2024 Ms.Backspin: A Hard (Court) Habit to Break

It's time to hand out some (virtual) hardware... so be careful not to break anything.

Once again, the WTA theater of the unexpected guided the course of another tour season.

2024 proved to be a rare year when all four of the major singles title winners were women who'd previously been crowned slam champions (this year was the first without a first-time slam champ since 2014). The season also produced just the second AO/US season sweep this century, and the first three-peat in Paris in seventeen years. Meanwhile, still another Czech won Wimbledon.

Of course, there were still three maiden slam singles finalists, seven newbie semifinalists at majors, a new Olympic singles Gold medalist and a first-time WTA Finals champion. So it all evened out.

For the second season in a row, there was a late change atop the singles rankings (and this time it stuck!). Meanwhile, though five different women were ranked at #1 in doubles over the course of the year, including the first representing New Zealand, by year's end a very familiar face was back atop the season-ending rankings (for the fourth time in her career) even after a year in which she was a virtual doubles free agent, hanging a "WILL TEAM UP TO WIN TITLES (TEXT ME!)" sign outside her locker and sorting through a variety of potential pairings.

Of course, in the WTA, change is life. It's the norm on the crazy, most interesting tour in the world. Part of what makes women's tennis simply irresistible, for good or sometimes even bad, is that no matter how quickly the landscape has already shifted beneath any individual's feet everything can be altered just as quickly all over again.

Over the course of 2024, two of the final Top 3 ranked women (and four of the season-ending Top 10) changed coaches despite posting career-best results in previous seasons with their former instructors. Another eventual Top 10er had started the season with a new coaching voice in her ear, and went on to have her very best campaign. On the other hand, a member of last year's Top 10 fired *two* coaches in '24 as her standing slid all the way out of the Top 30.

So, as usual, they got the beat. Or maybe she does. And if not her, well, then maybe her. Just wait a minute, eventually the circus will come around again so that everyone gets a *chance* to have a turn in the spotlight.

It was a year filled with controversial business decisions (hey let's throw a women's only party in a kingdom with a checkered history -- at best -- when it comes to women's rights!) and individual statements ("I don't respect you as a player"), tense meetings at the net (or no meeting there at all), pregnancies, marriages, comebacks, retirements (both the Tsurenko kind and the non-Tsurenko kind) and un-retirements (still no Ash, though). We saw the tour play host to the longest losing streak in the history of professional tennis (24 matches!). We also saw the end of that losing run (whew!) be immediately transformed into a semifinal result at a 1000 level event (because a final or title would have been too much for even the WTA to try to explain).

Amongst a slew of other things, in 2024 we got a brief (as always) peek at Peak Sloane (as well as the other side of that particular equation), and saw a major champion crowned with "a Jana on her shoulder." The long-awaited return of a "long distance Romanian" at the end of a fight that went on far longer than it should have *actually happened*, as well as the crowning of a Golden Queen of Paris who hailed from *China* (not Poland, as most had expected and pretty much assumed would be the case). Late in the year, a slam winner painted the town bright red, a straight-"A" student put on another honor roll performance, and a (mostly) new group of racket-wielding fighters showed that there are *still* no barriers that can't be scaled when it comes to a group of Italians on another mission from the Tennis Gods.

Some of the women previously alluded to above are honored on this year's "Ms.Backspin" list, while others are not. But they all combined to produce yet another memorable WTA campaign.

So, live like Paolini! And, thus, all will be good.

As always, each of this year's nominees are equal when it comes to being worthy of commendation, but some were more equal than others.

via GIPHY

2024 "Ms.BACKSPIN" STANDINGS
1. Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
...after a season-long chase, Sabalenka finally pulled away from the field to secure clear "player of the year" honors with her sweep of both hard court majors in Melbourne and New York. She acquired the #1 ranking for a second straight year in a late-season swap with Iga Swiatek, but this time it stuck with her first season-ending hold on the top spot (and a comfortable one at that, around 1100 points). Not that she was able to truly *escape* Swiatek, who still won more titles (5 to 4) and swept the Belarusian in back-to-back Madrid/Rome finals. Sabalenka got some measure of payback by getting her lone win in three match-ups with the Pole this season in Cincinnati, and finished with a career-best eleven Top 10 victories, including two while winning her third straight title in Wuhan (extending her winning thread there after successfully defending the crown the last time the event was held in 2019). One thing to improve upon in 2025: winning *as* the world #1. Sabalenka has gone just 7-5 in her two stints atop the rankings, including a 2-2 mark this season (0-2 after she'd locked-down season-ending #1).
2. Iga Swiatek, POL
...Swiatek continued her dominance at Roland Garros, winning her third straight title and fourth in five years. But she surprisingly failed to win Gold at the Paris Olympics on the same courts, losing in the SF before claiming Bronze with a 3rd place finish, and reached the second week at just one of the other three majors (US QF) after doing so at 12 of 13 coming into '24 (starting with her maiden RG win in 2020). Iga improved her serve, one of her goals on the season, but continued to have diffculty vs. power players without enacting any alteration in gameday tactics (perhaps the replacement of coach Tomasz Wiktorowski with Wim Fissette will lead to a change in that puzzling pattern come '25). Even while losing her #1 ranking, Swiatek led the tour in titles (5), was undefeated in finals (running her streak to nine straight), went 30-3 in 1000 events and led Poland to its first BJK Cup semifinals with a perfect 5-0 singles mark on the season (she's on a 10-match heater in Cup play that goes back to 2019). Once again showing an ability to bounce back after falling from atop the rankings, Swiatek went 5-1 after dropping to #2 behind Aryna Sabalenka, giving her a 17-2 record as the non-#1 the last two seasons.
3. Jasmine Paolini, ITA
...has anyone had more fun since last January than Paolini? In what was an astounding career year, the Italian was quite simply, in the parlance of an old high school yearbook, the "best all-around" player in tennis in 2024. Two slam singles finals (RG/WI), her biggest career title (Dubai 1000), Top 10 finishes in both s/d (w/ a career-high #4 singles ranking), four second week trips in majors (turning her career 4-16 slam record on its head by going 18-4), four doubles titles with Sara Errani and an Olympic Gold medal, her WTAF debut (in both s/d), and, oh yeah, leading the way to Italy's fifth Cup crown with a title turn at the BJK Finals to close out her season. And it all came after Paolini had started '24 having never cracked the Top 25 through '23, nor the Top 50 a year earlier in her age 26 season in '22. Maybe they should just rename the Most Improved Player award "The Jasmine." One is tempted to skeptically say, "Good luck topping this season in '25, Jasmine." But then you remember her Italian roots, and realize there's still more out there for Paolini to grab. After all, she could still improve by winning *multiple* tour titles, along with maybe her first doubles major... and she was just the *runner-up* in two slam singles finals in '24. So... don't speak too soon.
4. Katerina Siniakova, CZE (d)
...rolling with the punches, Siniakova went into '24 with her regular (Hall of Fame) doubles partnership with Barbora Krejcikova mostly set aside (they played just five matches, but won a title in Prague), yet she still managed to team with nine different partners in WTA/Olympic/BJK play to go 49-12 (perhaps her *busiest* season) and win five doubles titles, two of them majors (RG w/ Coco Gauff, WI w/ Taylor Townsend), *and* added a second Gold medal (after WD w/ Krejcikova in '21) by winning the MX in Paris alongside Tomas Machac. It was enough for Siniakova to reclaim the #1 doubles ranking, finishing there for the fourth time (third time in four years) and moving into the Top 5 for most career weeks in the top spot.
5. Sara Errani/Jasmine Paolini, ITA/ITA
...the Italians were the best doubles *duo* in the world this year. Even though Errani/Paolini didn't win a major (they reached the RG final, Errani's first at a slam in a decade), they were tied atop the title list with four WTA titles, claimed 1000 wins in Rome (the first all-ITA champs on home soil since Errani/Vinci in '12) and Beijing, won Olympic Gold in Paris and polished off two sets of opponents in Malaga while taking deciding doubles duels en route to Italy's title run at the BJK Cup finals. At 37, Errani's doubles resurgence brings to mind her past partnership with Roberta Vinci, which accounted for a Career Doubles Slam over a 25-month span (w/ 5 major titles) from 2012-14. Both Errani and Paolini finished in the doubles Top 10, the former's best finish since back-to-back #1 years in 2013-14, and the latter's best ever. Their momentum carried over to their singles play as Paolini had a similar career year there and Errani reached her first tour SF (Bogota) since 2017, played in the MD of all four slams for the first time since '16, and narrowly missed out on her first Top 100 season (#105) in eight years. Errani also picked up her maiden slam MX crown alongside countryman Andrea Vavassori at the U.S. Open.
6. Diede de Groot, NED (WC)
...Diede the Great had a "not so great" year in 2024, but it says much about the overwhelming standard that de Groot has set for herself that a "B" season for her included the Dutch wheelchair superstar sweeping all three slam singles competitions (she's won 15 straight major titles), winning two of three doubles majors and finishing at #1 in the rankings for a seventh straight season. Running her career total to 23 singles slams crowns, de Groot's efforts saw her top Hall of Famer Esther Vergeer's all-time mark of 21 and matched her countrywoman/mentor's combined major women's WC title total of 42 (Shingo Kunieda holds the overall record w/ 50). Still, as odd as it sounds, 2024 *did* represent a significant step back for de Groot. She saw her 145-match winning streak halted, failed to successfully defend either of her Paralympic Golds (picking up a pair of Silvers instead), dropped two straight matches vs. #2 Yui Kamiji after previously winning 28 straight vs. her top rival, and then didn't play another match after the Paralympics due to injury (missing the season-ending WC Masters after having won the last six versions of the event). Of course, after recent seasons in which she "never" lost -- which she didn't in 2022-23, going 91-0 in singles-- anything other than literal perfection was going to seem a bit ill-fitting for the most dominant player in all of world tennis, wasn't it?
7. Coco Gauff, USA
...for the second straight season, straight-"A" student Gauff played her best tennis of the season immiedately after a coaching change, finishing off a brilliant 4Q -- 13-2, winning the Beijing 1000 and her first WTAF title -- after replacing Brad Gilbert (whose appointment preceded Gauff's "Coco Summer" run to the U.S. Open title *last* year) with Matt Daly (alongside holdover JC Faurel). Prior to her great finish, Gauff at times seemed adrift (and error-prone) in '24 yet still managed to defend a small title in Auckland in January, reached two slam SF (AO/RG), was one of just two woman (w/ Paolini) to reach the second week at all four majors, and picked up her first WD slam win (w/ Katerina Siniakova) in Paris. #3-ranked Gauff's WTAF run in Riyadh included wins over both the world #1 and #2, her first straight sets victory over Iga Swiatek and her third career triumph over a world #1 Aryna Sabalenka (meaning she's now beaten three *different* #1's, after previous wins over Swiatek and Ash Barty).
8. Zheng Qinwen, CHN
...after a couple of years of buzz, the 2024 season was the site of Zheng's long-expected star-turn. Zheng began and ended her season by coming up short in her two biggest career finals at the Australian Open and WTAF, but in the nine months in between she put together her first Top 10 campaign (finishing #5) while winning three titles, including ending her season on a 31-6 tear (w/ Olympic Gold in Paris, titles at Palermo/Tokyo, finals in Wuhan/Riyadh, a Beijing semi and U.S. Open QF) following a surprise 1st Round exit at Wimbledon vs. Lulu Sun. In all, Zheng (behind only Sabalenka's seven in '24) reached six of her ten career finals this season, won three of her five titles, and notched five of her ten career Top 10 wins, including her first over a world #1 (Swiatek in the Olympic semis).
9. Yui Kamiji, JPN (WC)
...Kamiji wasn't the player to stop Diede de Groot's 145-match winning streak (Li Xiaohui was), but she *did* end the Dutch #1's 28-match mastery of *her*, defeating her on grass (Kamiji's worst surface) at Roehampton and in the Paralympics final, putting together her first winning streak over de Groot since way back in 2017. Thing is, the prospect of Kamiji's veteran break-out campaign might have been in the air as early as January, when she led de Groot 5-1 in the 3rd set, holding a MP in the final of the Melbourne Open before de Groot stormed back for the win. After several years of frustration and near-misses in the rivalry, Kamiji's resilience finally won out. The 30-year old from Japan, who'd reached WC #1 in 2014 before de Groot crashed (and took over) the party three seasons later, didn't win a singles slam crown in '24, but she did find the high level solo success this season as the world #2 that de Groot has often kept out of her reach. Kamiji won her first Paralympics Golds (sweeping the s/d, defeating de Groot in both finals), then closed out the season by taking her first WC Masters win since 2013 as the injured world #1 was sidelined.
10. Italian BJK Cup Team
...as it's turned out, there *is* life after the Quartet. Just like old times, the Italians ruled the Cup roost in 2024, claiming the title for the fifth time in the event's history and for the first time since 2013 (ITA won four times in eight years between 2006-13). The current format precluded a season-long march the title, as Italy's runner-up result in '23 meant the nation skipped the spring qualifiers and got a 1st Round bye in the BJK Finals events in Malaga. When the Italians finally hit the court, they put on a show while winning back-to-back deciding doubles contests (courtesy of Errani/Paolini) over Japan and Poland, then sweeping Slovakia in the final with wins from Lucia Bronzetti and (fittingly) Jasmine Paolini to clinch the championship and end her remarkable season (yes, she's part of *three* different Top 10 entries on this year's Ms.Backspin Top 10 list) on yet another crazy-good/heartwarming note. The win gives Tathiana Garbin, who led the squad out of zone play a few seasons ago, her first Cup crown as the Team Italia captain after never being a part of any of Italy's other title runs as a player. While Garbin and the rest of the team (those noted above, as well as Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Martina Trevisan) are maiden champs, Errani, the last active Quartet member (after the retirements of Pennetta, Schiavone and Vinci) levels up with Pennetta and Vinci with her fourth Cup title.
*2nd TEAM ALL-Ms.BACKSPIN*
Hsieh Su-wei, TPE: the 38-year old won *three* slam titles in '24: the AO doubles (w/ Elise Mertens) and her first two MX crowns (w/ Jan Zielinski) at the AO and SW19
Elena Rybakina, KAZ: in a front-loaded season of success, Rybakina got off to a PoY-like 40-8 start, winning three titles in five final appearances, and reaching the RG QF and Wimbledon semis. But after Wimbledon, while missing time with continued health issues, she was just 3-3. She was the only player to record wins over *two* different #1s in '24 (Iga in Stuttgart, Aryna at the WTAF).
Barbora Krejcikova, CZE: the Czech only played 20 matches while battling injuries, but had a dream (Novotna-inspired) run to her first Wimbledon title (her second career singles slam win), reached the WTAF semis and AO/Olympic QF to finish in the Top 10 for a second straight year. Krejcikova went 16-4 in those four big events, and 5-12 everywhere else.
Danielle Collins, USA: for a while Collins looked like the best player in the world, winning Miami (her first 1000 title) and Charleston back-to-back (Serena was the last to do it in 2013) while winning 15 straight matches. Her spring/summer run included a Madrid 4th Round, Rome SF, and Strasburg RU in a stretch during which she was 22-3. Collins won 30 of 36 from Miami through a QF in her Olympic debut, but injuries prevented her from notching another win after that. She ended the year on a six-match losing streak, just missing out on her first Top 10 season when Krejcikova edged her out by reaching the WTAF SF. Late in the season, Collins announced that she'd reversed her decision to retire at the end of '24 and will return next year.
Jessie Pegula, USA: Pegula missed time with neck and back injuries, but after splitting with coach David Witt in January she thrived under the gaze of the Marks (coaches Knowles and Merklein). She hit her stride in the summer, winning her first grass title in Berlin, taking a second straight 1000 crown in Canada (this year in Toronto), reaching the Cincinnati final, and finally cracking through her longtime slam QF ceiling (0-6) by reaching the U.S. Open final.
Diana Shnaider, RUS: in her first full season on tour, the 20-year old went 4-0 in finals and was the only tour player with WTA titles on hard, clay and grass courts. Shnaider recorded her maiden Top 10 win (Gauff/Toronto), finished at #13 and even picked up an Olympic Silver in doubles with Mirra Andreeva.
*HONORABLE MENTION*
Mirra Andreeva, RUS: at 17, the only teenager in the Top 20 (#16) and the youngest to finish in the Top 150. Andreeva reached her first slam semi (RG), the AO Round of 16, three 1000 QF and recorded her first four Top 10 wins (two in slam play). She also won Olympic Silver in doubles w/ Diana Shnaider.
Emma Navarro, USA: bettered her career-best result at four successive majors (3r-4r-QF-SF), won her maiden tour title (Hobart in January) and posted three Top 3 wins en route to a #8 finish
Dasha Kasatkina, RUS: she reached six finals (going 2-4, winning two 500 crowns), but didn't advance past the 3rd Round in any major and didn't reach a 1000 QF
Hsieh Su-wei/Elise Mertens, TPE/BEL: the AO and Indian Wells champs, they reached the Wimbledon semis and went 3-0 in tour finals
Anna Danilina/Irina Khromacheva, KAZ/RUS: tied Errani/Paolini for the tour lead for titles (4) by a duo, winning Wuhan 1000 and Guadalajara 500 crowns. Khromacheva's six overall WD titles were the most by any individual this year. The duo also won a pair of titles at the 125 event level.
Lyudmyla Kichenok/Alona Ostapenko, UKR/LAT: went 15-3 in majors, winning the U.S. Open and reaching the Australian Open final. Won three titles on the season.
Donna Vekic, CRO: went title-less, but reached her maiden slam SF (Wimbledon), won Olympic Silver in Paris, posted two #2 wins (Aryna/Coco), reached her career high ranking (#18) and had her first Top 20 season
*ADDITIONAL NOMINEES*
Paula Badosa/ESP, Katie Boutler/GBR, Cristina Bucsa/ESP (d), Gaby Dabrowski/Erin Routliffe (CAN/NZL), Anna Kalinskaya/RUS, Sofia Kenin/Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA/USA), Nicole Melichar-Martinez/Ellen Perez (USA/AUS), Asia Muhammad/USA (d), Alona Ostapenko/LAT, Laura Siegemund/GER (mx), Rebecca Sramkova/SVK, SVK BJK Cup Team, Taylor Townsend/USA (d)

The last ten...

2015 Martina Hingis & Sania Mirza / SUI-IND
2016 Angelique Kerber / GER
2017 Latisha Chan & Martina Hingis / TPE-SUI
2018 Simona Halep / ROU
2019 Ash Barty / AUS
2020 Sofia Kenin / USA
2021 Diede de Groot / NED (WC)
2022 Iga Swiatek / POL
2023 Iga Swiatek / POL
2024 Aryna Sabalenka / BLR


[2015]
1. Martina Hingis/Sania Mirza, SUI/IND
2. Serena Williams, USA
3. CZE Fed Cup Team
4. Angelique Kerber, GER
5. Simona Halep, ROU
6. Garbine Muguruza, ESP
7. Timea Bacsinszky, SUI
8. Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Lucie Safarova, USA/CZE
9. Maria Sharapova, RUS
10. Karolina Pliskova, CZE
[2016]
1. Angelique Kerber, GER
2. CZE Fed Cup Team
3. Caroline Garcia/Kristina Mladenovic, FRA/FRA
4. Serena Williams, USA
5. Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Lucie Safarova, USA/CZE
6. Martina Hingis/Sania Mirza, SUI/IND
7. Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina, RUS/RUS
8. Karolina Pliskova, CZE
9. FRA Fed Cup Team
10. Garbine Muguruza, ESP
[2017]
1. Latisha Chan & Martina Hingis, TPE/SUI
2. Alona Ostapenko, LAT
3. Garbine Muguruza, ESP
4. Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
5. Simona Halep, ROU
6. Elina Svitolina, UKR
7. Venus Williams, USA
8. Bethanie Mattek-Sands & Lucie Safarova, USA/CZE
9. Caroline Garcia, FRA
10t. USA Fed Cup Team
10t. CoCo Vandeweghe, USA
[2018]
1. Simona Halep, ROU
2. Naomi Osaka, JPN
3. Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
4. Angelique Kerber, GER
5. Petra Kvitova, CZE
6. CZE Fed Cup Team
7. Kiki Bertens, NED
8. Diede de Groot, NED (WC)
9. Sloane Stephens, USA
10. Elina Svitolina, UKR
[2019]
1. Ash Barty, AUS
2. Bianca Andreescu, CAN
3. Diede de Groot, NED (WC)
4. Elise Mertens/Ayrna Sabalenka, BEL/BLR
5. Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic, HUN/FRA
6. Naomi Osaka, JPN
7. Hsieh Su-wei/Barbora Strycova, TPE/CZE
8. Simona Halep, ROU
9. French Fed Cup Team
10. Serena Williams, USA
[2020]
1. Sofia Kenin, USA
2. Naomi Osaka, JPN
3. Simona Halep, ROU
4. Iga Swiatek, POL
5. Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic, HUN/FRA
6. Hsieh Su-wei/Barbora Strycova, TPE/CZE
7. Yui Kamiji, JPN (WC)
8. Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
9. Elena Rybakina, KAZ
10. Victoria Azarenka, BLR
[2021]
1. Diede de Groot, NED (WC)
2. Ash Barty, AUS
3t. Barbora Krejcikova, CZE
3t. Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE
5. Shuko Aoyama/Ena Shibahara, JPN/JPN
6. Garbine Muguruza, ESP
7. Anett Kontaveit, EST
8. Desirae Krawczyk, USA
9t. Naomi Osaka, JPN
9t. Emma Raducanu, GBR
[2022]
1. Iga Swiatek, POL
2. Diede de Groot, NED (WC)
3. Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE
4. Caroline Garcia, FRA
5. Ons Jabeur, TUN
6. Jessie Pegula, USA
7. Veronika Kudermetova, RUS
8. Elena Rybakina, KAZ
9. Ash Barty, AUS
10. Coco Gauff, USA
[2023]
1. Iga Swiatek, POL
2. Diede de Groot, NED (WC)
3. Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
4. Coco Gauff, USA
5. Elena Rybakina, KAZ
6. Canadian BJK Cup Team
7. Jessie Pegula, USA
8. Karolina Muchova, CZE
9. Marketa Vondrousova, CZE
10. Barbora Krejcikova, CZE
[2024]
1. Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
2. Iga Swiatek, POL
3. Jasmine Paolini, ITA
4. Katerina Siniakova, CZE
5. Sara Errani/Jasmine Paolini, ITA/ITA
6. Diede de Groot, NED (WC)
7. Coco Gauff, USA
8. Zheng Qinwen, CHN
9. Yui Kamiji, JPN (WC)
10. Italian BJK Cup Team

All for now.