Forecasting the year ahead on the tennis tour is fraught with danger, but we’re going to have a crack at listing our top 15 WTA players at the end of season 2026. If you want to know what our ATP predictions were, check them out here. Let us know what you think.
1. 🇧🇾 Sabalenka : Been a level above everyone else for a while now. Her best is the best, so I’m happy to leave her at number 1.
2. 🇵🇱 Swiatek : Too consistent and too good to have her dropping far. Wouldn’t surprise if she found herself at 3 or 4 though.
3. 🇰🇿 Rybakina : Wasn’t her best year last year, but she has the potential to go on a tear, and I think she’ll do exactly that at some stage.
4. 🇺🇸 Gauff : Could finish as high as 2, but I’ve got her just out of that top 3. The others above her have slightly bigger weapons.
5. 🇷🇺 Andreeva : Still so young, but she might be the next to breakthrough and win a maiden Slam. Might not be this year, but she’ll threaten at some stage.
6. 🇺🇸 Anisimova : Brilliant 2025, and while some may think she won’t repeat it, I expect her to hold her ground.
7. 🇺🇸 Pegula : Too good to drop from the top ten. Not good enough to make it to the top 5 in my opinion.
8. 🇨🇳 Zheng : Dependant on how much she plays. If she plays a full season, she should find herself inside the top ten again.
9. 🇮🇹 Paolini : Plenty of people were expecting a big dip last year, but she held her own. Another similar year coming up.
10.🇨🇭 Bencic : Probably sneaking into the top ten, because I don’t expect a whole lot of challengers coming up behind her.
11. 🇷🇺 Alexandrova : Likewise with Alexandrova. Consistent enough to knock on the door of the top ten, but hard to see a big result to catapult her much higher.
12. 🇯🇵 Osaka : her best is still very good, and I expect her to move up a few places this year.
13. 🇺🇸 Keys : Big points to defend early in the season. I always expected her to win a Slam. But I’m not sure she’ll be able to back it up with another this year.
14. 🇪🇸 Bouzas Maneiro : A big mover last year, and could be an even bigger mover this year. She’s ready to make the jump. If she can get some early results, and ensure a seeding in the big events for the rest of the year, top 15 is on the cards.
15. 🇬🇧 Raducanu : Quietly moved up to 29 without really doing a whole lot. Was a nice season returning from injury. Now is the time she might step up and return to the pointy end.
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