Top-10 Greatest Female Tennis Players Of All-Time

Greatest Female Tennis Players Of All-Time
Serena Williams and Steffi Graf are among the greatest women tennis players in the world.

As a tennis fan, you may wonder who the greatest female tennis players of all time are. SportyTell takes a look — Read on to find out which of your favorite women’s tennis players made our top-10 list.

Since the commencement of the open era, several women have dominated the tennis scene, while creating and smashing records.

Combining the top female tennis players of the open era to the adept players of the 20th century, you’ll end up with numerous tennis stars who rose from oblivion to the center stage of the sport.

Among the tennis greats who have played throughout history, selecting the top-10 is no easy task. But with much insight and careful analysis of the careers of these phenomenal women, we narrowed down the list of the world’s greatest female tennis players to ten, and we’re excited to share with you.

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The Greatest Female Tennis Players of All-Time

10. Martina Hingis

After turning pro in 1994, Martina Hingis moved on to a fiery start. Three years after she turned pro, Hingis won her first Grand Slam title. Aside from winning her first Grand Slam title, she won the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, just within three years after she turned pro. Throughout her career, Hingis spent a total of 209 weeks on no.1 spot in the world singles rankings and 90 weeks as no.1 in the doubles rankings. Martina Hingis won a total of 25 major titles.

9. Justine Henin

Known for mental resilience and physical toughness, which complemented her small stature, Justine Henin’s reign atop the WTA singles chart lasted for 117 weeks. Henin finished in the number 1 spot at the end of the 2003, 2006, and 2007 calendar year, and established her country, Belgium, as one of the leading forces in the world of tennis. She won 7 Grandslam singles event, an Olympic gold medal, and a Fed Cup tournament. After winning a total of 43 WTA events, she retired in 2008 but attempted to make a comeback in 2011, which didn’t work out in her favor.

8. Venus Williams

One of the Williams sisters who continue to dominate the tennis scene, Venus would have had enough Grandslam titles to her name, if she didn’t have a showdown with her sister in the final of nine Grandslam events. Venus Williams had bested her sister on two of those occasions. She turned Pro in 1994 and has won 7 Grandslam singles, 5 Wimbledons, and 2 US Opens. Venus has emerged as a finalist in the Australian and French Opens. She has 49 WTA titles to her name, and she is currently ranked no.66 in the latest singles world rankings.

7. Billie Jean King

Best known for her Battle of the Sexes match against Bobby Riggs, King defeated Riggs in one of the few battles of the sexes match in the 20th century, which attracted about 50 million viewers. King was a phenomenal tennis player; she won 39 Grand Slam singles events, 1 Australian Open, 1 French Opens, 6 Wimbledon, and 4 US Opens. She also won the Fed Cup multiple times as captain of the US contingent. The former world no. 1 has 129 titles to her name.

6. Monica Seles

A reminder of how fan obsession could go wrong, Monica Seles was the victim of an unfortunate stabbing accident by a fan who was obsessed over her opponent, Steffi Graf. It was not uncommon for Seles and Steffi Graf to go head-to-head in Grand Slam events. Before the incident, Seles won 8 Grand Slam singles title, 4 Australian Opens, 3 French Open, and 2 US Opens. Following the stabbing incident, Seles returned to action but won just one Grand Slam event, the Australian Open. She also won the Fed Cup after the incident. Seles won 53 titles during her career before she retired in 2008.

5. Chris Evert

During the mid-1970s, one name reigned supremely over others in the world of female tennis. Her powerful shots helped her dominate the tennis scene. Chris Evert won 18 Grand Slam singles events, 2 Australian Opens, 7 French Opens, 3 Wimbledons, and 6 US Opens. She ended 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, and 1981 calendar year at the number one spot in the world singles rankings. Evert won a total of 157 titles before her retirement in 1989.

4. Margaret Court

Margaret Court
(Photo credit: Eric Koch / Anefo / CC)

One of the pioneers of fitness and weight training in tennis, Margaret Court had a really successful career which was not marred by the discomfort of injuries. Margaret Court won 24 Grand Slam singles events, 11 Australian Opens, 5 French Opens, 3 Wimbledons, and 5 US Opens. She also won Grand Slam Doubles and Grand Slam Mixed Doubles in the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open. Court won a total of 192 titles during her career.

3. Martina Navratilova

Her name reigned supremely in the world of tennis, during the early years of the 1970s and well into the 1980s. Martina Navratilova has 18 Grand Slam Singles title to her name, 3 Australian Opens, 2 French Opens, 9 Wimbledons, and 4 US Opens. She won Grand Slam Doubles and Grand Slam Mixed Doubles in the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open. She also won the Fed Cup and won 168 titles throughout her career.

2. Steffi Graf

Steffi Graf
Steffi Graf. (Photo credit: Mark Henckel / CC)

Since the introduction of the Open era, Steffi Graf holds the record for the third-most major wins with 22 Grand Slams Singles titles. She is the first female tennis player to win four Grand Slams and an Olympic gold medal in a calendar year. She has won 4 Australian Opens, 6 French Opens, 7 Wimbledons, and 5 US Opens. Graf won the Fed Cup and a total of 107 titles during her career.

1. Serena Williams

Serena Williams – Greatest Female Tennis Player Ever
Serena Williams. (Photo: US Open / YouTube)

One of the Williams sisters who have long dominated the tennis world, Serena, is a tennis icon. She is undoubtedly the queen in the Open era and the greatest tennis player of all-time. She has won about US $92 million in prize money since she turned Pro in 1995.

Serena has won 23 Grand Slam titles, making her the second player with the most major wins in the Open era. She has won 7 Australian Opens, 3 French Opens, 7 Wimbledons, and 6 US Opens. Serena Williams has won Grand Slam doubles in the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open, and Grand Slam Mixed Doubles in Wimbledon and US Open. She has won Olympic Gold medals on four occasions. Williams has won 72 WTA titles and ranks no. 10 in the world singles rankings released in November 2019.


Which of the women’s tennis players did you expect on this list? Please feel free to share your thoughts on our top-10 list of the greatest female tennis players of all-time.

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