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List of WTA number 1 ranked players

 
Wikipedia: List of WTA number 1 ranked players

This is a list of WTA number 1 ranked players. That is, players who have been or currently are ranked World Number 1, along with the dates of first reaching and losing that spot. Since the WTA began producing computerized rankings on November 3, 1975, 19 women have reached the highest singles ranking. The WTA releases ranking points weekly based on how players fared in the latest tournaments versus how they fared one year ago.

Contents

World No. 1 ranked players

The source for the following table through the week of January 5, 2009, is the 2009 Official Guide to Professional Tennis, page 230, compiled by the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.

Key
* Current number 1 player as of January 4, 2010
# Country Player Start date End date Number of weeks Accumulated total
1  USA Chris Evert Nov 03, 1975 Apr 25, 1976 25 25
2  AUS Evonne Goolagong Cawley Apr 26, 1976 May 09, 1976 2 2
 USA Chris Evert May 10, 1976 Jul 09, 1978 113 138
3  TCH Martina Navratilova Jul 10, 1978 Jan 13, 1979 26 26
 USA Chris Evert Jan 14, 1979 Jan 27, 1979 2 140
 TCH Martina Navratilova Jan 28, 1979 Feb 24, 1979 4 30
 USA Chris Evert Feb 25, 1979 Apr 15, 1979 7 147
 TCH Martina Navratilova Apr 16, 1979 Jun 24, 1979 10 40
 USA Chris Evert Jun 25, 1979 Sep 09, 1979 11 158
 TCH Martina Navratilova Sep 10, 1979 Apr 06, 1980 31 71
4  USA Tracy Austin Apr 07, 1980 Apr 20, 1980 2 2
 TCH Martina Navratilova Apr 21, 1980 Jul 6, 1980 11 82
 USA Tracy Austin Jul 07, 1980 Nov 17, 1980 19 21
 USA Chris Evert Nov 18, 1980 May 02, 1982 76 234
 USA Martina Navratilova May 03, 1982 May 16, 1982 2 84
 USA Chris Evert May 17, 1982 Jun 13, 1982 4 238
 USA Martina Navratilova Jun 14, 1982 Jun 09, 1985 156 240
 USA Chris Evert Jun 10, 1985 Oct 13, 1985 18 256
 USA Martina Navratilova Oct 14, 1985 Oct 27, 1985 2 242
 USA Chris Evert Oct 28, 1985 Nov 24, 1985 4 260
 USA Martina Navratilova Nov 25, 1985 Aug 16, 1987 90 332
5  GER Steffi Graf Aug 17, 1987 Mar 10, 1991 186 (record) 186
6  YUG Monica Seles Mar 11, 1991 Aug 04, 1991 21 21
 GER Steffi Graf Aug 05, 1991 Aug 11, 1991 1 187
 YUG Monica Seles Aug 12, 1991 Aug 18, 1991 1 22
 GER Steffi Graf Aug 19, 1991 Sep 08, 1991 3 190
 YUG/ YUG Monica Seles Sep 09, 1991 Jun 06, 1993 91 113
 GER Steffi Graf Jun 07, 1993 Feb 05, 1995 87 277
7  ESP Arantxa Sánchez Vicario Feb 06, 1995 Feb 19, 1995 2 2
 GER Steffi Graf Feb 20, 1995 Feb 26, 1995 1 278
 ESP Arantxa Sánchez Vicario Feb 27, 1995 Apr 09, 1995 6 8
 GER Steffi Graf Apr 10, 1995 May 14, 1995 5 283
 ESP Arantxa Sánchez Vicario May 15, 1995 Jun 11, 1995 4 12
 GER Steffi Graf Jun 12, 1995 Aug 14, 1995 9 292
 GER
 USA
Steffi Graf &
Monica Seles
Aug 15, 1995 Nov 03, 1996 64 356 &
177
 GER Steffi Graf Nov 04, 1996 Nov 17, 1996 2 358
 GER
 USA
Steffi Graf &
Monica Seles
Nov 18, 1996 Nov 24, 1996 1 359 &
178
 GER Steffi Graf Nov 25, 1996 Mar 30, 1997 18 377 (record)
8  SUI Martina Hingis Mar 31, 1997 Oct 11, 1998 80 80
9  USA Lindsay Davenport Oct 12, 1998 Feb 07, 1999 17 17
 SUI Martina Hingis Feb 08, 1999 Jul 04, 1999 21 101
 USA Lindsay Davenport Jul 05, 1999 Aug 08, 1999 5 22
 SUI Martina Hingis Aug 09, 1999 Apr 02, 2000 34 135
 USA Lindsay Davenport Apr 03, 2000 May 07, 2000 5 27
 SUI Martina Hingis May 08, 2000 May 14, 2000 1 136
 USA Lindsay Davenport May 15, 2000 May 21, 2000 1 28
 SUI Martina Hingis May 22, 2000 Oct 14, 2001 73 209
10  USA Jennifer Capriati Oct 15, 2001 Nov 04, 2001 3 3
 USA Lindsay Davenport Nov 05, 2001 Jan 13, 2002 10 38
 USA Jennifer Capriati Jan 14, 2002 Feb 24, 2002 6 9
11  USA Venus Williams Feb 25, 2002 Mar 17, 2002 3 3
 USA Jennifer Capriati Mar 18, 2002 Apr 21, 2002 5 14
 USA Venus Williams Apr 22, 2002 May 19, 2002 4 7
 USA Jennifer Capriati May 20, 2002 Jun 09, 2002 3 17
 USA Venus Williams Jun 10, 2002 Jul 07, 2002 4 11
12  USA Serena Williams Jul 08, 2002 Aug 10, 2003 57 57
13  BEL Kim Clijsters Aug 11, 2003 Oct 19, 2003 10 10
14  BEL Justine Henin Oct 20, 2003 Oct 26, 2003 1 1
 BEL Kim Clijsters Oct 27, 2003 Nov 09, 2003 2 12
 BEL Justine Henin Nov 10, 2003 Sep 12, 2004 44 45
15  FRA Amélie Mauresmo Sep 13, 2004 Oct 17, 2004 5 5
 USA Lindsay Davenport Oct 18, 2004 Aug 21, 2005 44 82
16  RUS Maria Sharapova Aug 22, 2005 Aug 28, 2005 1 1
 USA Lindsay Davenport Aug 29, 2005 Sep 11, 2005 2 84
 RUS Maria Sharapova Sep 12, 2005 Oct 23, 2005 6 7
 USA Lindsay Davenport Oct 24, 2005 Jan 29, 2006 14 98
 BEL Kim Clijsters Jan 30, 2006 Mar 19, 2006 7 19
 FRA Amélie Mauresmo Mar 20, 2006 Nov 12, 2006 34 39
 BEL Justine Henin Nov 13, 2006 Jan 28, 2007 11 56
 RUS Maria Sharapova Jan 29, 2007 Mar 18, 2007 7 14
 BEL Justine Henin Mar 19, 2007 May 18, 2008 61 117
 RUS Maria Sharapova May 19, 2008 June 8, 2008 3 17
17  SRB Ana Ivanović Jun 9, 2008 Aug 10, 2008 9 9
18  SRB Jelena Janković Aug 11, 2008 Aug 17, 2008 1 1
 SRB Ana Ivanović Aug 18, 2008 Sep 7, 2008 3 12
 USA Serena Williams Sep 8, 2008 Oct 5, 2008 4 61
 SRB Jelena Janković Oct 6, 2008 Feb 1, 2009 17 18
 USA Serena Williams Feb 2, 2009 Apr 19, 2009 11 72
19  RUS Dinara Safina Apr 20, 2009 Oct 11, 2009 25 25
 USA Serena Williams Oct 12, 2009 Oct 25, 2009 2 74
 RUS Dinara Safina Oct 26, 2009 Nov 1, 2009 1 26
 USA Serena Williams* Nov 2, 2009 Present 12+ 86+

Weeks at No. 1

Total

Rank Nat. Player weeks
1. Germany Steffi Graf 377
2. Czechoslovakia / United States Martina Navratilova 332
3. United States Chris Evert 260
4. Switzerland Martina Hingis 209
5. Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia / Federal Republic of Yugoslavia / United States Monica Seles 178
6. Belgium Justine Henin * 117
7. United States Lindsay Davenport 98
8. United States Serena Williams * 86+
9. France Amélie Mauresmo 39
10. Russia Dinara Safina * 26
11. United States Tracy Austin 21
12. Belgium Kim Clijsters * 19
13. Serbia Jelena Janković * 18
14. United States Jennifer Capriati 17
= Russia Maria Sharapova * 17
16. Serbia Ana Ivanović * 12
= Spain Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 12
18. United States Venus Williams * 11
19. Australia Evonne Goolagong Cawley 2
* - active players

The source for thi through the week of January 5, 2009, is
the 2009 Official Guide to Professional Tennis, page 237,
compiled by the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.

Current No. 1 in bold.

Last updated: November 1, 2009.

Consecutive

Rank Nat. Player weeks
1 Germany Steffi Graf 186
2 United States Martina Navratilova 156
3 United States Chris Evert 113
4 Germany Steffi Graf (2) 94
5 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Monica Seles 91
6 United States Martina Navratilova (2) 90
7 Germany Steffi Graf (3) 87
8 Switzerland Martina Hingis 80
9 United States Chris Evert (2) 76
10 Switzerland Martina Hingis (2) 73
11 Germany Steffi Graf (4) 64
= United States Monica Seles (2) 64
13 Belgium Justine Henin 61
14 United States Serena Williams 57
15 Belgium Justine Henin (2) 44
= United States Lindsay Davenport 44
17 Switzerland Martina Hingis (3) 34
= France Amélie Mauresmo 34
19 Czechoslovakia Martina Navratilova (3) 30
20 United States Lindsay Davenport (2) 28

Players by country

Rank Country Number players Players
1 United States USA 8 Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Tracy Austin, Monica Seles, Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati, Venus Williams*, Serena Williams*
2 Yugoslavia / Federal Republic of Yugoslavia / Serbia YUG/SRB 3 Monica Seles, Ana Ivanović*, Jelena Janković*
3 Belgium BEL 2 Kim Clijsters*, Justine Henin*
= Russia RUS 2 Maria Sharapova*, Dinara Safina*
5 Australia AUS 1 Evonne Goolagong Cawley
= Czechoslovakia CZE 1 Martina Navratilova
= Germany GER 1 Steffi Graf
= Spain ESP 1 Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
= Switzerland SUI 1 Martina Hingis
= France FRA 1 Amélie Mauresmo

Year end No. 1 players

The source for these tables through 2008 is the 2009 Official Guide to Professional Tennis, pages 239-40, compiled by the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.

Country Player No. of Times
Germany GER Steffi Graf 8
Czechoslovakia TCH/United States USA Martina Navratilova 7
United States USA Chris Evert 5
United States USA Lindsay Davenport 4
Belgium BEL Justine Henin 3
Switzerland SUI Martina Hingis
Yugoslavia/Yugoslavia YUG Monica Seles
United States USA Serena Williams 2
Serbia SRB Jelena Janković 1
Year Country Player
1975 United States United States Chris Evert (1)
1976 United States USA Chris Evert
1977 United States USA Chris Evert
1978 Czechoslovakia TCH Martina Navratilova (2)
1979 Czechoslovakia TCH Martina Navratilova
1980 United States USA Chris Evert
1981 United States USA Chris Evert
1982 United States USA Martina Navratilova
1983 United States USA Martina Navratilova
1984 United States USA Martina Navratilova
1985 United States USA Martina Navratilova
1986 United States USA Martina Navratilova
1987 Germany GER Steffi Graf (3)
1988 Germany GER Steffi Graf
1989 Germany GER Steffi Graf
1990 Germany GER Steffi Graf
1991 Yugoslavia YUG Monica Seles (4)
1992 Yugoslavia YUG Monica Seles
1993 Germany GER Steffi Graf
1994 Germany GER Steffi Graf
1995 Germany GER
United States USA
Steffi Graf
Monica Seles
1996 Germany GER Steffi Graf
1997 Switzerland SUI Martina Hingis (5)
1998 United States USA Lindsay Davenport (6)
1999 Switzerland SUI Martina Hingis
2000 Switzerland SUI Martina Hingis
2001 United States USA Lindsay Davenport
2002 United States USA Serena Williams (7)
2003 Belgium BEL Justine Henin (8)
2004 United States USA Lindsay Davenport
2005 United States USA Lindsay Davenport
2006 Belgium BEL Justine Henin
2007 Belgium BEL Justine Henin
2008 Serbia SRB Jelena Janković (9)
2009 United States USA Serena Williams

Players who were ranked World No. 1 without having won a Grand Slam tournament

Player Date of first No. 1 position First Grand Slam final reached First Grand Slam title
Belgium Kim Clijsters August 11, 2003 2001 French Open (June, 2001) 2005 US Open
France Amélie Mauresmo September 13, 2004 1999 Australian Open (January, 1999) 2006 Australian Open
Serbia Jelena Janković August 11, 2008 2008 US Open (September, 2008) N/A
Russia Dinara Safina April 20, 2009 2008 French Open (June, 2008) N/A

Players who were ranked World No. 5 or higher but never World No. 1

The following is a list of players who were ranked World No. 5 or higher by the Women's Tennis Association but never World No. 1. The source for this table through November 16, 2008, is the 2009 Official Guide to Professional Tennis, page 233, compiled by the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.

Player First date reached
No. 2s
United Kingdom Virginia Wade November 3, 1975
United States Andrea Jaeger August 17, 1981
Spain Conchita Martínez October 30, 1995
Czech Republic Jana Novotná July 7, 1997
Russia Anastasia Myskina September 13, 2004
Russia Svetlana Kuznetsova September 10, 2007
Player First date reached
No. 3s
United Kingdom Sue Barker March 20, 1977
United States Pam Shriver March 20, 1984
Czechoslovakia/Australia Hana Mandlikova April 30, 1984
Australia Wendy Turnbull January 7, 1985
Bulgaria/Switzerland Manuela Maleeva February 4, 1985
Argentina Gabriela Sabatini February 27, 1989
France Mary Pierce January 30, 1995
South Africa Amanda Coetzer November 3, 1997
France Nathalie Tauziat May 8, 2000
Russia Nadia Petrova May 15, 2006
Russia Elena Dementieva April 6, 2009
Player First date reached
No. 4s
Australia Dianne Fromholtz Balestrat March 19, 1979
Czechoslovakia Helena Suková March 18, 1985
Germany Claudia Kohde-Kilsch September 2, 1985
United States Zina Garrison November 20, 1989
United States Mary Joe Fernandez October 22, 1990
Japan Kimiko Date May 13, 1995
Bulgaria Magdalena Maleeva January 29, 1996
Croatia Iva Majoli February 5, 1996
Germany Anke Huber October 14, 1996
Serbia and Montenegro/Australia Jelena Dokić August 19, 2002
Denmark Caroline Wozniacki October 26, 2009
Player First date reached
No. 5s
United States Rosemary Casals September 13, 1976
Netherlands Betty Stove July 3, 1977
Germany Sylvia Hanika September 12, 1983
United States Kathy Jordan March 19, 1984
United Kingdom Jo Durie April 29, 1984
Soviet Union Natasha Zvereva May 22, 1989
Slovakia Daniela Hantuchová January 27, 2003
Russia Anna Chakvetadze September 10, 2007
Russia Vera Zvonareva February 2, 2009

Doubles

Weeks at No. 1

Total

Rank Nat. Player weeks
1. Czechoslovakia / United States Martina Navratilova 237
2. Zimbabwe Cara Black * 148
3. Belarus Natasha Zvereva 124
4. United States Lisa Raymond * 117
5. United States Liezel Huber * 112
6. Spain Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario* 111
7. Argentina Paola Suárez 87
8. Puerto Rico Gigi Fernandez 80
9. Czech Republic Helena Sukova 68
10. Czech Republic Jana Novotna 67
11. Spain Virginia Ruano Pascual * 65
12. Australia Samantha Stosur * 61
13. United States Pam Shriver 48
14. Japan Ai Sugiyama 45
15. Switzerland Martina Hingis 35
16. United States Lindsay Davenport 32
17. France Julie Halard-Decugis 14
18. Russia Anna Kournikova 10
19. United States Corina Morariu 7
20. Belgium Kim Clijsters * 4
21. Latvia Larisa Neiland 4
22. Australia Rennae Stubbs * 3
* - active players

The source for thi through the week of January 3, 2010 Current No. 1 in bold.

Last updated: November 13, 2009.

Points distribution

Each week, the Women's Tennis Association releases a ranking of each player's performance in singles and doubles on the women's professional tennis tour. A player's ranking points are based on the highest round she reached in each tournament ("round points"). The following table gives the distribution of "round points" for 2009.

Description W F SF QF R16 R32 R64 R128 QLFR Q3 Q2 Q1
Grand Slam (S) 2000 1400 900 500 280 160 100 5 60 50 40 2
Grand Slam (D) 2000 1400 900 500 280 160 5 - 48 - - -
WTA Tour Championships (S) +450 +360 (230 for each round robin match won
70 for each round robin match lost)
- - -
WTA Tour Championships (D) 1500 1050 690 - - - - - - - - -
Premier Mandatory (96S) 1000 700 450 250 140 80 50 5 30 - 20 1
Premier Mandatory (64S) 1000 700 450 250 140 80 5 - 30 - 20 1
Premier Mandatory (28/32D) 1000 700 450 250 140 5 - - - - - -
Premier 5 (56S) 800 550 350 200 110 60 1 - 30 - 20 1
Premier 5 (28D) 800 550 350 200 110 1 - - - - - -
Premier (56S) 470 320 200 120 60 40 1 - 12 - 8 1
Premier (32S) 470 320 200 120 60 1 - - 20 12 8 1
Premier (16D) 470 320 200 120 1 - - - - - - -
Commonwealth Bank
Tournament of Champions
+180 +170 (70 points for each players competing
90 for each round robin match won)
- - -
International (56S) 280 200 130 70 30 15 1 - 10 - 6 1
International (32S) 280 200 130 70 30 1 - - 16 10 6 1
International (16D) 280 200 130 70 1 - - - - - - -
ITF $100,000 + H(32) 150 110 80 40 20 1 - - 6 4 1 -
ITF $100,000 + H(16) 150 110 80 40 1 - - - - - - -
ITF $100,000 (32) 140 100 70 36 18 1 - - 6 4 1 -
ITF $100,000 (16) 140 100 70 36 1 - - - - - - -
ITF $75,000 + H(32) 130 90 58 32 16 1 - - 6 4 1 -
ITF $75,000 + H(16) 130 90 58 32 1 - - - - - - -
ITF $75,000 (32) 110 78 50 30 14 1 - - 6 4 1 -
ITF $75,000 (16) 110 78 50 30 1 - - - - - - -
ITF $50,000 + H(32) 90 64 40 24 12 1 - - 6 4 1 -
ITF $50,000 + H(16) 90 64 40 24 1 - - - - - - -
ITF $50,000 (32) 70 50 32 18 10 1 - - 6 4 1 -
ITF $50,000 (16) 70 50 32 18 1 - - - - - - -
ITF $25,000 (32) 50 34 24 14 8 1 - - 1 - - -
ITF $25,000 (16) 50 34 24 14 1 - - - - - - -
ITF $10,000 (32) 12 8 6 4 1 - - - - - - -
ITF $10,000 (16) 12 8 6 1 0 - - - - - - -

"+H" indicates that Hospitality is provided.

A player must be at least 14 years old to appear in the rankings. If a player who is 14, 15, 16, or 17 years old plays singles or doubles in a tournament that exceeds the number permitted to be played under the WTA's age eligibility rule, then that tournament and the points acquired during play will not be counted for purposes of that player's ranking.

A player must earn ranking points in at least three valid tournaments to appear in the rankings.

A player is awarded ranking points for the highest round she reaches. In a tournament with prize money of at least $25,000: (1) a qualifier earns main draw ranking points based on the highest round reached in the main draw plus the ranking points specified in the qualifier column of the above ranking table; and (2) a lucky loser earns main draw ranking points based on the highest round reached in the main draw, unless she loses in the first round of the main draw in which case she receives only the ranking points earned in qualifying. In a tournament with prize money less than $25,000: (1) no qualifying ranking points are awarded to a qualifier or lucky loser; (2) a qualifier who loses in the first round of the main draw is awarded only the points specified in the qualifier column of the above ranking table; (3) a qualifier who loses after the first round of the main draw is awarded points based on the highest round reached in the main draw plus the ranking points specified in the qualifier column of the above ranking table; and (4) a lucky loser earns only main draw ranking points based on the highest round reached in the main draw.

A doubles team is awarded ranking points for the highest round they reach. A lucky loser who loses in the main draw earns only main draw ranking points.

A player's cumulative point total is calculated on a weekly basis, counting only tournaments played within the last 52 weeks. Not more than 16 singles tournaments and 11 doubles tournaments count. The results used to determine a players ranking are those yielding the highest ranking points during the last 52 weeks, except that a player's ranking points from the following tournaments must be included: Grand Slam tournaments, Premier Mandatory tournaments, the Sony Ericsson Championships, and the best two Premier 5 tournament results for top ten players. (There are complicated rules concerning this last category of tournaments.)

Each player who qualifies by ranking for acceptance into the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament, a Premier Mandatory tournament, or the Sony Ericsson Championships is entered automatically into the tournament. The ranking points earned by the player in the tournament must count on her ranking as one of her best 16 tournament results. A player who is accepted into the main draw of a preceding tournament or who is an automatic entry in the tournament automatically receives zero ranking points for the tournament if she subsequently withdraws from the tournament. That tournament must count as one of her best 16 tournament results. Any top ten player who fails to play in a Premier 5 or Premier $700,000 committment tournament automatically receives zero ranking points for the tournament. That tournament also must count as one of her best 16 tournament results. Any "marquee player" (as defined in the WTA rules) who fails to play in a Premier $700,000 committment tournament automatically receives zero ranking points for the tournament. That tournament also must count as one of her best 16 tournament results.

If a player or team withdraws from a tournament before playing her/their first match, then the tournament does not count on her/their record, with the exception of automatic main draw entry tournaments and commitment tournaments for top ten and marquee players. A player who qualifies for but is unable to play the main draw for any reason receives last round qualifier points.

If a doubles team withdraws in any round after the first round, then their ranking points are calculated per the round they withdrew less 50% of the difference between that round and the previous round. In addition, the player causing the withdrawal forfeits the other 50% of her ranking points; however, if she does not play in a tennis event the following week, she may apply to the WTA for reistatement of the forfeited points.

For purposes of awarding ranking points, in each ITF tournament with prize money of at least $50,000, the round-of-32 is considered to be the first round of qualifying and all rules apply as if that were the first round of play. The WTA awards ranking points in qualifying starting in the round-of-32, and play in any prior round is not considered as having taken place for ranking purposes.

If a player or team receives one or more consecutive byes and loses her/their first played match, then first round losers' points are awarded. If a player or team receives one or more consecutive byes and withdraws from her/their first match, then no ranking points are awarded and the tournament does not count on her/their record.

If a player or team receives a walkover in the first round and there is no alternate or lucky loser to take the spot, then she/they receive ranking points from the round preceding her/their elimination. If a player or team receives a walkover in a subsequent round without having yet played a match, then she/they receive ranking points from the round preceding her/their elimination. A player or team who receives a walkover in any round except the first round after having played and won a match is awarded ranking points for the walkover from her/their opponent.

A player or team who receives a wild card is awarded the same ranking points as any other player or team.

If two or more players have the same number of ranking points, then the tie is broken according to the following priorities: (1) the player with the most combined total points from Grand Slam tournaments, Premier Mandatory tournaments, Premier 5 tournaments, and the Sony Ericsson Championships; (2) the player with the most total points from all tournaments, including the Sony Ericsson Championships; (3) the player with the fewest number of tournaments during the last 52-weeks (including any mandatory tournaments if the player qualified for acceptance); and (4) the highest number of points from one single tournament, then if needed, the second highest and so on.

Source: "2009 Official Rulebook". sonyericssonwtatour.com. pp. 193-202. http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/3/global/Pdfs/shared/thewtatour/officialrules/rules.pdf. Retrieved January 9, 2009. 

References

See also



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