The WTA Rankings system is the method used by the WTA to see who should qualify and who should be seeded in the different singles and doubles WTA Tournaments that are held all across the globe.
The first WTA rankings were published by the WTA on the 3rd of November 1975 with Chris Evert being the first female tennis player to be ranked number 1 in the world.
Since then a total of 30 different women have achieved the number 1 status in the WTA rankings, with the current number 1 being Poland’s Iga Swiatek.
WTA Rankings History – No.1s from 1975 to Date
| Tennis Player | Date From | Date To | Number of Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Evert (1) | 03 November 1975 | 25 April 1976 | 25 |
| Evonne Goolagong (2) | 26 April 1976 | 09 May 1976 | 2 |
| Chris Evert | 10 May 1976 | 09 July 1978 | 113 |
| Martina Navratilova (3) | 10 July 1978 | 13 January 1979 | 27 |
| Chris Evert | 14 January 1979 | 27 January 1979 | 2 |
| Martina Navratilova | 28 January 1979 | 24 February 1979 | 4 |
| Chris Evert | 25 January 1979 | 15 April 1979 | 11 |
| Martina Navratilova | 16 April 1979 | 24 June 1979 | 10 |
| Chris Evert | 25 June 1979 | 09 September 1979 | 11 |
| Martina Navratilova | 10 September 1979 | 06 April 1980 | 30 |
| Tracy Austin (4) | 07 April 1980 | 20 April 1980 | 2 |
| Martina Navratilova | 21 April 1980 | 30 June 1980 | 10 |
| Tracy Austin | 01 July 1980 | 17 November 1980 | 20 |
| Chris Evert | 18 November 1980 | 02 May 1982 | 76 |
| Martina Navratilova | 03 May 1982 | 16 May 1982 | 2 |
| Chris Evert | 17 May 1982 | 13 June 1982 | 4 |
| Martina Navratilova | 14 June 1982 | 09 June 1985 | 156 |
| Chris Evert | 10 June 1985 | 13 October 1985 | 18 |
| Martina Navratilova | 14 October 1985 | 27 October 1985 | 2 |
| Chris Evert | 28 October 1985 | 24 November 1985 | 4 |
| Martina Navratilova | 25 November 1985 | 16 August 1987 | 90 |
| Steffi Graf (5) | 17 August 1987 | 10 March 1991 | 186 |
| Monica Seles (6) | 11 March 1991 | 04 August 1991 | 21 |
| Steffi Graf | 05 August 1991 | 11 August 1991 | 1 |
| Monica Seles | 12 August 1991 | 18 August 1991 | 1 |
| Steffi Graf | 19 August 1991 | 08 September 1991 | 3 |
| Monica Seles | 09 September 1991 | 06 June 1993 | 91 |
| Steffi Graf | 07 June 1993 | 05 February 1995 | 87 |
| Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario (7) | 06 February 1995 | 19 February 1995 | 2 |
| Steffi Graf | 20 February 1995 | 26 February 1995 | 1 |
| Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario | 27 February 1995 | 09 April 1995 | 6 |
| Steffi Graf | 10 April 1995 | 14 May 1995 | 5 |
| Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario | 15 May 1995 | 11 June 1995 | 4 |
| Steffi Graf | 12 June 1995 | 15 August 1995 | 9 |
| Steffi Graf/Monica Seles* | 16 August 1995 | 03 November 1995 | 11 |
| Steffi Graf | 04 November 1995 | 17 November 1995 | 2 |
| Steffi Graf/Monica Seles* | 18 November 1995 | 24 November 1996 | 53 |
| Steffi Graf | 25 November 1996 | 30 March 1997 | 18 |
| Martina Hingis (8) | 31 March 1997 | 11 October 1998 | 80 |
| Lindsay Davenport (9) | 12 October 1998 | 07 February 1999 | 17 |
| Martina Hingis | 08 February 1999 | 04 July 1999 | 21 |
| Lindsay Davenport | 05 July 1999 | 08 August 1999 | 5 |
| Martina Hingis | 09 August 1999 | 02 April 2000 | 34 |
| Lindsay Davenport | 03 April 2000 | 07 May 2000 | 5 |
| Martina Hingis | 08 May 2000 | 14 May 2000 | 1 |
| Lindsay Davenport | 15 May 2000 | 21 May 2000 | 1 |
| Martina Hingis | 22 May 2000 | 14 October 2001 | 73 |
| Jennifer Capriati (10) | 15 October 2001 | 04 November 2001 | 3 |
| Lindsay Davenport | 05 November 2001 | 13 January 2002 | 10 |
| Jennifer Capriati | 14 January 2002 | 24 February 2002 | 6 |
| Venus Williams (11) | 25 February 2002 | 17 March 2002 | 3 |
| Jennifer Capriati | 18 March 2002 | 21 April 2002 | 5 |
| Venus Williams | 22 April 2002 | 19 May 2002 | 4 |
| Jennifer Capriati | 20 May 2002 | 09 June 2002 | 3 |
| Venus Williams | 10 June 2002 | 07 July 2002 | 4 |
| Serena Williams (12) | 08 July 2002 | 10 August 2003 | 57 |
| Kim Clijsters (13) | 11 August 2003 | 19 October 2003 | 10 |
| Justin Henin-Hardenne (14) | 20 October 2003 | 26 October 2003 | 1 |
| Kim Clijsters | 27 October 2003 | 09 November 2003 | 2 |
| Justine Henin | 10 November 2003 | 12 September 2004 | 44 |
| Amelie Mauresmo (15) | 13 September 2004 | 17 October 2004 | 5 |
| Lindsay Davenport | 18 October 2004 | 21 August 2005 | 44 |
| Maria Sharapova (16) | 22 August 2005 | 28 August 2005 | 1 |
| Lindsay Davenport | 29 August 2005 | 11 September 2005 | 2 |
| Maria Sharapova | 12 September 2005 | 23 October 2005 | 6 |
| Lindsay Davenport | 24 October 2005 | 29 January 2006 | 14 |
| Kim Clijsters | 30 January 2006 | 19 March 2006 | 7 |
| Amelie Mauresmo (17) | 20 March 2006 | 12 November 2006 | 34 |
| Justine Henin | 13 November 2006 | 28 January 2007 | 11 |
| Maria Sharapova | 29 January 2007 | 18 March 2007 | 7 |
| Justine Henin | 19 March 2007 | 18 May 2008 | 61 |
| Maria Sharapova | 19 May 2008 | 08 June 2008 | 3 |
| Ana Ivanovic (18) | 09 June 2008 | 10 August 2008 | 9 |
| Jelena Jankovic (19) | 11 August 2008 | 17 August 2008 | 1 |
| Ana Ivanovic | 18 August 2008 | 07 September 2008 | 3 |
| Serena Williams | 08 September 2008 | 04 October 2008 | 4 |
| Jelena Jankovic | 05 October 2008 | 01 February 2009 | 17 |
| Serena Williams | 02 February 2009 | 19 April 2009 | 11 |
| Dinara Safina (20) | 20 April 2009 | 11 October 2009 | 25 |
| Serena Williams | 12 October 2009 | 25 October 2009 | 2 |
| Dinara Safina | 26 October 2009 | 01 November 2009 | 1 |
| Serena Williams | 02 November 2009 | 10 October 2010 | 49 |
| Caroline Wozniacki (21) | 11 October 2010 | 13 February 2011 | 18 |
| Kim Clijsters | 14 February 2011 | 20 February 2011 | 1 |
| Caroline Wozniacki | 21 February 2011 | 29 January 2012 | 49 |
| Victoria Azarenka (22) | 30 January 2012 | 10 June 2012 | 19 |
| Maria Sharapova | 11 June 2012 | 08 July 2012 | 4 |
| Victoria Azarenka | 09 July 2012 | 17 February 2013 | 32 |
| Serena Williams | 18 February 2013 | 11 September 2016 | 186 |
| Angelique Kerber (23) | 12 September 2016 | 29 January 2017 | 20 |
| Serena Williams | 30 January 2017 | 19 March 2017 | 7 |
| Angelique Kerber | 20 March 2017 | 23 April 2017 | 5 |
| Serena Williams | 24 April 2017 | 14 May 2017 | 3 |
| Angelique Kerber | 15 May 2017 | 16 July 2017 | 9 |
| Kristina Pliskova (24) | 17 July 2017 | 10 September 2017 | 17 |
| Garbine Muguruza (25) | 11 September 2017 | 08 October 2017 | 4 |
| Simona Halep (26) | 09 October 2017 | 28 January 2018 | 16 |
| Caroline Wozniacki (27) | 29 January 2018 | 25 February 2018 | 4 |
| Simona Halep | 26 February 2018 | 27 January 2019 | 48 |
| Naomi Osaka (28) | 28 January 2019 | 23 June 2019 | 21 |
| Ashleigh Barty (29) | 24 June 2019 | 11 August 2019 | 7 |
| Naomi Osaka | 12 August 2019 | 08 September 2019 | 4 |
| Ashleigh Barty | 09 September 2019 | 22 March 2020 | 28 |
| Rankings Frozen** | 23 March 2020 | 09 August 2020 | 20 |
| Ashleigh Barty | 10 August 2020 | 03 April 2022 | 86 |
| Iga Swiatek (30) | 04 April 2022 | To date | 27 |
Above is a list of world No.1s from the very first WTA Ranking in 1975 to date.
*Monica Seles was stabbed in the back during a match in Germany in 1993.
When Seles returned to the tour in 1995, the WTA decided to rank Monica Seles and Steffi Graff jointly as No. 1 for the first six tournaments Seles played.
Monica Seles and Steffi Graff shared the number 1 spot for a total of 64 weeks.
**The WTA Ranking was frozen between the 23rd of March 2020 and the 9th of August 2020 due to the COVID 19 Pandemic.
FAQ
How many weeks was Steffi Graf at number 1?
Steffi Graf spent a total of 376 weeks at number 1 in the WTA Ranking.
Who was the first Japanese tennis player with a WTA number 1 ranking?
Naomi Osaka was the first Japanese tennis player with a WTA number 1 ranking.
Who was the first American tennis player with a WTA number 1 ranking?
Chris Evert was the first American tennis player with a WTA number 1 ranking.