The WTA Finals are a hugely prestigious end-of-year event, where the eight best players that year give it all they’ve got for one final chance at glory.
There are no free places on offer in an event like this, with every player forced to earn their spots through consistent performances across a ten-month period.
Their reward is the opportunity to face the world’s best in a unique format, with huge money and ranking points on offer.
The greatest champion in the history of the WTA Finals is Martina Navratilova, who lifted the trophy on eight occasions.
Although some way behind, Serena Williams is joined by Steffi Graf on five, having won her final one in 2014.
When Serena Williams made history at the 2014 WTA Finals
2014 was an outstanding year for Williams, who won the most titles (seven), accrued the most points (8,487), and justifiably topped the Race to the WTA Finals leaderboard.
Maria Sharapova was not far behind though, with Petra Kvitova and Simona Halep making up the rest of the top four.
Beyond this quartet, there was a group of hugely talented players with far fewer points, as Eugenie Bouchard, Agnieszka Radwańska, Ana Ivanovic and Caroline Wozniacki rounded out the eight participants.
Interestingly, Li Na actually won the Australian Open that year, but this was a good decade before the WTA implemented the rule that allowed anyone who had won a major that year to bypass the traditional top-eight qualification process. The Chinese star finished ninth in the race.
Williams would go on to win that year’s WTA Finals, comfortably beating Halep in the final by a 6-3, 6-3 margin.
This compounded a stellar end to the 2014 season, where the American had also claimed the US Open title.
Who has qualified for this year’s WTA Finals?
The eight participants in this year’s WTA Finals have already been set, and it promises a hugely competitive affair where it really feels like anybody could win.
Elena Rybakina, who won both the Australian and US Open, naturally secured qualification with ease. Aryna Sabalenka, who lost in both finals of these events, is behind by some distance.
Mirra Andreeva won her maiden Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, and will compete in her first WTA Finals this year with Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff and Elina Svitolina all also confirmed.
Linda Noskova may be eighth in the race, but winning Wimbledon secured her spot.
This meant Karolina Muchova, her fellow Czech and Wimbledon finalist, snatched the final spot ahead of the likes of Iga Swiatek, Marta Kostyuk and Iva Jovic.