Top 5 Women's Tennis Players of All Time

Top 5 Women's Tennis Players of All Time

#5 Billie Jean King

AP

• Wimbledon titles: 10 (1961, 1962, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1970-1973, 1979)
• Australian Open titles: 0
• French Open titles: 1 (1972)
• U.S. Open titles: 5 (1964, 1967, 1974, 1978, 1980)
Total Grand Slam Titles: 16

Nearly 20 years separated King's first and final grand slam championships. Though she was unable to break through in Australia, King's dominance on grass changed tennis forever. 

 

#4 Chris Evert

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• Wimbledon titles: 3 (1974, 1976, 1981)
• Australian Open titles: 2 (1982, 1984)
• French Open titles: 7 (1974, 1975, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986)
• U.S. Open titles: 6 (1975-1978, 1980, 1982)
Total Grand Slam Titles: 18

Evert picked up where King left off. She over powered all time great Martina Navratilova on countless occasions and showed brilliance on every surface.

#3 Margaret Court

• Wimbledon titles: 3 (1963, 1965, 1970)
• Australian Open titles: 11 (1960-1966, 1969-1971, 1973)
• French Open titles: 5 (1962, 1964, 1969, 1970, 1973)
• U.S. Open titles: 5 (1962, 1965, 1969, 1970, 1973)
Total Grand Slam Titles: 24

The location of the Australian Open grand slam tournament is Melbourne Park. Margaret Court Arena is a central court of competition for a reason. She was a superstar! Court was just the second woman in the open era to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in the same calendar year. 

 

#2 Steffi Graf

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• Wimbledon titles: 7 (1988, 1989, 1991-1993, 1995, 1996)
• Australian Open titles: 4 (1988-1990, 1994)
• French Open titles: 6 (1987, 1988, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1999)
• U.S. Open titles: 5 (1988, 1989, 1993, 1995, 1996)
Total Grand Slam Titles: 22

Graf was as dominant as they come. If she had the longevity of Billie Jean King or Serena Williams, Graf would widely be considered the greatest to ever play. 

 

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#1 Serena Williams
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• Wimbledon titles: 7 (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016)
• Australian Open titles: 7 (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2017)
• French Open titles: 3 (2002, 2013, 2015)
• U.S. Open titles: 6 (1999, 2002, 2008, 2012-2014)
Total Grand Slam Titles: 23

Serena Williams is the single most dominant tennis player (regardless of gender) to ever live, period! Power, finesse, poise, Williams has shown every quality of a champion throughout her long career. Like Billie Jean King, Williams' championships span two generations, winning her first grand slam title in 1999 and her most recent in 2017, while pregnant! She's a walking service ace and a shot hitting wizard.

The game has never seen a deeper competitive spirit or a stronger will to win than Serena Williams. Her mid-point roar is as devastating as her pinpoint accurate forehand. Williams has been so dominant over he past twenty years that tennis analysts question whether she's benefited from playing in a talent deficient era.

No. There is plenty of talent in the modern era. The only problem is, they're forced to play against Williams and they look amaterurish in comparison. 

 

Honorable Mention

 

Martina Navratilova

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