The 16 WTA year-end world No 1’s: ft Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Serena Williams

It’s official: Aryna Sabalenka will finish 2024 as the WTA year-end No 1.

This achievement caps off a hugely successful year for Sabalenka, who has won two Grand Slam titles and cemented her place as a great of the sport in recent months.

The 26-year-old is the 16th woman to finish a season as the year-end No 1; here, we take a look at all of them.

Chris Evert: 1975-77, 1980-81

The first world No 1 in WTA history, 18-time major champion Evert was also the first woman to be a year-end No 1 – a feat she achieved on five occasions.

Evert finished 1975 – the first year of the WTA Rankings – as the world No 1, and was still top of the rankings by the end of 1976 and 1977.

After being usurped by key rival Martina Navratilova for two years, Evert returned to finish both 1980 and 1981 as the best player in the world.

Martina Navratilova: 1978-79, 1982-86

Only one woman can top Navratilova’s haul of seven year-end No 1 finishes, with the 18-time Grand Slam winner dominant across the late 1970s and mid-1980s.

The American first rose to No 1 in 1978 and finished that year atop the rankings, also finishing 1979 as the world No 1.

Navratilova then went on an unprecedented run of five straight seasons sealing the year-end No 1 position, claiming that mantle every year from 1982 to 1986.

Steffi Graf: 1987-90, 1993-96

Graf holds the record for most year-end No 1 finishes of any woman, achieving that feat eight times across a span of 10 seasons.