By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday 12 November 2024
A fantastic WTA season came to an end over the weekend and a new year-end No.1 was crowned. Aryna Sabalenka sits atop the WTA rankings for the first time, while the year-end top 5 has some familiar faces and some surprises.
Here are some of the notable names and milestones as we take a look at the WTA rankings one last time.
In Arina
It was a year of triumph for Aryna Sabalenka, who added two major titles to her trophy haul and passed Iga Swiatek to finish a season as the year-end No.1 for the first time. Can she rule the table in 2025?
Queenwen’s career-high and Top-5 debut
There’s no doubt about it: China has another megastar. And her name is Queenwen. Zheng Qinwen made history at the Olympics this year, winning the gold medal, but also reached a major final at the Australian Open, and played the final match at the WTA Finals, and her post-Wimbledon power play took her to a year-end inside. Top-5.
Boomshki. Zheng is the first Chinese player to hold a Top-5 ranking since Li Na.
Paolini power
The biggest breakout story of 2024 came from Italy, where Jasmine Paolini, who owned a 4-16 record at majors prior to 2024, went 18-4 at majors and reached the finals at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon. She ends the season at No. 4, tying for the highest ranking ever among Italian women with the great Francesca Schiavone.
Barbora enters the conversation
She won Wimbledon. That pretty much says it all, but Barbora Krejcikova, now a two-time major champion (and somewhat of a Hall of Famer), also climbed back up the rankings in 2024 with a solid run at the WTA Finals. She ends the season at number 10.
Emma! (no not him)
There were three players who made their Top-10 debut in 2024. You’ve already heard of Zheng and Paolini, but don’t forget the American Emma Navarro, who won 45 matches and also participated in Grand Slams, reaching the quarterfinals in Wimbledon and semi-finals at the US Open. She rose from 38th this time last year to a year-end ranking of eight – impressive stuff from the 23-year-old.
Top-20 discoveries
In addition to Zheng, Paolini and Navarro, there were three other players who broke the Top-20 for the first time in 2024: Diana Shnaider, Anna Kalinskaya and Mirra Andreeva. Shnaider finished at No. 12, Kalinskaya No. 14 and Andreeva No. 16. Maybe they will enter the Top-10 in 2025!
Young at heart
Gauff (20) is the youngest player in the Top 10 (unreal she’s still 20!), while Andreeva (17) is the youngest player in the Top 20. Andreeva and Linda Noskova (19, ranked no.26) are only teenagers to finish the season inside the WTA Top 100.
Rising stars
The biggest gains within the Top 100 came from some familiar names.
Naomi Osaka ends the year at number 59. She was ranked 831 at the Australian Open. Surprisingly, the best match she played in 2024 was actually a loss to Iga Swiatek at Roland-Garros. She was incredible in that race—the Naomi of yesteryear—until she let it go. Look for Osaka to continue its steady climb next season. The provenance of that champion is just being hidden.
Emma Raducanu jumped 227 spots from 285 this time last year to No.58, while Amanda Anisimova climbed from 359 to No.36. Ajla Tomljanovic jumped from 464 to No.85, and Caroline Wozniacki jumped from 236 to No.72. .
