Kim Clijsters, Amelie Mauresmo
PARIS, FRANCE – By reaching the semifinals at the 2011 Open GDF SUEZ, Kim Clijsters will return to the top of the WTA Rankings on Monday, February 14, 2011. Clijsters will surpass the current World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki who has held the top spot for 18 consecutive weeks since October 11, 2010. Clijsters will be ranked WTA World No.1 for the fourth time in her career and will climb to the top of the WTA Rankings for the first time since March 19, 2006. It has been 256 weeks since the last time Clijsters was World No.1, the second longest streak between No.1 rankings in men’s or women’s tennis history (S. Williams, 265 weeks).
“I am happy to regain the No.1 here in Paris as I feel like it’s close to home in Belgium,†Kim Clijsters stated. “I’m proud that I have achieved this in my second career and as a mom. I hope that I can now go on and win the tournament.â€
“I congratulate Kim on achieving the World No.1 ranking once again in her career. It is incredible that five years have passed since Kim was No.1, but the fans of women’s tennis are incredibly lucky to have her back and playing the best tennis of her career. To be able to excel on the tennis court while being a working mother is truly commendable,†said Stacey Allaster, Chairman and CEO of the WTA.
Clijsters has enjoyed a great beginning to the 2011 season, winning 15 out of 16 matches, highlighted by capturing the 2011 Australian Open title, her fourth career Grand Slam, and reaching the final at the Medibank International (Sydney) where she lost to China’s Li Na. In the past 52 weeks, Clijsters has won five titles, including the 2010 US Open, the year-end WTA Championships (Doha), the Sony Ericsson Open (Miami) and the Western & Southern Women’s Open (Cincinnati), in addition to the Australian Open.
Clijsters is the owner of 41 WTA singles titles – 13th all time – and has 495 career match wins. She boosted her career prize money earnings to more than $23 million at the Australian Open and ranks third best all-time, behind Serena and Venus Williams, respectively. Since her WTA comeback in August 2009, Clijsters owns the best match winning percentage (.861, 68-11) and has won seven WTA singles titles, including three of the last five Grand Slams.
TOTAL WEEKS AT WORLD NO.1
| PLAYER | DATE REACHED No.1 | WEEKS* |
| Steffi Graf (GER) | August 17, 1987 | 377 |
| Martina Navratilova (TCH/USA) | July 10, 1978 | 332 |
| Chris Evert (USA) | November 3, 1975 | 260 |
| Martina Hingis (SUI) | March 31, 1997 | 209 |
| Monica Seles (YUG/USA) | March 11, 1991 | 178 |
| Serena Williams (USA) | July 8, 2002 | 123 |
| Justine Henin (BEL) | October 20, 2003 | 117 |
| Lindsay Davenport (USA) | October 12, 1998 | 98 |
| Amélie Mauresmo (FRA) | September 13, 2004 | 39 |
| Dinara Safina (RUS) | April 20, 2009 | 26 |
| Tracy Austin (USA) | April 7, 1980 | 21 |
| KIM CLIJSTERS (BEL) | August 11, 2003 | 20 |
| Jelena Jankovic (SRB) | August 11, 2008 | 18 |
| Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) | October 11, 2010 | 18 |
| Jennifer Capriati (USA) | October 15, 2001 | 17 |
| Maria Sharapova (RUS) | August 22, 2005 | 17 |
| Ana Ivanovic (SRB) | June 9, 2008 | 12 |
| Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario (ESP) | February 6, 1995 | 12 |
| Venus Williams (USA) | February 25, 2002 | 11 |
| Evonne Goolagong (AUS) | April 26, 1976 | 2 |
Chart as of February 14, 2011 / * Total weeks at No.1; can be non-consecutive
ABOUT THE WTA:
The WTA is the global leader in women’s professional sport with more than 2,400 players representing 99 nations competing for more than $87 million in prize money at the WTA’s 53 events and four Grand Slams in 33 countries. More than 5 million people attended women’s tennis events in 2010 with tens of millions more watching on television and digital channels around the world. The WTA competitive season concludes with the WTA Championships in Istanbul, Turkey from October 25-30, and the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions in Bali, Indonesia, from November 3-6. Further information on the WTA can be found on www.wtatour.com.