Tennis is one of the most popular sports in the world right now. While it cannot compare to football, cricket, or basketball, the game still attracts one billion fans from all around the globe. When it comes to tennis, the female athletes are just as popular, if not more so than the male ones. So, in this article, we would like to explore the best female tennis players of all time.
Table of Contents
Serena Williams
Without a doubt the most popular female tennis player in the world today, Serena Williams has been dominating the court since 1995. Miss Williams holds the joint-record for longest number 1 ranking, with over 180 weeks. She has also been ranked the number 1 by the Women’s Tennis Association for a total of 319 weeks.
During her decade-and-a-half long career, Serena has won 23 Grand Slam single titles, making her the most successful player of the Open Era, and the second-most successful all time player. On top of that, she is the only player in tennis history, male or female, to succeed a Golden Slam in both singles and doubles.
Venus Williams
Serena’s older sister Venus deserves to be ranked among the greats in her own right. The sister duo dominated the world of doubles tennis for a long time, and were ranked number 1 in both categories. Venus has won 7 Grand Slam titles, and is largely considered one of the best players the sport has ever seen.
The lives and careers of the two sisters were documented in the 2021 biographical sports film, King Richard. Starring Will Smith as the sisters’ father and coach, the film earned international acclaim, and Will Smith was awarded an Oscar for his performance.
Steffi Graf
The German player, Steffi Graf, certainly deserves to be ranked among the best players of all time. She held the number 1 rank in women’s singles tennis for a record of 377 weeks, and won 22 major tennis tournaments, only one less than the previously mentioned Serena Williams.
Steffi Graf’s importance to tennis history cannot be understated. In 1988, she became the first ever player to achieve a Golden Slam. For those who are not aware, a Golden Slam means that a player has won all four of the major tennis tournaments. Debates rage to this day as to whether Graf or Williams are the best female players of the Open Era.
Margaret Court
We can’t finish this list off without mentioning Mrs. Margaret Court. Widely considered one of the most successful players of all time, Court held the 1st rank of the pre-Open Era. To this day, she still holds the record for most major singles titles, with 24, one more than Serena Williams. She also holds the record for most major titles in general, with 64, an unprecedented achievement in the tennis world.
In the early 70s, Margaret Court set the record for most single titles in a Grand Slam event, by winning 11 Australian Open tournaments. The record remains unbroken in the realm of women’s tennis. Though Rafael Nadal broke it in 2019, when he won his 12th French Open title.
Conclusion
The success of these women has certainly propelled the popularity of tennis in popular culture. Bookies have noticed that tennis is one of the most popular betting sport. With a billion fans worldwide, we can’t say we are surprised. And with the rise in popularity of online sports betting, it wouldn’t be shocking if more bettors pop up in the future. Websites like https://sportsbet.io/sports/tennis/inplay cover some of the biggest and most important tennis events, for anyone interested in betting.
