There is a shortlist of legends in the game of tennis.
Among these iconic athletes, there’s an even shorter list of stars that have had remarkable winning streaks. There are even some that have multiple winning streaks that dominate the field.
On Saturday, Iga Świątek defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 6-1 to reach the Italian Open final, extending her winning streak to 27 matches. The milestone leaves her tied with Serena Williams, who won the same amount of consecutive matches in 2014 and 2015, which was the latest hot streak on the women’s side.
"I'm just constantly surprising myself that I can do better and better,” Świątek said. “I feel like I actually can believe now that the sky’s the limit. That’s the fun part.”
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Świątek, who is on the top of her game, will face Ons Jabeur of Tunisia in the final, then will go on to compete at the 2022 French Open as the major’s No. 1 seed.
Here we take a look at some of the greatest tennis players in the game and how many consecutive matches they’ve won:
Which tennis players have had the longest winning streaks in women's tennis?
The top eight women with the longest winning streaks in tennis history are as follows:
- Martina Navratilova - 74 (1984-1986)
- Steffi Graf - 66 (1989-1990)
- Martina Navratilova - 58 (1986-1987)
- Margaret Court - 57 (1972-1973)
- Chris Evert - 55 (1974)
- Martina Navratilova - 54 (1983-1984)
- Steffi Graf - 46 (1988)
- Steffi Graf - 45 (1987)
Which tennis players have had the longest winning streaks in men's tennis?
The top eight men with the longest winning streaks in tennis history are as follows:
- Bjorn Borg - 53 (1977-1978)
- Guillermo Vilas - 46 (1977)
- Novak Djokovic - 43 (2010-2011)
- Roger Federer - 42 (2005-2006)
- Pete Sampras - 39 (1994)
- Thomas Muster - 35 (1995)
- Ilie Nastase - 33 (1972)
- Rod Laver - 32 (1974-1975) and Rafael Nadal - 32 (2008)