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The showpiece event in the WTA Calendar is the WTA Finals held annually in the month of October/November. The Top-8 singles and doubles pairs battle it out in a round robin format before the knockout rounds. The first edition of the tournament was held in 1972 and since then multiple cities have hosted the event.
The prize money and ranking points awarded in this tournament are second only to the Grand Slams. The Singles Trophy presented to the winner is called 'Billie Jean King Trophy' named after the eponymous American tennis great.
A total of 7.5 million USD is awarded in prize money to the players, with the winner taking home a cool 1.75 million USD.
The recently concluded 2018 edition of the tournament saw Ukranian Elina Svitolina emerge victorious for the first time. The tournament will move to Shenzhen, China the next year. We take a look at the women with the most WTA Final trophies :
#5 Kim Clijsters
Belgian legend Kim Clijsters is one of 3 women to have won a Grand Slam in the Open Era after becoming a mother. In fact, she won more Grand Slams after becoming a mother than before. Having attained the Number 1 ranking in the WTA Tour, Clijsters's tennis career spanned 15 years.
Her rivalry with fellow Belgian legend Justine Henin is the stuff of legend. Clijsters' first Grand Slam came at the 2005 US Open. Clijsters retired in 2007 and made a comeback in 2009, and won the US Open that year in what was only her third title since her comeback.
She successfully defended her title at the US Open the following year and also won the 2011 Australian Open. Clijsters won 41 WTA Singles titles including 3 WTA Finals trophies in 2002, 2003 and 2010.
#5 Monica Seles
Monica Seles won an astounding 8 Grand Slam Singles titles as a teenager. In all, Seles won 51 WTA titles , 9 Grand Slam Singles titles, and an Olympic bronze medal in Singles at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
She also helped Yugoslavia win the Hopman Cup and later won 3 Fed Cup titles with Team USA after having acquired US citizenship. Seles won 3 WTA Final tournaments in 1990, 1991 and 1992.
#4 Chris Evert
American legend Chris Evert is one of the most accomplished players that the womens' game has ever had. A dominating force of tennis in the 1970's and 1980's, Evert won 18 Grand Slam titles. Her rivalry with Martina Navratilova is legendary.
Evert appeared in 31 Grand Slam Finals - an all-time record, and her win percentage of 89.97% is the highest among both men and women. Between August 1973 and May 1979, Evert was unbeaten on clay, going on a 125 match winning streak. Evert won 4 WTA Finals tournaments in 1972, 1973, 1975 and 1977.
#3 Steffi Graf
The only woman in the history of tennis with a 'Golden Slam' crown, Steffi Graf was the face of tennis in the late 1980's and 1990's. Steffi, who prefers to be called Stefanie, is the only player across genders to win at least 4 titles in each of the 4 Majors.
With 22 Grand Slam Singles titles and 107 Singles titles overall, Graf was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004. Graf won the WTA Finals event 5 times in 1987, 1989, 1993, 1995 and 1996.
#2 Serena Williams
The only active player in the list is Serena Williams. While most of her rivals from the 2000s have long retired, Serena continues to chase trophies even at the age of 37. Chasing the long-held record of 24 Grand Slam titles currently held by Margaret Court and taking sole ownership of the record is the only thing missing in her impressive list of achievements.
Widely considered to be the 'GOAT', Serena, who recently won the 2018 WTA Comeback of the Year Award has won the WTA Finals trophy 5 times in 2001, 2009, 2012, 2013 and 2014. She is one of 2 women to have won the title 3 consecutive times.
#1 Martina Navratilova
Going by the numbers, Martina Navratilova is the most accomplished tennis player in history. With 167 Singles titles and 177 Doubles titles, no other player even comes close. She is one of 3 players in tennis history to have won the 'Boxed Set' - comprising of winning all Grand Slams across all 3 formats.
In a sparkling career spanning 31 years, Martina Navratilova won the WTA Finals trophy a record 8 times in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1983 , 1984, 1985 and 1986 (twice). In addition to her Singles exploits at the WTA Premier event, she also won the WTA Finals in Doubles category a record 11 times.
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