The 15 countries that have produced WTA world No 1 singles players
Serena Williams (USA) and Steffi Graf (Germany) are among multiple world No 1’s from their respective nations
Rising to world No 1 may be the toughest achievement in tennis.
It takes 52 weeks of consistent excellence to reach the very top of the rankings, and in WTA history only 29 women have ever been able to do just that.
Those 29 women are spread across 15 different countries – we take a look at all of them.
United States – 8
The most dominant nation in tennis history is well clear in terms of the number of individual world No 1 players, with eight women reaching the top spot.
Chris Evert was the first No 1 in WTA history and she and Martina Navratilova – who represented the US, after defecting from Czechoslovakia – dominated the top spot in the 1970s and 1980s.
Tracy Austin managed to claim the world No 1 ranking for a period during her career, and after switching to US citizenship, Monica Seles was also the top-ranked player.
Lindsay Davenport and Jennifer Capriati rose to the top spot in the late 1990s and early 2000s, before Venus and Serena Williams became the seventh and eighth female US players to achieve that feat.
Serbia/Yugoslavia – 3
A nation with a growing tennis heritage, Serbia are the only other nation to have had three or more WTA world No 1 singles players.
Originally from Serbia (then Yugoslavia), Seles was the first male or female player from the nation to reach the No 1 ranking in the early 1990s.
And following in her footsteps were Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic, who both first reached the top of the rankings in 2008.
Germany – 2
No woman can match Steffi Graf’s dominance at the top of the WTA Rankings.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion first reached the world No 1 ranking in 1987, and ultimately held it for 377 weeks during her truly legendary career.
However, she is not the only German to reach the top spot on the WTA Tour, with Angelique Kerber climbing to the peak of the rankings in 2016.
Belgium – 2
Belgium has well and truly punched above its weight in the women’s game, producing two world No 1 players in the same era.
Kim Clijsters was the first to reach the top spot in 2003, ultimately winning four Grand Slam titles during her incredible career.
Her first spell as world No 1 was ended by Justine Henin, who won seven Grand Slam titles and spent 117 weeks as the top-ranked player – more than any other woman during the 2000s.
Australia – 2
Another nation with a strong tennis history, Australia has produced two world No 1 players during the WTA era.
The first was the legendary Evonne Goolagong, though she was not officially recognised as a No 1 during her playing career.
It was only when tennis historians looked through the record books that a rankings miscalculation was discovered, and Goolagong was retrospectively given two weeks at the top from 1976.
Four decades on from Goolagong, Ash Barty herself became one of the most formidable players on tour, winning three majors and spending 121 weeks at the top.
Russia – 2
Russia has become one of the biggest nations in the women’s game in terms of strength and depth in the 21st century, with a surge in talent emerging in the early 2000s.
The greatest player to emerge was Maria Sharapova, a five-time major winner – and career Grand Slam holder – who spent 21 weeks at the top across her famed career.
And she is not the only Russian woman to reach the top spot, with three-time major runner-up Dinara Safina also ranked No 1 during her career.
Spain – 2
The final nation to have multiple No 1 players on the WTA, Spain has produced some extraordinary tennis talent throughout history.
One of the very best was Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, the four-time Grand Slam champion who held the top spot for a short period in the 1990s.
Following in her footsteps was the recently-retired Garbine Muguruza, who held the top spot for four weeks in 2017, shortly after winning her the second of her two majors at Wimbledon.
Switzerland – 1
Despite only having one WTA world No 1, Switzerland sit third in the most weeks of any nation in the top spot – thanks to the extraordinary exploits of Martina Hingis.
The youngest world No 1 in history, Hingis first rose to the top spot when she was just 16 in 1997, and held the top spot on and off for the next few years.
The Swiss star won five singles majors and spent a staggering 209 weeks as world No 1 across her career.
Poland – 1
The dominant player on the WTA currently, who knows just how much longer Iga Swiatek can reign supreme for.
Barring a short spell towards the end of the 2023 season, the Pole has been the world No 1 ever since first claiming that ranking in April 2022.
The only Polish player in history to hold the top ranking, Swiatek recently passed the 100-week milestone as the best player in the world.
Denmark – 1
Undoubtedly Denmark’s greatest-ever tennis player, Caroline Wozniacki has been a pioneer for Danish tennis throughout her career.
Wozniacki was the epitome of consistency during the early 2010s, recording 67 weeks as No 1 towards the start of the decade.
After her Australian Open win in 2018, the Dane returned to the top spot again, reigning supreme for a total of 71 weeks throughout her career.
Romania – 1
A consistent force throughout the latter part of the 2010s, Simona Halep ended both 2017 and 2018 as the world No 1 player.
The Romanian spent a total of 64 weeks as the world No 1 throughout her career, winning her first Slam at the 2018 French Open while holding the top spot.
Alongside her Roland Garros win, she won Wimbledon in 2019 and reached a further three major finals.
Belarus – 1*
One of the greatest competitors in WTA history, few can match Victoria Azarenka for sheer grit and determination.
The Belarusian won back-to-back Australian Open titles in 2012 and 2013 and reached a further three US Open finals, alongside winning 21 singles titles overall.
Azarenka rose to No 1 after her first triumph in Melbourne and spent 51 weeks at the top spot over the next year.
France – 1
France has produced an incredible amount of tennis talent throughout history, though only one player has ever been world No 1 across either the ATP or WTA: Amelie Mauresmo.
Mauresmo was one of the few players to reach the top spot before claiming a Slam title, spending five weeks as No 1 back in 2004.
She returned to the top spot shortly after winning the 2006 Australian Open and was the world No 1 when she won Wimbledon that year, holding that ranking for 39 weeks in total.
Japan – 1
A true tennis icon, Naomi Osaka has changed the game not only for Japanese tennis but Asian tennis as a whole.
Alongside winning multiple titles at the Australian and US Opens. Osaka became the first Asian player to attain the world No 1 singles rankings after her 2019 Australian Open title.
Across that season she spent 25 weeks at the top spot and will be targeting a return to the summit of the game as she continues her comeback.
Czechia – 1
Though Navratilova was born in modern-day Czechia, her weeks as world No 1 were technically under the US flag.
However, the nation has still had a WTA world No 1 player in the form of Karolina Pliskova.
One of the biggest servers in women’s tennis history, Pliskova reached the US Open final in 2016 and rose to the top spot the following summer, reigning for eight weeks.
The Czech later went on to reach the Wimbledon final in 2021 and has won 17 singles titles.
*While from Belarus, Aryna Sabalenka is not counted towards this total, as her weeks at No 1 were attained as a neutral athlete.
