Best Women Tennis Players Of All Time

Choosing just 10 female tennis players was a difficult task. From the early 20th century to the Open Era, tennis courts have been graced by countless stars.

It is likely that the WTA Tour introduced fifty years ago in order to create a better future for women in tennis, contributed to greater recognition for women’s tennis players.

The combination of such changes, as well as advances in technology, as well as improvements in fitness regimens, have made this, maybe subjective task, a little bit more challenging.

Obviously, it is a subjective debate, but we have tried to whittle it down to create our list of the top women’s players during the Open Era (which started in 1968), whose accomplishments continue to inspire others.

Despite a few doubles achievements here and there, this is exclusively based on singles’ performance! We’ve compiled a list of the Top 10 Best Women Tennis Players

Best Women Tennis Players in 2024

Caroline Wozniacki

• Born: 11 July 1990
• Nationality: Denmark
• Career titles: 30
• Grand Slams: 1 (1 AUS)
• Total Weeks at No.1: 71 (49 Consecutive)

Our Top 10 begins with Caroline Wozniacki, who is a worthy selection. Her position as the first woman from a Scandinavian country to reach the top of the WTA rankings made her an idol for everyone, but especially for Scandinavia. Further, at the 2018 Australian Open, the Dane won her first and only Grand Slam singles title as the first Scandinavian woman to do so.

When she is on the court against an opponent, her speed, consistency, and agility contribute to her success.

From 2008 to 2011, she won 30 WTA singles titles, the most of any player on the Tour. In 2010, she was named Danish Sportsperson of the Year for her advocacy for young tennis players.

Many argue Wozniacki’s success and career were limited since she played in the same era as the Williams sisters. The success she achieved, along with her reputation since then, must be credited.

Venus Williams

• Born: 17 June 1980
• Nationality: United States of America
• Career Titles: 49
• Grand Slams: 7 (5 Wimbledon, 2 US)
• Total Weeks at No.1: 11

There is no doubt that Venus Williams, alongside her sister Serena, are credited with pioneering a new era of athleticism and power in women’s tennis during the Open era.

Venus may have won more Grand Slams if she had not competed against her sister Serena. The fact that she has won 7 times earns her a place in our Top 10!

The early 2000s was Venus’s era on the WTA tour; she bagged four of her seven Grand Slam titles between 2000 and 2001, earning her the No.1 status for the first time in 2002. In the Open era, Venus became the first African-American woman to reach number one.

Having won five Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon between 2000 and 2008, it is no surprise that Wimbledon is her favorite tournament on the Grand Slam tour.

As a professional tennis player, Venus was known for her all-court game and aggression; when she was at her peak, she serves could reach 124 mph. Her record-breaking serve at the 2007 US Open of 129mph was held for seven years on the WTA Tour.

Justine Henin

• Born: 1 June 1982
• Nationality: Belgium
• Career Titles: 50
• Grand Slams: 7 (1 AUS, 4 FRA, 2 US)
• Total Weeks at No.1: 117 (61 Consecutive)

In our rankings, Henin ranks eighth thanks to her impressive 7 Grand Slam victories – four of which were won during the French Open, where she won three consecutive titles from 2005 to 2007.

Belgium’s first Grand Slam Singles title was won by Henin in 2003, and it marked a significant milestone for the country. The French Open is one of the most successful tennis competitions in history thanks to her success.

The other top tennis stars consider Justine Henin to be as good as any player of her generation, including Billie Jean King who called her “the best player of her generation.” John McEnroe characterized her backhand as the best in men’s and women’s tennis.

One-handed backhands, combined with competitive footspeed and mental toughness, contributed to her greatness and influence. The versatility and variety in her style were compared to Roger Federer’s.

His retirement in 2011 was the result of chronic elbow injuries, but he remains one of many people’s idols.

Billie Jean King

• Born: 22 November 1943
• Nationality: United States of America
• Career Titles: 129 (67 during Open Era)
• Grand Slams: 12 (1, AUS, 1 FRA, 6 Wimbledon, 4 US)
• Total Weeks at No.1: n/a

This addition is a bit of cheating since much of this legend’s success occurred before the Open era, but it would not be fair not to mention her in this article.

As arguably the most influential woman athlete of all time, Billie Jean King has been consistently ranked among the best. She founded the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the Women’s Sports Foundation as an advocate of gender equality for women’s tennis.

In the period 1966 to 1975, King held the Wimbledon crown six times, making her the undisputed queen of women’s tennis. A winner in the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ tennis match in 1973, King disposed of Bobby Riggs definitively.

It has been noted that Billie Jean King plays with speed and aggression, which contribute to her playing style. We believe that, without King’s wisdom, encouragement, and drive for change, women’s tennis would not be what it is today. Without King’s influence, women’s tennis would not be what it is today.

Monica Seles

• Born: 2 December 1973
• Nationality: United States of America
• Career Titles: 54
• Grand Slams: 9 (4 AUS, 3 FRA, 2 US)
• Total Weeks at No.1: 178 (91 Consecutive)

As a professional player, he represented both Yugoslavia (now Serbia) and the United States; she won 8 Grand Slams for Yugoslavia and one for the United States.

Her Australian Open victory two months prior helped her reach World No.1 at just 18 years old in March 1991. Her first Grand Slam title came the year prior, when she won the French Open at just 16 years old, making her the youngest-ever French Open champ. A total of eight of her nine Grand Slam victories occurred before the age of 20.

She dominated the women’s tour in the early 1990s, and some say she might have been the best of all time. It is unlikely that Seles would have added more Grand Slam titles to her resume if it hadn’t been for an unfortunate incident at the 1993 Citizen Cup in Hamburg, where she was stabbed by an obsessed fan of her rival, Steffi Graf.

She won the Australian Open in 1996, her first title after the attack. However, he ended his playing career in 2003 and then took a two-year break after the attack. Seles officially retired in 2008.

 We can only speculate on what Seles may have accomplished if the incident hadn’t occurred.

Martina Hingis 

• Born: 30 September 1980
• Nationality: Switzerland
• Career titles: 43
• Grand Slams: 5 (3 AUS, 1 Wimbledon, 1 US)
• Total Weeks at No.1: 178 (91 Consecutive)

Here are five reasons why Martina Hingis is number five. First of all, she became Switzerland’s first major champion female or male and the country’s first World No.1. Secondly, at 17 years old, she became the youngest ever World No.1.

Her accomplishments didn’t stop there for Hingis, as she also went on to become the youngest-ever Grand Slam champion that year. By the time she was a teenager, Hingis had won 5 Grand Slam titles, including the Australian Open three times. There is no doubt that she is one of the world’s youngest sports champions.

Since 2003, Hingis has taken an early retirement due to injury, but he has returned twice to retire again. In 2017, she announced her retirement after her performance at the WTA Finals.

While her lack of power was certainly threatening to her opponents, she maintained a consistent baseline and her intelligence and knowledge of the game compensated for her lack of power.

Steffi Graf

• Born: 14 June 1969
• Nationality: Germany
• Career titles: 107
• Grand Slams: 22 (4 AUS, 6 FRA, 7 Wimbledon, 5 US)
• Total Weeks at No.1: 377 (186 Consecutive)

Steffi Graf, who has one of the greatest resumes in sports history, placed at number 2. She deserves an honorable mention for her 22 Grand Slam wins throughout her 17-year career, as well as her ability to win consistently on all surfaces.

It’s hard to find another player in history who has won all four Grand Slam titles together with Olympic gold in one calendar year. Graf is the only one to have achieved this. Having won 56 Grand Slam events, she has an overall win rate of 90%. She is truly a remarkable woman!

At the age of 13, Graf began her professional career. From the late 1980s through the mid-1990s, Graf remained the best in the world for more than three years. The number of weeks she spent in the top spot is the highest for a female and a male. In 1999, Graf was still ranked No.3 at the time of her retirement.

Graf is undoubtedly one of the most iconic tennis players of her era and will be remembered for many years to come by fans and followers. Millions of people continue to be inspired by her nearly three decades after retiring. It’s all hail Steffi!

Chris Evert

• Born: 21 December 1954
• Nationality: United States of America
• Career titles: 157
• Grand Slams: 18 (2 AUS, 7 FRA, 3 Wimbledon, 6 US)
• Total Weeks at No.1: 260 (113 Consecutive)

Those Grand Slam titles are too good to ignore! Our fourth choice is Chris Evert, who practically dominated women’s tennis throughout the Open era, from the early 1970s up to the mid-1980s.

Having reached 34 Grand Slam singles finals – 18 of which she won – Evert holds the record for the most appearances in Grand Slam finals.

As a result, she has won two or more majors in a row. She made a big impact in the tennis world with her devastating two-handed backhand, which is still regarded as a breakthrough move in a sport where one-handed play was common. Longer rallies benefited her greatly because of this.

She has an impressive and enviable career-winning percentage of 90% in singles matches. It will also take decades for Martina Navratilova and Evert to be remembered for their on-court rivalry.

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Martina Navratilova

• Born: 18 October 1956
• Nationality: Czech Republic (pre-1975), United States of America (post-1975)
• Career titles: 167
• Grand Slams: 18 (3 AUS, 2 FRA, 9 Wimbledon, 4 US)
• Total Weeks at No.1: 332 (156 Consecutive)

Navratilova is arguably Chris Evert’s greatest rival, as she jumps Evert by 10 career titles (and at No.3 for more weeks). As far as rankings are concerned, she is the second-best women’s tennis player in history.

The big serves and volleys she produced in her career made her one of her competitors’ toughest competitors. Between 1978 and 1990, Navratilova won a whopping 167 titles, including 9 Wimbledon titles, making her the current record holder for most titles in the Open Era.

There has been no rivalry in women’s tennis greater than that which Navratilova and Evert had. The pair played against each other in the 1985 French Open final, a match that is still acclaimed as one of the best women’s matches ever.

The third set was a tense one for Navratilova, who nearly came back from 3-6 and 2-4 down to 5-5 before Evert hit the winning backhand shot on match point to win the title. It’s Navratilova who has the most Grand Slams, 14-8 in singles and doubles, and 10-4 in Grand Slam finals. Navratilova leads 43-37 in total matches, 14-8 in Grand Slams, and 10-4 in Grand Slam finals overall.

There’s no question why this tennis icon is ranked among the top three, is there?

Serena Williams

• Born: 26 September 1981
• Nationality: United States of America
• Career titles: 73
• Grand Slams: 23 (7 AUS, 3 FRA, 7 Wimbledon, 6 US)
• Total Weeks at No.1: 319 (186 Consecutive)

Leading the way is none other than the one and only Serena Williams.

Having won 23 Grand Slams over the course of her career, she holds the record for most Grand Slam wins in tennis history for either a male or female.

Tennis players like Serena wish they had Serena’s power, determination, and strength; thanks to advancements in technology and competition, her game and style have developed.

The first thing to mention is her serve in the third round of the 2013 Australian Open, where she served an ace at 128mph, which was the third fastest in the WTA’s history.

Aside from serving aces at critical moments, Serena has also been praised for her ability to come back from set and break deficits in Grand Slam matches. John McEnroe praised Williams as one of the greatest female tennis competitors ever, as well as her ability to come back from set and break deficits.

Having accomplished 23 Grand Slam titles and 23-10 record in Grand Slam finals throughout her 27-year career, it will be extremely hard to beat Serena’s stats.

Additionally, Serena is the only player, male or female, to have achieved both a singles and a doubles Career Golden Slam. Is there any more Serena, please?

Our greatest women’s tennis player of all time is Serena, and all of these stats and incredible accomplishments prove it.

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Conclusion

The top 10 women’s tennis players of all time are here. It is easy to think of Simona Halep, Victoria Azarenka, Ashleigh Barty and Margaret Court when looking at these stats, but they are very telling. Women’s tennis may see a new peak in the next few years.

Will Steffi Graf’s record of 377 weeks at No.1 be beaten? Is Serena Williams likely to ever be knocked off the top spot?

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