Number 2 of the greatest female tennis player and most tennis Grand Slams womens division winners we have Steffi Graf. 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. 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. One of the most underrated womens tennis players of all time is Amelie Mauresmo. WebKathleen McKane Godfree was a British badminton and tennis player. Best Female Tennis Players of All Time 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. You rarely saw an unforced error from Evert. 3. Throughout her 11 year career, she showed she was a continually great competitor. She is an absolute legend. Its pure logic: A slam means a hit. At 23, she was only ranked No. The second-most successful female British Olympian, Godfree won five Olympic medals in two Olympic Games. Born: June 14, 1969, Mannheim, West Germany. The second-most successful female British Olympian, Godfree won five Olympic medals in two Olympic Games. 12 In 2011, she became the first woman from Asia to reach a Grand Slam final and then win a Slam outright at the French Open, in front of a TV audience of hundreds of millions of Chinese fans. Is Serena Williams the GOAT? Probably. Maybe. Without a 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. If she was a little more dedicated to fitness early in her career, she might be higher on the list. But she is currently the premier defender in the game. 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. Florence Angela Margret Mortimer Berret, better known as simply Angela Mortimer, is the 2: Ann Jones. 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. Died: May 31, 2011, Potomac, Maryland (Age 91). Graf was 29 when she won her last Major. Vote up the best women's tennis players ever. Angela Mortimer was certainly one of the greatest British female tennis players alive during the 1950s and early 1960s. This guy was the tennis pro of the 90s. Others believe shes already reached that pinnacle. Helen Wills was the undisputed greatest player of her era. 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. 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. 2006 was the year she put it all together, winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon for her only two Grand Slam singles titles. Her first Grand Slam victory came in 1968 at the US Open, and shed go on to win 55 singles titles throughout her career. Is Serena Williams the GOAT? Probably. Maybe. Without a 20 Greatest Female Tennis Players Of All Time She previously won a junior title at Wimbledon. 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. Here is the full list of the greatest female tennis players of all time. 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. But of all the great women in tennis, only one can stand alone as the greatest of all time. 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 A great ambassador to the game and her country. 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. Of, Read More 15 Best Tennis CountriesContinue, Tennis, like every other sport, is a game of rivalry. British tennis players In fact he was the first British man since the 70s to reach a Grand Slam semi-final position. Still, winning a total of nine grand slam singles titles is pretty impressive. Some weeks later she reached the finalof Wimbledon. Born: March 8, 1990, Bilovec, Czhechoslovakia. A hero in her native Brazil, she was greeted at home by ticker-tape parades upon returning from winning her Grand Slam titles. Simona Halep has established herself as one of the most consistent players on the womens tour in tennis history while showing what it takes to perform on the greatest stage. Our writers have had their say this week. She also is the most recent British woman to win a major title. The Best British Tennis Players of All Time After retiring as a player, Wade has worked as a game analyst and commentator. Greatest Female Tennis Players Of All Time 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. If Virginia Wade was the last great British womens champion of the 20th century, Dorothy Round was one of the first. WebVirginia Wade and Andy Murray are the most successful British tennis players in the Open Era by singles titles. Her first Grand Slam victory came in 1968 at the US Open, and shed go on to win 55 singles titles throughout her career. British tennis has produced some of the greatest tennis players of all time. Graf finished her career with 22 Grand Slams and 107 total singles titles, and her accomplishments may never be equaled again. Francesca Jones is a British tennis player who has won six ITF Circuit titles so far in her career. Often overshadowed by some of the other great players of her era, Lindsay Davenport put together a very solid career of her own. Kathleen McKane Godfree was a British badminton and tennis player. Mary Pierce had to overcome incredible adversity on the tour, battling injuries and an abusive relationship with her father. Some people believe that Serena Williams still has work to do to become the greatest tennis player of all time. 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. 2. 1 Federer, No. And the greatest women's tennis player of all time. Justine Henin is one of the greatest and most underrated players in womens tennis. Martina Navratilova boasted perhaps the greatest serve-and-volley game that womens tennis has ever seen. 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. Best British Tennis Players To prove her milestone victory was not a fluke, she won the Australian Open title in 2014. 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. She didnt hit hard, she was relatively small for a tennis player and she had a pretty laid-back demeanor. 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. She preferred to play from the baseline, using her power and accuracy to blow opponents away. Serena Williams continues to try to tie that record, but she has been unsuccessful so far in her attempts. WebBritish tennis players Browse the player profiles of our British tennis players, featuring the top tennis players in the UK. Best Female Tennis Players of All Time Greatest Women's Tennis Players of All Time 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. British Tennis Players Thanks dude, you robbed us of what might of been the best career ever. As such a young player, who won eight grand slam titles as a teenager, she showed such mental strength to win matches. 100 Greatest of All Time She also became a huge inspiration for a lot of mothers when she came back after giving birth. Female athletes continue to fight for equality in sports, and tennis players have been at the forefront of that struggle for decades. 10 Rosewall. Bottom line:The daughter of a Norwegian Army officer, Molla Mallory won matches with a power game atypical of her era. Helen Wills Moody was the number one player in the world from 1927 to 1933, and she regained that position in 1935 and 1938. In total, she won 3 Grand Slams, the 1955 French Open, 1958 Australian Open and Wimbledon in 1961. Billie Jean King has had the biggest influence on womens tennis in the past 50 years. Bottom line: Louise Brough lost the epic 1948 U.S. Open singles final against her frequent partner Margaret Osborne DuPont, but ultimately, her Grand Slam resume looked better at the end. 2. British Female Tennis Players Top 5 British Tennis Players of All Time 1. These rankings determine who holds the crown. She has won 23 grand slams the most of any active tennis player, male or female. She went on to establish herself as the undisputed queen of the U.S. Open, winning the event eight times. Amelie Mauresmos game was a unique blend of power and elegance. Now its time for the readers to offer their verdict. Top 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. Top Evonne often bullied her opposition, dominating early on and consistently throughout matches. WebShe is the face of womens tennis in the UK and took home a silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Games. She played with a serve-and-volley style, which even in her time was declining, but she found great success with it. Steffi Graf had the most graceful game of any female player in history. The game has had many great female players, pioneers and trailblazers, but only one gets the all-time top ranking. WebVirginia Wade and Andy Murray are the most successful British tennis players in the Open Era by singles titles. She won all four of her Grand Slam titles on hard courts, with three coming at the U.S. Open. It was an elegant but deadly stroke often compared to that of Roger Federer in the mens game. Now 53 years old, she is a former professional player who ranked World No.1 for a record 377 weeks. Justine Henin is one of the greatest and most underrated players in womens tennis. Henins career is synonymous with the French Open, where she was magical. When Venus Williams first started winning at the WTA level in 1997, many thought that she was well on her way to being the next dominant star. She won her first Grand Slam in doubles at age 15 and her first in singles at age 16, taking home the Australian Open. Here is the full list of the greatest female tennis players of all time. Greatest British Tennis Players She is known as one of the top competitors in the sport, and she played for a long time as well. You could tell Chris would become a star. She had most of her success at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, winning a total of 10 titles between the two. There are a lot of what-ifs with Seles. However, there was one person who would be in her way and never really allowed her to dominate the game. Evonne often bullied her opposition, dominating early on and consistently throughout matches. By the end of 1993, she was burned out of tennis, taking over a year off and dealing with arrest, drug use, and more. 9 Agassi and No. They put Graf ahead of Serena and on #1 position of the greatests. Throughout her 11 year career, she showed she was a continually great competitor. Graf gave even proof that she would have had the capacity to regain the # 1 position: After an almost 2 years injury break with back and knee surgery, she had made it already back from not being listed any more to #3 of the ranking. Being the greatest is not simply a case of having the numbers (though any way you spin it, Graf is in the conversation). The 7 Best Tennis Documentaries Of All Time, How Tennis Players Qualify For Grand Slams. Died: Oct. 24, 2012, El Paso, Texas (Age 94). Thanks to everyone who took part. She was tennis own child star and reached the top 10 in the rankings at just 14 years old. That lead to seven Grand Slam singles titles, and a dominant run at the French Open. Conchita Martinez played a decisive role in different Wimbledon championships more than two decades apart. Died: June 8, 2018, Sao Paulo, Brazil (Age 78). Suzanne Lenglen is the greatest tennis champion that France has ever produced. But Grand Slam success did arrive, and she won her first Wimbledon in 1934 en route to being crowned world No.1 that year, backing it up with two more Grand Slam titles. 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. With 19 singles titles at Grand Slam championships, her well-rounded game made her a celebrity. In her short time as a top-level player, she had seemingly no weaknesses in her game. In 2012, she became the first British female player to win a WTA singles title since 1988. She also won two US Open doubles titles and three Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. Ann Jones is an English former tennis and table tennis champion. 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. 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. 2 Nadal, No. 1, Smith also represented Britain in the European Cup and Fed Cup on several occasions. 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. She was calm and had a game that was advanced far beyond her years. Li Na completed the transformation of tennis into a global game. Required fields are marked *. No one could put away matches in as dominant a fashion, and her 23 Grand Slam titles are an Open Era record. Four-time winner of the AEGON Awards, Elena Baltacha was a Ukrainian-born British tennis player, who held the British No. Born: Jan. 18, 1988, Bremen, West Germany. She isnt considered a huge threat to win at the majors in this part of her career, but it was just 2017 when she made a run to the finals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. There were so many great Graf matches. As such, the, Read More 7 Best Left-Handed Tennis Players EverContinue, The most dominating shot in all of tennis is the serve. Bottom line:Pauline Betz played Grand Slams selectively during her career, but when she did, she tended to win, and in historically dominant fashion. For those who arent quite convinced Serena Williams is number one all-time just yet, the most mentioned name is Steffi Graf. Serena Williams has been dominant for such a long period of time. She mixed a powerful serve with a graceful one-handed backhand and was near unstoppable at her peak, winning two Grand Slams in 2006. 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. 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. 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. I have been a tennis fan since the early 60s when I started playing. 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. Vote up the best women's tennis players ever. 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. its been a great career so far for Romanian Simona Halep. After retiring at 21, she launched her fashion brand. Its been said that no backhand in the history of womens tennis has been as great as Justine Henin. But don't rule out a return to the top of the sports ranks from a competitor as tough as she is. She has redefined athleticism in womens tennis. Like many child stars in Hollywood, she then struggled with personal demons in subsequent years, only to overcome them in the end. At full flight in her imperious pomp, she embodied what was possible with a tennis racket, doing so with incomparable poise while dragging her sport forward into the modern era. Evonne often bullied her opposition, dominating early on and consistently throughout matches. WebEasily one of the most successful female British tennis players, Virginia Wade is a three-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. 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. This remains her best Grand Slam result to date. She underlined that with her historical wins over #3 Seles, #2 Davenport and #1 Hingis at Roland Garos. Top 5 British Tennis Players of All Time 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 Seles started her career young, turning pro in 1989, aged just 16. Justine Henin is one of the last great tennis champions in the women's game to use a one-handed backhand. Yea, unquestionably Serena was a very dominant player in her era. The TenWho are the 10 best women's tennis players of all time? I position for the first time at the age of nineteen. In 2016, she won the mixed-doubles at Wimbledon, becoming the first British player to win at Wimbledon since Joanna Mary Durie in 1987. This period included her best Grand more Birthplace: Sydney, Australia Nationality: Australia 98 top 5 greatest British tennis players of all time 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. The Best British Tennis Players of All Time The left-hander had nearly every shot in the game, and in many ways, she had a style of play that was well ahead of her time. In 2012, she became the first British female player to win a WTA singles title since 1988. Henry Haynes. The United States was credited with the most great players (38), followed by Australia (17), France (7), Great Britain (6) and Czechoslovakia (5). Top 5 British Tennis Players of All Time 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. 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. Martina Navratilova shows off her Wimbledon trophy in 1990. And after beating Serena to win the French, she became the first woman to best both Williams sisters in Grand Slam finals. 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. Best British Female Tennis Players of All Time In total, she won 3 Grand Slams, the 1955 French Open, 1958 Australian Open and Wimbledon in 1961. This guy was the tennis pro of the 90s. It just so happens that it was her sister Serena, who largely overshadowed her throughout her career. She also demonstrated incredible overall consistency at the majors, reaching a then-record 26 consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinals between 1959 and 1960. 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. It was a pretty amazing feat given that she had given birth to her first daughter in the intervening years. She won seven grand slams and an Olympic gold medal in a hugely competitive era in the womens game. She also had enough movement that no one could exploit her in that regard. Anita Lizanas impact on tennis has been unjustly lost to the mists of time. After retiring as a player, Sue Barker became a sports reporter. There are a few what if scenarios on this list, but Maureen Connolly might be the biggest of them all. 6 Borg, No. There is no arguing that Serena Williams is the greatest female tennis player of all time. Just got done watching the great McEnroe bio on Showtime. Born: June 8, 1976, Palos Verdes, California. Not only did she win 12 Grand Slam titles in singles, but she took home the career Grand Slam, winning all four majors. For years, she failed to win a Grand Slam title and was unfairly branded as someone who could not perform on the biggest stages. WebKathleen McKane Godfree was a British badminton and tennis player. 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. A former world No. Serena Williams is the greatest of all tines in North America. Grit and determination defined Seles along with her trademark grunt. 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. Williams is a trailblazer. A former world No. All rights reserved. A former world No. Most Successful British Tennis Players Of All 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. By doing so, she broke her countrys Grand Slam title drought, becoming the first Australian woman to win once since Evonne Goolangong Cawley in 1980, Born: Feb. 28, 1985, Belgrade, Yugoslavia. Not only did she take home the title, but she did it without dropping a single set. Shes still looking for that first Grand Slam title since giving berth, and maybe some Olympic success in Tokyo as well. 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.