Creating a list of the greatest women’s tennis players of all time is always very difficult. There can be a wide range of opinions regarding this subject, just like there is about best female soccer players in the world.
However, we have done our best to select only the greatest women’s tennis players in the history of tennis.
1- Serena Williams (United States)
Serena Williams is widely regarded as one of the greatest women’s tennis players of all time. She has the distinction of winning 23 Grand Slam singles titles. The amazing player remained the singles world Number one on eight separate occasions between 2002 and 2017.
Williams is also one of the strongest women to ever play the game. She has been a dominant force in the sport since the late 1990s.
The 40-year-old has been highly successful over a long period. She withstood the test of time and competition.
Serena also holds the most major titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles combined among active players. She has earned almost $29 million in prize money and endorsements, making her one of the highest-paid women athletes in the world.
Serena Williams, one of the greatest female players of all time, has won seven Australian Open titles. She bagged her first title in 2003, defeating her sister Venus in the final. Her most recent victory at the Australian Open came in 2017 when she defeated her sister again in the final.
The great tennis player has also won six times at the US Open. Her most recent success came in 2014 when she beat Caroline Wozniacki in the final.
Serena has also won seven times at Wimbledon. She defeated Angelique Kerber in her most recent victory in 2016. While the 40-year-old also has the distinction of winning three French Open titles.
2-Steffi Graf (Germany)
Steffi Graf is also considered one of the greatest women’s tennis players of all time. She remained world Number one for a record 377 weeks. The German achieved the Golden Slam in 1988, winning all four Grand Slam titles plus the Olympic gold in the same year. She was very famous for her versatility, footwork, and powerful forehand drive.
Grand Slam Titles
Steffi Graf won six French Cup singles titles, with her first coming in 1987. The 52-year-old’s last title at the French Cup came in 1999 when she beat Martina Hingis in the final.
The amazing tennis player also claimed seven titles at Wimbledon. Her first victory in the prestigious tournament came in 1988 while her last title arrived in 1996.
Graf, regarded as one of the best female tennis players of all time, also won five times at the US Open. Her first win in the tournament came in 1988 while she last won the tournament in 1996. She also has the distinction of winning four times at the Australian Open.
When she retired in 1999, she was still ranked number three in the world.
3- Margaret Court (Australia)
While we are talking about the greatest women’s tennis players of all time, it is impossible to omit Margaret Court. She was undoubtedly the best female tennis player in the 1960s and early 1970s. The amazing tennis player was born in 1942 in Albury, New South Wales, Australia.
Margaret is widely considered one of the greatest female players of all time. Her career prize money is approximately $500,000. The Australian’s achievements are enough to shock anyone.
Grand Slam Titles
She won 24 Grand Slam women’s singles titles, 19 Grand Slam women’s doubles titles, and 21 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles.
Margaret Court, one of the best female tennis players, won an incredible 11 titles at the Australian Open. That was a record for the most singles titles won in a single Grand Slam event. Her first title came in 1960 when she defeated Jan Lehane in the final. The Australian’s last title came in 1973 when she beat Evonne Goolagong in the final.
Court also has the distinction of winning five titles at the US Open. Her first success came in 1962 while her last came in 1973.
The top female tennis player retired from the sport in 1977. Her name was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1979.
4- Martina Navratilova (United States)
Martina Navratilova is also one of the greatest women’s tennis players of all time. She was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia in 1956.
The top female tennis player turned pro in 1975 while her career prize money stands at a staggering $21,626,089.
Grand Slam Titles
She has the distinction of winning 18 Grand Slam Singles Titles. That includes three Australian Open titles, two French Open titles, nine Wimbledon titles, and four US Open titles. The amazing tennis player won her first Grand Slam title in 1978, beating Chris Evert in the final. Over the years, she won many more titles at Wimbledon. Her last victory in the prestigious competition came in 1990 when she outclassed Zina Garrison in the final.
Martina Navratilova, one of the best female tennis players, also claimed four titles at the US Open. She won her first US Open title in 1983 while her last came in 1987. The top female tennis player also has the distinction of winning the 1982 and 1984 editions of the French Open.
5- Venus Williams (United States)
Venus Williams is another name that cannot be omitted from any list of the greatest women’s tennis players of all time. Her career prize money stands at a staggering $42,173,992.She turned pro in 1994 and is still active in the sport.
Venus remained the world number one for a total of 19 weeks. She would have achieved far more success if she hadn’t come up against her sister Serena Williams in the finals of the Grand Slams. The top female tennis player faced her sister in a Grand Slam final nine times with Serena winning seven of those encounters. Injuries are also one of the main reasons that she didn’t achieve a lot of success in tennis.
Grand Slam Titles
However, Venus Williams still reached 16 Grand Slam finals. She also won five Wimbledons, with her first victory in the prestigious competition coming in 2000 when she defeated Lindsay Davenport in the final. She also won the 2001, 2005, and 2007 editions of Wimbledon. Her latest victory at Wimbledon came in 2008 when she defeated her sister Serena Wiliams by 7-5, 6-4.
Apart from that, Venus also won two titles at the US Open. Her first came in 2000 when she beat Lindsay Davenport in the final. She also won the following year at the US Open, defeating Serena Williams in the final.
6- Chris Evert (United States)
Chris Evert also made a great name for herself in the tennis world. She is also regarded as one of the greatest female tennis players of all time. She was born in 1954 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The amazing player turned pro in 1972 and announced her retirement from the sport in 1989. Her career prize money stands at a staggering $8,895,195.
Grand Slam Titles
Chris Evert, one of the best female tennis players, has the distinction of winning 18 Grand Slam Singles Titles.
She won seven titles at the French Open. Her first victory at the French Open came in 1974 when she defeated Olga Morozova in the final. Over the years, she won more French Open titles, with her last coming in 1986 when she beat Martina Navratilova in the final.
Chris Evert also won six titles at the US Open. She claimed her first success in 1975, outclassing Evonne Goolagong in the final. Her last triumph at the US Open came in 1982 when she defeated Hana Mandlikova in the final.
If that’s not sufficient, Evert also won two titles at the Australian Open and three at Wimbledon. Her name was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1995.
7- Martina Hingis (Switzerland)
Martina Hingis is also a huge name in the world of tennis, just like Erling Haaland is in the world of football. She may not have won a lot of Grand Slam titles but there is no doubt that she is also one of the greatest women’s tennis players of all time.
Martina Hingis was born in Kosice, Czechoslovakia but she represented Switzerland. The top female tennis player turned pro in 1994 and announced her retirement from the sport in 2017. Her career prize money stands at a whopping $24,749,074.
Hingis remained world number one for an incredible 209 weeks.
Grand Slam Titles
Martina Hingis has the distinction of winning five Grand Slam singles titles. She won three titles at the Australian Open. She won the 1997 edition, beating Mary Pierce in the final. Her next victory came in 1998 when she outclassed Conchita Marinez. Her final Australian Open title came in 1999 when she defeated Amelie Mauresmo in the final.
Hingis, one of the best female tennis players, has also won the 1997 edition of Wimbledon, defeating Jana Novotna in the final. She also claimed the title at the 1997 US Open, beating Venus Williams in the final by 6-0, 6-4.
If that’s not enough, then she also won 13 Grand Slam Doubles titles and 7 Mixed Doubles titles as well. She would have achieved many more successes if she had remained healthy.
Read More: is Messi autistic