Choosing just 10 female tennis players to feature in this list was a tough gig; there have been so many stars to have graced the tennis courts around the world, from the early 20th century to The Open Era. The introduction of the WTA Tour 50 years ago arguably contributed to greater recognition of women’s tennis players, as it was designed to create a better future for women in tennis. This, alongside changes to nutrition, advancements in technology and even improvements to fitness regimes have only made this, perhaps subjective task, that little more complicated to complete.
Arguably, this is a subjective debate, but we’ve gone through the facts and figures to whittle it down to create our list of the best women’s players during the Open Era (which commenced in 1968), who, with their achievements, continue to inspire others. Please note that we’re basing this on their singles’ performances only, but a few noteworthy doubles achievements may be mentioned here and there! Here’s our Top 10…
10. Caroline Wozniacki
Born: 11 July 1990
Nationality: Denmark
Career titles: 30
Grand Slams: 1 (1 AUS)
Total Weeks at No.1: 71 (49 Consecutive)
We’re kickstarting with Caroline Wozniacki, who rightfully earns her place in our Top 10. She was an idol for all, but particularly for Scandinavia, as she became the first women ever from a Scandinavian country to possess the top position in WTA rankings. What’s more, the Dane became the first Scandinavian women to win a Grand Slam singles title; she did so at the 2018 Australian Open, which would be her first, and last, Grand Slam win.
Her speed, consistency and agility contribute to her success, and she is known to neutralise any power her opponent may have when up against them on the court. Her skills aided her in achieving 30 WTA singles titles from 2008 to 2011 – the most for any player on the Tour. She is an advocate for all young tennis players, which led to her being awarded the Danish Sportsperson of the Year in 2010.
Wozniacki played in the same era as the Williams sisters; therefore, many argue that her success and career was limited. However, her success, and her reputation since, should both be credited.
9. Venus Williams
Born: 17 June 1980
Nationality: United States of America
Career Titles: 49
Grand Slams: 7 (5 Wimbledon, 2 US)
Total Weeks at No.1: 11
Williams is a name that is highly recognised in the world of sport; Venus, alongside her sister Serena, are consistently credited for encouraging a new era of athleticism and power in the Open era for women’s tennis. It is said that, if Venus did not have to compete against her sister Serena, she may have had more Grand Slam titles to her name. That being said, an impressive 7 victories gets her a place in our Top 10!
Venus was certainly the woman to beat on the WTA tour in the early 2000s; in just 2000 and 2001, Venus bagged four of her seven Grand Slam titles, which aided her to bag her the No.1 status in 2002 for the first time. Venus was the first African American women to reach No.1 in the Open era, making it a key moment in history. It is said that Wimbledon is her favourite tournament on the Grand Slam tour, which is no surprise given her five impressive victories there between 2000 and 2008.
Venus was widely known for her all-court game and aggression; at the height of her career, she frequently delivered serves at 124mph. In fact, she held the record for the fastest serve on the WTA Tour for seven years, where she delivered a 129mph serve at the 2007 US Open - WOWZA!
8. Justine Henin
Born: 1 June 1982
Nationality: Belgium
Career titles: 50
Grand Slams: 7 (1 AUS, 4 FRA, 2 US)
Total Weeks at No.1: 117 (61 Consecutive)
Henin comes in at Number 8 on our list, which is helped by her impressive 7 Grand Slam titles – 4 of these were at The French Open, where she won 3 titles in a row, from 2005 to 2007. Her first victory at the French Open, in 2003, was a significant one for Belgium; Henin was the first Belgian ever to win a Grand Slam Singles title. To this day, she remains as one of the most successful tennis stars in French Open history.
Justine has been highly regarded by other tennis stars, including Billie Jean King, who gave Henin the title as the best player of her generation, whilst John McEnroe hails her back-hand as the best single-handed backhand in both the men’s and women’s game. It was this one-handed backhand, alongside her competitive footspeed and mental toughness, that were reasons why she was so great and influential. In fact, many compared her style through versatility and variety, to Roger Federer.
Henin retired in 2011 due to chronic elbow injury, however, remains an idol to many.
7. Billie Jean King
Born: 22 November 1943
Nationality: United States of America
Career Titles: 129 (67 during Open Era)
Grand Slams: 12 (1, AUS, 1 FRA, 6 Wimbledon, 4 US)
Total Weeks at No.1: n/a
Now this addition is cheating slightly, as much of this legend’s success came before the Open era, however, we couldn’t possibly write this article without giving the great Billie Jean King an honorary mention.
Billie Jean King has been consistently named as, arguably, the single most important female athlete of all time. As an advocate of gender equality, BJK changed the game for women’s tennis, and she was the founder of the Women’s Tennis Association (the WTA) and the Women’s Sports Foundation. On the court, she was hailed as the Queen of women’s tennis; King owned Wimbledon for the period 1966 to 1975, as she took home the crown a whopping six times in the period. What’s more, King well and truly disposed of Bobby Riggs in 1973, after she triumphed in the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ tennis match – up the girls!
Billie Jean King’s speed and aggression has been noted, and account for her playing style. Without doubt, King well and truly changed the game for women in tennis, and sport in general, and we have confidence in saying that women’s tennis would, arguably, not be what it is today without her wisdom, encouragement and drive for change.
6. Monica Seles
2 December 1973
Nationality: United States of America
Career Titles: 54
Grand Slams: 9 (4 AUS, 3 FRA, 2 US)
Total Weeks at No.1: 178 (91 Consecutive)
Seles represented both Yugoslavia (now Serbia) and United States in her professional career; she bagged 8 Grand Slam titles for the former and her final title for the latter. Seles reach World No.1 ranking at just 18 years old in March 1991, which was aided by her Australian Open victory two months before (her first attempt in doing so). However, it was the year prior that she made history; Seles won her first Grand Slam title, the French Open, in May 1990, and was the youngest ever French Open champion at just 16 years old! In fact, eight of her nine Grand Slam wins came in before her 20th birthday.
Seles was onto an outstanding career, and some say she had potential to be the best of all time, as she dominated the women’s tour in the early 1990s. Were it not for the unfortunate attack at the 1993 Citizen Cup in Hamburg, where she was stabbed by an obsessed fan of her rival, Steffi Graf, Seles had the potential, and capability, to add more Grand Slam titles to her name. To her credit, she bagged one more of these titles post-attack, as she won the 1996 Australian Open. Seles officially retired in 2008, however played until only 2003, and took a two-year break post attack. Despite this, Seles certainly deserves a spot in our Greatest Women’s Tennis Players of All Time hitlist – who knows what she may have achieved if the incident didn’t occur…
5. Martina Hingis
Born: 30 September 1980
Nationality: Switzerland
Career titles: 43
Grand Slams: 5 (3 AUS, 1 Wimbledon, 1 US)
Total Weeks at No.1: 178 (91 Consecutive)
In at number 5, it’s Martina Hingis – and here’s why. Firstly, she was the first tennis player, male or female, to win a major title and attain the prestigious World No.1 ranking for Switzerland. Secondly, she reached the top ranking at just 17 years old, in 1997, also making her the youngest ever No.1 in history. It doesn’t stop there for Hingis: the then 17-year-old also bagged the title as the youngest-ever Grand Slam champion that same year, as she walked away with the winner’s trophies at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. Hingis went on to win the Australian Open again in 1998 and 1999, meaning she had bagged 5 Grand Slam titles in her teenage years. Without doubt, she is among the youngest sport champions the world has ever witnessed.
Hingis took an early retirement due to injury, in 2003, however has since come back and retired again another two times. She retired for the third and final time in 2017 after her performance in the WTA Finals. Hingis was known for maintaining a consistent baseline, and her intelligence and knowledge of the game compensated for her lack of power – which certainly frightened her opponents.
4. Chris Evert
Born: 21 December 1954
Nationality: United States of America
Career titles: 157
Grand Slams: 18 (2 AUS, 7 FRA, 3 Wimbledon, 6 US)
Total Weeks at No.1: 260 (113 Consecutive)
Now that Grand Slam titles number is too good to miss out on this blog piece! In at Number 4, we have the great Chris Evert, who practically dominated women’s tennis from the beginning of the Open era, through the early 1970s and into the mid-1980s.
To this day, Evert remains the record holder for reaching the most Grand Slam singles finals, with a whopping 34 – 18 of which, she won. What’s more, she has won every major at least twice. Her ferocious two-handed backhand made her stand out amongst the rest and is still recognised in the world of tennis as a breakthrough move, where one-handed play was the norm. This was something that gave her a great advantage with longer rallies.
Her career winning percentage in singles matches is certainly worth a mention, standing at a very impressive and enviable 90%. Evert’s on-court rivalry with Martina Navratilova is something that will be remembered for decades to come also.
3. Martina Navratilova
Born: 18 October 1956
Nationality: Czech Republic (pre-1975), United States of America (post-1975)
Career titles: 167
Grand Slams: 18 (3 AUS, 2 FRA, 9 Wimbledon, 4 US)
Total Weeks at No.1: 332 (156 Consecutive)
Arguably Chris Evert’s greatest rival, Martina Navratilova, jumps into No.3 here, as she pips Evert to the post by 10 career titles (and a few dozen extra weeks as World No.1). Her 332 weeks at No.1 makes her the second greatest player in women’s tennis history regarding rankings.
Her big serves and volleys ensure that both returned to the women’s game in full force, making her one of the toughest competitors for her rivals in her career. Her whopping 167 career titles is the current record in the Open Era, whilst also holding the title for the most titles at Wimbledon – a ridiculous 9 amazing Championships have been won by Navratilova between 1978 and 1990.
As mentioned previously, the Navratilova-Evert rivalry was immense, and is widely regarded as the greatest in the history of women’s tennis. In 1985, the pair played against each other in the French Open final, which is still hailed as the best women’s match of all time. Navratilova battled to come back from 3-6, 2-4 down to 5-5 in the third set, before Evert hit the winning backhand shot on match point to win the title. However, it is Navratilova that leads Evert to the most wins; Navratilova leads 43-37 in total matches, 14-8 in Grand Slams and 10-4 in Grand Slam finals (singles and doubles).
It's easy to see why this tennis icon comes into a top three here, right?
2. Steffi Graf
Born: 14 June 1969
Nationality: Germany
Career titles: 107
Grand Slams: 22 (4 AUS, 6 FRA, 7 Wimbledon, 5 US)
Total Weeks at No.1: 377 (186 Consecutive)
Just pipped of the top spot, but someone with one of the greatest resumés in sporting history, we have Steffi Graf at number 2. Her outstanding 22 Grand Slam wins is an honourable mention, and her ability to win on all surfaces consistently throughout her 17-year career is noteworthy. But, perhaps her most incredible achievement is the fact that Graf is the only male or female player in history to have won the Calendar Golden Slam (all four Grand Slam titles plus Olympic gold in the same calendar year). Her overall record of 56 Grand Slam events gives her a 90% win rate. A truly, remarkable women!
Her professional career kickstarted in 1983 when she was just 13 years old, there was no one better than Graf from the late 80s to the mid-90s, and Graf remained as the top in the world for over three years. However, her collective total weeks at the top spot is a record for any male and female player. In fact, Graf was still positioned at No.3 when she retired in 1999.
Without doubt, Graf is an iconic tennis player who dominated her era in tennis and will be a name that fans and followers will remember for years and years to come. Even after nearly three decades since her retirement, she continues to inspire millions. All hail Steffi!
1. Serena Williams
Born: 26 September 1981
Nationality: United States of America
Career titles: 73
Grand Slams: 23 (7 AUS, 3 FRA, 7 Wimbledon, 6 US)
Total Weeks at No.1: 319 (186 Consecutive)
In at top spot for us, and to no surprise for the majority, we have the queen, the one and only Serena Williams.
Her staggering 23 Grand Slam wins gives her this title as she is the Open Era record holder for most Grand Slam wins in tennis history, male or female. Serena’s game and style has evolved with advancements in technology and strong competition; her power, sheer determination and strength are skills and assets that every tennis player wishes to possess.
For one, her serve is said to be the great in women’s tennis history, through power and accuracy; her 128mph ace served in the third round of the 2013 Australian Open was the third fastest in WTA history. Her ability to serve aces at the most critical moments has given Serena a lot of praise; moreover, her ability to come back from set and break deficit in Grand Slam matches was described by legend John McEnroe as ‘a gift’, who also praised Williams as ‘the greatest’ competitors in women’s tennis history.
Her 27-year career, in which a high level of play was present throughout, including her 23 Grand Slam titles and 23-10 record in Grand Slam finals, will make it extremely difficult to achieve stats as good, or greater, than Serena’s.
Serena is also the only player, male or female, to achieve a Career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles. Serena, save some for the rest of us hey?!
In all seriousness, we couldn’t praise Serena more, and all of these stats and incredible achievements make a very convincing case as to why Serena takes the gold medal when it comes to our greatest women’s tennis players of all time.
There you have it, our top 10 women’s tennis players of all time. We know there are other notable players: Simona Halep, Victoria Azarenka, Ashleigh Barty and Margaret Court spring to mind instantly, but the stats say it all in this blog piece. Who knows what the next few years of tennis will hold for women’s tennis…will Steffi Graf’s 377 weeks at No.1 be beaten? And will anyone ever knock Serena Williams out of the top place?
This article showcases the top 10 female tennis players during the Open Era, focusing primarily on their singles' achievements. The list accounts for their Grand Slam victories, weeks at No.1, career titles, and their impact on the sport. Here's an overview and key information on each player mentioned:
10. Caroline Wozniacki
- Nationality: Denmark
- Career titles: 30
- Grand Slams: 1 (Australian Open)
- Total Weeks at No.1: 71 (49 consecutive)
- Notable for being the first Scandinavian woman to hold the top position in WTA rankings and winning the Australian Open in 2018.
9. Venus Williams
- Nationality: United States of America
- Career titles: 49
- Grand Slams: 7 (5 Wimbledon, 2 US Open)
- Held the No.1 position in 2002, the first African American woman to do so. Known for her powerful serves, with a record of 129mph serve at the 2007 US Open.
8. Justine Henin
- Nationality: Belgium
- Career titles: 50
- Grand Slams: 7 (1 Australian Open, 4 French Open, 2 US Open)
- Renowned for her one-handed backhand and versatility, compared to Roger Federer for her playing style.
7. Billie Jean King
- Nationality: United States of America
- Career Titles: 129 (67 during the Open Era)
- Grand Slams: 12 (1 Australian Open, 1 French Open, 6 Wimbledon, 4 US Open)
- Notable for her immense contribution to gender equality in sports, founder of the WTA and Women’s Sports Foundation.
6. Monica Seles
- Nationality: United States of America
- Career Titles: 54
- Grand Slams: 9 (4 Australian Open, 3 French Open, 2 US Open)
- Achieved World No.1 at just 18 years old and won her first Grand Slam at 16. Her career was impacted by an attack in 1993.
5. Martina Hingis
- Nationality: Switzerland
- Career Titles: 43
- Grand Slams: 5 (3 Australian Open, 1 Wimbledon, 1 US Open)
- Became World No.1 at 17, the youngest at that time. Known for her intelligence on the court and consistent baseline play.
4. Chris Evert
- Nationality: United States of America
- Career Titles: 157
- Grand Slams: 18 (2 Australian Open, 7 French Open, 3 Wimbledon, 6 US Open)
- Dominated tennis in the 1970s and 1980s, known for her two-handed backhand and remarkable 90% career singles winning percentage.
3. Martina Navratilova
- Nationality: Czech Republic (pre-1975), United States of America (post-1975)
- Career Titles: 167
- Grand Slams: 18 (3 Australian Open, 2 French Open, 9 Wimbledon, 4 US Open)
- Known for her volleys and serves, engaged in a legendary rivalry with Chris Evert.
2. Steffi Graf
- Nationality: Germany
- Career Titles: 107
- Grand Slams: 22 (4 Australian Open, 6 French Open, 7 Wimbledon, 5 US Open)
- Achieved a Calendar Golden Slam and remained dominant from late 1980s to mid-1990s, holding the top spot for over three years.
1. Serena Williams
- Nationality: United States of America
- Career Titles: 73
- Grand Slams: 23 (7 Australian Open, 3 French Open, 7 Wimbledon, 6 US Open)
- Holds the record for the most Grand Slam wins in the Open Era, known for her powerful serve and remarkable comebacks in matches.
The article recognizes the exceptional achievements of these players, highlighting their impact on tennis and their lasting legacies in the sport's history.
