Aryna Sabalenka reaches 70 career weeks at No. 1 on WTA rankings

Like we mentioned last week with Carlos Alcaraz, one of the benefits of finishing the year at No. 1 is piling on the weeks at the top spot throughout the off-season.

That’s exactly what Aryna Sabalenka is doing right now—and this week she hits a milestone, becoming just the 12th player to reach 70 career weeks at No. 1 in WTA rankings history, which dates back to November 1975.

Sabalenka, who was born in 1998, is just the second woman born in 1998 or later—or even 1997 or later—to hit that number, after Iga Swiatek, who was born in 2001.

PLAYERS TO REACH 70+ CAREER WEEKS AS WTA NO. 1:

• 377: Steffi Graf
• 332: Martina Navratilova
• 319: Serena Williams
• 260: Chris Evert
• 209: Martina Hingis
• 178: Monica Seles
• 125: Iga Swiatek
• 121: Ashleigh Barty
• 117: Justine Henin
• 98: Lindsay Davenport
• 71: Caroline Wozniacki
• 70: Aryna Sabalenka

And there’s more.

Sabalenka’s 70 career weeks at No. 1 have come in two separate stints. The first one of those lasted just eight weeks, from September 11 to November 5, 2023.

But her current one, which began on October 21, 2024, is now up to 62 weeks—which passes Justine Henin’s 61 consecutive weeks between 2007 and 2008 for the fifth-longest stint at No. 1 on the WTA rankings this century.

TOP 10 LONGEST STINTS AT WTA NO. 1 THIS CENTURY (since 2000):

• 186 weeks: Serena Williams [2013-2016]
• 114 weeks: Ashleigh Barty [2019-2022]
• 75 weeks: Iga Swiatek [2022-2023]
• 73 weeks: Martina Hingis [2000-2001]
• 62 weeks: Aryna Sabalenka [2024-2025]
• 61 weeks: Justine Henin [2007-2008]
• 57 weeks: Serena Williams [2002-2003]
• 50 weeks: Iga Swiatek [2023-2024]
• 49 weeks: Serena Williams [2009-2010]
• 49 weeks: Caroline Wozniacki [2011-2012]

With a lead of almost 2,500 ranking points over the rest of the field at the moment, watch for Sabalenka to keep piling on the weeks at No. 1 in the weeks to come...