top 10 for the first time after reaching the last eight at the US Open.

Caroline Garcia started the year outside the top 70, but finished at No 4 after winning the season-ending WTA Finals in Texas. The Frenchwoman also won the Poland Open and Cincinnati Open, and reached the semi-final of the US Open.

What a season it has been, so many emotions, titles and memories. I was close to make it even bigger but I know what I have to do to reach higher summits next year!

I wouldn’t go through this rollercoaster without my team and my family by my side: Karim, Issam & Melanie. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/pleIdgnwbO

— Ons Jabeur (@Ons_Jabeur) November 8, 2022

World No 22 Elena Rybakina is nominated on the back of winning her maiden Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, becoming the first player from Kazaksthan to achieve the feat. Rybakina also reached the final of the Slovenia Open.

The WTA Doubles Team of the Year nominees are Barbora Krejcikova / Katerina Siniakova, Veronika Kudermetova / Elise Mertens, Coco Gauff / Jessica Pegula, Gabriela Dabrowski / Giuliana Olmos and Lyudmyla Kichenok / Jelena Ostapenko.

Czech duo Krejcikova and Siniakova are the favourites as they won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open as a team this year. Their victory at Flushing Meadows earned them a Career Grand Slam. However, they finished runner-up to Kudermetova and Mertens at the WTA Finals.

Serena Williams, meanwhile, is in the running for the WTA Comeback Player of the Year award after she returned to action earlier this year following nearly a full year on the sidelines.

The 23-time Grand Slam winner teamed up with Jabeur in the Eastbourne International doubles before playing at Wimbledon, losing in the first round. She then announced that she would evolve away from tennis after the US Open and she reached the third round at Flushing Meadows before bowing out.

WTA Player of the Year

Iga Swiatek
Ons Jabeur
Coco Gauff
Jessica Pegula
Caroline Garcia
Elena Rybakina

WTA Doubles Team of the Year

Barbora Krejcikova / Katerina Siniakova
Veronika Kudermetova / Elise Mertens
Coco Gauff / Jessica Pegula
Gabriela Dabrowski / Giuliana Olmos
Lyudmyla Kichenok / Jelena Ostapenko