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Top 10 Greatest Female Tennis Players of All Time

  • Post category:Tennis
  • Reading time:14 mins read
  • Post last modified:February 9, 2023

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In this post, we will check out the top 10 greatest female tennis players of all time.

Tennis has been graced by some of the most talented female players in the history of the sport.

From the legendary Martina Navratilova to the contemporary Serena Williams, women’s tennis has seen its fair share of champions.

There have been many great female tennis players over the years. Some of them dominated the sport for a period of time, while others achieved more success in specific tournaments or Grand Slams.

In this blog post, we will take a look at the top 10 greatest female tennis players of all time. These women have left their mark on the sport and continue to inspire new generations of athletes.

Top 10 Greatest Female Tennis Players of All Time

10 Evonne Goolagong Cawley

Evonne Goolagong Cawley is an Australian former World No. 1. Goolagong was one of the world’s ruling players in the 1970s and early 1980s.

At the age of 19, she won the French Open singles and the Australian Open doubles championships. Goolagong went on to win 14 Grand Slam tournament titles, seven in singles, six in women’s doubles, and one in mixed doubles.

She depicted Australia in three Fed Cup competitions, triumphing in the title in 1971, 1973, and 1974.

Goolagong was placed into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985 and the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1988. Evonne Goolagong Cawley is number 10 in our list of the top 10 greatest female tennis players of all time.

9 Justine Henin

Image Credit- US Open

Justine Henin is a Belgian former professional tennis player. She spent a total of 117 weeks as the world No. 1 and was the year-end No. 1 in 2003, 2006, and 2007.

Henin won a total of seven Grand Slam singles titles, winning the French Open in 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2007, the US Open in 2003 and 2007, and the Australian Open in 2004.

She also won a gold medal in the women’s singles at the 2004 Olympic Games. Henin is considered one of the greatest female tennis players of all time and she has been ranked among the top ten by many experts and publications.

A key reason for her success was her mental toughness and competitive spirit, which helped her overcome some difficult moments during matches.

In 2016, she became the first Belgian tennis player seated in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

8 Venus Williams

Image Credit- WTA Tennis

Venus Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world No. 1 in both singles and doubles.

Williams has won a total of seven Grand Slam singles titles, five at Wimbledon and two at the US Open. She is widely considered one of the all-time greats in the history of the game

In 2000 and 2001, Williams claimed the Wimbledon and US Open titles, as well as Olympic singles gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Along with her seven singles major titles, Williams has also won a total of 14 women’s doubles major titles, all partnering with Serena.

Williams is considered one of the greatest female tennis players of all time. Venus Williams is number 8 in our list of the top 10 greatest female tennis players of all time.

7 Billie Jean King

Image Credit- NBC Sports

Billie Jean King is a true pioneer of women’s sports. She is an American former world No. 1 tennis player.

King won a total of 39 major titles, 12 in singles, 16 in women’s doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles. King was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987.

In 2018, she won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2020, the Federation Cup has renamed the Billie Jean King Cup in her recognition.

King is considered one of the greatest female tennis players of all time. Billie Jean King is number 7 in our list of the top 10 greatest female tennis players of all time.

6 Monica Seles

Image Credit- Guardian

Monica Seles is a former skilled tennis player who depicted Yugoslavia and the United States. She is A former world No. 1 and won a total of nine Grand Slam singles titles.

In 1990, Seles became the youngest-ever French Open champion at the age of just 16. She moved on to win eight Grand Slam singles titles before turning 20th and was the year-end No. 1 in 1991 and 1992.

Seles is considered one of the greatest female tennis players of all time. Seles was anointed one of the “30 Legends of Women’s Tennis which also includes the legends from Past, Present, and Future” by Time.

Her story is an inspiration to many people. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009.

5 Chris Evert

Image Credit- CNN

Chris Evert is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. She won a total of 18 Grand Slam singles championships and three doubles titles.

She ended the year world number 1 seven times during his career(1974–78, 1980, 1981). Evert achieved 34 Grand Slam singles finals, more than any other player in the history of the game.

Evert won a record-breaking seven titles at the French Open and six championships at the US Open which is tied with another legend Serena Williams.

Evert’s career-besting percentage in singles matches is of 89.97% (1309–146) which is the second-highest in the Open Era, for men or women.

4 Margaret Court

Image Credit- The Australian

Margaret Court is an Australian former tennis player and former world No. 1. She won a total of 24 Grand Slam women’s singles titles, 19 Grand Slam women’s doubles titles, and 21 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles.

Her 24 Grand Slam singles titles are the most in the history of the game. She is regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.

Court is one of only three players in the history of the game to have won the “Grand Slam Boxed Set”, consisting of every Grand Slam title which includes the singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.

Her open-era singles career winning percentage of 91.02% (608–60) is unequaled to date. The International Tennis Hall of Fame phrases “For sheer strength of performance and accomplishment there has never been a tennis player to match (her).”

3 Martina Navratilova

top 10 greatest female tennis players of all time
Image Credit- NBC News

Martina Navratilova is widely regarded among the greatest tennis players of all time, Navratilova won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, 31 major women’s doubles titles, and 10 major mixed doubles titles.

Navratilova was WTA world No. 1 in singles for a total of 332 weeks, second after Steffi Graf, and for a record 237 weeks in doubles.

Navratilova is one of the only three female tennis players, along with Margaret Court and Doris Hart, to have achieved a Career Grand Slam in women’s singles and doubles, and mixed doubles. Martina Navratilova is number 3 in our list of the top 10 greatest female tennis players of all time.

2 Steffi Graf

top 10 greatest female tennis players of all time
Image Credit- The Australian

Steffi Graf is a German former professional tennis player who was ranked world No. 1 for a record-breaking 377 weeks and won a total of 22 major singles titles.

In 1988, Graf became the first tennis player in history to accomplish the Golden Slam by succeeding in all four major singles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same year.

She won a total of six French Open singles titles, seven Wimbledon singles titles, four Australian Open titles, and five US Open singles titles.

She is considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Graf was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004.

1 Serena Williams

top 10 greatest female tennis players of all time
Image Credit- Tennis365

Serena Williams is an American professional tennis player. She has been ranked singles world No. 1 by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) for 319 weeks.

She had also devoured as the year-end No. 1 five times. Williams has also won a total of 14 major women’s doubles titles, with her sister Venus.

Serena holds the record for the most combined major titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles among active players, with 39: 23 in singles, 14 in women’s doubles, and two in mixed doubles. 

Williams was the world’s highest-paid woman athlete in 2016, attaining almost $29 million. Serena Williams tops the list of the top 10 greatest female tennis players of all time.

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Kamran Khan

A geek, who just loves to update sports, gaming, and tech updates from around the world to the other geeks out there. A passionate sports lover, a tech geek from the mind, and a gamer from the heart.

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