Who are the best female tennis players of all time? However, there are a number of players who can lay claim to being one of the all-time greats. Below is a list of 10 of the greatest female tennis players of all time, based on their achievements and accomplishments.
Female tennis has come a long way since the first Wimbledon tournament in 1884. In the early days, women were not allowed to compete in the same event as men and were instead relegated to a separate “Ladies” tournament. It wasn’t until 1968 that the first official “Open” Wimbledon tournament was held, which finally allowed women to compete against men on an equal playing field.
Since that time, there have been some truly amazing female tennis players who have graced the courts and captured our imaginations. In honor of these incredible athletes, we’ve put together a list of the top 10 best female tennis players of all time.
10. Lindsay Davenport
Lindsay Davenport is a former world No. 1 ranked player from the United States. She won 3 Grand Slam singles titles and 4 Grand Slam doubles titles. She also won a gold medal in singles tennis at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
See also; Top 10 hottest women tennis players.
9. Venus Williams
Venus Williams is one of the most successful players of her generation. She hold the 9th place among the best female tennis players of all time.
Venus Williams is the older sister of Serena Williams, and she is also a highly successful tennis player in her own right. Williams has won seven Grand Slam singles titles, as well as 14 Grand Slam doubles titles (with her sister Serena). She has also been ranked as high as No. 1 in the world, and she has won Olympic gold medals, 2 in singles and 2 in doubles.
See also; 10 of the world’s richest tennis players.
8. Justine Henin
Justine Henin was a Belgian tennis player who was ranked No. 1 in the world for a total of 117 weeks. She won seven Grand Slam singles titles, as well as the gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games. Henin was forced to retire from tennis in 2008 due to an elbow injury, but she made a comeback to the sport in 2010, before finally retiring for good.
See also; 20 of the hottest female athletes in the world.
7. Billie Jean King
A true pioneer of the sport, Billie Jean King was one of the first female players to achieve widespread success and popularity. Billie Jean King is a legendary figure in the world of tennis and in the fight for gender equality. She was also the first female athlete to earn more than $100,000 in a single year. In 1973, she founded the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and was instrumental in getting tennis included as an official event in the 1976 Summer Olympics.
Billie Jean King is a true pioneer of women’s tennis. She helped to form the Women’s Tennis Association and was a leading figure in the fight for gender equality in tennis. King won a total of 39 Grand Slam titles, including 12 singles, 16 doubles, and 11 mixed doubles. She was also the first female player to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
6. Monica Seles
Monica Seles is a former world No. 1 ranked player from Yugoslavia. Monica Seles was one of the most promising young players of her generation before her career was tragically cut short by a stabbing incident in 1993. She is one of the best female tennis players of all time.
Monica Seles was a truly gifted tennis player, and she was sadly forced to retire prematurely due to a tragic on-court incident. Seles won nine Grand Slam singles titles before she was stabbed by a deranged fan in 1993. She did make a comeback to tennis, but she was never able to reach the same heights as she did before the incident.
5. Chris Evert
Chris Evert was one of the most dominant players of her generation and a true pioneer for women’s tennis. She was the first female player to be ranked world No. 1 and she held that ranking for a total of 260 weeks. She won 18 Grand Slam singles titles and 3 Grand Slam doubles titles. She also holds the record for the most consecutive wins on clay, with 125.
One of the most consistent players ever. Evert hold the 4th place among the best female tennis players of all time. She was the Year-End World No. 1 singles player a record seven times. Evert was also known for her rivalry with another great player of her generation, Martina Navratilova.
4. Serena Williams
One of the most dominant players in the history of the sport, Serena Williams has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most of any active female player and second only to Margaret Court’s 24. . She also has four Olympic gold medals to her name. She has also won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, which is again, the most of any player in the Open Era. She has an all-time record for the most major wins by a tennis player, male or female.
Serena Williams is a true champion and one of the best female tennis players in the history of sport. Williams is widely considered to be one of the greatest players of her generation, and she has the achievements to back it up.
3. Margaret Court
One of the most successful players of all time, Margaret Court won a total of 24 Grand Slam singles titles, the most of any player in history. Court also holds the record for the most major titles won in a calendar year, winning all four Grand Slams and the Olympic gold medal in 1970. Her achievements led her to be named the Australian of the Year in 1971.
Margaret Court is a true pioneer in the world of female tennis. She was the first woman to win all 4 Grand Slam singles titles in a single year and she did it twice, in 1970 and again in 1973. She is also the only player, male or female, to have won all 4 Grand Slam singles titles on 3 different surfaces (clay, grass, and hard court).
2. Steffi Graf
Steffi Graf is a German tennis legend who was ranked world No. 1 for a record 377 weeks. She won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, which is third only to Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24.
Like Navratilova, Steffi Graf is also considered to be one of the all-time greats of women’s tennis. She also won the coveted Golden Slam in 1988, becoming the only player (male or female) to win all four Grand Slam singles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same year.
1. Martina Navratilova
Martina Navratilova is widely considered to be one of the greatest female tennis players of all time. She competed during an era when women’s tennis was truly dominant, and her record speaks for itself. Navratilova won a total of 59 Grand Slam titles, including 18 singles titles, 31 doubles titles, and 10 mixed doubles titles. She also held the world No. 1 ranking for a record 332 weeks.
Arguably the best female tennis player of all time, Martina Navratilova was a force to be reckoned with during her playing days. Martina Navratilova won a record nine Wimbledon singles titles, as well as three Olympic gold medals.