The WTA Finals is one of the most keenly anticipated events in women’s tennis, second only to the four Grand Slams. Only players who occupy the highest positions in the WTA rankings are invited to participate, so the tournament serves to determine the season’s overall WTA champion.
A total of eight singles competitors and eight doubles teams make up the field, with a small group of ‘alternates’ on standby to replace any injured candidate(s). The top seven-ranked singles/doubles teams automatically qualify, with the eighth spot reserved for Grand Slam winners who occupy any position between eighth and 20th on the WTA leaderboard. If each of the four Grand Slam titles is held by players within the top seven, the eighth-ranked individual/team will assume the final qualification berth.
The WTA Finals – originally named the Virginia Slims Championships – were established in 1972, with the inaugural edition being hosted at the Boca Raton Hotel in Florida. It later moved to the Los Angeles Sports Arena and then eastwards to New York’s Madison Square Garden in 1977, where it remained for over two decades. Having never previously been staged outside of the USA, the championships arrived in Munich in 2001 before subsequently visiting various cities around the world. Current hosts Riyadh will also deliver the 2026 WTA Finals, having welcomed the world’s best female tennis players to the King Saud University Indoor Arena in each of the previous two years.
Let’s dive further into the history of this event...
Records – Martina Navratilova
Having amassed 21 WTA Finals titles throughout her legendary career, Martina Navratilova is the tournament’s most decorated player by some distance. The American secured eight singles crowns across a sensational eight-year period, but bettered this achievement by registering an eye-watering thirteen doubles triumphs between 1977 and 1991. In addition to her many WTA Finals accolades, Navratilova has won singles and doubles events at all four Grand Slams on multiple occasions. Therefore, she is arguably the greatest female tennis player in history.
Three years after losing to Chris Evert in the 1975 showpiece, the Prague-born icon lifted her first WTA Finals title thanks to her straight-sets victory over Australian hero Evonne Goolagong Cawley. Further triumphs landed in 1979 and 1981, as Navratilova gradually built her hegemony within the women’s game. She then won the competition on five consecutive occasions during the mid-1980s, gaining vengeance over Evert at the beginning of this sequence by beating her American compatriot in back-to-back finals. Navratilova also achieved the rare feat of earning two singles crowns in the same year, which occurred due to the WTA Finals being permanently shifted from March to November. This enabled the competition to align itself with the newly adjusted tennis calendar, but also resulted in the event being played twice in 1986.
The Hall of Famer claimed her first WTA Finals doubles title in 1977 while partnering Dutch star Betty Stöve, with the talented duo combining to defeat Françoise Dürr and Virginia Wade in the showpiece. Navratilova secured six consecutive crowns at Madison Square Garden during the peak of her powers, before winning four more times in quick succession during the latter stages of the 1980s. In fact, all 13 of her doubles titles came during a remarkable 14-year period, scooping the top prize in all but three editions of the competition between 1977 and 1991. However, given that she didn’t attend the 1979 WTA Finals and was forced to withdraw in 1990 due to requiring knee surgery, Navratilova only suffered one elimination throughout this timeframe, a semi-final defeat to eventual champions Hana Mandlíková and Wendy Turnbull.
A colossal ten of her doubles triumphs came while competing alongside Pam Shriver, who also supported her in landing a vast quantity of Grand Slam titles. The nine-time Wimbledon singles champion also won two doubles finals with fellow legend Billie Jean King. Furthermore, she has won five double crowns, the term given to refer to a player winning both singles and doubles events in the same year (achieving this in 1978, three consecutive times between 1983 and 1985, and also in November 1986). Only two other women possess this honour, with Jana Novotná delivering a clean sweep in 1997 before Swiss supremo Martina Hingis repeated the feat three years later.
In addition to being the by far the tournament’s most successful player, Martina Navratilova also holds the following other records:
Most singles matches won: 60
The next closest competitor is Chris Evert, who triumphed on 34 occasions before retiring in 1989.
Most editions played: 21
The next closest competitors are Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, who all attended the tournament on 13 occasions.
Participated in the longest doubles match in WTA Finals history (by volume of games won): Martina Navratilova/Pam Shriver vs. Claudia Kohde-Kilsch/Helena Suková (Final, 1985). Martina Navratilova/Pam Shriver won 6-7, 6-4, 7-6 = 36 matches played, with tiebreakers in the first and third sets.
Given the sheer scale of her contribution, organisers decided to rename the tournament’s double trophy in her honour ahead of the 2014 WTA Finals.
The next best...
Although it’s highly unlikely anyone will ever replicate Martina Navratilova’s unprecedented level of success, several players have lifted multiple WTA Finals titles. Steffi Graf and Serena Williams have both won the singles event on five separate occasions, while Billie Jean King and Lisa Raymond – who are both four-time champions – settle for joint-third place behind Pam Shriver in the doubles division. Shriver was on the same team as Navratilova when she won all ten of her titles.
After becoming the last opponent to be beaten by Navratilova in a Virginia Slims singles final, Steffi Graf returned to Madison Square Garden the following year to commence an impressive period of dominance. The aggressive baseliner secured WTA Finals titles in 1987, 1989 (avenging her earlier loss to Navratilova in the showpiece), 1993, 1995, and 1996.
Shortly after Graf’s reign ended, Serena Williams earned the first of her five singles crowns after Lindsay Davenport withdrew from the 2001 final due to an ankle issue. Having finished as runner-up twice in the three years that followed, Williams reclaimed her title in 2009 by defeating her sister (and defending champion) Venus in two sets.
Billie Jean King had already won 10 of her 12 Grand Slam singles titles before achieving her first doubles success at the WTA Finals, which came in 1974. Another three triumphs followed in the subsequent six years, as she developed formidable partnerships with Betty Stöve and Martina Navratilova after her initial affiliation with Rosemary Casals.
Other records and achievements
The following section contains information about the youngest and oldest players to win the competition’s singles and doubles events, and also highlights the countries that have produced the most WTA Finals champions.
Youngest Singles Champion
Having delivered the first of her three WTA Finals titles at the age of 16 years and 11 months, Monica Seles remains the tournament’s youngest-ever champion. In 1990, the gifted Yugoslavian overcame fellow prodigy Gabriela Sabatini – who had just won the U.S. Open two months prior – in an epic duel. The first five-set final in the women’s game for almost a century saw Seles and Sabatini battle it out for 3 hours and 47 minutes, making it the longest match in WTA Finals history.
Oldest Singles Champion
Serena Williams became the tournament’s oldest singles champion on her last-ever appearance at the WTA Finals. The former world number one swept aside Romanian Simona Halep in the 2014 showpiece, having celebrated her 33rd birthday a month earlier.
Youngest Doubles Champion
Despite never quite managing to fulfil her immense potential, Anna Kournikova is still the youngest player to earn a WTA Finals doubles crown. At the modest age of 18 years and 5 months, the Russian superstar conspired with fellow teenager Martina Hingis to secure the 1999 title as top seeds.
Oldest Doubles Champion
Although one would be forgiven for assuming Martina Navratilova would be the oldest doubles champion following her 1991 success, this honour is awarded to Vera Zvonareva. The Olympic bronze medallist turned 40 years old within ten months of winning the WTA Finals alongside Laura Siegemund, another one of the tour’s most experienced campaigners. At a combined age of 74 years, Zvonareva and Siegemund put Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez to the sword in the tournament’s 2023 final.
Most successful countries
Largely thanks to the aforementioned exploits of serial winner Martina Navratilova, the U.S. has enjoyed more success at the WTA Finals than any other country. The tournament was particularly dominated by Americans throughout its early years, with the likes of Navratilova (who incidentally made her first two WTA Finals appearances as a Czech citizen), Chris Evert, and Billie Jean King delivering a succession of titles. Pam Shriver helped to extend this dominant spell, before Serena Williams and Lisa Raymond picked up the mantle at the turn of the millennium.
The U.S. has produced seven different WTA Finals singles champions, with two of these players – Navratilova and Davenport – having also won the doubles segment. A further nine Americans possess doubles titles, although no players have been added to this list following Liezel Huber’s inclusion way back in 2011. In total, U.S. representatives have either won or been part of a winning team on 52 occasions throughout the tournament’s 52-year history – an average of one triumph per annum.
Stefi Graf delivered five of the six singles titles that can be attributed to Germany, although she won her first two crowns under the banner of predecessor state West Germany. The country’s only other champion is Bavarian competitor Sylvia Hanika, who emerged victorious at the 1982 WTA Finals. Bilzen-born duo Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin have lifted five titles between them, ensuring Belgium’s status as the third-most successful country in the singles division.
Australia is technically the nearest challenger to America’s hegemony, having accumulated three singles and seven doubles titles. However, the Aussies haven’t produced a doubles winner since 2006, when Samantha Stosur – with the help of American teammate Lisa Raymond – successfully defended her crown. Ironically, their victory prevented Sydney-born Rennae Stubbs from becoming a WTA Finals champion for the second time.
Although Coco Gauff’s singles triumph was the latest of a long list of American success stories, last year’s doubles segment witnessed two new countries join the winners' enclosure. Flying the flag for Canada and New Zealand respectively, Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe got their hands on the Martina Navratilova trophy in Riyadh.
List of past winners – Singles
2024: Coco Gauff (USA)
2023: Iga Świątek (Poland)
2022: Caroline Garcia (France)
2021: Garbiñe Muguruza (Spain)
2020: Tournament cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2019: Ashleigh Barty (Australia)
2018: Elina Svitolina (Ukraine)
2017: Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark)
2016: Dominika Cibulková (Slovakia)
2015: Agnieszka Radwańska (Poland)
2014: Serena Williams (USA)
2013: Serena Williams (USA)
2012: Serena Williams (USA)
2011: Petra Kvitová (Czech Republic)
2010: Kim Clijsters (Belgium)
2009: Serena Williams (USA)
2008: Venus Williams (USA)
2007: Justine Henin (Belgium)
2006: Justine Henin (Belgium)
2005: Amélie Mauresmo (France)
2004: Maria Sharapova (Russia)
2003: Kim Clijsters (Belgium)
2002: Kim Clijsters (Belgium)
2001: Serena Williams (USA)
2000: Martina Hingis (Switzerland)
1999: Lindsay Davenport (USA)
1998: Martina Hingis (Switzerland)
1997: Jana Novotná (Czech Republic)
1996: Steffi Graf (Germany)
1995: Steffi Graf (Germany)
1994: Gabriela Sabatini (Argentina)
1993: Steffi Graf (Germany)
1992: Monica Seles (Serbia and Montenegro)
1991: Monica Seles (Yugoslavia)
1990: Monica Seles (Yugoslavia)
1989: Steffi Graf (West Germany)
1988: Gabriela Sabatini (Argentina)
1987: Steffi Graf (West Germany)
1986 (November): Martina Navratilova (USA)
1986 (March): Martina Navratilova (USA)
1985: Martina Navratilova (USA)
1984: Martina Navratilova (USA)
1983: Martina Navratilova (USA)
1982: Sylvia Hanika (West Germany)
1981: Martina Navratilova (USA)
1980: Tracy Austin (USA)
1979: Martina Navratilova (USA)
1978: Martina Navratilova (USA)
1977: Chris Evert (USA)
1976: Evonne Goolagong Cawley (Australia)
1975: Chris Evert (USA)
1974: Evonne Goolagong (Australia)
1973: Chris Evert (USA)
1972: Chris Evert (USA)
List of past winners – Doubles
2024: Gabriela Dabrowski (Canada)/Erin Routliffe (New Zealand)
2023: Laura Siegemund (Germany)/Vera Zvonareva (N/A)*
2022: Veronika Kudermetova (N/A)*/Elise Mertens (Belgium)
2021: Barbora Krejčíková (Czechia)/ Kateřina Siniaková (Czechia)
2020: Tournament cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2019: Tímea Babos (Hungary)/Kristina Mladenovic (France)
2018: Tímea Babos (Hungary)/Kristina Mladenovic (France)
2017: Tímea Babos (Hungary)/Andrea Sestini Hlaváčková (Czechia)
2016: Ekaterina Makarova (Russia)/Elena Vesnina (Russia)
2015: Martina Hingis (Switzerland)/ Sania Mirza (India)
2014: Cara Black (Zimbabwe)/Sania Mirza (India)
2013: Hsieh Su-wei (Chinese Taipei)/Peng Shuai (China)
2012: Maria Kirilenko (Russia)/ Nadia Petrova (Russia)
2011: Liezel Huber (USA)/Lisa Raymond (USA)
2010: Gisela Dulko (Argentina)/Flavia Pennetta (Italy)
2009: Nuria Llagostera Vives (Spain)/María José Martínez Sánchez (Spain)
2008: Cara Black (Zimbabwe)/Liezel Huber (USA)
2007: Cara Black (Zimbabwe)/Liezel Huber (USA)
2006: Lisa Raymond (USA)/Samantha Stosur (Australia)
2005: Lisa Raymond (USA)/Samantha Stosur (Australia)
2004: Nadia Petrova (Russia)/Meghann Shaughnessy (USA)
2003: Virginia Ruano Pascual (Spain)/Paola Suárez (Argentina)
2002: Elena Dementieva (Russia)/Janette Husárová (Slovakia)
2001: Lisa Raymond (USA)/Rennae Stubbs (Australia)
2000: Martina Hingis (Switzerland)/Anna Kournikova (Russia)
1999: Martina Hingis (Switzerland)/Anna Kournikova (Russia)
1998: Lindsay Davenport (USA)/Natasha Zvereva (Belarus)
1997: Lindsay Davenport (USA)/ Jana Novotná (Czech Republic)
1996: Lindsay Davenport (USA)/Mary Joe Fernández (USA)
1995: Jana Novotná (Czech Republic)/Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (Spain)
1994: Gigi Fernández (USA)/Natasha Zvereva (Belarus)
1993: Gigi Fernández (USA)/Natasha Zvereva (Belarus)
1992: Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (Spain)/Helena Suková (Czechoslovakia)
1991: Martina Navratilova (USA)/Pam Shriver (USA)
1990: Kathy Jordan (USA)/Elizabeth Smylie (Australia)
1989: Martina Navratilova (USA)/Pam Shriver (USA)
1988: Martina Navratilova (USA)/Pam Shriver (USA)
1987: Martina Navratilova (USA)/Pam Shriver (USA)
1986 (November): Martina Navratilova (USA)/Pam Shriver (USA)
1986 (March): Hana Mandlíková (Czechoslovakia)/Wendy Turnbull (Australia)
1985: Martina Navratilova (USA)/Pam Shriver (USA)
1984: Martina Navratilova (USA)/Pam Shriver (USA)
1983: Martina Navratilova (USA)/Pam Shriver (USA)
1982: Martina Navratilova (USA)/Pam Shriver (USA)
1981: Martina Navratilova (USA)/Pam Shriver (USA)
1980: Billie Jean King (USA)/Martina Navratilova (USA)
1979: Françoise Dürr (France)/Betty Stöve (Netherlands)
1978: Billie Jean King (USA)/ Martina Navratilova (USA)
1977: Martina Navratilova (USA)/Betty Stöve (Netherlands)
1976: Billie Jean King (USA)/Betty Stöve (Netherlands)
1975: Margaret Court (Australia)/Virginia Wade (Great Britain)
1974: Rosemary Casals (USA)/Billie Jean King (USA)
1973: Rosemary Casals (USA)/Margaret Court (Australia)
1972: No doubles event played
*Russian and Belarusian players are currently unable to compete under their national banner due to Vladimir Putin’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.