70 and counting: Aryna Sabalenka achieves milestone as world number one while breaking into top five for longest stints at the top

Aryna Sabalenka is sitting comfortably at the top of the WTA rankings, enjoying her position perched on top in the off-season. With time away from the court, her week tally as number one as been piling up. This has seen her reached an astonishing 70 weeks, a number that only 11 other WTA players have achieved.

The Belarusian comes off what was a tremendous campaign filled with lots of anguish and frustration. She made three Grand Slam finals and was hotly tipped for the Wimbledon crown, but only walked away with the US Open title, defending it from her triumph in 2024. She lost to Madison Keys in the Australian Open while Coco Gauff prevented her of success in the French Open. Her misery was compounded at the end of the season. After reaching her second WTA Finals final, she was defeated in straight sets by a rampant Elena Rybakina. The points earned from this did extend her advantage at the top with her closest rivals Iga Swiatek and Gauff faltering in the group phase.

She leads the way in the rankings with 10,870 points. Swiatek sits in second with 8,395 ranking points to her name. That is a huge 2,475 points behind her rival. A brace of Americans in the form of Gauff (6,763) and Amanda Anisimova (6,287) follow with Rybakina (5,850) still far behind despite her success in Riyadh.

While 70 weeks is a very large space of time, she has still got a long way to go to catch up with the leading pack. Steffi Graf is head and shoulders above everyone else. In total, she was number one for an astonishing 377 weeks. The 22-time Grand Slam champion's record will not be surpassed for a very long time, if not ever.

The other two players to make it into the 300's are Martina Navratilova (332) and Serena Willaims (319). Chris Evert (260), Martina Hingis (209) and Monica Seles (178) are ahead of the Swiatek, the only other active player aside from Sabalenka. The six-time Grand Slam champion spent 75 consecutive weeks on top from April 2022 right up till September 2023, when an early exit in the US Open allowed Sabalenka to have her first taste as number one. This did not last long as Swiatek's triumph in the WTA Finals saw her once again climb above her, staying there for 50 weeks until October 2024 when Sabalenka took the reigns.

Ashleigh Barty (121), Justine Henin (117), Lindsay Davenport (98) and Caroline Wozniacki (71) all look down on Sabalenka, for now.

Since 2000, only four players have enjoyed a longer stint as world number one than Sabalenka. The four-time Grand Slam winner is fifth in this standing. While her first gig at the top only lasted eight weeks, the second and current one has been in play for 62 weeks.

At the forefront of the list, there is no surprise that Williams is heading the field. Her dominance between 2013 and 2016 saw her sit as number one for an incredible 186 consecutive weeks. Her closest challenger comes in the form of Barty, who was first for 114 weeks. This could, and should have lasted a lot longer if it was not for her abrupt retirement from the sport after being crowned as Australian Open champion.

For Sabalenka, third place is a realistic opportunity short term. Only Swiatek (75) and Hingis (73) are ahead of her. With an unassailable lead at the top, it could be a while before someone knocks the Belarusian off the top spot if she continues in her imperious form.

2026 is a huge year for Sabalenka, who will look to continue stamping her authority on tour. She begins by competing in the Brisbane International alongside a stacked field from January 5-11. Following this is the chance to regain the Australian Open title, commencing from January 18 - February 1.