On Monday, Aryna Sabalenka was crowned the WTA Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.
The Belarusian, who won the US Open title in September, beat Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Madison Keys to the award.
Sabalenka wholeheartedly deserved the award. After all, she made three Grand Slam finals and held onto the world number one spot for the entire year.
What are your thoughts on Aryna Sabalenka being named WTA Player of the Year?
Jessica Pegula and fellow American star Madison Keys have weighed in on the award and selected who they believe to be the WTA Player of the Year.
Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys both think Aryna Sabalenka is the WTA Player of the Year for 2025
Speaking on The Player’s Box Podcast, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Jennifer Brady and Desirae Krawczyk discussed numerous WTA and ATP end-of-year award categories.
One of those categories was the WTA Player of the Year Award.
The group considered both Amanda Anisimova and Elena Rybakina to be strong contenders.
Anisimova, who won the WTA Most Improved award, reached two Grand Slam finals this year, while Rybakina won the final 11 matches she played, winning the Ningbo Open and WTA Finals in the process.
However, both Pegula and Keys eventually concluded that Aryna Sabalenka is the most deserving recipient of the WTA Player of the Year award.
It is easy to understand why Sabalenka not only won this award, but earned the respect of her peers. She has been far and away the most consistently excellent performer on the WTA Tour this year, winning four titles and registering deep runs at every Grand Slam event.
How much prize money did Aryna Sabalenka win in 2025?
Aryna Sabalenka competed in 16 events this season, winning four. Across the year she collected $15,008,519 in prize money [around £11 million].
The total set a new single-season prize money record for a female player.
The record was previously held by Serena Williams, who won $12,385,572 in 2013 after winning 11 of the 13 finals she played.
What does Aryna Sabalenka need to change in 2026 to win multiple Grand Slam titles?
Three-time Grand Slam champion Ashleigh Barty is in third place, having won $11,307,587 in 2019.
