Emma Raducanu missed out on the comeback of the year accolade as the WTA announced the winners of their official Player Awards for 2024.
The Brit returned from an eight-month injury layoff in January ranked at No. 301. She recently admitted she would be “patting herself on the back” after soaring back into the world’s top 60 by playing less than 15 tournaments this year – something Raducanu said was “unheard of”.
But she was beat out by her good friend Paula Badosa, who dropped out of the top 100 earlier in the season but has risen to No. 12 after winning the title in Washington.
The comeback category was stacked this year. As well as Raducanu and Badosa, Amanda Anisimova, Karolina Muchova and Naomi Osaka were all nominated.
But Badosa came out on top after putting herself on the cusp of a top-10 return. The Spaniard shut down her 2023 season in July due to a stress fracture in her back. She still struggled when she returned to competition this year and resorted to using cortisone injections to manage the pain when doctors advised her to quit tennis altogether.
Things suddenly clicked for Badosa over the summer as she won the WTA 500 event in Washington. Since then, she has reached WTA 1000 semi-finals in Cincinnati and Beijing, and made it to the last eight of the US Open.
The WTA Player Awards are voted for by international tennis media, who thought Badosa’s comeback was more impressive than that of Raducanu. It comes after the Brit suggested she had achieved something special by rising up the rankings with a limited schedule.
“I’m top 60 in the world and I have played less than 15 events, which is pretty unheard of, in a way. I have to pat myself on the back for that,” Raducanu – who missed parts of the North American swing and the Asian swing due to injuries – recently told the WTA.
Elsewhere in the WTA Player Awards, another Brit was snubbed in her category. Sonay Kartal was up for newcomer of the year after breaking into the top 100, winning her maiden tour title and reaching the third round of Wimbledon. Instead, Kiwi star Lulu Sun won.
Sun stormed into the quarter-final at Wimbledon, beating top-10 star Qinwen Zheng and Raducanu en route. She also reached the Monterrey final and now ends the season inside the top 40.
Emma Navarro was named the most improved player of 2024. The American lifted her first WTA Tour trophy at the start of the season in Hobart. She has since cracked the top 10 and reached six semi-finals, including one at the US Open.
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