Serena Shares The Record For The Longest Run As The Top-ranked Female Player

On July 8, 2002, Serena Williams attained the top spot for the first time. Serena was the top-ranked player in 2014 at the start and conclusion of the year. She subsequently made history by being the first player to do it since Steffi Graf in 1996. For the second year in a row, Williams remained at the top of the rankings for the entire 2015 season. Serena now has the second-longest streak in WTA history, trailing only Steffi Graf's 186 matches, after surpassing Navratilova's previous record of 156 in February 2016.

Williams's 186th straight week at No. 1 on September 5, 2016, matched Graf's record for the longest streak in WTA history. After that, though, she dropped to No. 1, breaking her streak with a tied record. Between 2002 and 2017, Serena achieved the top singles ranking eight times. She has been No. 1 for 319 weeks in total, second only to Graf and Navratilova among women in the Open Era. While Navratilova has held the rank for 332 weeks, Graf has held it for 377 weeks.