Who is the best WTA Tour player of the 21st Century?
It is a debate that will likely continue to evolve over the next 70+ years, but with a quarter of the century done, and following recent comments by Rick Macci, it has once again gained significant traction.
Here, tackle the subject head on – by ranking our 10 best WTA Tour players of the century, which we are taking as 2000 onwards.
We are only factoring achievements completed since the start of the 2000 season, looking at a variety of factors.
Grand Slam success is a significant factor, though we also include other factors including overall titles, ranking, the strength and depth of a player’s era, and overall impact.
10) Jennifer Capriati
Capriati retired aged just 28 in 2004, though her greatest successes came following a stunning career resurgence at the turn of the millennium.
She lifted her first Grand Slam title at the 2001 Australian Open, and then became one of the few players to win their next major straight away, triumphing at Roland Garros that spring.
Capriati collected her major collection with a successful title defence at the 2002 Australian Open, though she consistently went deep in Slams across her career – also spending 17 weeks at No 1.
9) Victoria Azarenka
Azarenka’s career has ebbed and flowed, though the Belarusian was undoubtedly a dominant force at the peak of her powers in the early 2010s.
Back-to-back Australian Open titles in 2012 and 2013 cement her legacy, though she is also a three-time US Open finalist and a former semi-finalist at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
She also spent an impressive 51 weeks at No 1 across 2012 and 2013 and has won 21 WTA Tour singles titles, including 10 at WTA 1000 level.
8) Naomi Osaka
One of the hardest-to-read careers in tennis, Osaka has won seven WTA Tour titles in her career so far – comparatively fewer than others both on and off this list.
However, the Japanese has done something few others have been able to achieve: win a Grand Slam singles title in four consecutive seasons.
Osaka’s 2018 and 2020 US Open titles were followed by respective Australian Open crowns in 2019 and 2021, with the modern-day icon spending 25 weeks as the world No 1.
7) Aryna Sabalenka
After struggling to break through at Grand Slams in the early part of her career, current world No 1 Sabalenka has now become one of the most consistent high-level players of recent times.
The Belarusian won back-to-back Australian Open titles in 2023 and 2024, and the 2024 US Open, alongside further runner-up finishes in Melbourne, New York, and at Roland Garros.
Also a three-time Wimbledon semi-finalist, Sabalenka is approaching 50 weeks at world No 1 and has won 20 WTA Tour singles titles overall, including nine at WTA 1000 level.
6) Kim Clijsters
After losing her first four Grand Slam finals, Clijsters finally ended her major duck at the 2005 US Open – the first of four major titles for perhaps the most popular player of her generation.
Clijsters returned from retirement, and becoming a mother, to win the US Open again in 2009 and 2010, before her triumph at the 2011 Australian Open.
Also a two-time French Open runner-up, the Belgian spent 20 weeks at No 1 and won 40 of her 41 titles post-2000, including seven WTA 1000 wins and three WTA Finals triumphs.
5) Iga Swiatek
Conclusively the most accomplished player of her generation so far, Swiatek is now a six-time Grand Slam champion, and one of only eight women in history to complete the ‘Surface Slam’.
The Pole is a perfect 6-0 in Grand Slam finals to date, with her four Roland Garros triumphs (2020, 2022-24) accompanied by victories at the 2022 US Open and Wimbledon in 2025.
Swiatek’s most impressive achievement may be her 125 weeks as the world No 1, though she has also won 10 WTA 1000 titles – and her 37-match win streak in 2022 is the longest of any woman this century.
4) Maria Sharapova
The end of Sharapova’s career was marred by her 2016 doping scandal, though the five-time Grand Slam champion remains the last female player (for now) to have completed the Career Grand Slam.
Sharapova’s 2012 and 2014 French Open triumphs followed early triumphs at Wimbledon, the US Open, and Australian Open, with a further five Grand Slam finals to her name.
The former world No 1 spent 21 weeks atop the WTA Rankings in her career and won an impressive 36 tour titles, including 14 triumphs at WTA 1000 level.
3) Justine Henin
In an era of some of the games’ biggest hitters, Henin defied the odds to become one of the leading players of her era – and arguably one of the greatest of all time.
The Belgian spent 117 weeks as the world No 1 and won seven Grand Slam singles titles, including French Open triumphs in 2003 and 2005-07, and US Open titles in 2003 and 2007.
Also an Australian Open champion and a two-time Wimbledon runner-up, Henin won 42 of her 43 WTA Tour titles post-2000, the bulk of her achievements coming before her sudden first retirement in 2008.
2) Venus Williams
A memorable return to action in 2025 was only a reminder of Venus’ greatness, with the American one of the most impactful players in tennis history.
Venus won a staggering five Wimbledon titles during the 2000s but was also a two-time US Open champion, with nine runner-up finishes across all four majors to her name.
In one of the most competitive eras of the sport, she spent 11 weeks as the world No 1 and won 40 of her 49 WTA Tour singles titles post-2000, including an Olympic triumph in Sydney.
Venus could have perhaps won even more, had it not been for our No 1…
1) Serena Williams
Without a shadow of a doubt, no one comes close to rivalling Serena’s achievements since the start of the 21st century.
The American won 22 of her 23 Grand Slam titles following the turn of the century, including multiple titles at all four Grand Slams.
However, Serena also twice held all four Grand Slam titles simultaneously, and reigned as the world No 1 for a staggering 319 weeks atop the WTA Rankings.
During her career, she has lifted a staggering 68 WTA Tour titles since 2000, and has undoubtedly been the dominant player of the century so far.
Honourable mentions
Simona Halep: The Romanian triumphed at the 2018 French Open and 2019 Wimbledon, spending 64 weeks as the world No 1.
Amelie Mauresmo: The only Frenchwoman to reach singles world No 1, Mauresmo spent 39 weeks at the top and won both the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2006.
Ashleigh Barty: A champion at three of the four Grand Slam tournaments, Barty spent 121 weeks as world No 1 and won 15 WTA Tour singles titles.
Angelique Kerber: An Australian Open, US Open, and Wimbledon champion, Kerber battled through an array of big hitters to spend 34 weeks as world No 1.
Petra Kvitova: One of the best players to never reach world No 1, former No 2 Kvitova won an impressive 31 WTA Tour titles – including two Wimbledon crowns
