The mantle of world No.1 in tennis is something every player aspires for but few ever achieve.
When it comes to women’s singles, Serena Williams dominated for years but younger players have emerged to stake their claim for the crown.
In 2022, only two women enjoyed time at the WTA summit and 2023 looks to be dominated by one name this time around.
MORE: Who is the world No.1 in men’s tennis?
Who is the world No. 1 in women’s tennis?
Iga Swiatek remains the current world No.1 after replacing the retired Ashleigh Barty early in 2022.
The Polish 21-year-old won the 2022 US Open to further cement her place at the top of the rankings.
Despite suffering a surprise defeat to Elena Rybakina in round four of the 2023 Australian Open, Swiatek still leads the WTA rankings by more than 4,300 points. In second place is Aryna Sabalenka, the champion in Melbourne; Rybakina, who lost that final, has climbed 15 places to make the top 10.
WTA women’s singles rankings
| Ranking | Change | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Iga Swiatek | 10,900 |
| 2 | – | Aryna Sabalenka | 6,100 |
| 4 | -1 | Ons Jabeur | 5,111 |
| 3 | +1 | Jessica Pegula | 5,250 |
| 5 | – | Caroline Garcia | 4,835 |
| 6 | – | Coco Gauff | 4,091 |
| 7 | – | Maria Sakkari | 3,800 |
| 8 | – | Daria Kasatkina | 3,425 |
| 9 | – | Belinda Bencic | 3,315 |
| 10 | – | Elena Rybakina | 2,860 |
*Last updated February 21, 2023
Check out the full WTA rankings here.
How do tennis rankings work?
Women’s tennis world rankings are calculated by the WTA, who award points based on a player’s performance at particular tournaments.
The further a player progresses in a sanctioned event, the more points they will be awarded.
Grand slams provide the most points with 2000 awarded to the winner and 1200 to the runner-up.
Points picked up from each tournament last for one year with rankings updated each week.
When are tennis rankings updated?
Both the ATP and WTA update their rankings every Monday when tournaments aren’t running.
So in general you can expect weekly updates aside from when Grand Slams are being competed.