World No. 1 women's tennis player Angelique Kerber was on Friday adjudged the WTA Player of the year 2016 after a career-defining season, which saw her clinch two Grand Slam titles and an Olympic silver medal. Kerber's win breaks 22-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams' dominance – the American had won the award for four consecutive years starting 2012.

The German player's windfall started with the Australian Open, where she beat Williams in the final. Williams, though, got the better of Kerber in Wimbledon final, winning in straight sets. At the Olympics, Kerber went into the final as the overwhelming favourite, but lost to Puerto Rico's Monica Puig. Soon after, Kerber bounced back from her Rio loss and lifted the US Open title later.

Her performances took her to the top of the world rankings. Currently, the second-placed Williams has 7,050 points while Kerber has 8,310 points.