By the numbers: The 2021 year-end WTA Rankings
With the completion of the WTA Finals, the 2021 official year-end WTA Rankings have been published, with a date of record of Monday, November 15. Click here to view the full rankings.
About the Year-End Top 10
No.1 Ashleigh Barty: For the third consecutive year, Ashleigh Barty finishes the year at No.1, joining Stefanie Graf, Martina Navratilova, Serena Williams and Chris Evert as the only players to finish the as year-end No.1 for 3 consecutive years.
No.2 Aryna Sabalenka View Profile : The 23-year-old Belarussian becomes the 33rd different woman to finish the year in the Top 2 since the rankings were introduced in 1975.
No.3 Garbiñe Muguruza: After three consecutive year-end Top 10 finishes (2015-17), Muguruza’s WTA Finals title lifts her to a No.3 year-end ranking after finishing last season ranked No.15.
No.4 Karolina Pliskova View Profile : This is Pliskova’s sixth consecutive Top 10 finish, the longest active streak. For the first time since 1986, there are two women representing the Czech Republic ranked in the year-end Top 5 as Pliskova finishes at No.4 and Barbora Krejcikova View Profile at No.5. In 1986, Hana Mandlikova finished at No.4 and Helena Sukova at No.5.
No.5. Barbora Krejcikova View Profile : Krejcikova’s previous-best year-end ranking was No.65 (2020). She is the only woman to finish the year in the Top 10 in singles (at No.5) and doubles (at No.2).
No.6 Maria Sakkari View Profile : The first Greek woman to finish the year in the Top 10, Sakkari has improved her year-end ranking for the 11th consecutive year.
No.7 Anett Kontaveit: With her ranking of No.7, Kontaveit finishes with the highest year-end finish by an Estonian, previously belonging to Kaia Kanepi, who finished 2012 ranked No.19. Kontaveit’s previous season-ending best ranking was No.21 (2018).
No.8 Paula Badosa View Profile : For the first time since 2000, Spain has two women in the year-end Top 10 as Badosa joins Muguruza. In 2000 Conchita Martinez (No.5) and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario (No.9) both finished in the Top 10.
No.9 Iga Swiatek View Profile : The 20-year-old becomes the second Polish woman to finish the year in the Top 10, joining Agnieszka Radwanska, who finished in the year-end Top 10 eight times during her illustrious career.
No.10 Ons Jabeur View Profile : A breakthrough year for Jabeur concludes with yet another milestone as she becomes the first Arab woman to finish in the Top 10 at No.10 after climbing as high as No.7 on November 1.
Year-End Top 100
17: At 17 years, 247 days old, American Coco Gauff View Profile is the youngest woman in the Top 100.
6: There is a total of six teenagers in the year-end Top 100 – Leylah Fernandez View Profile , Marta Kostyuk View Profile , Camila Osorio View Profile , Emma Raducanu View Profile and Clara Tauson View Profile as well as Gauff.
4: A total of four players finished in the Top 50 in both singles and doubles: Barbora Krejcikova View Profile , Elise Mertens View Profile (No.21 singles, No.4 doubles), Veronika Kudermetova View Profile (No.31 and No.14) and Katerina Siniakova View Profile (No.49 and No.2).
40: At 40 years, 50 days old, Serena Williams is the oldest woman in the Top 100, finishing the year at No.41.
35: There are 35 nations represented in the year-end Top 100.
16: The United States leads the way with 16 players, followed by the Czech Republic and Russia with eight apiece.
12: May is the most common birth month among the Top 100 with 12 players born in May, followed by December with 10.
25.2: The average age of the year-end Top 10 is 25.2 years old, the same as 2020.
7: With Simona Halep finishing the year at No.20, the Romanian's streak of seven consecutive year-end Top 10 finishes has ended.
4: Siniakova becomes the fourth different player to finish atop the WTA doubles rankings in the past four seasons following Krejcikova (2018), Barbora Strycova (2019) and Hsieh Su-Wei (2020).
Top 10 Debuts
6: Six different women made their Top 10 debut this year – in chronological order, Iga Swiatek View Profile (May 17), Barbora Krejcikova View Profile (Aug. 9), Maria Sakkari View Profile (Sep. 27), Ons Jabeur View Profile (Oct. 18), Anett Kontaveit (Nov. 1) and Paula Badosa View Profile (Nov. 8).
139: In Tour history, since the rankings were introduced, only 139 women have graced the Top 10
3: Krejcikova climbed to a career-high ranking of No.3, the highest of this year’s debutantes.
19: Swiatek was the youngest player to make her Top 10 debut this year at 19 years.
2010: Swiatek became just the third teenager to make her Top 10 debut since 2010 joining Bianca Andreescu View Profile (2019) and Belinda Bencic View Profile (2016).
27: On October 18, 2021, Jabeur made her Top 10 debut. At 27 years, 51 days old, she became the oldest player to make her Top 10 debut since Julia Goerges did so on February 5, 2018 at 29 years old.
Top 100 Debuts
17: Seventeen women made their Top 100 debut in 2021 – in chronological order, Clara Tauson View Profile (Mar. 8), Tereza Martincova (Apr. 5), Camila Osorio View Profile (May 24), Liudmila Samsonova View Profile (Jun. 21), Anhelina Kalinina View Profile (Jul. 12), Clara Burel View Profile (Jul. 19), Mayar Sherif View Profile (Aug. 9), Nuria Parrizas Diaz View Profile (Aug. 16), Emma Raducanu View Profile and Greet Minnen View Profile (both Sep. 13), Elena-Gabriela Ruse View Profile (Sep. 20), Magdalena Frech View Profile (Oct. 18), Maryna Zanevska (Nov. 1), Jaqueline Cristian (Nov. 8) and Anna Bondar View Profile and Wang Xinyu (both Nov. 15).
3: Three teenagers made their Top 100 debut with Tauson (18 years, 77 days old) being the youngest, followed by Raducanu (18 years, 304 days) and Osorio (19 years, 153 days).
30: At 30 years, 32 days old, Parrizas Diaz is the oldest player to make her Top 100 debut this year
4: Parrizas Diaz is the fourth oldest woman to make her Top 100 debut behind Tzipora Obziler (33 years, 306 days), Adriana Villagran (31 years, 359 days) and Tina Mochizuki (30 years, 138 days).
5: Of the 17 women to make their Top 100 debut, five won WTA 125 level titles this year – Bondar, Frech, Parrizas Diaz, Sherif and Tauson.
Highest climbers
11: Eleven women advanced over 100 places from their 2020 year-end ranking to finish inside the 2021 Top 100:
Ana Konjuh (+472, No.538 to No.66)
Emma Raducanu View Profile (+324, No.343 to No.19)
Beatriz Haddad Maia View Profile (+276, No.358 to No.92)
Anna Bondar View Profile (+183, No.273 to No.90)
Maryna Zanevska (+177, No.258 to No.81)
Nuria Parrizas Diaz View Profile (+167, No.232 to No.65)
Clara Burel View Profile (+158, No.235 to No.77)
Camila Osorio View Profile (+131, No.186 to No.55)
Claire Liu (+128, No.222 to No.94)
Anhelina Kalinina View Profile (+110, No.162 to No.52)
Clara Tauson View Profile (+108, No.152 to No.44)
11: Eleven women also advanced over 40 places from a 2020 Top 100 year-end ranking:
Leylah Fernandez View Profile (+64, No.88 to No.24)
Paula Badosa View Profile (+62, No.70 to No.8)
Barbora Krejcikova View Profile (+60, No.65 to No.5)
Tamara Zidansek View Profile (+57, No.87 to No.30)
Camila Giorgi (+51, No.75 to No.34)
Ann Li View Profile (+50, No.97 to No.47)
Sorana Cirstea View Profile (+48, No.86 to No.38)
Marta Kostyuk View Profile (+48, No.98 to No.50)
Daria Kasatkina View Profile (+45, No.71 to No.26)
Jessica Pegula View Profile (+44, No.62 to No.18)
Jasmine Paolini View Profile (+42, No.95 to No.53)
Bubbling under
The 10 highest-ranked players in the 2021 year-end rankings who have yet to crack the Top 100 are: No.108 Harmony Tan View Profile , No.115 Panna Udvardy View Profile , No.116 Viktoriya Tomova View Profile , No.117 Kamilla Rakhimova View Profile , No.120 Harriet Dart View Profile , No.122 Dalma Galfi View Profile , No.123 Chloe Paquet View Profile , No.127 Renata Zarazua View Profile , No.128 Wang Xiyu and No.129 Storm Sanders.
The five highest-ranked players in the 2021 year-end rankings who have yet to compete in a WTA main draw are No.170 Robin Anderson View Profile , No.183 Daria Snigur View Profile , No.209 Irene Burillo View Profile Escorihuela, No.214 Yuriko Miyazaki and No.234 Dea Herdzelas.
Generation groups
The 10 highest-ranked players from each birth year (from 2000) in the 2021 year-end rankings are as follows:
2000
46. Bianca Andreescu View Profile (CAN)
47. Ann Li View Profile (USA)
79. Varvara Gracheva View Profile (RUS)
94. Claire Liu (USA)
97. Dayana Yastremska View Profile (UKR)
98. Kaja Juvan View Profile (SLO)
151. Francesca Jones View Profile (GBR)
163. Leonie Kung View Profile (SUI)
187. Yuliya Hatouka (BLR)
188. Katarina Zavatska View Profile (UKR)
2001
9. Iga Swiatek View Profile (POL)
55. Camila Osorio View Profile (COL)
69. Anastasia Potapova View Profile (RUS)
77. Clara Burel View Profile (FRA)
78. Amanda Anisimova View Profile (USA)
99. Wang Xinyu (CHN)
117. Kamilla Rakhimova View Profile (RUS)
128. Wang Xiyu (CHN)
131. Olga Danilovic View Profile (SRB)
139. Caty McNally (USA)
2002
19. Emma Raducanu View Profile (GBR)
24. Leylah Fernandez View Profile (CAN)
44. Clara Tauson View Profile (DEN)
50. Marta Kostyuk View Profile (UKR)
141. Diane Parry View Profile (FRA)
143. Zheng Qinwen (CHN)
183. Daria Snigur View Profile (UKR)
198. Anastasia Zakharova View Profile (RUS)
230. Olivia Gadecki View Profile (AUS)
247. Whitney Osuigwe View Profile (USA)
2003
226. Oksana Selekhmeteva View Profile (RUS)
294. Nastasja Schunk View Profile (GER)
314. Elsa Jacquemot View Profile (FRA)
350. Antonia Ruzic View Profile (CRO)
404. Elvina Kalieva View Profile (USA)
414. Maria Timofeeva View Profile (RUS)
428. Ane Mintegi Del Olmo (ESP)
431. Daria Lopatetska (UKR)
490. Maria Bondarenko (RUS)
505. Lisa Pigato (ITA)
2004
22. Coco Gauff View Profile (USA)
317. Linda Noskova View Profile (CZE)
368. Erika Andreeva View Profile (RUS)
371. Robin Montgomery View Profile (USA)
385. Katrina Scott (USA)
436. Matilda Mutavdzic (GBR)
536. Ashlyn Krueger View Profile (USA)
589. Anastasiya Soboleva (UKR)
595. Reese Brantmeier (USA)
741. Dominika Salkova View Profile (CZE)
2005
296. Linda Fruhvirtova View Profile (CZE)
373. Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva View Profile (AND)
529. Alexandra Eala View Profile (PHI)
696. Isabella Kruger (RSA)
905. Petra Marcinko View Profile (CRO)
984. Celine Naef View Profile (SUI)
1146. Briana Szabo (ROU)
1150. Sofia Costoulas View Profile (BEL)
1167. Lucie Havlickova (CZE)
1179. Aya El Aouni (MAR)
2006
380. Sara Bejlek View Profile (CZE)
784. Nikola Bartunkova (CZE)
