The year 2021 is over and we will make a simple retrospection of the tennis players, whose star shined. Definitely, it was another controversial year, which hosted the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics. It had a lot of complicated problems related to the coronavirus pandemic. However, the sport was above all of it and tennis season was completed successfully.
Here are five tennis players whose star shined in 2021.
Emma Raducanu
Of course, it is Emma Raducanu again. Many words were said for her and the British tennis talent deserves all of them. Just 18-years-old, she started the year at world’s No 345 and ended at No 19. Emma Raducanu made her WTA debut only in June 2021 at WTA 250 Viking Open Nottingham but made a fantastic season winning the US Open title. Earlier, she reached the fourth round of the Wimbledon and her first final at the WTA 125 Oracle Challenger Series.
Emma Raducanu entered professional tennis with full speed. She became the favorite of many tennis experts and won the hearts of millions of fans. Emma Raducanu was awarded the WTA Newcomer of the Year.
Belinda Bencic
Belinda Bencic definitely is one of the most remarkable players of the year. She showed her hegemony at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, winning the title on singles and was the runner-up on doubles. Belinda Bencic became the fifth player to reach two finals at the same Olympic event since tennis returned at the Games in 1988.
During the year she reached also the quarter-finals of the US Open, WTA 1000 Western & Southern Open, as well as the WTA 1000 Madrid Open. She is also the runner-up of the WTA 500 Berlin Open and WTA 500 Adelaide International.
However, despite her successful results in 2021, Belinda Bencic started the year at No 12 and ended at the world’s No 23. But winning two Olympic medals is remarkable, so she wrote her name in the sport’s history.
Maria Sakkari
The year 2021 was the most successful for the Greek tennis player Maria Sakkari, who started the season at world’s No 22 and ended it at No 6.
Maria Sakkari started the year, reaching the semi-finals of the WTA 500 Abu Dhabi WTA Women’s Tennis Open and WTA 500 Grampians Trophy. However, she failed in the Australian Open, losing in the first round to Kristina Mladenovic. This did not stop her and the Greek tennis babe reached the semi-finals of the WTA 1000 Miami Open. At the French Open / Roland Garros and the US Open, she made a real breakthrough, reaching the semi-finals, which is her best performance at the Grand Slam. She was also the runner-up at the WTA 500 J&T Banka Ostrava Open. This skyrocketed her to the world’s No 6 and took part in the WTA Year-End Championships in Guadalajara, where reached the semi-finals losing to Anett Kontaveit.
Maria Sakkari is one of the most talented players, as she is only 26-years-old. She won the sympathy of many fans during the year and definitely all the experts draw her a bright future in tennis.
Leylah Fernandez
When talking about young and talented tennis players, should not miss the 19-years-old Leylah Fernandez. She was the runner-up at the US Open, losing to Emma Raducanu, but definitely, her performance was remarkable.
She made her WTA debut in 2019, reaching her first final in 2020 and winning her first WTA title in 2021 – at WTA 250 Abierto GNP Seguros in Monterrey, Mexico. Her improving performance brought her to the US Open, where she started from the qualifications to reach the final.
Leylah Fernandez started the season from the world’s No 88 and climber to No 24.
Paula Badosa
Paula Badosa is another young player, whose star shined in 2021. She started the year at world’s No 70, to end the season at world’s No 8.
In 2021, the 24-yerars-old Spaniard won the titles at WTA 250 Serbia Ladies Open and WTA 1000 Indian Wells Open. She reached the semi-finals at WTA 1000 Madrid Open and WTA 500 Credit One Charleston Open. Paula Badosa also reached the quarter-finals of the French Open / Roland Garros and the fourth round of Wimbledon.
The young tennis babe played also at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, reaching the quarter-finals.
Her improved ranking qualified Paula Badosa for the WTA Year-End Championships in Guadalajara, where she reached the semi-final, losing to another Spaniard Garbine Muguruza, who eventually won the title.