Serena Williams Set To Become WTA’s Oldest No. 1
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The Doha Qatar Open didn’t finish as she would have hoped, but Serena Williams didn’t leave empty handed. Despite a tough 3-set loss today to rival Victoria Azarenka, Serena does take some solace in knowing she’ll return to the No. 1 ranking tomorrow for the sixth time. And in doing so she’ll become the oldest woman to ever hold the top spot.
“I never thought I would be here again,” the 31-year-old Williams said after her quarterfinal win over Petra Kvitova Friday. “I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to get back to No.1. It has been a long road back and it’s a great feeling. It has been a lot of hard work but I don’t want to stop here.”
In the last year Serena has won Wimbledon, the US Open, the WTA Championships along with Olympic gold. Just two years ago she was in the hospital fighting for her life. What a turnaround.
Serena’s Weeks At No.1:
July 8, 2002-August 10, 2003: 57 weeks
September 8, 2008-October 5, 2008: 4 weeks
February 2, 2009-April 19, 2009: 11 weeks
October 12, 2009-October 25, 2009: 2 weeks
November 2, 2009-October 10, 2010: 49 weeks
February 18, 2013-?: 1 week (so far)
Oldest No.1s
Serena Williams: 31 years, 4 months, 24 days (February 18, 2013)
Chris Evert: 30 years, 11 months, 3 days (November 24, 1985)
Martina Navratilova: 30 years, 9 months, 29 days (August 16, 1987)
Post match interview after reaching No. 1:
They also gave her a Paris Saint-Germain (PSG owns the event) jersey:
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