The three-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek finished the year a dominant number one in the women’s tennis rankings.
The 21-year-old finished on top of the WTA Rankings table with 11,085 ranking points, the second-greatest total by a year-end No.1 in the rankings’ history, trailing only Serena Williams’ 2013 effort (13,260). Swiatek completed 2021 at No.9, with a tour-leading eight singles titles and a 67-9 record. Ons Jabeur of Tunisia consolidated second position. Jabeur concludes the year at No.2 after winning two championships in Madrid and Berlin, as well as reaching two Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the US Open. This is her second consecutive Top 10 ranking, and she is up eight spots from No.10 last year.
Jessica Pegula’s No.3 position is the highest finish by an American since 2016 when Serena Williams finished at No.2. Pegula had success on the tour’s biggest stages, winning 36 of her 42 matches at the WTA 1000 level or higher. For the first time, the 28-year-old, who finished 2021 at No.18, has finished a season in the Top 10.
Caroline Garcia ascended to No.4 in the year-end rankings after winning her fourth singles championship of the year at the WTA Finals, matching her career-high. Garcia, who completed 2021 at No.74, now has two Top 10 finishes, having also finished 2017 at No.8.
Aryna Sabalenka bagged the No.5 position in the WTA Rankings. A three-time finalist this year on three different surfaces, Sabalenka records her third consecutive Top 10 finish, and second consecutive Top 5 finish.
Maria Sakkari has reached 15 semifinals in the last two seasons, tying Swiatek for the most on tour, resulting in her second consecutive Top 10 finish (she also ended 2021 at No.6). Sakkari advanced to the semifinals seven times in 2022 and finished runner-up four times, including twice at WTA 1000 events (Indian Wells and Guadalajara).