Not only do countries embrace the sport at the recreational level, but fans follow their favorite players. 3. As such a young player, who won eight grand slam titles as a teenager, she showed such mental strength to win matches. The local media covered her matches with the same interest they covered Muhammad Alis boxing bouts. She was in the top 10 of the rankings before she even turned 15 years old, and it was clear that success, fame, and money was getting the best of her. There are a lot of what-ifs with Seles. She has redefined athleticism in womens tennis. Even the great Serena Williams would have struggled to get the ball past a prime Navratilova at the net. The second-most successful female British Olympian, Godfree won five Olympic medals in two Olympic Games. Here is the full list of the greatest female tennis players of all time. Had she not been stabbed in 1993, the history books would look a lot different. Seles started her career young, turning pro in 1989, aged just 16. There is no arguing that Serena Williams is the greatest female tennis player of all time. Now 53 years old, she is a former professional player who ranked World No.1 for a record 377 weeks. it destroyed her confidence. In 1981, she was inducted posthumously into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Here is the full list of the greatest female tennis players of all time. Still, winning a total of nine grand slam singles titles is pretty impressive. Because its almost not to achieve. When looking back at Tracy Austins career, its pretty remarkable what she was able to accomplish at such a young age. Born: Nov. 22, 1943, Long Beach, California. Thanks to everyone who took part. All I can say is that Monica Seles had Steffis number and would of won most of the Slams in the 90s and even some that Serena won, had she not been stabbed. Though the daughter of a tennis coach mother, Katie Boulter had initially focused on playing the piano before she deviated to tennis as a career. Helen Wills Moody was the number one player in the world from 1927 to 1933, and she regained that position in 1935 and 1938. WebHeather Watson is a professional tennis player who has won nine career titles so far, including four singles titles. She won seven grand slams and an Olympic gold medal in a hugely competitive era in the womens game. Many of her records remain unbroken. The key to her success? You as fellow tennis players and tennis commentators, they will say Serena is the best female tennis player of all times. 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. The TenWho are the 10 best women's tennis players of all time? She also is the most recent British woman to win a major title. She also won to U.S. Open and became a great doubles partner with her sister when they felt like it. (VOTE) There was agreement on five players: No. Evonne Goolagong-Cawley at Wimbledon in 1981. dramatic French Open triumph against Hingis in 1999. The United States was credited with the most great players (38), followed by Australia (17), France (7), Great Britain (6) and Czechoslovakia (5). To watch this young woman running around the tennis court beating the old pros was wonderful. She was poised to be a dominant tennis player for years to come, but when she was 19 years old, a horseback riding accident damaged her right leg and ended her career. Ann Jones is an English former tennis and table tennis champion. British tennis has produced some of the greatest tennis players of all time. Bottom line: What Arthur Ashe did for African-American men in tennis, Althea Gibson accomplished for African-American women. British tennis has produced some of the greatest tennis players of all time. 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. She also found success in doubles, winning at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open into her thirties, to bring her career full circle. Samantha Smith is a British retired professional tennis player. In 2016, she won the mixed-doubles at Wimbledon, becoming the first British player to win at Wimbledon since Joanna Mary Durie in 1987. 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. Serena was 35 when she finally tied Steffis 22 Slams and 36 when she won #23. All told, the Swiss champion won five singles Grand Slam titles before celebrating her 20th birthday. Who is the best of the best? Her stretch of seven grand slams won between 1990 and 1993 is one of the greatest runs of dominance recorded by a player in the modern era. In 2016, she won the mixed-doubles at Wimbledon, becoming the first British player to win at Wimbledon since Joanna Mary Durie in 1987. Serena Williams continues to try to tie that record, but she has been unsuccessful so far in her attempts. But of all the great women in tennis, only one can stand alone as the greatest of all time. 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. Died: June 8, 2018, Sao Paulo, Brazil (Age 78). 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. its been a great career so far for Romanian Simona Halep. Graf finished her career with 22 Grand Slams and 107 total singles titles, and her accomplishments may never be equaled again. Heather Watson is a professional tennis player who has won nine career titles so far, including four singles titles. Ones labeled as a player who couldnt perform well in the Grand Slams, her 2018 French Open championship and 2019 Wimbledon championship changed that perception. After retiring at 21, she launched her fashion brand. 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. When Venus Williams first came onto the scene, her father, Richard, warned the tennis world that her younger sister, Serena, was even better. She also won two US Open doubles titles and three Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. She won seven grand slams and an Olympic gold medal in a hugely competitive era in the womens game. Some people believe that Serena Williams still has work to do to become the greatest tennis player of all time. 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. Justine Henin is one of the greatest and most underrated players in womens tennis. The greatest: Steffi Graf power and perfect timing personified | Katy Murrells, The greatest: Martina Navratilova an enduring champion brave enough to be herself | Emma John, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. A former world No. 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. This will always come down to racial divides. 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. Tennis is truly a global sport these days, with top players representing countries all around the globe. Country: Germany. She returned the ball like a human backboard, manipulating her opponent around the court. Although she did well on home soil, winning the French Open twice, she found her greatest success at Wimbledon, winning that event six times. Nick Gannon. But the Chilean changed all that by winning the 1937 U.S. Open. 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 Post-retirement, she has been working as a coach and a BBC and Eurosport commentator. (modern). Now 39 years old, she hasnt called it quits just yet. Her victory in the Olympics semi-final against Anastasia Myskina in 2004 also stands out, as well as her many battles with Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters. She won all four majors for the career Grand Slam, only the second woman to achieve that feat. But don't rule out a return to the top of the sports ranks from a competitor as tough as she is. She previously won a junior title at Wimbledon. 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. Required fields are marked *. 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. Born: June 14, 1969, Mannheim, West Germany. Not only did she take home the title, but she did it without dropping a single set. It cant be done in separated parts. Right IconThis ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet. Monica Seles took the tennis world by storm with a unique playing style two-handed groundstrokes on both sides that she used to devastating effect. Her first Grand Slam victory came in 1968 at the US Open, and shed go on to win 55 singles titles throughout her career. At just 56 tall, she has a very well-rounded game compared to other modern players. Justine Henin is one of the last great tennis champions in the women's game to use a one-handed backhand. In particular, Venus used a powerful serve and crisp volleys to dominate at Wimbledon, which she has won five times. At the 1908 Summer Olympics, Lambert Chambers won the gold medal in the singles event. Forty-three players made the list from the Americas, 39 from Europe and 18 from Oceania. Female athletes continue to fight for equality in sports, and tennis players have been at the forefront of that struggle for decades. Although she represented France in national play, she made history as the first Canadian-born player to win a Grand Slam and was the most recent French player (to date) to win the Roland Garros title. There are a few what if scenarios on this list, but Maureen Connolly might be the biggest of them all. On the court, Sharapova dictated points with a strong serve and heavy groundstrokes and won all four majors for the career Grand Slam. This feat, winning an entire set while losing zero points, has only been recorded 14 known times across the entire history of mens or womens tennis. It was an elegant but deadly stroke often compared to that of Roger Federer in the mens game. Ivanovic even went one step further and won a Grand Slam, taking home the French Open that year in convincing fashion. On the court, she proved her worth by winning two Grand Slam titles over the likes of Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. Making a list of the greatest tennis players of all time is certainly a challenging task. And after beating Serena to win the French, she became the first woman to best both Williams sisters in Grand Slam finals. Died: Nov. 22, 1959, Stockholm, Sweden (Age 75). This week our writers have made the case for Steffi Graf, Chris Evert, Serena Williams, Martina Navratilova and Monica Seles. Doris Hart achieved things that few others have matched even in the many decades since her playing career ended. Most impressive is her feat of reaching 34 Grand Slam finals, a record no woman or man has equaled since. Born: Jan. 18, 1988, Bremen, West Germany. 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. 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. Now 53 years old, she is a former professional player who ranked World No.1 for a record 377 weeks. 6 Borg, No. In fact he was the first British man since the 70s to reach a Grand Slam semi-final position. Like many child stars in Hollywood, she then struggled with personal demons in subsequent years, only to overcome them in the end. She became the first Grand Slam winner from Japan after stunning the tennis world with a finals win over Serena Williams at the 2018 U.S. Open. 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. Born: March 8, 1990, Bilovec, Czhechoslovakia. Bottom line: Hilde Sperling pioneered a playing style in the early 20th century that now appears to have been many decades ahead of its time. Beyond the race issue, she was a breath of fresh air on our TV screens in the 1970s. He was right. Angela Mortimer Althea Gibson By Associated Press / Public domain Florence Angela Margaret Mortimer Barrett is a 4. You ask any black person, they say Serena is the greatest all time. Now married to Andre Agassi, she has formed perhaps the most powerful tennis partnership in the history of the sport. Ranker Tennis. 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. WebTop British Female Tennis Players 1: Angela Mortimer. If she was a little more dedicated to fitness early in her career, she might be higher on the list. Your email address will not be published. Her defensive, retrieval-based style enabled her to win the French three times, and she could win on other surfaces, as she proved by winning the U.S. Open in 1994. Wade has the dual distinction of being the only British woman to win all four majors (although she only won the French in doubles). She underlined that with her historical wins over #3 Seles, #2 Davenport and #1 Hingis at Roland Garos. Born: June 1, 1982, Liege, Belgium (Age 37). A former world No. It just so happens that it was her sister Serena, who largely overshadowed her throughout her career. In 1993, she was stabbed by a deranged fan. 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. She was tennis own child star and reached the top 10 in the rankings at just 14 years old. In 2012, Laura Robson reached the fourth round of the US Open singles championship, becoming the first British woman to do so at a Grand Slam tournament since Samantha Smith in 1998. Justine Henin is one of the greatest and most underrated players in womens tennis. Top 5 British Tennis Players of All Time 1. Not so with Angelique Kerber. 4 and former British number one, Johanna Konta is renowned for creating sharp angles and an offensive baseline play. 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. She smacked forehand winners from everywhere, retrieved balls that were impossible to get, threw down second-serve aces, and most thrillingly of all displayed rare audacity on her backhand side in order to go for topspin winners. Wades tally of 55 is particularly impressive. However, in her time, she was a dominant player who could win on any surface. Next week: who is the greatest male tennis player of the last 50 years? She first gained attention after winning the Lemon Bowl at 11 and now has five singles and four doubles titles in her kitty. 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. WebVirginia Wade and Andy Murray are the most successful British tennis players in the Open Era by singles titles. 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. Serena deserves her status as a global icon. Monica Seles revolutionised the womens game with her power. Godfree won two Wimbledon singles titles. She finished with 98 total weeks at world number one, and three Grand Slam titles. When looking across her career resume, its hard to find a more well-rounded player. Died: May 29, 2015, Coral Gables, Florida (Age 89). Bottom line:The daughter of a Norwegian Army officer, Molla Mallory won matches with a power game atypical of her era. The Greatest of All Time is Margaret Court. Martina Navratilova boasted perhaps the greatest serve-and-volley game that womens tennis has ever seen. Playing in the 1950s, when segregation was still the law of the land in America, Gibson became the first African-American woman to win Grand Slam titles, amassing five. Her father was an aspiring tennis coach. Serena's power game, anchored by a devastating serve, is without equal in the history of the womens game. 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. The TenWho are the 10 best women's tennis players of all time? Throughout her 11 year career, she showed she was a continually great competitor. Her efficient, counterpunching game style has served her well over a long career. Garbine Muguruza is part of a new wave of emerging tennis champions. She was well on her way to being a legitimate rival to Steffi Graf, but a stabbing incident in 1993 stopped her career temporarily just as she was ascending to the top of the game. Martina Hingis was a teenage tennis sensation. It is a huge indicator of the greatest womens tennis players of all time, as the greats find a way to win the most important tournaments. Mary Pierce had to overcome incredible adversity on the tour, battling injuries and an abusive relationship with her father. And she went to any lengths to make sure she stayed at the top, including practicing with men when that was frowned upon by the tennis establishment. Our writers have had their say this week. Seles started her career young, turning pro in 1989, aged just 16. 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. The TenWho are the 10 best women's tennis players of all time? Monica Seles is one of the biggest what ifs in tennis history. ", Plays: Left-handed (two-handed both sides). Furthermore, she achieved the "Box Set" of winning all four Grand Slams in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. 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. 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. Seles started her career young, turning pro in 1989, aged just 16. She also won 12 doubles titles, including the WTA Austrian Open. 2, Jones managed to establish herself as a praiseworthy player despite playing in a highly competitive era; she played against some of the all-time greats like Margaret Court and Billie Jean King. WebShe is the face of womens tennis in the UK and took home a silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Games. Talk about a child prodigy Tim Henman. She certainly left a great impression on a young 11-year-old schoolboy when she won Wimbledon for the first time in 1971. Maureen Connollys career was cut short at just 20 years old by a horseback riding injury, but what she achieved in a short period of time still ranks her as one of the best to ever play the sport. It helped her win a record nine Wimbledon singles titles and helped her to the record for both total singles and doubles titles in the Open Era. 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. She also won two US Open doubles titles and three Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. Jacobs amassed five titles of her own over the course of her career and brought a Jazz Age flappers sensibility to the stuffy world of 1920s tennis. For those who arent quite convinced Serena Williams is number one all-time just yet, the most mentioned name is Steffi Graf. Jones has managed to establish herself as a tennis player despite suffering from a rare genetic condition known as Ectrodactyly Ectodermal Dysplasia; she was born with only seven toes on each leg and three fingers and a thumb on each hand. Henry Haynes. Female athletes continue to fight for equality in sports, and tennis players have been at the forefront of that struggle for decades. Serena NEVER had the level of consistent competition that Martina and Chris Evert gave each other. Bottom line: The 1960s and 1970s saw the peak of Australian tennis with Margaret Court and Rod Laver, whose names are commemorated on two of the Australian Open show courts today. She won 12 of the final 13 games. Then, in 2013, she far surpassed that feat. This article was amended on 6 July 2020. For much of the 2010s, Caroline Wozniacki was a model of consistency, winning 30 titles and ending two consecutive years at world No.1. WebEasily one of the most successful female British tennis players, Virginia Wade is a three-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. She won all four of her Grand Slam titles on hard courts, with three coming at the U.S. Open. 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. Overnight, she was gracing fashion magazine covers and starring in television commercials around the world. 1, Smith also represented Britain in the European Cup and Fed Cup on several occasions. Thanks dude, you robbed us of what might of been the best career ever. She was able to have a lot of success with her volley at the net, and her speed was tough for opponents to overcome when combining with her height. 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. 12 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 Vote up the best women's tennis players ever. Osaka showed that even at her young age her groundstrokes had the power to outmatch Serena strength for strength. 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. How Many Languages Does Roger Federer Speak. 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 I have been a tennis fan since the early 60s when I started playing. Top 5 British Tennis Players of All Time 1. Without a doubt, her struggles and success paved a path to be followed by Venus and Serena Williams, who often have paid tribute to Gibson as an inspiration. Despite playing great tennis for the first hour or so, Graf somehow contrived to lose the first set from a winning position, and then found herself a break down in the second. She was able to win the Golden Grand Slam, taking home all four major titles, as well as the Olympic gold in the Seoul Olympics. After that, they just need to do their, Read More 10 Greatest Tennis Servers Of All TimeContinue. She was also a very good doubles and mixed doubles player, taking home 27 Grand Slam titles with different partners. Connors and then later in Colorado the mens seniors with McEnroe, Connors , Borg and many more. If a player has a great serve, they have the chance to consistently win their games. One of the most underrated womens tennis players of all time is Amelie Mauresmo. She also beat Venus Williams to win the crown at Wimbledon. Margaret Court is considered one of the best tennis players of all time, winning at least three grand slam singles championships at all for tournaments. But she was more than just marketing hype. Domien Takx. She preferred to play from the baseline, using her power and accuracy to blow opponents away. Martina Navratilova shows off her Wimbledon trophy in 1990. Victoria Azarenka put the tiny, post-Soviet republic of Belarus on the tennis map, winning the Australian Open back to back in 2012 and 2013. Of course, her placement will depend upon future results, too. Angela Mortimer was certainly one of the greatest British female tennis players alive during the 1950s and early 1960s. Others believe shes already reached that pinnacle. Helen Wills was the undisputed greatest player of her era. Before her, the game was seen as the exclusive domain of the elite, West European-American world. Talk about a child prodigy Tim Henman. 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, however, the title most befitting a serve-and-volley player, Wimbledon, eluded her. She also holds the record for five consecutive years ending the season number one in singles. She burst onto the scene by winning the U.S. Open at 17 in 1951, and over the next three years, Connolly won nine Grand Slams, including all four in a single year, the first woman to win the "Calendar Slam. Courageous, indomitable and also stubborn, she refused to bow to the press, who treated her with suspicion. Now its time to hear from our readers. Twice. Those who try to diminish her achievement have their own agenda. In her short time as a top-level player, she had seemingly no weaknesses in her game. Thats not to say that Venus Williams did not have a great career of her own. 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. Remarkably, Venus is just a few months away from playing professional tennis after the age of 40 years old. And she has transcended her sport. She won 55 singles titles and spent nearly 100 weeks spent at No.1, the eighth-most of all time.
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best british female tennis players of all time