Aryna Sabalenka Clinches WTA Year-End No. 1 Ranking

Aryna Sabalenka's incredible season culminated in the WTA's year-end No. 1 ranking.
Aryna Sabalenka officially clinched the WTA year-end No. 1 ranking on Tuesday, November 5.
Aryna Sabalenka officially clinched the WTA year-end No. 1 ranking on Tuesday, November 5. / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

From start to finish, Aryna Sabalenka was the best tennis player this year. Sabalenka's dominant season was bookmarked with Australian Open and US Open titles, with plenty of winning in between.

While she is still competing in the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Iga Swiatek's loss to Coco Gauff officially put Sabalenka at the top of the WTA Rankings for 2024. Swiatek can still win the WTA Finals title. However, she will not be able to catch up to Sabalenka's ranking points total anymore.

Shortly after Gauff's win on Tuesday, the WTA announced Sabalenka had secured the WTA Year-End No.1 Rankings presented by PIF.

Sabalenka has earned the elite year-end accolade in singles for the first time in her career, with a record of 54-12 and four singles titles before the start of the WTA Finals. The 26-year-old will be honored this week at the WTA Finals Riyadh presented by PIF and will receive the coveted year-end No.1 trophy.

Sabalenka overcame several obstacles this season, including a rare shoulder injury that forced her to miss Wimbledon and the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. After rehabilitating her shoulder, Sabalenka came back and looked stronger than ever for the final stretch of the season.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the sneaker industry for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Previously, he has reported on the NBA, authored "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)," and interviewed some of the biggest names in the sports world. You can email him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.