Singles Player of the Year: Garbiñe Muguruza

The results are in, and Garbiñe Muguruza has been named 2017 Singles Player of the Year.

Consistency has been the name of her game this season, and the continued excellence has led her to achieve a career-best season - and achieve a childhood dream along the way.

1. Muguruza won her second Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in historic style. When Muguruza claimed her second career Grand Slam title this year at Wimbledon, she became the only player ever to defeat both Williams sisters in a Grand Slam final. She’d defeated Serena at 2016 Roland Garros, and took down Venus in the 2017 Wimbledon final. 

2. She became only the second Spaniard ever to reach WTA World No.1. Muguruza climbed to World No.1 after the US Open, becoming the 24th woman in WTA history and just the second player representing Spain to achieve the dream.

“Becoming the WTA No.1 in the world is a dream come true,” Muguruza, who has followed in the footsteps of compatriot Arantxa Sánchez Vicario by becoming the game's best, said at the time. “Every birthday wish was always the same as I blew out the candles – to become the best.

“There is a lot of work behind this achievement and a lot of love and passion for this sport. There’s also a lot of hard moments along with the great moments. Not to mention the extreme amount of love from my family and the appreciation for my fans and all the people that have helped me in this journey. I am very proud to share such a special moment for our country with Rafael Nadal, the best role model I could ever have. I look forward to continue working hard to keep this position.”

3. Consistently deep runs and big results mark her 2017 season. Muguruza’s newfound consistency has paid dividends this season. She’s one of only two players to have reached the second week at all four Slams in 2017.

She backed up her Wimbledon crown with another title at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, and reached the semifinals or better at Brisbane, Rome, Birmingham, Stanford and Tokyo PPO.

4. Fourth straight WTA Finals appearance. Muguruza’s stellar season made her the first player to qualify for the 2017 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.

It’s her fourth straight WTA Finals appearance: she qualified in 2014 for the doubles competition, and capped off her 2015 singles debut by charging through the group stage undefeated and reaching the semifinals.

"Every season one of my main goals is to qualify for Singapore, as it is proof that you are one of the best eight players of the year,” Muguruza said.

"I have great memories of the tournament and the city. It will be my fourth year in a row there, and I look forward to playing my best tennis."

Source: http://www.wtatennis.com/news/singles-player-year-garbi%C3%B1e-muguruza