9 Agassi and No. This will always come down to racial divides. The second-most successful female British Olympian, Godfree won five Olympic medals in two Olympic Games. Steffi Grafs dominance transcended all surfaces more than any other player in the modern era. Other than the Williams sisters, she is the defining player of her generation. Just got done watching the great McEnroe bio on Showtime. Serena Williams; Steffi Graf; Martina Navritolova; Chris Evert; Margaret Court; Monica Seles; Billie Jean King; Venus Williams; Evonne Goolagong Cawley; Justine Henin; Martina Hingis; Helen Wills Moody; Maureen Connolly; Lindsay Davenport; Kim Clijsters; Jennifer Retired from professional tennis in 2013, she continued to remain associated with the game, captaining Great Britain Fed Cup team from 2017 to 2019. And after beating Serena to win the French, she became the first woman to best both Williams sisters in Grand Slam finals. Born: July 5, 1979, Saint-Germain-En-Laye, France. Henins career is synonymous with the French Open, where she was magical. 4 and former British number one, Johanna Konta is renowned for creating sharp angles and an offensive baseline play. Because its almost not to achieve. She has never been able to move particularly well, but she has powerful strokes and a serve that is hard to beat when it is on. At the 1908 Summer Olympics, Lambert Chambers won the gold medal in the singles event. Johanna Konta is a British tennis player who represented Australia till 2012. Serena has solely dominated womens tennis for over a decade and is still competing at the very highest level at the age of 38. Forty-three players made the list from the Americas, 39 from Europe and 18 from Oceania. Required fields are marked *. But she was more than just marketing hype. Born: Nov. 22, 1943, Long Beach, California. This week our writers have made the case for. A former world No. Serena NEVER had the level of consistent competition that Martina and Chris Evert gave each other. it was used the first time, when Navratilova failed to win rthe Grand Slam although she had even won 6 consecutive Majors. Tracy Austin has left her mark on and off the court. She is known as one of the top competitors in the sport, and she played for a long time as well. Bottom line: Petra Kvitovas left-handed power game has helped her dominate at Wimbledon, where she won two titles in 2011 and 2014. Graf, the only player to have won all four majors at least four times, finished with 22 Grand Slam singles titles despite playing about a decade less than Williams. Serena did so. Shes been number one in the world for 64 weeks so far in her career, and she may add to that number in the end. A popular tennis player, Jones won eight Grand Slam titles during her career. I have been a tennis fan since the early 60s when I started playing. Throughout her 11 year career, she showed she was a continually great competitor. Murrays tally of 46 singles titles is good for 14th on the all-time list, just behind Boris Becker and ahead of greats including Arthur Ashe and Stefan Edberg. But of all the great women in tennis, only one can stand alone as the greatest of all time. Throughout her 11 year career, she showed she was a continually great competitor. The only knock against her is that most of her domination came in the 1960s, before the open era of tennis. Female athletes continue to fight for equality in sports, and tennis players have been at the forefront of that struggle for decades. Remarkably, Venus is just a few months away from playing professional tennis after the age of 40 years old. Then, in 2013, she far surpassed that feat. Overnight, she was gracing fashion magazine covers and starring in television commercials around the world. When looking back at Tracy Austins career, its pretty remarkable what she was able to accomplish at such a young age. Nicola Viggers. This guy was the tennis pro of the 90s. In total, she won 3 Grand Slams, the 1955 French Open, 1958 Australian Open and Wimbledon in 1961. WebKathleen McKane Godfree was a British badminton and tennis player. Her father was an aspiring tennis coach. With that said, she had a ton of success as a child prodigy, and she hung around enough to have considerable success in doubles as well. Martina Navratilova shows off her Wimbledon trophy in 1990. Evonne Goolagong was the most notable female tennis player at the launch of the open era, as she was consistently winning single double and mixed double Grand Slam titles. In fact he was the first British man since the 70s to reach a Grand Slam semi-final position. Justine Henin kisses the French Open trophy in 2003. Now married to Andre Agassi, she has formed perhaps the most powerful tennis partnership in the history of the sport. WebKathleen McKane Godfree was a British badminton and tennis player. Konta achieved a steep rise in her ranking from the spring of 2015 to late 2016, climbing from 150 to inside the world's top ten, thereby becoming the first Briton to be ranked amongst the WTA's top ten since Jo Durie over 30 years previously. Often overshadowed by some of the other great players of her era, Lindsay Davenport put together a very solid career of her own. Born: Oct. 18, 1956, Prague, Czechoslovakia. Often well known for falling apart in big matches, she has nonetheless found enough toughness and consistency to win the champions trophy at both the U.S. Open and the French Open. Chris Evert and Serena Williams each have won six titles in New York. She also had enough movement that no one could exploit her in that regard. ONE hit. Many of her records remain unbroken. She didnt hit hard, she was relatively small for a tennis player and she had a pretty laid-back demeanor. Evonne often bullied her opposition, dominating early on and consistently throughout matches. And so did also Steffi Graf. Not only do countries embrace the sport at the recreational level, but fans follow their favorite players. A hero in her native Brazil, she was greeted at home by ticker-tape parades upon returning from winning her Grand Slam titles. She had a varied and beautiful all-around style of play and, despite being small in stature, was a giant fighter. She also found success in doubles, winning at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open into her thirties, to bring her career full circle. Her father was an aspiring tennis coach. She also broke ground for Spain by leading her country to its first Fed Cup title in 1991, a title she then helped Spain win four more times. Born: October 6, 1905, Centreville, California, Died: January 1, 1998, Carmel, California (Age 92). The most impressive thing about Osaka may be that, as accomplished as she is, her best likely lies ahead. But she was not content to only practice against men. From trailblazing legends like Billie Jean King to champions like Serena Williams, dominant athletes on the tennis court have elevated womens sports to new heights. As such, the, Read More 7 Best Left-Handed Tennis Players EverContinue, The most dominating shot in all of tennis is the serve. On the court, Sharapova dictated points with a strong serve and heavy groundstrokes and won all four majors for the career Grand Slam. WebBritish tennis players Browse the player profiles of our British tennis players, featuring the top tennis players in the UK. The local media covered her matches with the same interest they covered Muhammad Alis boxing bouts. Garbine Muguruza is part of a new wave of emerging tennis champions. There was a lot on the line. In 1978, she wasinducted intothe International Tennis Hall of Fame. Martina Navratilova, Serena Williams, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles were all popular with our readers. Halep figures to add to her resume as one of the greats in years to come. Players must track down balls and keep long rallies going to survive in a game that now takes place almost exclusively at the, Read More 10 Fastest Tennis Players In The WorldContinue, In the world today, about 10% of people are left-handed, and 1% of the population has what is called mixed-handedness or cross-dominance. A former world No. Nick Gannon. If she can add a few more Grand Slam titles to her list, she could creep up fast. She preferred to play from the baseline, using her power and accuracy to blow opponents away. Entering her first tournaments as a teenager, it took Round nearly a decade to have success at the highest level of tennis. From Fred Perry and Virginia Wade to Andy Murray, British Tennis success has grown and grown over the years. Died: July 4, 1938, Paris, France (Age 39). Of, Read More 15 Best Tennis CountriesContinue, Tennis, like every other sport, is a game of rivalry. 3. Now 53 years old, she is a former professional player who ranked World No.1 for a record 377 weeks. Female athletes continue to fight for equality in sports, and tennis players have been at the forefront of that struggle for decades. Her first Grand Slam victory came in 1968 at the US Open, and shed go on to win 55 singles titles throughout her career. Going off of numbers, she still has the most Grand Slam singles titles at 24. After retiring as a player, Wade has worked as a game analyst and commentator. But what puts Steffi miles ahead of Serena is the Grand Slam and the Golden Slam. Than its not a hit anymore. One of the defining rivalries of tennis early era was between Helen Jacobs and Helen Wills, with the two meeting seven times in Grand Slam play. Since then, Kerber has proved that she belongs at the top of the game, using her powerful left-handed strokes to win three majors and attain the world No. Billie Jean King has had the biggest influence on womens tennis in the past 50 years. Played: Right-handed (two-handed backhand). 9 Agassi and No. Born: March 11, 1923, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Died: Feb. 3, 2014, Vista, California (Age 90). But the Chilean changed all that by winning the 1937 U.S. Open. She was never particularly great on clay, despite growing up on it and being a native of France. People of her circle claimed that her achievement should be considered as a Grand Slam cause nowadays it wouldnt be possible anymore to achieve Grand Slam . Wills finished her career with 19 Grand Slam titles. These rankings determine who holds the crown. Sloane Stephens is a bright light for American tennis in the post-Williams sisters future. She retired in 2008, picking up a hugely impressive 53 career titles, including 9 Grand Slams. She is the only player in womens tennis history to be number one at singles and doubles for over 200 weeks. With recent success from Emma Raducanu and Cameron Norrie, British tennis can only get better and better and we cant wait to see what 2022 (modern). Before her, the game was seen as the exclusive domain of the elite, West European-American world. 3. On the court, she proved her worth by winning two Grand Slam titles over the likes of Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. To watch this young woman running around the tennis court beating the old pros was wonderful. Navratilova conquered all of the grand slams winning singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles at all four slams between 1974 and 2006 but it was at Wimbledon where her volleying prowess caused the most damage, not only in titles but in eventually winning the respect of the crowd. But Graf won her 22 slams within a 12 years range, Serena needed 17 years to equal this mark and 18 years to go ahead. Undeterred by this adversity, Kvitova fought to reach the 2019 Australian Open final and the top of the tennis world once again. From trailblazing legends like Billie Jean King to champions like Serena Williams, dominant athletes on the tennis court have elevated womens sports to new heights. Born: March 20, 1993, Plantation, Florida. In doing so, she elevated herself from great to greatest. Angela Mortimer was certainly one of the greatest British female tennis players alive during the 1950s and early 1960s. Maria Sharapova became an international icon by winning her first Wimbledon title at 17. In 2016, she won the mixed-doubles at Wimbledon, becoming the first British player to win at Wimbledon since Joanna Mary Durie in 1987. Ranker Tennis. Steffi Graf. 1 in doubles, Wade won four Grand Slam doubles titles. She was calm and had a game that was advanced far beyond her years. Women's rankings Men's rankings Women's wheelchair rankings Men's wheelchair rankings Quad rankings British padel players Browse the profiles of Britain's top women's and men's padel players, including where they're ranked. By the numbers, however, Court surpassed even Lavers achievements, winning a record 24 Grand Slam singles titles, a whopping 11 of which came on home ground in Australia. However, in her time, she was a dominant player who could win on any surface. Not only did she excel as a player by winning 39 grand slam titles 12 in singles, 16 in womens doubles and 11 in mixed doubles but she is a crusader for social justice and womens equality in sports. Murrays tally of 46 singles titles is good for 14th on the all-time list, just behind Boris Becker and ahead of greats including Arthur Ashe and Stefan Edberg. No one could put away matches in as dominant a fashion, and her 23 Grand Slam titles are an Open Era record. WebHeather Watson is a professional tennis player who has won nine career titles so far, including four singles titles. Steffi Graf. 48 at twenty-five. She operated on a level of artistic elegance unmatched before or since. The TenWho are the 10 best women's tennis players of all time? She was never truly dominant like many on this list, but she had a short run in her career where she was a Grand Slam threat every single time. She was tennis own child star and reached the top 10 in the rankings at just 14 years old. Her track record outside of that match more than stands on its own. WebBritish tennis players Browse the player profiles of our British tennis players, featuring the top tennis players in the UK. Jennifer Capriati had colossal expectations placed on her from a very young age. Vote for Your Favourite British Female Tennis Players, (British Former Professional Tennis Player), (Former British Professional Tennis Player), (Former British Tennis Player and Television Presenter), (British Former Professional Tennis Player Who Formerly Represented Australia), (British Former Table Tennis and Lawn Tennis Champion), (Former Tennis Player and Television Host), (English Former Professional Tennis Player), (English Fashion Designer and Former Professional Tennis Player), (British Tennis Player and the Youngest Ladies Singles Champion), (British Tennis and Badminton Player and the Second Most Decorated Female British Olympian). She won four times at her home Australian Open and seven Grand Slam titles total, as well as leading Australia to three Fed Cup titles. A powerful, attacking baseline game that allows her to dictate the pace of play on multiple surfaces and consistently gain the upper hand in rallies. Not only did she take home the title, but she did it without dropping a single set. Evonne Goolagong was the most notable female tennis player at the launch of the open era, as she was consistently winning single double and mixed double Grand Slam titles. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. Her trademarks the footwork of a ballerina, the speed of a gazelle, the impeccably carved backhand slice and that monstrous bazooka of a forehand coalesced into a rare brand of athleticism, as beautiful as it was brutal. WebEasily one of the most successful female British tennis players, Virginia Wade is a three-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. Steffi Graf had the most graceful game of any female player in history. The other Serbian woman who emerged as a star in the 2000s, Ana Ivanovic matched Jelena Jankovic by earning the world No.1 ranking spot in 2008. Her career has been up and down since then, but she still has the talent to repeat that level of excellence. Here is the full list of the greatest female tennis players of all time. 2 Nadal, No. Anastasia Myskina was part of the first wave of young women who helped put the worlds largest country on the map, with her French Open win in 2004, the first singles title for a Russian player. I loved the mens game & got to see many of the greats in person up in NH. When considering singles and doubles, Martina Navratilova has had a ton of success in her career. Serena Williams celebrates after winning the French Open in 2013. She retired in 2008, picking up a hugely impressive 53 career titles, including 9 Grand Slams. Wades tally of 55 is particularly impressive. The second-most successful female British Olympian, Godfree won five Olympic medals in two Olympic Games. She lost some of her prime years to a combination of injuries and an ugly child custody dispute that forced her to withdraw from tournaments. She was clearly the best player of that time. This period included her best Grand more Birthplace: Sydney, Australia Nationality: Australia 98 A journeywoman for the first few years of her career, she showed she belonged at the top by winning the U.S. Open in 2011 over Serena Williams. Graf finished her career with 22 Grand Slams and 107 total singles titles, and her accomplishments may never be equaled again. By the way: she would have won even a historical Double Grand Slam if she wouldnt have lost at the French Open in 1989 with 5:7 in the third to Sanchez_Vicario. Angela Mortimer was certainly one of the greatest British female tennis players alive during the 1950s and early 1960s. Still, winning a total of nine grand slam singles titles is pretty impressive. 10 Rosewall. After retiring as a player, Sue Barker became a sports reporter. The French Open paid tribute to Lenglen's legacy by naming one of its show courts after her, and it stands to this day in memory of what she achieved. Serena who is listed as #1 23 & 72 titles less than 1/2 of M Court. Wills got the better of Jacobs six times, but the seventh time, at the 1933 U.S. Open, Jacobs came away the victor. She was able to win the 2009 and 2010 U.S. Open after giving birth, and that cemented her legacy on a list like this. In the early 1950s, she took the tennis world by storm, winning six straight Grand Slam singles titles between 1952 and 1953. Winning four French Open, eight Wimbledons and seven U.S. Open titles is truly remarkable, regardless of era. With that being said, one of the best ways to compare players is to look at grand slam totals. Li Na completed the transformation of tennis into a global game. I remember watching her in action on an old black and white TV with my mum and sister. And she has transcended her sport. She is an absolute legend. Sue Barker is an English former professional tennis player. For much of the 2010s, Caroline Wozniacki was a model of consistency, winning 30 titles and ending two consecutive years at world No.1. Jana Novotnas game is an example of a lost art in tennis, especially the womens game. Former British tennis player Annabel Croft had begun playing tennis at age 9. Below is a look at the 20 best tennis players of all time. Next week: who is the greatest male tennis player of the last 50 years? Martina Hingis isnt the most physically imposing player, especially in todays modern game. Not only did she win 12 Grand Slam titles in singles, but she took home the career Grand Slam, winning all four majors. The face of tennis is notably more diverse than when she and her sister arrived. Talk about a child prodigy Tim Henman. Although she did well on home soil, winning the French Open twice, she found her greatest success at Wimbledon, winning that event six times. Konta achieved a steep rise in her ranking from the spring of 2015 to late 2016, climbing from 150 to inside the world's top ten, thereby becoming the first Briton to be ranked amongst the WTA's top ten since Jo Durie over 30 years previously. Most impressive is her feat of reaching 34 Grand Slam finals, a record no woman or man has equaled since. Its a big psychological difference to win those four within the career, not within a year or that to withstand the pressure and fear not to fail just once at all the matches of the four Grand Slams which are hold within one season. But when the moment came for her to perform at the highest level, she did not disappoint. 2 Nadal, No. Women's rankings Men's rankings Women's wheelchair rankings Men's wheelchair rankings Quad rankings British padel players Browse the profiles of Britain's top women's and men's padel players, including where they're ranked.