WTA 100: 10 Oldest women’s singles tennis players

In this article, we look at the 10 oldest tennis players in the women’s singles category currently occupying the top 100 spots in the WTA rankings.

Tennis is a physically demanding sport, and players competing in the singles space must maintain peak fitness levels to perform at their best. However, due to the intense physical strain and the gruelling demands of the tennis calendar, many players often retire earlier than expected. 

Despite this, there are a select few who defy the conventional notion of age, embodying the adages “ageing like fine wine” and “old is gold”. These players continue to maintain exceptional fitness and form, winning tournaments and making deep runs in Grand Slams, often causing upsets against younger, higher-ranked opponents. Their enduring success is a testament to their resilience, discipline, and commitment to excellence, showing that age is not always a barrier to greatness in sport.

Tatjana Maria

Tatjana Maria has been around the WTA tour for more than 20 years and still competes at the top level, even after becoming a mother in 2013 and then again in 2021. 

The German veteran turned pro back in 2001 and has managed a career-high WTA ranking of 42nd (January 2024). Maria is also a regular doubles player and with a career-high ranking of 54th (June 2016). The 37-year-old has three singles titles on the WTA Tour, and her best Grand Slam performance to date is a semi-final appearance at the 2022 Wimbledon, which also earned her the WTA Comeback Player of the Year award. In addition, she also made it to the Fed Cup (Billie Jean King Cup) semi-finals with Germany in 2018.

In the ongoing Australian Open, Maria reached the second round where she came up against a much higher-ranked player and lost in straight sets. Currently ranked 90th, she is still persevering, and just like she proved in 2022 by reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals, she can still cause upsets with her great first serve and crafty slice shots on both the wings. 

Laura Siegemund

Laura Siegemund is another German singles player who has been a regular face on the WTA Tour. The 36-year-old plays singles, doubles, as well as mixed doubles. 

Siegemund turned pro in 2006 and reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 27 in August 2016. Her best singles Grand Slam result is a quarter-final appearance at the 2020 French Open. In addition, she has three Grand Slam titles—one in doubles (US Open 2020) and two in mixed doubles (US Open 2016, French Open 2024). She also won the United Cup with Germany last year.

Currently ranked world No. 97, Siegemund upset world No. 5 and last year’s Australian Open finalist, Qinwen Zheng, in the second round of this year’s Australian Open. The German is a fierce opponent with her skills, great tennis IQ, tactics, and experience. 

Victoria Azarenka

The former world No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam champion is another women’s player who has made a comeback after a hiatus.

The 35-year-old Belarusian turned pro in 2003 and reached a career-high world No. 1 ranking in January 2012. She has 21 career WTA Tour titles and is also a two-time Australian Open champion (2012 and 2013). She also made it to the finals of the US Open thrice (2012, 2013, 2020) and has an Olympic bronze from London 2012. In addition, she also has two doubles Grand Slam titles—one from the 2007 US Open and the other from the 2008 French Open.

Resuming tennis after becoming a mother, Azarenka is still competing in Grand Slams and WTA majors. She’s currently ranked 24th in the world and, in the recently concluded Brisbane Open, managed to reach the semi-finals, where she was defeated by the world No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka.

Even an ageing Azarenka is a massive threat to any opponent on her day, as she can plunder them with her aggressive baseline play and massive groundstrokes. 

Sorana Cîrstea

Sorana Cîrstea has been a fairly popular name on the WTA Tour for a long time now. The 34-year-old Romanian can surprise anyone on her day.  

Cîrstea turned pro in 2006 and reached her career-high singles ranking of world No. 21 in August 2013. She has two WTA titles to her name, and her best Grand Slam finishes are two quarter-final appearances at the 2009 French Open and the 2023 US Open. Cîrstea also plays women’s doubles, where she has five career titles to her name. 

Cîrstea is currently ranked world No. 71 and continues to compete in major tournaments. She is an aggressive baseliner and, on her day, can still cause upsets against higher-ranked players, just as she did in 2023 at the US Open when she beat Elena Rybakina, Anna Kalinskaya, and Belinda Bencic—all ranked in the top 20 at the time—on her way to the quarter-finals. 

Cîrstea has been a steady presence on the WTA Tour. Despite her early exit in the first round of this year’s Australian Open, she possesses the fitness and skills needed to remain competitive at a high level for several more seasons.

Caroline Wozniacki

Caroline Wozniacki needs no introduction, as she has been a former world No. 1 who dominated women’s tennis in her heyday. 

The 34-year-old turned pro in July 2005 and became world No. 1 in October 2010. She has a mammoth 30 career WTA titles and is also a former Australian Open champion from 2018. She has reached the US Open finals on two occasions (2009, 2014) and has a WTA title from 2017.

Wozniacki had retired from tennis in 2020 but made a comeback in 2023. Since then, she has competed well and even reached the quarter-finals of a few tournaments on the WTA Tour. Currently ranked world No. 73, thanks to her wealth of experience, sharp skills, and high-quality play, she still possesses plenty of fuel in the tank to cause major upsets.

Also read: ATP 100 | 10 Oldest men’s singles tennis players

Irina-Camelia Begu

Another Romanian veteran, Irina-Camelia Begu has been playing for almost two decades on the WTA Tour.

Begu turned pro in 2005 and reached her career-high ranking of world No. 22 in August 2016. She has to her name five singles titles and nine doubles titles. When it comes to Grand Slams, she has made multiple fourth-round appearances at the Australian Open and the French Open. 

Currently ranked world No. 80, Begu has started the 2025 season well, reaching the fourth round of the Adelaide International, which shows that she can still compete at the highest levels against the top players. 

At 34 years old and with two decades of professional tennis in the bag, a massive credit goes to Begu’s fitness, work ethic, and dedication for the fact that she can still play at the top of both the singles and mixed circuits. 

Arantxa Rus

Another 34-year-old veteran still going strong on the WTA Tour. Rus turned pro in 2008 and reached her career-high ranking of world No. 41 in August 2023. Her best performance at a Grand Slam arrived at the at the 2012 French Open, where she reached the fourth round.

The Dutchwoman has one career singles title to her name—the 2023 Hamburg Open—and four titles in women’s doubles. She is also a junior Australian Open champion, while her best singles performance to date is a second-round upset against the then-world No. 2, Kim Klijsters, at the 2012 French Open and a win over then-world No. 5 Samantha Stosur at the 2012 Wimbledon to make it to the third round. 

Rus has definitely gotten better over the years, having proved so by reaching a career-high ranking in the latter stages of her career. She is currently down at 73rd, though she continues to put up impressive performances.

Rus is a left-handed player with a decent serve and backhand. Armed with loads of experience on the WTA Tour, she continues to demonstrate high levels of fitness to compete in WTA tournaments and Grand Slams. 

Rebecca Marino

Rebecca Marino is a Canadian on the WTA Tour who returned to tennis after a four-year hiatus in 2017.

Marino turned pro in 2008 and reached her career-high ranking of world No. 38 in July 2011. With one career title, the 34-year-old’s best performance at a Grand Slam has been a third-round appearance at the French Open (2011) and the US Open (2022). She also has two career titles in women’s doubles, while she was also handed the Female Player of the Year award by Tennis Canada for two consecutive years—in 2010 and 2011. 

Marino has taken two long breaks from tennis—first in 2012 (for one year) and the second from 2013 to 2017. After returning to professional tennis in 2017, she won her first ITF tournament without dropping a set. She returned to the WTA Tour in 2021 using a protected ranking to gain entry into the qualifying tournament for the Australian Open.

Currently ranked world No. 98, and after multiple breaks from tennis, Marino has shown time and again that her love for tennis far exceeds everything else as she continues to compete on the WTA Tour.  

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is another popular player on the Tour. The 33-year-old Russian has been a top 20 player as well as a Grand Slam finalist. 

Pavlyuchenkova turned pro in 2005 and reached her career-high ranking of world No. 11 in November 2021. She was a child prodigy, winning three junior Grand Slams and reaching the Juniors world No. 1 ranking aged only 14. In her senior career, she has amassed 12 career singles titles and reached a French Open final (in 2021). She has reached the Australian Open quarter-finals on four occasions—including this year. She has also been a handy doubles player, having reached the quarter-finals of all four Grand Slams over the years. She also won the Fed Cup with Russia in 2020/21.

Unfortunately, Pavlyuchenkova has had an injury-ridden career, because of which she has never really reached her potential. Despite that, she remains a massive threat on the women’s tour. At the ongoing Australian Open, she reached the quarter-finals yet again and gave the current world No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka, a run for her money before losing the close game in three sets. 

Despite her age, the powerful Russian retains the skills, quality, and agility to beat any top-ranked player. Her current ranking of world No. 32 doesn’t do her any justice. If she stays fit, it’s only a matter of time before she breaks into the top 15.

Magda Linette

The 32-year-old Pole has been a regular on the WTA Tour for many seasons now. Linette turned pro in 2009 and reached her career-high ranking of world No. 19 in March 2023.

Linette has to her name three career WTA singles titles. Her best performance at a Grand Slam to date is a semi-final appearance at the 2023 Australian Open. She also plays women’s doubles, where too she has performed fairly well with two career titles. 

Linette had a magical run at the 2023 Australian Open as she defeated many top-ranked players: Karolína Plíšková, Caroline Garcia, and Ekaterina Alexandrova. She was finally defeated by the eventual champion, Aryna Sabalenka. 

Linette has changed her playing style over the course of her career, having become more aggressive-minded over the years. She is still able to compete on the WTA Tour and remains capable of improving her ranking.