No Turning Back: Sabalenka Clocks 70 Weeks at No.1, Chasing the All-Time Greats

Sabalenka's 70-Week Milestone

One of the biggest advantages of finishing the year at No. 1 is the ability to rack up weeks at the top during the season's pause, and that's exactly what Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka is doing now; this week she marked a historic milestone by ascending to world No. 1 for the 70th time, becoming the 12th player in history to reach that figure since the ranking system began in November 1975.

Historical Context

Sabalenka, born in 1998, is the second player born in 1998 or later to reach seventy weeks atop the rankings, after Iga Swiatek, born in 2001.

With this achievement, Sabalenka puts her name among the game’s legends who have crossed this barrier, a list led by Steffi Graf with 377 weeks, followed by Martina Navratilova (332), Serena Williams (319), Chris Evert (260), and Monica Seles (178).

It also includes Swiatek (125), Ashley Barty (121), Justine Henin (117), Lindsay Davenport (98), along with Caroline Wozniacki, who currently sits one week ahead of Sabalenka, at 71 weeks.

Sabalenka's 70 weeks at the helm span two spells; the first lasted eight weeks in late 2023. The current run, which began on October 21, 2024, has now reached week 62, surpassing Henin's 61-week streak from 2007-2008, and making Sabalenka's current stretch the fifth-longest consecutive weeks at No. 1 in the 21st century (since 2000).

Across the century's longest streaks, Serena Williams leads with 186 weeks, followed by Ashley Barty (114), Swiatek (75), Hingis (73), with Sabalenka right behind them on 62 weeks. With a comfortable margin of nearly 2,500 ranking points over her closest challenger, Sabalenka is expected to push the record further in the months to come.

And they say patience is a virtue—Sabalenka's calendar now reads No. 1, No. 1, No. 1, and a few more zeros for good measure. Humor aside, the climb continues, and the giant scoreboard remains lit in her favor.

Punchline 1: If she keeps this up, historians will have to invent a new word for dominance—Sabalenka-nomenon.

Punchline 2: With this many No. 1 weeks, even the trophy shelf deserves overtime.