Ashleigh Barty completes 100 consecutive weeks as World No. 1, joins Steffi Graf and Serena Williams in elite list 

Ashleigh Barty registered her name in the history books after completing 100 consecutive weeks as the World No. 1. She is the fifth WTA player to hold the No. 1 spot for 100 or more straight weeks, joining the likes of Steffi Graf, Serena Williams, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert.

Just like last year, Ashleigh Barty ended the 2021 season at the top of the WTA rankings. She won a total of five WTA titles in 2021, helping her maintain a healthy lead of 1,202 points over second-placed Aryna Sabalenka at the end of the year.

Ashleigh Barty first achieved the World No. 1 rank on 24 June 2019, soon after lifting her first Major at the 2019 French Open. This was followed by her victory at the Birmingham Classic. She held the spot for seven weeks before Naomi Osaka dethroned her on 11 August 2019. However, she regained the top spot from the Japanese star on 9 September 2019, and has been in command of the position ever since.

Ashleigh Barty with the French Open 2019 title

Keeping aside the 20 weeks that were put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Barty completed her 100th week as the World No. 1 in the third week of December 2021. In terms of consecutive weeks at No. 1, only four players have been more successful than Barty.

Steffi Graf and Serena Williams are the two greats who managed to keep the top spot for themselves for 186 consecutive weeks. Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert were also World No. 1 players for 156 and 113 straight weeks respectively.

Chris Evert with Martina Navratilova

Ashleigh Barty needs to play well consistently for another couple of years if she wishes to go past Graf and Williams.

A recap of Ashleigh Barty's 2021 season

Ashleigh Barty lifted a total of five titles this year, including one Grand Slam and two WTA trophies.

The Australian began her campaign at Yarra Valley Classic where she emerged victorious after defeating Garbine Muguruza in the finals. Following this, she enjoyed a fabulous run at the Miami Open, securing her first WTA title of the year.

Barty lifted the Stuttgart Open title after defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the final. However, the Belarusian stunned her in the finals of the Mutua Madrid Open and Barty had to settle for the runner-up spot.

The Australian's breakthrough moment came at the Wimbledon Championships 2021 where she lifted her second Grand Slam title. Barty also became the first Australian female since 1980 to win the Wimbledon title. After this, she competed in Cincinnati and won the WTA event without dropping a single set.

Ashleigh Barty at the Cincinnati Masters 2021

Heading into the US Open as one of the favorites, Barty put in a dissapointing display, losing to Shelby Rogers in the third round of the Grand Slam. It turned out to be her last tournament of the season as she didn't take part in the 2021 WTA Finals.

After a spectacular 2021 tennis season, Ashleigh Barty will be looking forward to succeeding at the 2022 Australian Open, which is her home turf.