Coco Gauff named best Tennis Player at 2025 ESPYS

World No. 2 Coco Gauff has been awarded Best Tennis Player at the 2025 ESPYS, a testament to her outstanding 2024 season. The 21-year-old star triumphed over a formidable field of top contenders, including Aryna Sabalenka, Carlos Alcaraz, and Jannik Sinner.

The ESPY Awards have often faced criticism for their American-centric focus. Despite the nominations including the reigning men's and women's World No. 1s – Sinner and Sabalenka, both with two Grand Slam titles each – as well as Carlos Alcaraz, who finished 2024 as ATP World No. 2 and claimed two more Grand Slam titles (French Open and Wimbledon), the award went to Gauff.

Gauff's impressive 2024 season saw her finish the year as World No. 3 with a remarkable 54-17 record. She secured three significant titles: the WTA 250 Auckland Open in January, the WTA 1000 China Open in October, and the WTA Finals in November, where she defeated Zheng Qinwen in the final.

Additionally, Gauff reached two Grand Slam semifinals (Australian Open and Roland Garros) and three other WTA 1000 semifinals. She concluded the year ranked behind only Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, who dominated the rankings throughout the season.

Nevertheless, prior to the start of the hardcourt swing, Gauff was honored with the ESPY Award for Best Tennis Player of the Year. "woke up to finding out I won another espy!! ahhhh thank youuuu," the two-time Grand Slam champion posted on X.