Serena Williams already holds a better record than the entire WTA Tour after returning to tennis

Pictured: A delighted Serena Williams
A delighted Serena Williams

Rumours continue to swirl around Serena Williams’ singles status at Wimbledon, with one wildcard spot left at the grass court Grand Slam.

Williams has returned to the sport in doubles, playing alongside Victoria Mboko at the Queen’s Club Championships and Karolina Muchova at the Berlin Open.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion is set to play doubles alongside sister Venus at Wimbledon, after the legendary pair were gifted a wildcard.

Before Williams has even returned to singles action, she already holds an impressive record that is better than any other player on the WTA Tour.

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The star sits top of the pile for active players with victories over a World No. 1 now she has returned to the sport she dominated for two decades.

Williams has picked up 17 victories over a player ranked at the top of the WTA Tour, which is more than any other active player in the women’s game.

That includes victories over the likes of Martina Hingis, Jennifer Capriati, Venus Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Justine Henin, Caroline Wozniacki, Victoria Azarenka and Simona Halep.

Active players with the most wins over a World No 1

  • Serena Williams (17)
  • Venus Williams (15)
  • Elena Rybakina (9)
  • Elina Svitolina (7)
  • Jessica Pegula (6)
  • Aryna Sabalenka (5)
  • Coco Gauff (4)
  • Victoria Azarenka (4)

Considering Williams spent 319 weeks at the top of the WTA Tour rankings, the third most in the history of the women’s game, that’s an incredibly impressive achievement.

Williams sits above her sister, as well as Elena Rybakina, Elina Svitolina, and Jessica Pegula, who round out the top five for most wins over a top-ranked player.

Also on the list are Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Victoria Azarenka, who has not yet officially retired from the sport.

It’s a record Williams is likely to hold onto until she retires again, as Rybakina in third place is currently eight World No 1 victories away from the tennis great.

Whether Williams will have the chance to add to that record in the 2026 season is anyone’s guess.

The star has not currently signed up to singles action anywhere, and the current rumours for her return see her continuing to stick with doubles.

The American is widely expected to play doubles at the US Open too, alongside sister Venus, who is expected to retire at the Flushing Meadows event.

What we do know for sure, is Serena and Venus will once again team together at Wimbledon and they are looking to defend their title from 2016.

The pair won the doubles a decade ago, but haven’t appeared since. They dropped just one set en route to the Grand Slam title in 2016 to win their sixth Wimbledon title as a pairing.