Best female tennis players in the world 2024
Our complete guide to the best tennis players in the world from the women's game in 2024.
Simon Cambers is co-author of The Roger Federer Effect. You can find him on X.
Aryna Sabalenka won the first Grand Slam event of the year at the Australian Open – just as she did in 2023 – but it’s Iga Świątek who is still sitting pretty at the top of the WTA rankings as we enter the spring.
The Pole has been the most consistent player since Ashleigh Barty’s retirement in early 2022, but the likes of Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina are snapping at her heels, all of them keen to steal top spot.
There are likely to be plenty of changes in the top four in the coming months, but here’s a list of the 10 best players in the world right now, taking into account form, fitness, reputation and history.
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.
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10. Qinwen Zheng
Zheng became the first woman from her country to make a Grand Slam final since Li Na a decade ago when she was runner-up at the Australian Open in January. Blisteringly fast around the court, she has a funky-looking serve which delivers more aces than anyone on Tour and a steely nerve that enables her to get the job done. Likely to find herself in more finals soon.
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9. Jessica Pegula
Pegula is an ultra-consistent American who has cast off the shadow of her parents, the owners of the Buffalo Bills NFL team, to firmly establish herself in the world’s top 10. A gutsy baseliner and one of the smartest players, on and off the court, she was runner-up in the season-ending WTA Finals in 2023 - but has yet to get past the quarters of a Grand Slam event in six attempts so far.
8. Elina Svitolina
There was not a dry eye in the house at Wimbledon last year when Svitolina, returning from the birth of her first child, reached the semi-finals. The Ukrainian says she is on a mission to play for her country as it continues to fight against its invasion by Russia, and she’s already showing why she was ranked No 3 in the past.
7. Jeļena Ostapenko
It’s seven years now since Jeļena Ostapenko caused a huge shock when she won the French Open. Since then, she’s flattered to deceive at times, capable of incredible highs but also some deep lows. Mentored by former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli, in the past 12 months she’s found the consistency to go with her power to return to the top 10. Still only 26, she is always dangerous.
6. Markéta Vondroušová
A French Open finalist at 19, the left-handed Czech had drifted into the wilderness - but snapped out of it in a big way when she won Wimbledon last summer. A fine mover with a brilliant drop shot, she can be unstoppable when she’s on song, and inconsistency is the only thing holding her back from going higher, so far.
5. Ons Jabeur
The runner-up at Wimbledon in each of the past two years, Jabeur continues to blaze a trail for African and Arab tennis with her wonderful brand of tennis. Nicknamed Tunisia’s "Minister of Happiness", she mixes power with the deftest of drop shots, attributes which have taken her to three slam finals in all. A knee injury checked her progress in late 2023 - but when fit, she’s a live threat for every title.
4. Elena Rybakina
Few people knew much about Rybakina before she came out of relative obscurity to win the Wimbledon title in 2022. But the Russian-born Kazakh has proven since that she belongs at the top, reaching another slam final and generally impressing wherever she goes. Her huge serve makes her a danger on every surface, and she possesses an unflappable temperament. Likely to be in the mix again for all the big titles.
3. Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff came of age at the US Open in 2023 when she battled her way to a first Grand Slam title at just 19 years old. Long tipped for the top, the American has made continual progress, adding coaching legend Brad Gilbert to her team to immediate effect as she won in New York. One of the best athletes on Tour, Gauff began 2024 by making the semis in Australia and is improving every year. A threat everywhere.
2. Aryna Sabalenka
There are few more awesome sights in tennis than Sabalenka thumping the ball from the baseline. What’s even more impressive is how the Belarusian has become one of the strongest players mentally, just a couple of years after serving yips left her distraught. She won her second successive Australian Open title in January, has made at least the semi-finals in each of her past six slams and is happy on every surface.
1. Iga Świątek
Świątek has been the best player in the world for two years now, taking over the mantle of No. 1 from Australia’s Ashleigh Barty, whose sudden retirement left a void at the top that Świątek was happy to fill. Still only 22, she’s at her best on clay – three of her four Grand Slam titles have come at the French Open – but she’s constantly looking for improvements, building her game. Expect her to finish the year on top again.
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