Wimbledon champ Muguruza earns WTA Player of the Year honor

Garbine Muguruza, 24, has been named the WTA Player of the Year, after reaching number one in the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings and winning Wimbledon.

Muguruza is only the second Spanish woman after Arantxa Sanchez Vicario to reach number one and by claiming the Wimbledon title became the first player to beat both Serena and Venus Williams in major finals, having beaten Serena to win the 2016 French Open.

Garbine Muguruza poses with the Venus Rosewater Dish after winning 2017 Wimbledon title.

"Becoming the WTA number one in the world is a dream come true," Muguruza said. "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."

Meanwhile, US Open champion Sloane Stephens is the Comeback Player of the Year.

Other recipients include French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko as Most Improved Player, CiCi Bellis as Newcomer of the Year, and Martina Hingis and Chan Yung-Jan as Doubles Team of the Year.

The women's tennis tour announced the annual honors on Friday. The awards are voted on by members of the media.

(AP & REUTERS)