Top 10 Greatest Female Tennis Players of All Time

The only player in tennis history to achieve the Golden Slam -- winning all four Grand Slams plus Olympic gold in a single calendar year (1988) -- Steffi Graf of Germany won 22 Grand Slam singles titles and held the world number one ranking for 377 weeks, the longest in women's tennis history. Her forehand was the most technically complete shot in women's tennis history, and John McEnroe called her the greatest player of all time, male or female.

The Czech-American left-hander who defected to the United States in 1975 and dominated women's tennis for nearly two decades, Martina Navratilova won 18 Grand Slam singles titles and a record 31 Grand Slam doubles titles -- 59 Grand Slams in total across all disciplines. Her fitness revolution (the first female player to train with weights year-round) redefined the physical standards of the women's game and she continued competing in doubles events until age 49.

The American baseliner who never lost a Grand Slam final -- going 18 for 18 in Grand Slam finals she reached, before losing her 19th -- Chris Evert won 18 Grand Slam singles titles and maintained a career win-loss record of 1,309-146 (89.96%), the highest winning percentage in professional tennis history. Her rivalry with Martina Navratilova across 80 matches over 16 years is considered the greatest rivalry in sports history by many commentators.

The Australian who won 24 Grand Slam singles titles -- the most in history, including the calendar Grand Slam in 1970 -- Margaret Court dominated women's tennis before the Open Era and continued winning well into it, beating Billie Jean King in the notorious 1970 Wimbledon final after King had beaten Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes. Her 24 singles titles remain the record in any era, though they were accumulated partly before full Open Era conditions applied.

The social pioneer who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles and founded the Women's Tennis Association in 1973 to fight for equal prize money, Billie Jean King famously defeated Bobby Riggs 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in the Battle of the Sexes before 30,492 spectators at the Houston Astrodome in 1973 -- the most-watched tennis match in history with 90 million television viewers worldwide. She was the first female athlete in any sport to earn over $100,000 in a single year (1971).

The Yugoslav-American two-handed groundstroke pioneer who won 9 Grand Slam singles titles before being stabbed by a spectator on court in Hamburg in April 1993 -- an act that interrupted her dominance of the women's game at its peak. Monica Seles had won 8 of the 11 Grand Slams she had entered between 1990 and 1993 and was ranked world number one for 178 weeks before the attack; she returned to win the 1996 Australian Open but was never the same dominant force.

The eldest Williams sister, who won 7 Grand Slam singles titles and 4 Olympic gold medals, was a dominant force at Wimbledon where she won five titles between 2000 and 2008 and reached the final in 2017 at age 37. Venus Williams was the first Black woman to be ranked world number one in the Open Era and fought for equal prize money at Wimbledon in 2005, convincing the All England Club to match the men's prize structure -- a change that rippled across all four Grand Slams.

The Belgian one-handed backhand technician who retired twice (in 2008 and 2011) despite being ranked world number one, Justine Henin won 7 Grand Slam singles titles and was never beaten by a seeded opponent at Roland Garros during her peak, going 61-6 at the French Open. Her backhand was considered the most technically perfect shot in women's tennis history by analysts, and she defeated Serena Williams in four of their seven Grand Slam meetings.

The Polish world number one who dominated women's tennis from 2022 onward, winning 4 French Open titles and 1 US Open between 2020 and 2024, Iga Swiatek had a 37-match winning streak in 2022 -- the longest on the WTA Tour since Martina Navratilova's streak in 1984. At age 23 she already had 5 Grand Slam titles and ranked number one for over 120 consecutive weeks, establishing herself as the most dominant player of the 2020s era.

The only player in tennis history to achieve the Golden Slam -- winning all four Grand Slams plus Olympic gold in a single calendar year (1988) -- Steffi Graf of Germany won 22 Grand Slam singles titles and held the world number one ranking for 377 weeks, the longest in women's tennis history. Her forehand was the most technically complete shot in women's tennis history, and John McEnroe called her the greatest player of all time, male or female.

The Czech-American left-hander who defected to the United States in 1975 and dominated women's tennis for nearly two decades, Martina Navratilova won 18 Grand Slam singles titles and a record 31 Grand Slam doubles titles -- 59 Grand Slams in total across all disciplines. Her fitness revolution (the first female player to train with weights year-round) redefined the physical standards of the women's game and she continued competing in doubles events until age 49.

The American baseliner who never lost a Grand Slam final -- going 18 for 18 in Grand Slam finals she reached, before losing her 19th -- Chris Evert won 18 Grand Slam singles titles and maintained a career win-loss record of 1,309-146 (89.96%), the highest winning percentage in professional tennis history. Her rivalry with Martina Navratilova across 80 matches over 16 years is considered the greatest rivalry in sports history by many commentators.

The Australian who won 24 Grand Slam singles titles -- the most in history, including the calendar Grand Slam in 1970 -- Margaret Court dominated women's tennis before the Open Era and continued winning well into it, beating Billie Jean King in the notorious 1970 Wimbledon final after King had beaten Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes. Her 24 singles titles remain the record in any era, though they were accumulated partly before full Open Era conditions applied.

The social pioneer who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles and founded the Women's Tennis Association in 1973 to fight for equal prize money, Billie Jean King famously defeated Bobby Riggs 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in the Battle of the Sexes before 30,492 spectators at the Houston Astrodome in 1973 -- the most-watched tennis match in history with 90 million television viewers worldwide. She was the first female athlete in any sport to earn over $100,000 in a single year (1971).

The Yugoslav-American two-handed groundstroke pioneer who won 9 Grand Slam singles titles before being stabbed by a spectator on court in Hamburg in April 1993 -- an act that interrupted her dominance of the women's game at its peak. Monica Seles had won 8 of the 11 Grand Slams she had entered between 1990 and 1993 and was ranked world number one for 178 weeks before the attack; she returned to win the 1996 Australian Open but was never the same dominant force.

The eldest Williams sister, who won 7 Grand Slam singles titles and 4 Olympic gold medals, was a dominant force at Wimbledon where she won five titles between 2000 and 2008 and reached the final in 2017 at age 37. Venus Williams was the first Black woman to be ranked world number one in the Open Era and fought for equal prize money at Wimbledon in 2005, convincing the All England Club to match the men's prize structure -- a change that rippled across all four Grand Slams.

The Belgian one-handed backhand technician who retired twice (in 2008 and 2011) despite being ranked world number one, Justine Henin won 7 Grand Slam singles titles and was never beaten by a seeded opponent at Roland Garros during her peak, going 61-6 at the French Open. Her backhand was considered the most technically perfect shot in women's tennis history by analysts, and she defeated Serena Williams in four of their seven Grand Slam meetings.

The Polish world number one who dominated women's tennis from 2022 onward, winning 4 French Open titles and 1 US Open between 2020 and 2024, Iga Swiatek had a 37-match winning streak in 2022 -- the longest on the WTA Tour since Martina Navratilova's streak in 1984. At age 23 she already had 5 Grand Slam titles and ranked number one for over 120 consecutive weeks, establishing herself as the most dominant player of the 2020s era.