World No. 1 Iga Swiatek has been named the 2022 European Sportsperson of the Year by the Polish Press Agency (PAP). For the second consecutive year, a tennis player has been declared the winner as Novak Djokovic had won in 2021.
Founded by Włodzimierz Źróbik and awarded annually since 1958, the European Sportsperson of the Year award honours the sportsperson who has performed the best over the previous year. This year, the 65th edition, it was based on voting by 20 international news agencies.
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Before the 21-year-old Swiatek, there were only three Polish athletes in the list of previous winners - football star Robert Lewandowski in 2020, long jumper Zdzisław Krzyszkowiak in 1958 and sprinter Irena Szewińska in 1966 and 1974.
Swiatek (118 votes) beat Pole Vault world champion Armand Duplantis (106 votes) and Formula One world champion Max Verstappen (82 votes) in the polls. The 2022 survey included 58 athletes from 19 disciplines.
In a phenomenal 2022 season, Swiatek clinched eight titles, including two Majors, and had a record-breaking unbeaten streak of 37 matches. Coached by Tomasz Wiktorowski, the Polish player grabbed the top spot in the WTA Rankings soon after the then World No. 1 and Australian Open champion Ash Barty announced her retirement.
Swiatek also won the 2022 WTA Player of the Year award.
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