ST PETERSBURG, Fla. – The WTA on Sunday announced the WTA Coach of the Year along with the winners of the Peachy Kellmeyer Player Service and Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Awards.
The WTA Coach of the Year is voted on by members of the WTA Coach Program, while the player service and sportsmanship awards are voted on by WTA players.
This year’s winners are as follows:
WTA Coach of the Year: Conchita Martínez (ESP)
Conchita Martínez, a former WTA World No.2 and current coach of Garbiñe Muguruza, becomes the fourth recipient of the annual WTA Coach of the Year Award. This award recognizes the winning coach for success on the court but also for serving as an ambassador of the sport and bringing coaching to the forefront of the game.
More awards: 2021 WTA tournament winners | Barty wins player of the year
Previous winners of this award include Sascha Bajin (2018, Naomi Osaka), Craig Tyzzer (2019, Ashleigh Barty) and Piotr Sierzputowski (2020, Iga Swiatek).
While first working together in 2017 during Muguruza’s run to the title at The Championships, Wimbledon, Martínez and Muguruza rekindled their partnership in 2020 and together brought Muguruza’s game to new heights in 2021. This year they reached five WTA finals, winning the titles at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and Chicago Fall Tennis Classic, and finished the year by lifting the Billie Jean King Trophy at the AKRON WTA Finals Guadalajara along with her first Top 5 year-end season since 2017 at world No.3.
Peachy Kellmeyer Player Service Award: Kristie Ahn (USA)
Kristie Ahn earns the Peachy Kellmeyer Player Service Award for the second time in her career. She was also recognized with this accolade in 2020 along with the WTA Players’ Council members. This award is voted on by her peers on tour and recognizes the work she has done to support her fellow players as well as the wider initiatives on behalf of the WTA. This award has been voted on by players since 1977 and has recognized athletes including Chris Evert, Kim Clijsters, Pam Shriver and Venus Williams.
Ahn was previously a member of the WTA Players’ Council and now serves as Player Board representative on the WTA Board of Directors.
Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award: Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP)
Spain’s Carla Suárez Navarro was voted by her fellow tour players to receive the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award for the first time this year. This honor is presented to the player who conducts herself in a manner fitting of a professional sports figure and observes the rules of fair play, shows respect for others and is gracious on and off the court. Introduced in 1978, previous award winners include Petra Kvitova, Elena Dementieva, Ana Ivanovic, Lindsay Davenport, Chris Evert and Evonne Goolagong-Cawley.
