The 2025 professional tennis season is over. This year has been a great year.
From the dominating performances of superstars like Carlos Alcaraz, Yannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, to the rise of players like Amanda Anisimova and Ben Shelton, to Naomi Osaka’s return to the top, this season truly had something for everyone.
Alcaraz and Sinner are new to the ATP, and while the pair shared all four major titles, they were fairly evenly matched among the elite women’s players on the WTA Tour. Four different players have won Slams: Madison Keys, Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, and Sabalenka. And throughout the year, there were plenty of surprising winners and compelling stories in both the ATP and WTA. It all combined to make for a very memorable season.
Who deserves to take home the top honor? ESPN’s Chris Evert, Sam Querrey and Pam Shriver voted on who will be named ATP and WTA Player of the Year. And I couldn’t help but give a few more titles to some of this year’s other (perhaps slightly harder to quantify) favorites.
ATP Player of the Year: Carlos Alcaraz
The 2025 ATP season was defined almost exclusively by two men and their rivalry: Alcaraz and Sinner. And while these two stand out from the rest, there is more distance between second-place Sinner and third-place Alexander Zverev (6,340 points) than there is between Zverev and the 1,000th-ranked player in the world (5,145 points), but the difference between the big two was almost negligible. Alcaraz won the French Open and the US Open and finished the year in first place for the second time in his career, while Sinner won the Australian Open and Wimbledon and finished the year with his second consecutive ATP Finals title.
In fact, the difference was so small that Evert said he couldn’t choose between the two and declared it a draw. “I don’t know how to choose one,” she said.
But Querrey and Schreiber (and I) felt differently, ultimately giving Alcaraz a slight edge. Alcaraz won six titles this year, including three at the Masters 1000 tournament. Alcaraz, who also leads his career in head-to-head matches, defeated Sinner in four of their six meetings in 2025.
“I was going to award the joint ATP Player of the Year award to both Sinner and Alcaraz, but I don’t think Sinner was able to finish because he missed a few months due to suspension and the No. 1 player at the end of the year gained momentum towards Alcaraz,” Schreiber said.
Regardless of whether you believe Alcaraz and Sinner deserve this completely arbitrary distinction, one thing is for sure: they are the best players in the world and should continue their collective brilliance in 2026.
His higher-ranking colleagues seem to have accepted that, too.
“They’ve been playing at an incredibly high level for a long period of time,” world No. 7 Alex de Minaur said of Sinner and Alcaraz ahead of their match against Sinner in the ATP Finals semifinals. “We will continue to improve and wait for opportunities.
“At least I hope they don’t show up every day of the year, right?”
WTA Player of the Year: Aryna Sabalenka
There was little drama on the ATP side, but there were several women who were being considered for the title this year, at least in terms of narrowing it down to two. Not only did four different players win major tournaments, Elena Rybakina ended the year by winning the title at the WTA Finals, but others also won multiple 1000-level tournaments and competed in major tournaments.
But still, despite being evenly matched at the top of the WTA, one woman slightly edged out the rest of the group and was unanimously chosen for the award. Of course, it was world No. 1 Sabalenka, who maintained her top ranking all season. She won the US Open, becoming the first woman to win it again since Serena Williams more than a decade ago, and also reached the Australian Open and French Open finals, as well as the Wimbledon semifinals. Not to mention, she won three other titles that year, including two at the 1000m level, and competed in a total of nine finals.
Had Sabalenka played in the tournament, she would have been the favorite, not just a contender. For all of these reasons, “she’s clearly the player of the year,” according to Schreiber. And this year even her opponents praised her.
“Obviously, she’s number one and she’s very capable of playing great tennis like she did today,” Anisimova said after the US Open final. “I give her all the credit. I have a lot of respect for her. She works hard, and that’s why she’s here.”
The (long-awaited) breakthrough moment: Madison Keys, Australian Open
A prodigious talent who turned professional at the age of 14, Keys seemed destined for a major title for much of the early part of his career. And she came closer. She reached her first Grand Slam semifinal in 2015 and was runner-up at the 2017 U.S. Open. However, despite winning nine WTA titles and being a mainstay in the top 20, he was unable to win when it mattered most.
That is, until this year. Nearing her 30th birthday, Keys put together a fearless run at the Australian Open, defeating five seeded players, including No. 2 Swiatek in the semifinals and No. 1 Sabalenka in the final. In the end, Keys lifted his first major trophy after a close three-set match. It’s been almost 16 years since he turned pro, and 10 years since he first reached the semifinals.
Match of the Year: Alcaraz vs. Sinner, French Open Final
Was there even a question about this? The first-ever major final between the fast-rising rivals lasted five hours and 29 minutes, making it the longest French Open ever and the second-longest major final. It also featured one of the most incredible comebacks of all time.
Sinner, playing his second tournament since returning after a three-month suspension, won the first game of the marathon in 12 minutes and was on a roll from then on, winning the first two sets in a row. While Sinner was on track for his fourth Grand Slam title and first Roland Garros title, Alcaraz had other ideas.
That’s when the magic happened. Alcaraz raised his level and fought off the raucous crowd to force a fourth set and scramble for three championship points en route to the deciding match. The momentum continued to shift in the final set, with both players competing for highlight-worthy points one after another, with Alcaraz winning the tiebreak with a final score of 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10-2). It was Alcaraz’s second consecutive French Open trophy and fifth major title, but more than that, it cemented the legend of the Big Two and a rivalry that would shape the sport for years to come.
The most unlikely victory: Valentin Vacherot, Shanghai
Participated in the Masters 1000 level event at 204th place in the world ranking, 9th alternate In the qualifying draw, the 26-year-old, who has only won once on the ATP Tour in his career, needed a miracle just to play in the tournament.
However, after a large number of withdrawals, Vachelot advanced to the preliminary rounds, but needed three sets in both matches to qualify for the main tournament. Somehow he found a way and then did the unthinkable. He defeated a number of seeded players, including Alexander Bublik in the second round, Holger Ruhn in the quarterfinals, and Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. If that wasn’t enough, he faced his cousin Arthur Rinderknek (who himself was ranked 40th at the time and was hardly considered a title contender before the tournament began) in the unlikeliest of finals. In the end, Bachelot won the family case, becoming the first Monaco player to win an ATP title and the lowest-ranked Masters champion in history. After the final, a moving trophy ceremony was held, during which the tearful cousins hugged each other and exchanged kind words.
“There has to be one loser, but I think there are two winners today,” Vachelot said on court. “One family won, but I think this story is unrealistic for the sport of tennis.”
Following his fairytale victory, which more than doubled his lifetime earnings, Vachelot skyrocketed up the rankings. Thanks to his quarter-final run at the Paris Masters, Vacherot finished the season ranked 31st and went from being unknown to now a beloved figure in the sport.
Honorable Mention: Victoria Mboko, Canadian Open
The 18-year-old Canadian, who is ranked 85th in the world and received a wild card to qualify, stunned the field by defeating four Grand Slam champions on his way to winning a local 1000-level tournament. This was her first WTA title and her ranking skyrocketed to 24th place (she finished the season with another title and a new career-high ranking of 18th place).
Star turn of the year: Taylor Townsend, U.S. Open
Long known to tennis fans for his talent and bubbly personality on the singles and doubles courts, Townsend caught the world’s attention at the U.S. Open with his incredible poise as well as his incredible play. Townsend, who became No. 1 in the doubles rankings for the first time this year, had a stunning victory over 29th seed Jelena Ostapenko in the second round, but a distraught Ostapenko fiercely confronted Townsend after the match, saying, “I have no class or education.”
Townsend kept her calm during the exchange and later said he wanted to make her young son proud of her when he saw the video.
“I’m very strong,” Townsend later told reporters. “As a Black woman, I’m very proud to be here representing myself and representing us and our culture. I try to do everything I can to be the best representative possible, both on and off the court.”
This exchange, and Townsend’s reaction to it, quickly went viral, and Townsend’s next match against fifth-seeded Mira Andreeva became a high-profile event. Townsend completely demolished the teenage phenom in front of an enthusiastic crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium. (Ostapenko later apologized for his remarks.)
Townsend then went on to lose in the fourth round to two-time major champion Barbora Krejcikova in a heartbreaking and thrilling final, reaching the doubles final with Katerina Sinakova, but cemented her status as a fan favorite. Since her New York stint, she seems to be everywhere (from the morning talk show circuit to vacationing in Osaka).
Doubles Team of the Year: Lloyd Glasspool and Julian Cash. Katerina Sinakova and Taylor Townsend
Glasspool and Cash, the top two doubles players in the world rankings, achieved an astonishing 11 finals appearances in 2025. They won seven titles, including one at Wimbledon, making them the first British duo to do so since 1936. Neither had ever won a major, nor had they ever made it past the quarterfinals.
Sinakova and Townsend, the top two women’s doubles players in the world, continued their partnership in 2025, winning their second major tournament title together at the Australian Open. They also reached the final at the US Open, the semi-finals at Wimbledon and the year-end championships, and lifted the trophy together at a 1000-level event in Dubai.
Honorable mention: Christian Harrison, Evan King
Entering the season, neither Harrison, 31, nor King, 33, had won an ATP title, but that changed dramatically in their first year as a team. This year, they won three ATP titles, reached the semifinals at Roland Garros, and became the first American duo to qualify for the year-end ATP Finals.
Comeback Player of the Year: Belinda Bencic
Perhaps the easiest and most obvious winner on this list, Bencic returned to competitive tennis in October 2024, just six months after giving birth to her daughter Bella. Bencic, 28, competed only in ITF and 125-level events for the rest of the year, before officially returning to the tour in early 2025.
It didn’t take long for her to get things back on track. A few weeks into the season, she reached the fourth round at the Australian Open, followed by winning the title at the 500-level Abu Dhabi Open in February. By the end of the season, she had reached the semi-finals of her career for the first time at Wimbledon and won another title at the Pan Pacific Open in October. She started this year ranked 489th and finished 11th.
Most Improved: Amanda Anisimova
There are career years and what Anisimova accomplished in 2025. He is a strong candidate for Player of the Year, and this is also his breakthrough moment. and Star-turner Anisimova more than lived up to the high expectations she had as a junior. The 24-year-old American, who took an eight-month hiatus from competitive action in 2023 due to mental health reasons, won the biggest title of his career at the time at the 1000-level Qatar Open in February and cracked the top 20 for the first time.
But that was just the beginning. Anisimova made her breakthrough on grass, reaching the final at Queen’s Club and reaching her first major final with a memorable upset of Sabalenka in the Wimbledon semi-finals. She lost badly to Swiatek, but got revenge at the US Open. And in New York, Anisimova reached the final again. Although she did not win any trophies, her ranking and popularity continued to soar. By the end of the year, she had won another 1000-level title at the China Open, qualified for the WTA Finals for the first time (reaching the semi-finals), and now achieved a career-high world ranking of No. 4. What a year, really.
Honorable Mention: Lerner Tien
Although it’s hard to compare to Anisimova’s achievements, 19-year-old Tien also had a memorable season. The American, ranked 121st in the world, made it through qualifying and made his main draw debut at the Australian Open – and what a debut it was. In the second round, Tien defeated former world No. 1 and 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev, winning a 10-point tiebreak in the fifth set. Thien defeated Corentin Moutet in the third round to become the youngest male player to reach the fourth round in Melbourne since Rafael Nadal in 2005.
Tien defeated Zverev at the 2025 Mexico Open, becoming the youngest American player to beat a top three player since 2001. Tien ended 2025 by winning his first ATP title at the Moselle Open and finishing the season with a career-high ranking of 28th.
This year’s most ageless players: Novak Djokovic and Venus Williams
Djokovic, 38, remains unquestionably the world’s No. 3 male player, although he is not quite as dominant as he once was. Focusing most of his energy on the majors in pursuit of an elusive record-breaking 25th major title, Djokovic reached the semi-finals of all four majors in 2025, but was unable to fully solve the mystery of Alcaraz and Sinner. Despite this, he won two titles this season, bringing his career total to an astonishing 101. He has been candid about how his career is coming to an end, admitting how difficult it is to play in the Big Two, but hopes to continue playing in 2026.
And then there’s Williams. The 45-year-old seven-time major singles champion made a jubilant and competitive return to tennis at this year’s City Open after a 16-month hiatus that sparked speculation of retirement. With her opening match win over world No. 35 Peyton Stearns, Williams became the oldest player to win a tour-level singles match since Martina Navratilova in 2004. Williams went on to play in the Cincinnati Open and the U.S. Open, becoming the oldest singles player to play in the main draw since 1981.
Williams lost in the first round in a fierce three-set battle to No. 11 seed Karolina Muchova, but magically reached the quarterfinals in doubles with partner Leila Fernandez.
And, however unlikely it may seem, Williams isn’t done yet. Earlier this month, it was announced that she had accepted a wild card to play in Oakland in January, marking her 33rd year on tour as a professional tennis player.
If that doesn’t bode well for the 2026 tennis season, you never know what will.
