10 Best Shortest Women’s Tennis Players in 2024
Best Shortest Women’s Tennis Players is a topic that always generates interest in the sporting world. Despite height and reach being advantages in the sport, these women have made their mark despite the odds.
Despite their size, their agility, speed, and precision have demonstrated that size doesn’t always matter in tennis. The tiny stature of several talented players has not hindered them from making a name for themselves over the years.
We will examine some of the shortest women’s tennis players in this article who have left their mark on the sport. We will examine what makes these players stand out from the crowd, from their impressive career accomplishments to their unique playing styles.
As we celebrate the determination, skill, and tenacity of these amazing athletes on the court, let’s show them that size really doesn’t matter. Visit Shortest Men’s Tennis Players for more information
The shortest players are some of the most successful women’s tennis professionals.
The Shortest Women’s Tennis Players Of All Time, Ranked
In order to make this list, we used the following two criteria:
- Over her career, she earned at least one title, whether she played singles or doubles.
- Her career-high ranking was achieved in the Top 100 of her career
Player Name | Country | US size | EU size |
1. Nuria Llagostera Vives | Spain | 5’1″ | 1.55m |
2. Anna Smashnova | Israel | 5’2″ | 1.57m |
3. Lauren Davis | United States | 5’2″ | 1.57m |
4. Amanda Coetzer | South Africa | 5’2″ | 1.58m |
5. Rosemary Casals | United States | 5’3″ | 1.59m |
6. Misaki Doi | Japan | 5’3″ | 1.59m |
7. Dominika Cibulková | Slovakia | 5’3″ | 1.60m |
8. Jill Craybas | United States | 5’3″ | 1.60m |
9. Carla Suárez Navarro | Spain | 5’4″ | 1.62m |
10. Yulia Putintseva | Kazakhstan | 5’4″ | 1.63m |
Who are the most successful short women’s tennis players?
This section takes a look at the top ten most successful female tennis players from the previous list.
What Short Female Tennis Players Have the Highest Career Ranking?
Player Name | Country | US size | EU size | Highest ATP Ranking |
Amanda Coetzer | South Africa | 5’2″ | 1.58m | 3 |
Rosemary Casals | United States | 5’3″ | 1.59m | 3 |
Dominika Cibulková | Slovakia | 5’3″ | 1.60m | 4 |
Amanda Coetzer
From 1992 to 2001, Amanda was ranked among the top ten of the WTA for ten consecutive years.
It is important to note that despite her short stature, she made a significant contribution to women’s tennis. Because she has defeated several higher-ranked players, Amanda Coetzer earned the nickname “Little Assassin.”
As a tennis player, she won nine titles as a singles player and nine titles as a doubles player. She also reached the third spot in the rankings due to her three Grand Slam semi-final exits.
Having Amanda as a daughter was a source of pride for the South Africans.
Rosemary Casals
A tennis rebel, Rosemary gained her reputation during the 1960s.
According to Alida M. Thacher’s biography Raising a Racket: Rosie Casals, Casals said, “I wanted to be someone.” “A winning tournament is a way to be accepted.”
Her size and background made it difficult for her to succeed in tennis back then when it was perceived as a sport for the rich. Furthermore, she preferred wearing colorful clothing over white and hated playing with only white.
She won nine Grand Slam titles in doubles and three in mixed doubles. With 90 titles won, a world ranking of 3 in 1970, and prize money of $1.4 million, she achieved a career-high during her career.
Dominika Cibulková
Tennis player Dominica from Slovakia rose to fame during the early 2010s. Her height of 5’3″ allowed her to compete very well at a high level, winning eight singles titles, including the WTA finals in 2016.
Having reached the Australian Open final in 2014, Cibulkova rose to the No. 4 spot in 2017.
Even though injuries and her small size limited her ability to achieve more, she managed to earn more than $13 million in prize money.
Which short female tennis players have won the most titles?
Player Name | Country | US size | EU size | Singles Titles | Doubles Titles | Grand Slams |
Rosemary Casals | United States | 5’3″ | 1.59m | 11 | 112 | 0 |
Anna Smashnova | Israel | 5’2″ | 1.57m | 19 | 0 | 0 |
Amanda Coetzer | South Africa | 5’2″ | 1.58m | 9 | 9 | 0 |
Rosemary Casals
The 1970s saw one of the most fierce female players with a rich game and a poor background. Billie Jean King and other top players helped her win 11 Grand Slams in doubles.
By the end of her career, she had achieved 11 singles titles and 112 doubles titles, all of which were Grand Slams.
Anna Smashnova
In the Soviet Union, Anna was born but is now an Israeli tennis player.
Although she was not well-known to younger generations, she was quite successful as a 5’2″ tennis player.
With a 12-1 record in the WTA tournament finals, she is one of the most unique players in the sport. She performed virtually unbeatable in the finals, demonstrating her outstanding mental strength.
In doubles, she didn’t perform as well as she did in singles. Even though Anna was always near the top of the game, she reached the world’s No. 15 spots in 2003.
Amanda Coetzer
Venus Williams, Lindsay Davenport, and Monica Seles were just some of the top players the Little Assassin played against.
With nine wins and 12 losses in tournament finals, she had a high level of success as a short player.
9 of her tournament finals have been won by her as a doubles player, while 14 of her finals have been lost by her.
It has been a long time since Amanda played tennis, but she has never won a Grand Slam. As far as achievements are concerned, she was able to reach the semi-finals at the Australian Open as well as the French Open.
How much prize money have short female tennis players won?
Over the years, tennis has paid a lot more than other sports, which should be taken into consideration when ranking it. Among them are:
- The winner of the US Open in 1990 received a prize of $350,000.
- In 2000, $800,000 was awarded as a prize.
- In 2010, $1.7 million was awarded to the winner.
- A $2.5 million net worth was prior to taxes for the winner in 2021.
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A 714% increase in prize money in just 30 years is incredible! It should be noted that the Masters 1000, the ATP500, and the ATP250 tournaments all had similar results. In the past few decades, tennis has become extremely popular, leading to a tremendous increase in players.
Even though this ranking is relatively biased, let’s stick with the official rankings.
Player Name | Country | US size | EU size | Prize Money |
Dominika Cibulková | Slovakia | 5’3″ | 1.60m | $13,725,520 |
Carla Suárez Navarro | Spain | 5’4″ | 1.62m | $11,920,116 |
Amanda Coetzer | South Africa | 5’2″ | 1.58m | $5,594,821 |
Dominika Cibulková and Carla Suárez Navarro were able to play tennis in this era because tennis has become more lucrative than it was in the 1980s and 1990s.
In this way, they won a significant amount of money in comparison with other short players.
When was Gem Hoahing ever shorter?
Gem Hoahing holds the Guinness World Records title for being the shortest tennis player ever to compete at Wimbledon.
She measured 4’9.5′ (1.46 m) at the 1937 championships.
Bigger isn’t better in tennis wasn’t a mantra when Gem Hoahing proved it in the 30s and 40s.
The nicknames “Little Gem” and “Little Poker Face” she received from British crowds are a result of her popularity among British crowds.
Her biggest achievement at Wimby was winning the 4th round. The singles category also saw her win four titles.
As a retired florist and charity worker, she operated a shop near Kensington Gardens.
Until her death in 2015, she played charity tennis despite her advanced age.
Great Short Female Tennis Players
With a height of under 5’4″, it is relatively difficult to make an impact despite being a great tennis player.
Some players have achieved much better wins and records despite being considered relatively short.
Player Name | Country | US size | EU size | Highest Ranking | Singles Titles | Doubles Titles | Singles Grand Slams | Prize Money |
Chris Evert | United States | 5’6″ | 1.68m | 1 | 157 | 32 | 18 | $8,895,195 |
Billie Jean King* | United States | 5’5″ | 1.64cm | 1 | 129 | 87 | 12 | $1,966,487* |
Justin Henin | Belgium | 5’6″ | 1.67m | 1 | 43 | 2 | 7 | $20,863,335 |
Ashleigh Barty | Australia | 5’5″ | 1.66cm | 1 | 15 | 12 | 3 | $23,829,071 |
Simona Halep | Romania | 5’6″ | 1.68m | 1 | 23 | 1 | 2 | $38,288,536 |
Despite their short heights, all four players above held World No. 1 rankings for a considerable period of time despite their short stature. Furthermore, they have won multiple Grand Slams.
- The most successful tennis player of all time, Chris Evert, holds 18 Grand Slam singles titles.
- One of the greatest tennis players in history is the Belgian Justin Henin-Hardenne. A single-handed backhand and a variety of shots made her the second most successful player during the Serena Williams era.
- The two female tennis powerhouses Ashleigh Barty of Australia and Simona Halep of Romania are currently ranked number one and number two, respectively. The performance of these players is impressive compared to Pliskova (6’1″), Azarenka (6’0″), Muguruza (6’0″), and Naomi Osaka (5’11”).
- Last but not least, Billie Jean King. In 1973, Billie became the first woman to win the battle of the sexes over Bobby Riggs, developing respect and recognition for women athletes. LIFE magazine named her among the “100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century.”.
To summarize
Player Name | Country | US size | EU size | Highest ATP Ranking | Singles Titles | Doubles Titles | Singles Grand Slams | Prize Money |
Nuria Llagostera Vives | Spain | 5’1″ | 1.55m | 35 | 2 | 16 | 0 | $2,636,375 |
Amanda Coetzer | South Africa | 5’2″ | 1.58m | 3 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $5,594,821 |
Lauren Davis | United States | 5’2″ | 1.57m | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | $3,732,157 |
Anna Smashnova | Israel | 5’2″ | 1.57m | 15 | 12 | 0 | 0 | $2,274,431 |
Dominika Cibulková | Slovakia | 5’3″ | 1.60m | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | $13,725,520 |
Jill Craybas | United States | 5’3″ | 1.60m | 39 | 5 | 6 | 0 | $2,552,154 |
Misaki Doi | Japan | 5’3″ | 1.59m | 30 | 1 | 2 | 0 | $3,604,337 |
Rosemary Casals | United States | 5’3″ | 1.59m | 3 | 90 | 3 | 0 | $1,362,222 |
Yulia Putintseva | Kazakhstan | 5’4″ | 1.63m | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | $5,529,634 |
Carla Suárez Navarro | Spain | 5’4″ | 1.62m | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | $11,920,116 |
This table shows the shortest female tennis players who have won at least one official championship ranked in the Top 100.
None of the players listed above have won a Grand Slam title in singles.
There are some players who can win big titles despite their small size, but this is not true for the shortest male tennis players.
Faqs
What is the effect of height on tennis?
Although height can help in certain aspects of tennis, such as hitting high shots and serving, it is not a prerequisite. It is common for short players to compensate for their lack of height by being fast and agile.
Who was the shortest pro womens tennis player?
Gem Hoahing. The shortest female tennis player ever, Gem Hoahing, measured just 146 cm tall.
In short women’s tennis, who has had the greatest success?
In tennis history, Martina Hingis is considered one of the most successful short women’s tennis players. Five Grand Slam singles titles and 13 Grand Slam doubles titles were won by her during her tennis career.
Do short tennis players have a chance of beating taller players?
It is possible for shorter tennis players to defeat taller players. It takes both physical and mental skills for a tennis player to be successful in this sport. Because short players are faster, agile, and cover more ground, tall players cannot outmaneuver them.
Final Thoughts
Height can benefit some tennis players in some ways, including serving better and hitting higher serves, but it is not an absolute requirement. Smaller players often make up for their lack of height with their quickness, agility, and ability to cover the court.
Martina Hingis, a relatively short women’s tennis player, has achieved immense success in her career. Tennis players of all heights can succeed in the game through a combination of physical and mental skills.
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