Our complete guide to the best tennis players in the world from the women’s game in 2023.
What is the current state of the WTA Tour? We’ve said poignant and early goodbyes to legends of the game in Serena Williams and Ash Barty, we’ve seen teenagers achieve the impossible, and we’ve seen the top ten rankings fluctuate more than ever.
The short answer to the initial question: it’s doing great.
Despite many flagging the lack of an obvious rivalry for fans to sink their teeth into, the women’s game is bristling with super talented, big hitting, highlight reel-making stars, with personalities to match, but who is the best out there?
We’ve considered a variety of factors to determine the top players in the world right now, weighing up form, consistency, titles and more to make our final judgements.
There are at least 20 active players who have a right to stake a claim, but we’ve whittled it down to the cream of the crop.
RadioTimes.com brings you the best tennis players in the world currently playing on the women’s tour, based on their form, recent success and overall talent.
10. Belinda Bencic
A recognisable name for both part-time and full-time fans, the most hardcore of whom will know a fully fit Bencic is a safe pair of hands on the WTA Tour.
The former World No.4 has impressed in almost every event at one time or another aside from the majors since bursting onto the scene at just 17.
With eight titles to her name, Bencic has only reached the final four of a Slam once (US Open 2019) but with time on her side at the age of 26, the Swiss possesses more than enough prowess to push for tennis’s biggest prizes.
9. Petra Kvitova
A stalwart of the sport, it’s impossible not to root for the two-time Wimbledon champion at virtually every turn. With tour titles across three decades, Kvitova has overcome numerous obstacles to continually put herself in the mix, including returning from a horrific injury to her playing hand following a knife attack in 2016.
Her post-injury return has been incredible to watch, winning five titles during her ‘comeback season’ and coming within inches of climbing all the way to No.1 in 2019. She missed out on the top spot and her third Grand Slam title after an epic tilt with Naomi Osaka Down Under. The Czech’s ruthless and aggressive shot-making still puts her in a position to challenge for titles.
8. Caroline Garcia
Like Bencic, Garcia looked destined to make a quick and easy ascent up the rankings from an early age.
However, years of hot and cold form, fuelled by the distress of not being able to do what she wanted to on the court (Garcia has spoken openly about how mental health has had a huge impact on her career) led many to wonder if a sustained career at the top of the singles chart was to be.
Powered by her offensive game from the baseline, Garcia made the leap in 2022, jumping from No.74 to No.4 in the world, claiming the WTA World Tour Finals trophy along the way. Next up, a Grand Slam?
7. Coco Gauff
A prodigy who barely needs an introduction. Anointed the heir apparent to Serena Williams after going long into Wimbledon and the US Open at the age of just 15, Coco has slowly but surely built a solid foundation of consistent performances and results.
She has improved every year since her debut with a game for all surfaces and a mental resilience most require years to build. It’s not hard to see why many believe greatness is on the horizon. Already able to balance her steady rise in singles with becoming world No.1 in doubles, Coco is here to stay.
6. Barbora Krejčíková
A name unfamiliar to some, but one that could easily make a case for a higher placing on the list. A problem for anyone at the other end of the court since her seemingly out-of-nowhere triumph at the French Open in 2021, Krejčíková has transferred her hall-of-fame level doubles skills to the singles court, reaching as high as No.2 in the world.
Her ability to unsettle the rhythm of some of the best ball strikers on tour makes her a threat at any tournament, and with a maiden WTA 1000 title in her back pocket while becoming the first woman to beat the World No.1, No.2 and No.3 in consecutive days, the Czech star is primed for more majors.
5. Jessica Pegula
Comfortably the busiest player on the WTA Tour and arguably the most consistent. It took Pegula more than a decade to even break into the world’s top 100 but the last three years have seen one of tennis’s great personalities hit the business end of big events time and time again.
With no excessive force to throw down, the 29-year-old dispatches opponents with quick, clean hitting and razor-sharp accuracy – skills that have seen her cement a place in the world’s top three with a slew of fantastic results at major and WTA 1000 level, along with taking the doubles world by storm with Gauff.
Pegula will look to reverse a 0-5 record in Grand Slam quarter-finals going forward but there’s little doubt her time is coming.
4. Ons Jabeur
Self-appointed ‘Minister of Happiness’ Jabeur, like Pegula, has been a fan favourite for several years. Able to cut a ball out of the air at the drop of a hat, Ons possesses the deadliest drop-shot in the men’s and women’s games. Her unique ability to send opponents into a spin has seen her create tennis history like no other.
She is the highest-ranking African and Arab player in history, the first Muslim and Arab player to reach a Grand Slam final and the first African player to win a WTA 1000 title. The celebrations if – or when – the word ‘champion’ follows Grand Slam as opposed to ‘finalist’ will be heard all over the world, and rightly so.
3. Elena Rybakina
The reigning Wimbledon champion looks set to be a mainstay at the top of the women’s game for years to come. A perennial ace leader on the tour, a thunderous serve is not all the Kazakh possesses, and with an ability to sling winners off both sides, opponents can simply be blown away.
She opened 2023 as an Australian Open finalist and Indian Wells champion, proving the 23-year-old is showing no sign of slowing down.
2. Aryna Sabalenka
The victor in this year’s pulsating Australian Open final, Sabalenka, utilises a very similar ‘risk it all’ strategy to Rybakina. Fierce off both sides of the racquet, the Belarusian leaves little guarded when out on court, dragging everyone through the highs and lows.
She is such a risk-taking shot-maker that you could feel the relief when the Grand Slam-sized hurdle was cleared in January. With one major in the bank, it’s scary to think what a relaxed Sabalenka could do next. One thing is for certain, having been to No.2 before, the powerful, newly-minted champ has eyes for the World No.1 spot.
1. Iga Świątek
After announcing herself as a major force by unexpectedly steam-rolling her way to the 2020 French Open without dropping a set, becoming the lowest ranked WTA player in history to take the title, her journey has been littered with trophies.
She has filled the void left by Ash Barty with aplomb. The current holder of the French Open and US Open titles went 37 matches unbeaten in 2022, a 21st century record, and with three Grand Slams in the bag already, it’s up to the rest of the field to reel Iga in.
Not long ago, more ranking points separated Swiatek and the World No.2 than separated World No.2 and No.50.
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