The Greatest Female Tennis Players of All Time

Born in 1925, Doris Hart came onto the tennis scene in the 1940s and became a force in the late 1940s and early 1950s. During her prime she continuously competed in the finals of tennis majors, winning 6 of them. She reached a ranking of world No. 1 in 1951. Hart also had a terrific career in doubles and mixed doubles.

Margaret Osborne DuPont was born in 1918 and competed with Doris Hart for several titles in the 1940s and 50s. She also saw massive success in doubles and mixed doubles. Osborne duPont married William duPont Jr., a member of the wealthy and prestigious duPont family. However, they later divorced, and Margaret went on to form a life partnership with fellow tennis player Margaret Varner Bloss.

The elder of the Williams sisters, Venus grew up in Los Angeles and was identified as a potential prospect at a young age by a local tennis professional. She won her first Grand Slam title in 2000, the first of several majors she’d later claim in singles and doubles. She is also tied for the most Olympics medals by a female tennis player. Venus and her sister have worked actively to fight racial and gender-based discrimination in the sport and beyond.

Maria Bueno was a Brazilian tennis star that won numerous titles in the 1950s and 60s. On top of her seven singles titles, Bueno also won 11 in women’s doubles and one in mixed doubles. She is the most successful South American women’s tennis player in history. Bueno was born in Sao Paulo where her father was an avid tennis player.

Suzanne Lenglen was born in 1899 in France and was the inaugural World No. 1 player from 1921 to 1926. She is considered the first female athlete to gain global prominence. Lenglen began playing at the age of 11 and won the 1914 World Hard Court Championship (the precursor to the French Open) at age 15. She went on to dominate the game in nearly every aspect, crushing the competition in most tournaments that she entered. Further, she became a national hero in France when the country was looking for some light in the aftermath of World War 1.

Born in 1884, Mallory was one of the few to give Suzanne Lenglen a run for her money. She began as a champion in her native Norway but eventually moved to the US to pursue her career. She was relatively unknown when she arrived and first worked as a masseuse to make ends meet. Molla was the first woman to compete in the Olympics for Norway.

Monica Seles was born in 1973 in Yugoslavia, and moved to the United States in 1986 to train at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida. She was the youngest player ever to win the French Open at 16 in 1990. Her stellar career continued until 1993 when a spectator ran onto the court and stabbed her in the middle of a match. Her physical injuries healed fairly quickly but she took off two years before returning to the game. She went on to win a fourth Australian Open final in 1996.

Born in 1934, Maureen Connolly was a force in the early 1950s. In 1953 she was the first woman to win all four major tournaments in a single calendar year. From 1951 to 1954 she dominated the game and won nine Grand Slam tournaments in a row. Unfortunately, her career was cut short in 1954 in a horseback riding accident. She was only 19 years old at the time and had already solidified herself as one of the greatest to ever play the game.

Billie Jean King is a former World No.1 who dominated on the court and has been a pioneer and advocate for gender equality. In 1973, King played against Bobby Riggs in the much publicized “Battle of the Sexes.” Riggs had beaten another top female tennis player and made it very clear that he saw women players as far inferior. However, King defeated him in a hallmark moment for women’s tennis and beyond.

Born in 1956, Navratilova reached the Wimbledon singles final nine years in a row from 1982 to 1990. She won seven of those matches along with two additional Wimbledon’s finals in the 70s and several other majors along the way. Navratilova was born in Czechoslovakia but was stripped of her citizenship in 1975 when she asked the United States for political asylum.

Evert was born in the United States in the 1950s and dominated tennis in the 70s and early 80s. She reached the semifinals or better in 52 of the 56 Grand Slams she played in. Evert’s career winning percentage in singles matches is 90%, the highest by any person in the game of tennis. Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova had a massive rivalry during the time they were both active.

Helen Wills was a force in tennis in the late 1920s and early 30s. She is considered the first American female athlete to become an international celebrity. Wills changed tennis fashion by wearing knee-length pleated tennis skirts instead of the longer ones worn by her predecessors. On the court she dominated her competition, winning Wimbledon eight times, the US Open seven times and the French Open four times. She did not compete in Australia (a long trip back in those days).

Born in West Germany in 1969, Graf was ranked world No. 1 for more than seven years in the late 80s and early 90s. She is credited with transforming the game of tennis to its more modern form of aggressive play around the baseline. Graf holds numerous tennis records (male or female) including the only player to achieve a Grand Slam since hard courts were introduced as a playing surface. She is married to and has two children with fellow tennis great Andre Agassi.

The most dominant player of the last 20 years, Serena has been in a league of her own for much of her career. She has the most Grand Slam singles titles in the Open Era and second-most of all time. She has also had a spectacular doubles career and won four Olympic gold medals. Serena competed in the US Open final in 2019 and is still active today. Before it’s all said and done she might just be on the top of this list.

Margaret Court holds the record for most Grand Slam titles of all time. The Australian was born in 1942 and excelled in the 60s and early 70s. Fittingly, she won the Australian Open 11 times along with several wins of the other Grand Slam tournaments. She was known for her speed and strength that she cultivated with intense weight and circuit training. This was not all that common at the time for female tennis players. After retirement she became a Christian minister.