The 2025 Tennis Season: An Unforgettable Year
The 2025 professional tennis season has come to an end, and what a year it was. From the dominance of superstars like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, to the consolidation of figures like Amanda Anisimova and Ben Shelton, and the return of Naomi Osaka to the top, this season had something for everyone. Alcaraz and Sinner dominated the ATP, dividing the four Grand Slam titles, while in the WTA there was greater parity among the elites. Four different players, Madison Keys, Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka, won the titles of the most important tournaments. In addition, throughout the year, both in the ATP and the WTA, there were surprising victories and captivating stories, which made this season one of the most memorable. Here’s an analysis of the most outstanding awards of the 2025 season.ATP Player of the Year: Carlos Alcaraz
The 2025 ATP season was marked by the rivalry between Alcaraz and Sinner. Although both distanced themselves from the rest, the difference between them was minimal. Alcaraz won the French Open and the US Open, and finished the year as number 1 for the second time in his career. Sinner, for his part, won the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and won the title at the ATP Finals for the second consecutive season.Despite the equality, a slight advantage was given to Alcaraz, who won six additional titles this year, including three Masters 1000 events. Alcaraz, who also leads the head-to-head record, defeated Sinner in four of their six encounters in 2025. Regardless of who deserves this distinction, one thing is certain: they are the best players in the world and should continue their collective brilliance in 2026. Even his high-ranking colleagues seem to have accepted it.I don’t know how one could be chosen.
Chris Evert
They have played at an incredibly high level for a prolonged period of time. We are just going to keep improving and waiting for our opportunity.
Alex de Minaur
WTA Player of the Year: Aryna Sabalenka
While there was little discussion in the ATP, at least in narrowing it down to two players, there were several women considered for the title this year. The Grand Slam tournaments were won by four different players, and Elena Rybakina closed out the year with the title at the WTA Finals, in addition to others winning multiple 1000-level tournaments and competing in the Slams. Despite the equality at the top of the WTA, one player stood out above the rest and was the unanimous choice for this award: world number 1, Sabalenka. She won the US Open, becoming the first woman to repeat as champion since Serena Williams, and also reached the finals of the Australian Open and the French Open, and the semifinals of Wimbledon. In addition, she won three other titles during the year, including two at the 1000 level, and played a total of nine finals. For Shriver, for all those reasons, “she is the clear player of the year”.She is number 1 and is totally capable of playing incredible tennis, as she did today. I give her all the credit for that. I admire her enormously; she works hard, and that’s why she’s here.
Amanda Anisimova
Revelation Moment: Madison Keys, Australian Open
Keys, a prodigious talent who turned professional at 14, seemed destined to win a Grand Slam title. She reached her first Grand Slam semi-final in 2015 and was a runner-up at the 2017 US Open. However, despite winning nine WTA titles and being a regular in the top 20, she couldn’t win when it mattered most. Until this year. Nearing her 30s, Keys made a bold run at the Australian Open, defeating five seeded players, including Swiatek (No. 2) in the semifinals and Sabalenka (No. 1) in the final. Keys lifted her first Grand Slam trophy after an exciting three-set thriller, almost 16 years after turning professional and a decade after reaching her first semifinal.Match of the Year: Alcaraz vs. Sinner, French Open Final
The first Grand Slam final between these two rivals lasted five hours and 29 minutes, becoming the longest French Open final in history and the second longest in a Grand Slam. It also featured one of the most incredible comebacks of all time. Sinner, playing in his second tournament after serving his three-month suspension, won the first marathon game in 12 minutes, and then dominated by winning the first two sets. With Sinner on his way to his fourth Grand Slam title, Alcaraz had other plans. Alcaraz forced a fourth set and then saved three championship points on the way to a deciding set. The momentum continued to shift in the final set, before Alcaraz won in a tiebreak with a final score of 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10-2). It marked Alcaraz’s second consecutive French Open trophy, and his fifth Grand Slam title, but more than that, it consolidated the legend of the “Big Two” and the rivalry that seems set to shape the sport for years to come.Most Improbable Victory: Valentin Vacherot, Shanghai
Arriving at the Masters 1000 level event, ranked 204th in the world and as the ninth alternate for the qualifying draw, the 26-year-old player, who had only won one match on the ATP circuit in his career, needed a miracle to be able to play in the tournament. After a series of losses, Vacherot entered the qualifying phase and needed three sets in both matches to reach the main draw. Somehow, he made his way through and then did the unthinkable. He defeated one seeded player after another, including Alexander Bublik in the second round, Holger Rune in the quarterfinals, and Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. And, as if that weren’t enough, he faced his cousin Arthur Rinderknech in the most improbable final. Vacherot won the family matter and became the first Monegasque player to win an ATP title, as well as the lowest-ranked Masters champion in history. Following the fairytale victory, which more than doubled his career earnings, Vacherot climbed the rankings. Thanks to his run to the quarterfinals at the Paris Masters, Vacherot finished the season at number 31 and as a previously unknown figure who became a beloved figure in the sport.Honorable Mention: Victoria Mboko, Canadian Open
Ranked 85th in the world and receiving a wildcard, the 18-year-old Canadian surprised the field by defeating four Grand Slam champions on her way to victory at the 1000-level tournament at home. She marked her first WTA title, and her ranking rose to number 24. (She finished the season with another title and a new career-high ranking, number 18).Star Performance of the Year: Taylor Townsend, US Open
Townsend has long been known to tennis fans for her talent on the singles and doubles courts, as well as her vivacious personality, but she caught the world’s attention with her incredible play and equally remarkable composure at the US Open. Townsend, who reached the number 1 doubles ranking this year for the first time, had an impressive victory over the number 29 seed Jelena Ostapenko in the second round, and Ostapenko aggressively confronted Townsend after the match saying she had “no class, nor education”. Townsend remained calm during the exchange and then said she wanted to make sure her young son would be proud of her if he saw a video of it.The interaction, and Townsend’s reaction, immediately went viral, making Townsend’s next match against No. 5 seed Mirra Andreeva a must-see event. Townsend delivered, completely dismantling the teenage prodigy in front of a passionate crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium. (Ostapenko later apologized for her words). Townsend later lost in a thrilling fourth-round thriller to two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova, and reached the doubles final with Katerina Siniakova, but solidified her status as a fan favorite. She seems to have been everywhere (from the morning talk show circuit to vacationing with Osaka) since her run in New York.I am very strong. I am very proud as a black woman to be here representing myself and representing us and our culture. I make sure to do everything possible to be the best possible representation every time I step on the court and even off it.
Taylor Townsend
Doubles Teams of the Year: Lloyd Glasspool and Julian Cash; Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend
Glasspool and Cash, the world’s two highest-ranked doubles players, reached an astonishing 11 finals in 2025. They won seven titles, one of which was at Wimbledon, becoming the first British pair to do so since 1936. Neither of them had ever won a Grand Slam before, nor had they even advanced beyond the quarterfinals. The world’s two highest-ranked doubles players, Siniakova and Townsend, continued their successful partnership in 2025 and won their second Grand Slam title together at the Australian Open. They also reached the final at the US Open, the semi-finals at Wimbledon and the final at the year-end championships, and lifted the trophy together at the 1000-level event in Dubai.Honorable Mention: Christian Harrison and Evan King
At the start of the season, neither Harrison, 31, nor King, 33, had ever won an ATP title, but that changed dramatically during their first year together as a team. This year, they won three ATP titles, reached the semi-finals of the French Open and became the first all-American pair to qualify for the year-end ATP Finals.Comeback Player of the Year: Belinda Bencic
Perhaps the easiest and most obvious award winner on this list, Bencic returned to competitive tennis in October 2024, just six months after giving birth to her daughter Bella. Bencic, 28, played exclusively ITF and 125-level events for the remainder of the year and then made her official return to the circuit in early 2025.
It didn’t take him long to get back into action. Weeks after the season, he reached the fourth round at the Australian Open, and followed it up by winning the title at the 500-level Abu Dhabi Open in February. At the end of the season, he had recorded a semi-final appearance at Wimbledon, for the first time in his career, and had won another title at the Japan Open in October. He started the year ranked number 489 and finished ranked number 11.
