List of WTA number 1 ranked singles tennis players facts for kids
"List of WTA number 1 ranked tennis players" redirects here. For doubles players, see List of WTA number 1 ranked doubles tennis players.
This page is about WTA number 1 rankings since 1975. For the all-time list, see World number 1 ranked female tennis players.
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Iga Świątek, currently ranked No. 1 in women's singles.
The WTA rankings are the Women's Tennis Association's (WTA) merit-based system for determining the rankings in women's tennis. The top-ranked singles player is the player who, over the previous 52 weeks, has garnered the most ranking points on the WTA Tour. Points are awarded based on how far a player advances in tournaments and the category of those tournaments. The WTA has used a computerized system for determining the rankings since November 3, 1975. Since 1975, 29 women have been ranked No. 1 in singles by the WTA, of which 15 have been year-end No. 1. Iga Świątek is the current singles world No. 1.
WTA No. 1 ranked singles players
The rankings are sourced by the WTA Media Guide and the WTA website (which usually revises its rankings every Sunday night or Monday morning, except when tournament finals are postponed).
Steffi Graf spent 377 weeks at the top of the WTA ranking, the most of any female player.
First-time No. 1 player. 
WTA rankings record. Current World No. 1 (weeks are automatically updated).
| No. | Player | Start date | End date | Weeks | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Chris Evert (USA) |
Nov 3, 1975 | Apr 25, 1976 | 25 | 25 |
| 2 |  Evonne Goolagong Cawley (AUS) |
Apr 26, 1976 | May 9, 1976 | 2 | 2 |
 Chris Evert (2) |
May 10, 1976 | Jul 9, 1978 | 113 | 138 | |
| 3 | Martina Navratilova (USA) |
Jul 10, 1978 | Jan 13, 1979 | 26 | 26 |
| Chris Evert (3) |
Jan 14, 1979 | Jan 27, 1979 | 2 | 140 | |
| Martina Navratilova (2) |
Jan 28, 1979 | Feb 24, 1979 | 4 | 30 | |
| Chris Evert (4) |
Feb 25, 1979 | Apr 15, 1979 | 7 | 147 | |
| Martina Navratilova (3) |
Apr 16, 1979 | Jun 24, 1979 | 10 | 40 | |
| Chris Evert (5) |
Jun 25, 1979 | Sep 9, 1979 | 11 | 158 | |
| Martina Navratilova (4) |
Sep 10, 1979 | Apr 6, 1980 | 31 | 71 | |
| 4 | Tracy Austin (USA) |
Apr 7, 1980 | Apr 20, 1980 | 2 | 2 |
| Martina Navratilova (5) |
Apr 21, 1980 | Jul 6, 1980 | 11 | 82 | |
| Tracy Austin (2) |
Jul 7, 1980 | Nov 17, 1980 | 19 | 21 | |
| Chris Evert (6) |
Nov 18, 1980 | May 2, 1982 | 76 | 234 | |
| Martina Navratilova (6) |
May 3, 1982 | May 16, 1982 | 2 | 84 | |
| Chris Evert (7) |
May 17, 1982 | Jun 13, 1982 | 4 | 238 | |
| Martina Navratilova (7) |
Jun 14, 1982 | Jun 9, 1985 | 156 | 240 | |
| Chris Evert (8) |
Jun 10, 1985 | Oct 13, 1985 | 18 | 256 | |
| Martina Navratilova (8) |
Oct 14, 1985 | Oct 27, 1985 | 2 | 242 | |
| Chris Evert (9) |
Oct 28, 1985 | Nov 24, 1985 | 4 | 260 | |
| Martina Navratilova (9) |
Nov 25, 1985 | Aug 16, 1987 | 90 | 332 | |
| 5 |  Steffi Graf (FRG) |
Aug 17, 1987 | Mar 10, 1991 | 186 |
186 |
| 6 |  Monica Seles (YUG) |
Mar 11, 1991 | Aug 4, 1991 | 21 | 21 |
 Steffi Graf (2) |
Aug 5, 1991 | Aug 11, 1991 | 1 | 187 | |
 Monica Seles (2) |
Aug 12, 1991 | Aug 18, 1991 | 1 | 22 | |
| Steffi Graf (3) |
Aug 19, 1991 | Sep 8, 1991 | 3 | 190 | |
/ Monica Seles (3) |
Sep 9, 1991 | Jun 6, 1993 | 91 | 113 | |
| Steffi Graf (4) |
Jun 7, 1993 | Feb 5, 1995 | 87 | 277 | |
| 7 |  Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (ESP) |
Feb 6, 1995 | Feb 19, 1995 | 2 | 2 |
| Steffi Graf (5) |
Feb 20, 1995 | Feb 26, 1995 | 1 | 278 | |
 Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (2) |
Feb 27, 1995 | Apr 9, 1995 | 6 | 8 | |
| Steffi Graf (6) |
Apr 10, 1995 | May 14, 1995 | 5 | 283 | |
| Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (3) |
May 15, 1995 | Jun 11, 1995 | 4 | 12 | |
| Steffi Graf (7) |
Jun 12, 1995 | Aug 14, 1995 | 9 | 292 | |
| Steffi Graf (7) |
Aug 15, 1995 | Nov 3, 1996 | 64 | 356 | |
| Monica Seles (4) |
177 | ||||
| Steffi Graf (7) |
Nov 4, 1996 | Nov 17, 1996 | 2 | 358 | |
| Steffi Graf (7) |
Nov 18, 1996 | Nov 24, 1996 | 1 | 359 | |
| Monica Seles (5) |
178 | ||||
| Steffi Graf (7) |
Nov 25, 1996 | Mar 30, 1997 | 18 | 377 |
|
| 8 |  Martina Hingis (SUI) |
Mar 31, 1997 | Oct 11, 1998 | 80 | 80 |
| 9 | Lindsay Davenport (USA) |
Oct 12, 1998 | Feb 7, 1999 | 17 | 17 |
 Martina Hingis (2) |
Feb 8, 1999 | Jul 4, 1999 | 21 | 101 | |
| Lindsay Davenport (2) |
Jul 5, 1999 | Aug 8, 1999 | 5 | 22 | |
| Martina Hingis (3) |
Aug 9, 1999 | Apr 2, 2000 | 34 | 135 | |
| Lindsay Davenport (3) |
Apr 3, 2000 | May 7, 2000 | 5 | 27 | |
| Martina Hingis (4) |
May 8, 2000 | May 14, 2000 | 1 | 136 | |
| Lindsay Davenport (4) |
May 15, 2000 | May 21, 2000 | 1 | 28 | |
| Martina Hingis (5) |
May 22, 2000 | Oct 14, 2001 | 73 | 209 | |
| 10 | Jennifer Capriati (USA) |
Oct 15, 2001 | Nov 4, 2001 | 3 | 3 |
| Lindsay Davenport (5) |
Nov 5, 2001 | Jan 13, 2002 | 10 | 38 | |
| Jennifer Capriati (2) |
Jan 14, 2002 | Feb 24, 2002 | 6 | 9 | |
| 11 | Venus Williams (USA) |
Feb 25, 2002 | Mar 17, 2002 | 3 | 3 |
| Jennifer Capriati (3) |
Mar 18, 2002 | Apr 21, 2002 | 5 | 14 | |
| Venus Williams (2) |
Apr 22, 2002 | May 19, 2002 | 4 | 7 | |
| Jennifer Capriati (4) |
May 20, 2002 | Jun 9, 2002 | 3 | 17 | |
| Venus Williams (3) |
Jun 10, 2002 | Jul 7, 2002 | 4 | 11 | |
| 12 | Serena Williams (USA) |
Jul 8, 2002 | Aug 10, 2003 | 57 | 57 |
| 13 |  Kim Clijsters (BEL) |
Aug 11, 2003 | Oct 19, 2003 | 10 | 10 |
| 14 | Justine Henin (BEL) |
Oct 20, 2003 | Oct 26, 2003 | 1 | 1 |
 Kim Clijsters (2) |
Oct 27, 2003 | Nov 9, 2003 | 2 | 12 | |
| Justine Henin (2) |
Nov 10, 2003 | Sep 12, 2004 | 44 | 45 | |
| 15 |  Amélie Mauresmo (FRA) |
Sep 13, 2004 | Oct 17, 2004 | 5 | 5 |
| Lindsay Davenport (6) |
Oct 18, 2004 | Aug 21, 2005 | 44 | 82 | |
| 16 |  Maria Sharapova (RUS) |
Aug 22, 2005 | Aug 28, 2005 | 1 | 1 |
| Lindsay Davenport (7) |
Aug 29, 2005 | Sep 11, 2005 | 2 | 84 | |
 Maria Sharapova (2) |
Sep 12, 2005 | Oct 23, 2005 | 6 | 7 | |
| Lindsay Davenport (8) |
Oct 24, 2005 | Jan 29, 2006 | 14 | 98 | |
| Kim Clijsters (3) |
Jan 30, 2006 | Mar 19, 2006 | 7 | 19 | |
 Amélie Mauresmo (2) |
Mar 20, 2006 | Nov 12, 2006 | 34 | 39 | |
| Justine Henin (3) |
Nov 13, 2006 | Jan 28, 2007 | 11 | 56 | |
| Maria Sharapova (3) |
Jan 29, 2007 | Mar 18, 2007 | 7 | 14 | |
| Justine Henin (4) |
Mar 19, 2007 | May 18, 2008 | 61 | 117 | |
| Maria Sharapova (4) |
May 19, 2008 | Jun 8, 2008 | 3 | 17 | |
| 17 |  Ana Ivanovic (SRB) |
Jun 9, 2008 | Aug 10, 2008 | 9 | 9 |
| 18 | Jelena Janković (SRB) |
Aug 11, 2008 | Aug 17, 2008 | 1 | 1 |
 Ana Ivanovic (2) |
Aug 18, 2008 | Sep 7, 2008 | 3 | 12 | |
| Serena Williams (2) |
Sep 8, 2008 | Oct 5, 2008 | 4 | 61 | |
| Jelena Janković (2) |
Oct 6, 2008 | Feb 1, 2009 | 17 | 18 | |
| Serena Williams (3) |
Feb 2, 2009 | Apr 19, 2009 | 11 | 72 | |
| 19 | Dinara Safina (RUS) |
Apr 20, 2009 | Oct 11, 2009 | 25 | 25 |
| Serena Williams (4) |
Oct 12, 2009 | Oct 25, 2009 | 2 | 74 | |
| Dinara Safina (2) |
Oct 26, 2009 | Nov 1, 2009 | 1 | 26 | |
| Serena Williams (5) |
Nov 2, 2009 | Oct 10, 2010 | 49 | 123 | |
| 20 |  Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) |
Oct 11, 2010 | Feb 13, 2011 | 18 | 18 |
| Kim Clijsters (4) |
Feb 14, 2011 | Feb 20, 2011 | 1 | 20 | |
 Caroline Wozniacki (2) |
Feb 21, 2011 | Jan 29, 2012 | 49 | 67 | |
| 21 |  Victoria Azarenka (BLR) |
Jan 30, 2012 | Jun 10, 2012 | 19 | 19 |
| Maria Sharapova (5) |
Jun 11, 2012 | Jul 8, 2012 | 4 | 21 | |
 Victoria Azarenka (2) |
Jul 9, 2012 | Feb 17, 2013 | 32 | 51 | |
| Serena Williams (6) |
Feb 18, 2013 | Sep 11, 2016 | 186 |
309 | |
| 22 | Angelique Kerber (GER) |
Sep 12, 2016 | Jan 29, 2017 | 20 | 20 |
| Serena Williams (7) |
Jan 30, 2017 | Mar 19, 2017 | 7 | 316 | |
| Angelique Kerber (2) |
Mar 20, 2017 | Apr 23, 2017 | 5 | 25 | |
| Serena Williams (8) |
Apr 24, 2017 | May 14, 2017 | 3 | 319 | |
| Angelique Kerber (3) |
May 15, 2017 | Jul 16, 2017 | 9 | 34 | |
| 23 |  Karolína Plíšková (CZE) |
Jul 17, 2017 | Sep 10, 2017 | 8 | 8 |
| 24 | Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP) |
Sep 11, 2017 | Oct 8, 2017 | 4 | 4 |
| 25 |  Simona Halep (ROU) |
Oct 9, 2017 | Jan 28, 2018 | 16 | 16 |
| Caroline Wozniacki (3) |
Jan 29, 2018 | Feb 25, 2018 | 4 | 71 | |
 Simona Halep (2) |
Feb 26, 2018 | Jan 27, 2019 | 48 | 64 | |
| 26 |  Naomi Osaka (JPN) |
Jan 28, 2019 | Jun 23, 2019 | 21 | 21 |
| 27 | Ashleigh Barty (AUS) |
Jun 24, 2019 | Aug 11, 2019 | 7 | 7 |
 Naomi Osaka (2) |
Aug 12, 2019 | Sep 8, 2019 | 4 | 25 | |
 Ashleigh Barty (2) |
Sep 9, 2019 | Mar 22, 2020 | 28 | 35 | |
|
|
Mar 23, 2020 | Aug 9, 2020 | 20 | ||
| Ashleigh Barty (2) |
Aug 10, 2020 | Apr 3, 2022 | 86 | 121 | |
| 28 |  Iga Świątek (POL) |
Apr 4, 2022 | Sep 10, 2023 | 75 | 75 |
| 29 |  Aryna Sabalenka |
Sep 11, 2023 | Nov 5, 2023 | 8 | 8 |
 Iga Świątek (2) |
Nov 6, 2023 | Present | 1 | 76 | |
Weeks at No. 1
Weeks are updated automatically.
The source for this through the week of January 2, 2012, is the 2012 WTA Tour Official Guide, page 177.
Weeks at No. 1 leaders timeline
| Year span | Leader | Date achieved | Duration | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975–1985 | Chris Evert |
3 November 1975 | 9 years, 6 months | 238 |
| 1985–1985 | Martina Navratilova |
27 May 1985 | 0 months, 28 days | 240 |
| 1985–1986 | Chris Evert |
24 June 1985 | 9 months | 260 |
| 1986–1996 | Martina Navratilova |
31 March 1986 | 10 years, 1 month | 332 |
| 1996–Present | Steffi Graf |
21 May 1996 | 27 years, 11 months | 377 |
Current record in bold.
Year-end No. 1 players
The source for this through to 2012 is the 2012 WTA Tour Official Guide, page 178.
By year
|
By year (continued)
|
Per player
|
|
Players who became No. 1 without having won a Grand Slam tournament title
| Player | First ranked No. 1 | First Grand Slam singles final | First Grand Slam singles title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kim Clijsters |
August 11, 2003 | 2001 French Open (June 2001) (1st of 8) | 2005 US Open (1st of 4) |
| Amélie Mauresmo |
September 13, 2004 | 1999 Australian Open (January 1999) (1st of 3) | 2006 Australian Open (1st of 2) |
 Jelena Janković |
August 11, 2008 | 2008 US Open (September 2008) (only final) | None (retired in 2017) |
| Dinara Safina |
April 20, 2009 | 2008 French Open (June 2008) (1st of 3) | None (retired in 2014) |
| Caroline Wozniacki |
October 11, 2010 | 2009 US Open (September 2009) (1st of 3) | 2018 Australian Open (only title) |
 Karolína Plíšková |
July 17, 2017 | 2016 US Open (September 2016) (1st of 2) | None (still active) |
| Simona Halep |
October 9, 2017 | 2014 French Open (June 2014) (1st of 5) | 2018 French Open (1st of 2) |
Weeks at No. 1 by decade
- Current No. 1 player indicated in italic.
1970s** — Starting November 1975
1980s
1990s
2000s
|
2010s
2020sWTA rankings were frozen from March 23, 2020 to August 9, 2020.
|
Weeks at No. 1 by country
- Current No. 1 player indicated in bold.
| No. | Country | Total | Players | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Weeks | |||
| 1 | United States |
8 | 1,123 | Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Tracy Austin, Monica Seles*, Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati, Venus Williams, Serena Williams |
| 2 | Germany |
2 | 411 | Steffi Graf, Angelique Kerber |
| 3 |  Switzerland |
1 | 209 | Martina Hingis |
| 4 | / / Yugoslavia/Serbia |
3 | 143 | Monica Seles*, Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Janković |
| 5 | Belgium |
2 | 137 | Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin |
| 6 | Australia |
2 | 123 | Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Ashleigh Barty |
| 7 | Poland |
1 | 76 | Iga Świątek |
| 8 | Denmark |
1 | 71 | Caroline Wozniacki |
| 9 | Romania |
1 | 64 | Simona Halep |
| 10 | Belarus |
1 | 51 | Victoria Azarenka |
| 11 | Russia |
2 | 47 | Maria Sharapova, Dinara Safina |
| 12 | France |
1 | 39 | Amélie Mauresmo |
| 13 | Japan |
1 | 25 | Naomi Osaka |
| 14 | Spain |
2 | 16 | Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Garbiñe Muguruza |
| 15 | Czech Republic |
1 | 8 | Karolína Plíšková |
Weeks are updated automatically.
* Monica Seles is included twice due to change of citizenship.
See also
In Spanish: Anexo:Tenistas número 1 de la WTA para niños
- World number 1 ranked female tennis players (includes rankings before 1975)
- ITF World Champions
- List of WTA number 1 ranked doubles tennis players
- List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players
- List of ATP number 1 ranked doubles tennis players
- Current WTA rankings
- Top ten ranked female tennis players
- Top ten ranked female tennis players (1921–1974)
- List of highest ranked tennis players per country
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List of WTA number 1 ranked singles tennis players Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.