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: 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: 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 at No.5. In 1986, Hana Mandlikova finished at No.4 and Helena Sukova at No.5.
No.5. Barbora Krejcikova: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 is the youngest woman in the Top 100.
6: There is a total of six teenagers in the year-end Top 100 – Leylah Fernandez, Marta Kostyuk, Camila Osorio, Emma Raducanu and Clara Tauson as well as Gauff.
4: A total of four players finished in the Top 50 in both singles and doubles: Barbora Krejcikova, Elise Mertens (No.21 singles, No.4 doubles), Veronika Kudermetova (No.31 and No.14) and Katerina Siniakova (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 (May 17), Barbora Krejcikova (Aug. 9), Maria Sakkari (Sep. 27), Ons Jabeur (Oct. 18), Anett Kontaveit (Nov. 1) and Paula Badosa (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 (2019) and Belinda Bencic (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 (Mar. 8), Tereza Martincova (Apr. 5), Camila Osorio (May 24), Liudmila Samsonova (Jun. 21), Anhelina Kalinina (Jul. 12), Clara Burel (Jul. 19), Mayar Sherif (Aug. 9), Nuria Parrizas Diaz (Aug. 16), Emma Raducanu and Greet Minnen (both Sep. 13), Elena-Gabriela Ruse (Sep. 20), Magdalena Frech (Oct. 18), Maryna Zanevska (Nov. 1), Jaqueline Cristian (Nov. 8) and Anna Bondar 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 (+324, No.343 to No.19)
Beatriz Haddad Maia (+276, No.358 to No.92)
Anna Bondar (+183, No.273 to No.90)
Maryna Zanevska (+177, No.258 to No.81)
Nuria Parrizas Diaz (+167, No.232 to No.65)
Clara Burel (+158, No.235 to No.77)
Camila Osorio (+131, No.186 to No.55)
Claire Liu (+128, No.222 to No.94)
Anhelina Kalinina (+110, No.162 to No.52)
Clara Tauson (+108, No.152 to No.44)
11: Eleven women also advanced over 40 places from a 2020 Top 100 year-end ranking:
Leylah Fernandez (+64, No.88 to No.24)
Paula Badosa (+62, No.70 to No.8)
Barbora Krejcikova (+60, No.65 to No.5)
Tamara Zidansek (+57, No.87 to No.30)
Camila Giorgi (+51, No.75 to No.34)
Ann Li (+50, No.97 to No.47)
Sorana Cirstea (+48, No.86 to No.38)
Marta Kostyuk (+48, No.98 to No.50)
Daria Kasatkina (+45, No.71 to No.26)
Jessica Pegula (+44, No.62 to No.18)
Jasmine Paolini (+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, No.115 Panna Udvardy, No.116 Viktoriya Tomova, No.117 Kamilla Rakhimova, No.120 Harriet Dart, No.122 Dalma Galfi, No.123 Chloe Paquet, No.127 Renata Zarazua, 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, No.183 Daria Snigur, No.209 Irene Burillo 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 (CAN)
47. Ann Li (USA)
79. Varvara Gracheva (RUS)
94. Claire Liu (USA)
97. Dayana Yastremska (UKR)
98. Kaja Juvan (SLO)
151. Francesca Jones (GBR)
163. Leonie Kung (SUI)
187. Yuliya Hatouka (BLR)
188. Katarina Zavatska (UKR)
2001
9. Iga Swiatek (POL)
55. Camila Osorio (COL)
69. Anastasia Potapova (RUS)
77. Clara Burel (FRA)
78. Amanda Anisimova (USA)
99. Wang Xinyu (CHN)
117. Kamilla Rakhimova (RUS)
128. Wang Xiyu (CHN)
131. Olga Danilovic (SRB)
139. Caty McNally (USA)
2002
19. Emma Raducanu (GBR)
24. Leylah Fernandez (CAN)
44. Clara Tauson (DEN)
50. Marta Kostyuk (UKR)
141. Diane Parry (FRA)
143. Zheng Qinwen (CHN)
183. Daria Snigur (UKR)
198. Anastasia Zakharova (RUS)
230. Olivia Gadecki (AUS)
247. Whitney Osuigwe (USA)
2003
226. Oksana Selekhmeteva (RUS)
294. Nastasja Schunk (GER)
314. Elsa Jacquemot (FRA)
350. Antonia Ruzic (CRO)
404. Elvina Kalieva (USA)
414. Maria Timofeeva (RUS)
428. Ane Mintegi Del Olmo (ESP)
431. Daria Lopatetska (UKR)
490. Maria Bondarenko (RUS)
505. Lisa Pigato (ITA)
2004
22. Coco Gauff (USA)
317. Linda Noskova (CZE)
368. Erika Andreeva (RUS)
371. Robin Montgomery (USA)
385. Katrina Scott (USA)
436. Matilda Mutavdzic (GBR)
536. Ashlyn Krueger (USA)
589. Anastasiya Soboleva (UKR)
595. Reese Brantmeier (USA)
741. Dominika Salkova (CZE)
2005
296. Linda Fruhvirtova (CZE)
373. Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva (AND)
529. Alexandra Eala (PHI)
696. Isabella Kruger (RSA)
905. Petra Marcinko (CRO)
984. Celine Naef (SUI)
1146. Briana Szabo (ROU)
1150. Sofia Costoulas (BEL)
1167. Lucie Havlickova (CZE)
1179. Aya El Aouni (MAR)
2006
380. Sara Bejlek (CZE)
784. Nikola Bartunkova (CZE)
