AS the WTA Tour comes to a close for the 2020 season, Draft Central is counting down the top five standout performers across a severely disrupted year who have stepped up to a new level since the Tour’s return. Next up on our countdown is another American in Jennifer Brady, coming in at number four after jumping almost 30 ranks since the beginning of 2020 and winning her maiden title in Lexington on the return of the WTA Tour in August. 

A player who has not only showcased improvement in 2020 but also an ability to maintain that improved level of composure and consistency this season, Brady has well and truly stepped up to the occasion this year and taken the pause in competition in her stride. While currently sitting just outside the top 20 on the WTA rankings in at 24th, the 25-year-old American has elevated her winning rate since the return of proceedings and has developed her winning ability to be a threat on more than just her preferred surface of clay. 

What makes Brady’s rise up the rankings so intriguing is delving into her 2020 form compared to 2019, playing 28 matches in 2020 for 19 wins for a 67.9 per cent winning rate, and playing 33 matches – just five more compared to the condensed season – with a sub-50 per cent winning rate last year. While it is true that some significant names have missed tournaments this season that could have allowed players the likes of Brady to leap up the rankings, there is no doubt the American has upped her game over the unprecedented break and found her form with a semi-final berth at the US Open this year – her best finish in a Grand Slam by far – a testament to that.

It was that excellent US Open form that earned the 25-year-old her first dip into the top 20s and current career-high ranking, defeating a couple of top talents en route and with still plenty to prove as one of six Americans within the top 30, gradually working her way up the rankings. Currently sitting on a 1-0 rate for WTA Tour finals, expect Brady to continue plying her trade and developing from here-on out, and with plenty to improve on – her unforced error rate, for example, which was her downfall during the US Open – the 25-year-old is sure to keep developing well after an impressive year in the books.

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