Serena Williams spent 186 consecutive weeks at WTA No. 1 in her longest uninterrupted run.
This streak lasted from 13 February 2013 through 11 September 2016. It tied the women’s record held by Steffi Graf, who also spent 186 straight weeks at the top from 1987 to 1991. Williams’s run was especially notable because it crossed several seasons and included major titles, injuries and the normal turnover of professional tennis.
During that period, Williams won seven Grand Slam singles titles: the 2013 and 2014 French Opens, the 2013 and 2014 US Opens, Wimbledon in 2015 and the Australian Open in 2015 and 2016. She also won the 2016 Wimbledon title shortly before the streak ended.
The figure is often confused with Williams’s career total of 319 weeks at No. 1. The two numbers measure different things: 186 is one continuous stretch, while 319 adds all eight of her separate reigns. Williams first became No. 1 in 2002 and returned to the position several times afterward.