WTA rising stars 2024 – wonderkids to keep on your radar!

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There is a long line of WTA rising stars 2024 that you should shortlist ahead of the coming season. As some would describe as ‘wonderkids’, there are a number of WTA players who are making big waves in the sport while still being teenagers. 

Beyond that, there are even more WTA rising stars 2024 who are in their early 20s – primed to make a big impact on the tour in the 2024 season. Of course, with the WTA Australian Open 2024 kicking things off in January, there is some real potential for these superstars to shine within the first few weeks of the year.

But regardless of whether they manage to perform down under or not, the players I will be covering today still have an enormous chance of doing something special later in the year. Anyway, at this point you are no doubt curious as to who these potential superstars might be.

So without further ado, let me bring the WTA rising stars 2024 to your attention. These players are highlighted below, and I’ve explained exactly why these players have the potential to achieve great things in the 2024 season. 

Let’s get started!

Welcome to the WTA rising stars 2024 – your initial shortlist 

By definition – for any WTA player to be viewed as a rising star, they need to be young, talented, and likely to achieve something quite remarkable in 2024. All of these elements must be present if they are to be added to the WTA rising stars 2024 list that has been established for today. Of course, I’ve performed the research necessary while cross-referencing with these elements to create the most appropriate list possible. 

On that note, exactly who are these players that have made the cut for this shortlist? Let me show you how I have chosen before we proceed to analyse each of these individuals through the respective sections below:

• Mirra Andreeva – WTA 57
• Linda Noskova – WTA 41
• Diane Parry – WTA 79
• Qinwen Zheng – WTA 15
• Leylah Fernandez – WTA 35

As you can see, each of these players is ranked inside the WTA top 100 right now. I feel that this is the group that we should focus on since we are looking at potential breakthroughs for the next 12 months. And as mentioned above, these players have been selected based on specific criteria – each indicating that the respective player is capable of big things in 2024.

So, now that you’ve got the WTA rising stars 2024 shortlist, let’s move on to the part where we can analyse each individual.

Mirra Andreeva – the youngest of the WTA rising stars 2024

I wanted to kick things off today with Mirra Andreeva because, in my opinion, she is a possible superstar of women’s tennis in years to come. At just 16 years of age, she’s knocking on the door of the WTA top 50, and she’s made a name for herself in some pretty big tournaments in 2023. Specifically, she made the second week at Wimbledon 2023, and she also made the round of 32 at Roland Garros – her first-ever Grand Slam main draw.

Not only that, but Mirra Andreeva has produced some huge results in other events such as the Mutua Madrid Open, where she beat two top 20 players before losing to the world number 2, Aryna Sabalenka. One has to assume that Andreeva could have made a deep draw run at the 2023 US Open, too, if she hadn’t come across the ultimate champion, Coco Gauff, in the second round.

Adding to that, her rise through the WTA rankings in just 2023 alone was outrageous. She finished the 2022 season ranked outside of the WTA top 400, yet she finished the 2023 season ranked 57 in the world. 

So if she can improve on the same kind of trajectory in 2024, it’s clear that she’s one of the most exciting prospects of this WTA rising stars 2024 group.

Linda Noskova – another teenager to add to the WTA rising stars 2024

It’s not just Mirra Andreeva who is flying the flag for the teenagers on the WTA Tour. Adding to the group of rather phenomenal teenagers currently ranked inside the WTA top 100, we have Linda Noskova – a 19-year-old who finished the 2023 season ranked 41. Now, she might not have claimed a title in 2023, but she has been one of the most consistent youngsters of them all.

By consistent, I mean she always managed to win a round or two in the biggest tournaments of 2023. And looking ahead to the WTA schedule 2024, there are a few tournaments early on which provide huge opportunities for Linda Noskova to make her mark. Furthermore, if she can keep her ranking high enough, she might be given a few ‘nicer’ draws in some of the major events of 2024.

I should also add that while Noskova hasn’t managed to scoop up any WTA titles yet, she has won six ITF titles (the immediate tier before WTA events), and she also won the French Open juniors, which is no mean feat. Such achievements led to a career-high junior ranking of number 5 in the world, too, which is seriously impressive.

So when you take these things into account, Noskova just has to be included in this breakdown of WTA rising stars 2024.

Diane Parry – dark horse of the WTA rising stars 2024 

Coming in at number three on this run-through of rising stars to watch out for in 2024 is the young French player Diane Parry. I first witnessed Diane Parry competing a couple of years ago in Roland Garros, and I immediately felt that she could be rather awesome. 

The stand-out elements of her game included her remarkably calm demeanour for such a young player, as well as her single-handed backhand – not something you see with youngsters all too often these days. Of course, she had other exciting areas of her game at the time too, yet she has struggled to make an enormous breakthrough in 2023.

That’s precisely why I feel that she deserves a mention in this breakdown of WTA rising stars 2024. With a year-end ranking of 76, she has clearly cracked the WTA top 100, but now it’s time to go beyond that and break the top 50. If she does this, her confidence will grow and her results in the top tournaments will undoubtedly improve too.

If both elements come together in 2024, I can definitely see Diane Parry going beyond the 3rd round of a Grand Slam, which is her current personal best.

Qinwen Zheng – top 15 player primed for a breakthrough

Did you tune in to see how the WTA awards 2023 turned out? If you did, you will be aware that Qinwen Zheng snapped up an award for being the most improved player of the year. As it happens, this was the second straight year that Zheng was honoured with an end-of-season award. 

So, what’s all the hype about surrounding Qinwen Zheng? Well, for starters, this 21-year-old has climbed the WTA rankings to reach her end-of-year (2023) ranking of 15. This is a huge achievement in itself, and to be honest, it automatically qualifies her to be included in this WTA rising stars 2024 group. But that’s not the only exciting thing about this promising Chinese player.

In 2023 alone, Zheng captured two WTA titles, and at 15 in the rankings, this is her official ‘career-high’ WTA ranking. So clearly, Zheng is experiencing the kind of form that looks set to take her to the next level. And with this ranking locked up, she will be seeded at the Grand Slam events, which is a big deal for any young player.

One extra bit of news for Zheng is that she is teaming up once again with her old coach, Pere Riba, which suggests that some interesting times lay ahead in 2024.

Leylah Fernandez – previous Grand Slam contender and one of the current WTA rising stars 2024

The fifth and final player I must mention today is Leylah Fernandez. At just 21 years of age, this young Canadian has already achieved more than most WTA players. After all, she has made the final of a Grand Slam – achieved at the 2021 US Open. 

This alone showed to the world that Leylah Fernandez is the real deal, and with her lefty game, she can cause issues for plenty of top players. Furthermore, after an up-and-down 2023 season, she pulled it together at the end of the year to finish the year at number 35 in the WTA rankings. 

However, Fernandez has a career high of 13, which again, shows that she deserves inclusion in the WTA rising stars 2024 group. And if she gets off to a flying start in Australia, whether at the Australian Open or in the build-up events, we could see Fernandez reach those previous heights once again.

Of course, this isn’t guaranteed, but at just 21 – she has nothing to lose and everything to gain in the 2024 season.

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