Over the years, the game of tennis has witnessed numerous legendary and path-breaking women’s tennis players, including Coco Gauff, Serena Williams, Aryna Sabalenka, Naomi Osaka, Iga Świątek and many others, who have undoubtedly revolutionised the game and elevated the stature of female tennis players with their top-notch skills and on-court dominance.
Well, in the fiercely competitive world of professional tennis, reaching the World No. 1 ranking is nothing short of a far-fetched challenge for tennis players. However, a few women’s singles tennis players have not just reached the pinnacle of their professional tennis careers by attaining the World No. 1 ranking but have also managed to spend most weeks while holding the prestigious ranking.
In this article we will take a look at the top four women’s singles tennis players who have spent the most weeks with the world no. 1 ranking.
Top 4 Women’s Singles Tennis Players with Most Weeks at World No. 1
| Rank | Player | Weeks |
| 1 | Steffi Graf | 377 |
| 2 | Martina Navratilova | 332 |
| 3 | Serena Williams | 319 |
| 4 | Chris Evert | 260 |
Steffi Graf – 377 Weeks
The legendary German former professional tennis player Stefanie Maria Graf, popularly referred to as “Steffi Graf”, is at the first spot in our list of the top four women’s singles tennis players who have managed to stick at the “World No. 1” position for most weeks. Throughout her glorious professional tennis career that spanned over eighteen long years, Steffi Graf clinched a record total of 107 singles titles on the WTA Tour, including 22 major women’s singles titles.
Additionally, Steffi Graf also established herself as the only tennis player in the world to have clinched each major singles tournament at least four times — a quadruple career Grand Slam. Owing to her ground-breaking dominance on the court, Steffi Graf was ranked at the World No. 1 position by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) for the highest total of 377 weeks.
Martina Navratilova – 332 Weeks
At the second spot in our list of the top four women’s singles tennis players who have spent the most weeks with the world no. 1 ranking, we have the Czech-American former professional tennis player, Martina Navratilova, who was ranked at the World No. 1 position by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) for the second-highest total of 332 weeks, including as the year-end No. 1 seven times.
Often hailed as one of the finest female tennis players of all-time, Martina Navratilova clinched a record total of 167 top-level singles titles and 177 doubles titles (both Open Era Records), including an Open Era record 59 major titles throughout her trailblazing professional tennis career. Additionally, Martina Navratilova also holds the record for clinching the highest number of Wimbledon singles titles, i.e. nine.
Serena Williams – 319 Weeks
Often popularly hailed as the greatest female tennis player of all-time, the legendary American former professional tennis player Serena Jameka Williams, popularly referred to as “Serena Williams”, is at the third spot in our list of the top four women’s singles tennis players who have managed to stick at “World No. 1” position for most weeks.
Serena Williams clinched a total of 73 WTA Tour-level singles titles, including 23 major women’s singles titles — the most in the Open Era, and the second-most of all time, speaking volumes about her dominance in the world of professional tennis. Additionally, as of April 2025, Serena Williams is the only player to accomplish a career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles. Although American tennis sensation Serena Williams announced her official retirement from tennis in August 2022, the legacy that she left behind will undoubtedly continue to reign supreme in the world of tennis for decades to come.
Chris Evert – 260 Weeks
Finally, at the fourth spot in our list of the top four women’s singles tennis players who have spent the most weeks with the world no. 1 ranking, we have another iconic American, former professional tennis player, Christine Marie Evert, popularly referred to as “Chris Evert”. Often hailed as one of the most successful female tennis players in the world, Chris Evert was ranked at the World No. 1 position for the fourth-highest total of 260 weeks by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and finished as the year-end No. 1 seven times in the years 1974-1978, 1980 and 1981.
Throughout her star-studded professional tennis career, Chris Evert clinched a record total of 157 singles titles, including 18 majors, including seven French Open titles and a joint-record six US Open titles.
