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. But clay is not the only surface where she shines. The local media covered her matches with the same interest they covered Muhammad Alis boxing bouts. In the early 1950s, she took the tennis world by storm, winning six straight Grand Slam singles titles between 1952 and 1953. A former world No. Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers was a British tennis player who won seven Wimbledon singles titles in an illustrious career that spanned more than 25 years. Chris Evert won 90% of the singles matches she played, a record for men or women. Often overshadowed by some of the other great players of her era, Lindsay Davenport put together a very solid career of her own. The most important match of her life was seen by more than 90 million people when she beat Bobby Riggs in the now famous Battle of the Sexes. Her father was an aspiring tennis coach. The Greatest of All Time is Margaret Court. The face of tennis is notably more diverse than when she and her sister arrived. British tennis has produced some of the greatest tennis players of all time. Florence Angela Margret Mortimer Berret, better known as simply Angela Mortimer, is the 2: Ann Jones. 6 Borg, No. Seles took the initiative in every single match she played, hitting the lines and depriving her opponents of time. but failed to do so. 2 Nadal, No. Monica Seles revolutionised the womens game with her power. Samantha Smith is a British retired professional tennis player. Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand). Former British tennis player Annabel Croft had begun playing tennis at age 9. Born: March 8, 1990, Bilovec, Czhechoslovakia. She won seven grand slams and an Olympic gold medal in a hugely competitive era in the womens game. Serena has solely dominated womens tennis for over a decade and is still competing at the very highest level at the age of 38. Other than the Williams sisters, she is the defining player of her generation. This week our writers have made the case for Steffi Graf, Chris Evert, Serena Williams, Martina Navratilova and Monica Seles. Below is a look at the 20 best tennis players of all time. 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. In 1933, Wills won a "Battle of the Sexes" exhibition match, decades before Billie Jean King. British tennis has produced some of the greatest tennis players of all time. She has eight ITF career titles, including three singles titles, under her belt. But the Chilean changed all that by winning the 1937 U.S. Open. Forty-three players made the list from the Americas, 39 from Europe and 18 from Oceania. Entering her first tournaments as a teenager, it took Round nearly a decade to have success at the highest level of tennis. With that in mind, we are spending the Wimbledon fortnight debating which of the greats is the greatest of them all. Maria Sharapova became an international icon by winning her first Wimbledon title at 17. Born: October 6, 1905, Centreville, California, Died: January 1, 1998, Carmel, California (Age 92). Even the great Serena Williams would have struggled to get the ball past a prime Navratilova at the net. WebEasily one of the most successful female British tennis players, Virginia Wade is a three-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. An incredible athlete with unparalleled longevity, Navratilova won the U.S. Open in mixed doubles in 2006, just a month shy of her 50th birthday. Top 5 British Tennis Players of All Time 1. WebVirginia Wade and Andy Murray are the most successful British tennis players in the Open Era by singles titles. Andy Murray 2. Bottom line: Petra Kvitovas left-handed power game has helped her dominate at Wimbledon, where she won two titles in 2011 and 2014. Although Ivanovic never won another Slam, she showed persistence and determination by overcoming multiple injuries to reach the top 5 again late in her career. Some people believe that Serena Williams still has work to do to become the greatest tennis player of all time. Anita Lizanas impact on tennis has been unjustly lost to the mists of time. Still, winning a total of nine grand slam singles titles is pretty impressive. Talk about a child prodigy Tim Henman. Ranker Tennis. 2 who turned pro in 1968 and retired in 1986. Seles started her career young, turning pro in 1989, aged just 16. She is known as one of the top competitors in the sport, and she played for a long time as well. The United States was credited with the most great players (38), followed by Australia (17), France (7), Great Britain (6) and Czechoslovakia (5). She certainly left a great impression on a young 11-year-old schoolboy when she won Wimbledon for the first time in 1971. 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. This guy was the tennis pro of the 90s. Andy Murray 2. At 15, she became the youngest from Britain to play senior Wimbledon in almost 100 years. 2 Nadal, No. WebKathleen McKane Godfree was a British badminton and tennis player. She also demonstrated incredible overall consistency at the majors, reaching a then-record 26 consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinals between 1959 and 1960. Twice. Died: June 2, 1997, East Hampton, New York (Age 88). M Court is the greatest women tennis player of all time and not even close. In 2012, she became the first British female player to win a WTA singles title since 1988. Florence Angela Margret Mortimer Berret, better known as simply Angela Mortimer, is the 2: Ann Jones. But of all the great women in tennis, only one can stand alone as the greatest of all time. As such, the, Read More 7 Best Left-Handed Tennis Players EverContinue, The most dominating shot in all of tennis is the serve. Evonne often bullied her opposition, dominating early on and consistently throughout matches. Born: March 30, 1984, Brisbane, Australia. Undeterred by this adversity, Kvitova fought to reach the 2019 Australian Open final and the top of the tennis world once again. Registered as the most versatile sportswoman in the Guinness Book of Records, she was also skilled in a host of sports, such as skiing, golf, archery, and field hockey. Throughout her 11 year career, she showed she was a continually great competitor. Her first Grand Slam victory came in 1968 at the US Open, and shed go on to win 55 singles titles throughout her career. One of the most underrated womens tennis players of all time is Amelie Mauresmo. Ann Shirley Jones is a tennis legend and easily one of the greatest of all time, playing at a time 3: Virginia Wade. Jana Novotnas game is an example of a lost art in tennis, especially the womens game. Konta has won four singles WTA Tour titles. She also won two US Open doubles titles and three Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. A popular tennis player, Jones won eight Grand Slam titles during her career. 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. Dart reached the finals of the mixed doubles event at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships along with Joe Salisbury and lost to Neal Skupski and Desirae Krawczyk. There are a lot of what-ifs with Seles. She won her first Grand Slam in doubles at age 15 and her first in singles at age 16, taking home the Australian Open. She didnt hit hard, she was relatively small for a tennis player and she had a pretty laid-back demeanor. 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. There is no arguing that Serena Williams is the greatest female tennis player of all time. Wills finished her career with 19 Grand Slam titles. Sloane Stephens is a bright light for American tennis in the post-Williams sisters future. Of course, her placement will depend upon future results, too. Graf was 29 when she won her last Major. Johanna Konta is a British tennis player who represented Australia till 2012. She was a trendsetter in tennis as well, being the first to wear knee-length pleated skirts instead of the longer ones that were in style before she began playing. Played: Right-handed (two-handed backhand). Based on 2022 results, Iga Swiatek has entered the top 20. Justine Henin is one of the greatest and most underrated players in womens tennis. Her first Grand Slam victory came in 1968 at the US Open, and shed go on to win 55 singles titles throughout her career. She has risen from humble beginnings in Compton a world away from the privileged start of many tennis players and has overcome overt racism to become an active voice for equal rights for women and men on and off the court. But she was not content to only practice against men. At 20 years old, it robbed her of over two years in her prime. Yea, unquestionably Serena was a very dominant player in her era. Her first Grand Slam victory came in 1968 at the US Open, and shed go on to win 55 singles titles throughout her career. She preferred to play from the baseline, using her power and accuracy to blow opponents away. Godfree won two Wimbledon singles titles. She retired in 2008, picking up a hugely impressive 53 career titles, including 9 Grand Slams. And the greatest women's tennis player of all time. Things can change in a hurry, as some current players could move up the list, or into the list. Number 2 of the greatest female tennis player and most tennis Grand Slams womens division winners we have Steffi Graf. Osaka showed that even at her young age her groundstrokes had the power to outmatch Serena strength for strength. She was able to have a ton of success in the 1990s in particular, but it was 1988 where she first made a huge splash. Its not impossible, but her record of 49 total grand slam titles will be very tough to beat. She had lost her last two matches against Navratilova the Wimbledon and US Open finals of 1987 and this was her first meeting against her fellow GOAT candidate during her legendary Golden Slam-winning year. Vote up the best women's tennis players ever. Although she's never won a Grand Slam, her consistency propelled her to the top of the world rankings for the first time in 2008. Had one of them not existed, 30 Slams would of been easily attained. Lindsay Davenport was a model of consistency at the top of the game. She went on to establish herself as the undisputed queen of the U.S. Open, winning the event eight times. She was physically fit throughout her career, capable of giving any player a scare, even when she was past her prime. She was also a very good doubles and mixed doubles player, taking home 27 Grand Slam titles with different partners. Born: Aug. 25, 1927, Silver, South Carolina, Died: Sept. 28, 2003, East Orange, New Jersey (Age 76). If a player has a great serve, they have the chance to consistently win their games. Shes still looking for that first Grand Slam title since giving berth, and maybe some Olympic success in Tokyo as well. WebShe is the face of womens tennis in the UK and took home a silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Games. It cant be done in separated parts. Tennis has seen a slew of epic rivalries throughout the course of, Read More 15 Greatest Rivalries In Tennis HistoryContinue, Over the last couple of decades, the tennis court has turned into a home for some very tall players. Henry Haynes. 3, Barker had an illustrious playing career during which she won 15 WTA singles titles, including the 1976 French Open. Kathleen McKane Godfree was a British badminton and tennis player. She also won to U.S. Open and became a great doubles partner with her sister when they felt like it. (modern). Serena did so. Finally she not only succeded at the US Open. 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. WebMonica Seles is a part-Hungarian, part-Yugoslavian, and part-American former womens tennis pro who had all the makings of one of the greatest tennis players to ever live. Nick Gannon. Number 2 of the greatest female tennis player and most tennis Grand Slams womens division winners we have Steffi Graf. Country: Germany. 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. Godfree won two Wimbledon singles titles. 3. Injuries piled up for her early on in her career, and an automobile accident, in particular, put a damper on making any serious come back. It was a pretty amazing feat given that she had given birth to her first daughter in the intervening years. Still, its hard to overlook her career Grand Slam and a total of five titles in her career. While there are certain advantages to being tall, these players have not exactly dominated the game, Read More 10 Tallest Tennis Players In The WorldContinue, Speed makes a big difference in tennis, especially in the modern game. Serena Williams has been dominant for such a long period of time. But basically the invention of this new term had and has only objective: to cover the fact that these players woud have wished to win the Grand Slam so badly. She previously won a junior title at Wimbledon. However, in her time, she was a dominant player who could win on any surface. 1 ranking for the first time in 2016. The United Kingdom is regarded as the birthplace of tennis, and no one fulfilled that countrys championship hopes more than Virginia Wade. Of, Read More 15 Best Tennis CountriesContinue, Tennis, like every other sport, is a game of rivalry. Her demolition of her arch-rival Monica Seles at Wimbledon in 1992 after losing a heartbreaker at Roland Garros just weeks earlier was particularly fulfilling. Serena deserves her status as a global icon. As a player, she became the first woman from Spain to take home the Wimbledon title in 1994, winning an epic three-set classic over the heavily favored Martina Navratilova. Angela Mortimer Althea Gibson By Associated Press / Public domain Florence Angela Margaret Mortimer Barrett is a 4. In an epic match against her frequent doubles partner Louise Brough, the battle between the two of them went to Osborne by a score of 15-13 in the third set. Unfortunately, those were her only two Grand Slam titles, and she was already retired and in the Hall of Fame before she turned 30 years old. WebHeather Watson is a professional tennis player who has won nine career titles so far, including four singles titles. But thats a very questionable even if the criteria is the grand slam wins. 2 Nadal, No. Once known as a media darling, Maria Sharapova has fallen on hard times in the last few years. Born: Jan. 18, 1988, Bremen, West Germany. She won all four majors for the career Grand Slam, only the second woman to achieve that feat. The best women's tennis players of all time are multiple Grand Slam champions, Olympic tennis gold medalists and simply the best ladies to ever To watch this young woman running around the tennis court beating the old pros was wonderful. WebBritish tennis players Browse the player profiles of our British tennis players, featuring the top tennis players in the UK. With that in mind, we are spending the Wimbledon fortnight debating which of the greats is the greatest of them all. Henins career is synonymous with the French Open, where she was magical. Conchita Martinez played a decisive role in different Wimbledon championships more than two decades apart. I loved the mens game & got to see many of the greats in person up in NH. The days are long and the nights are warm but, sadly, we will have to wait until next year to see the great players of our time compete at Wimbledon. I m talking about the real and the only Grand Slam: the wins of the four Majors within a calendar year. 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. For years, she failed to win a Grand Slam title and was unfairly branded as someone who could not perform on the biggest stages. Born: Oct. 2, 1984, Le Puy-en-Velay, France, Plays: Right-handed (two-handed on both sides). Ivanovic even went one step further and won a Grand Slam, taking home the French Open that year in convincing fashion. Reehan Miah. Venus and Serena Williams form arguably the most iconic pairing of siblings in sports history. But what puts Steffi miles ahead of Serena is the Grand Slam and the Golden Slam. When she was able to win, many people saw this as a monumental moment in womens sports. But different to Navratilova and Serena, Graf made (putting her aside of Margaret Court and Maureen Conolly): in 1988, she won the real Grand Slam and withstood the immense pressure that was put on her by the media and the public. Thanks to everyone who took part. Wills got the better of Jacobs six times, but the seventh time, at the 1933 U.S. Open, Jacobs came away the victor. Four-time winner of the AEGON Awards, Elena Baltacha was a Ukrainian-born British tennis player, who held the British No. After retiring as a player, Wade has worked as a game analyst and commentator. She was a very well-rounded player who could excel on any surface, and, unfortunately, she was not able to stay long at the top of the game. This guy was the tennis pro of the 90s. Angela Mortimer Althea Gibson By Associated Press / Public domain Florence Angela Margaret Mortimer Barrett is a 4. After retiring at 21, she launched her fashion brand. In fact he was the first British man since the 70s to reach a Grand Slam semi-final position. Seles started her career young, turning pro in 1989, aged just 16. Country: Germany. Off the court, she has remained a major presence in the tennis world to this day as a television commentator, calling Grand Slam matches on NBC and on the Tennis Channel. She was the only woman to win each Grand Slam at least four times, and in perhaps an even more unique achievement, she collected the "Golden Slam" in 1988, winning each of the four majors and the Olympic gold medal in the same year. At her best, she was unbeatable. When the open era first started taking off in womens tennis, Evonne Goolagong Cawley was one of the first to start winning consistently. Here is the full list of the greatest female tennis players of all time. This period included her best Grand more Birthplace: Sydney, Australia Nationality: Australia 98 Florence Angela Margret Mortimer Berret, better known as simply Angela Mortimer, is the 2: Ann Jones. Due to an error during editing, Martina Navratilovas grand slam titles were listed as being between 1975 and 2003, rather than the actual dates of 1974 and 2006. Vote up the best women's tennis players ever. After her playing career, she became a coach and broke through a major glass ceiling by coaching Andy Murray, one of the first women to ever coach a top-ranked man. She raised the bar in terms of physicality in the womens game and recognised the advantages of assembling a support team, each of whom had a specific role to play. In doing so, she elevated herself from great to greatest. Being the greatest is not simply a case of having the numbers (though any way you spin it, Graf is in the conversation). Kim Clijsters was often overshadowed by her fellow Belgian Justine Henin, but they both deserve a spot on this list. This guy was the tennis pro of the 90s. She won 55 singles titles and spent nearly 100 weeks spent at No.1, the eighth-most of all time. I position for the first time at the age of nineteen. She mixed a powerful serve with a graceful one-handed backhand and was near unstoppable at her peak, winning two Grand Slams in 2006. 2. Justine Henin kisses the French Open trophy in 2003. Born: June 8, 1976, Palos Verdes, California. This was due to a kick serve and deadly volleys that made her the best of her era on grass. Godfree won two Wimbledon singles titles. Now 53 years old, she is a former professional player who ranked World No.1 for a record 377 weeks. Serena's power game, anchored by a devastating serve, is without equal in the history of the womens game. Vote up the best women's tennis players ever. Svetlana Kuznetsova is something of a tennis enigma. Although she did well on home soil, winning the French Open twice, she found her greatest success at Wimbledon, winning that event six times. Her career has been up and down since then, but she still has the talent to repeat that level of excellence. As such a young player, who won eight grand slam titles as a teenager, she showed such mental strength to win matches. The 7 Best Tennis Documentaries Of All Time, How Tennis Players Qualify For Grand Slams. Evonne often bullied her opposition, dominating early on and consistently throughout matches. The Belgium one-hander could win points at any time by ripping backhands from all angles. She was slowing down before she even turned 30 years old, and had to step away from the game. From Fred Perry and Virginia Wade to Andy Murray, British Tennis success has grown and grown over the years. Born: Dec. 21, 1954, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Billie Jean King takes on Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes. She retired in 2020, bringing her storied career to a close. But even more importantly, it was effective, and enabled her to win three consecutive French Open titles on the red clay of Paris. Chris Evert and Serena Williams each have won six titles in New York. She was particularly great on grass courts, winning five Wimbledon championships. 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. In total, she won 3 Grand Slams, the 1955 French Open, 1958 Australian Open and Wimbledon in 1961. Died: May 31, 2011, Potomac, Maryland (Age 91). Only she and one other woman have ever done that in tennis history. Court won as many amateur as professional slams that indicates their equivalence and she retired at the top of her game with a record unsurpassed. She returned the ball like a human backboard, manipulating her opponent around the court. Domien Takx. Not only did she win 12 Grand Slam titles in singles, but she took home the career Grand Slam, winning all four majors. Than its not a hit anymore. Serena Williams (the choice of our tennis correspondent, Kevin Mitchell) and Martina Navratilova were also popular choices and you added some new names to the discussion. Winning four French Open, eight Wimbledons and seven U.S. Open titles is truly remarkable, regardless of era. WebAn international panel of tennis experts determined this ranking of 62 men and 38 women. If Virginia Wade was the last great British womens champion of the 20th century, Dorothy Round was one of the first. Now 53 years old, she is a former professional player who ranked World No.1 for a record 377 weeks. She finished with 98 total weeks at world number one, and three Grand Slam titles. Sam Stosurs game stood out for the sheer power of her serve and heavy topspin forehand. Yea, Williams is one ahead of Steffi (23:22). However, in 2001, she went on an absolute tear, making the semifinals of all four grand slams. But Graf was even more dominant in her time: She hold the #1 positon for the record number of 377 weeks, Serena did so only 319 weeks (as all time third behind Steffi and Martina Navratilova). And shortly after Wimbledon, she retired in the relatively young age of 30. All told, the Swiss champion won five singles Grand Slam titles before celebrating her 20th birthday. Robby J. Justine Henin is one of the greatest and most underrated players in womens tennis. 92 in the world when she broke out by reaching the U.S. Open semifinal. You as fellow tennis players and tennis commentators, they will say Serena is the best female tennis player of all times. The game is changed quite a bit since she was playing, so its hard to compare her directly to some contemporaries. 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. How is that fair? Now its time to hear from our readers. 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 Ranker Tennis. Its hard for people to rap their minds around the fact that a black girl from humble beginnings out of Compton could lead this list.
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