You would be shocked to know that over 1 billion people love tennis and over 87 million play this sport (ITF Report 2019). Therefore, 1.17% of the world population is associated with tennis somehow. And out of these millions of tennis players, 47% of them are female. Of these skilled and outstanding female tennis players, we sure got some of the all-time most superb female tennis players, which you may love to know about.
Overall, tennis is one of the few sports where women are treated equally. This sport has also made us witness some of the greatest female players in sports history. Therefore, this page will be unique and creative as it will help you learn about the Top 10 Greatest female Tennis players.
Here is an overview of the top 10 greatest female tennis players of all time:
Name | From | Career Status |
Serena Williams | Saginaw, Michigan, USA. | Retired |
Steffi Graf | Mannheim, West Germany (now Germany). | Retired |
Martina Navratilova | Prague, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic). | Retired |
Margaret Court | Albury, Australia. | Retired |
Monica Seles | Novi Sad, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia (Now known as Novi Sad, Serbia). | Retired |
Chris Evert | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA. | Retired |
Billie Jean King | Long Beach, California, USA. | Retired |
Naomi Osaka | Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. | Active |
Venus Williams | Lynwood, California, USA. | Active |
Sania Mirza | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. | Retired |
Top 10 Greatest Female Tennis Players
1. Serena Williams
Name | Serena Jameka Williams |
Born | 26th September 1981 |
Height | 5’9″ |
Career Run | 1995 – 2022 |
Prize Money | $94,816,730 |
Career Status | Retired. |
Serena Williams, born in Saginaw, Michigan, United States, turned pro in professional Tennis in 1995. She was coached by multiple coaches throughout her career, including Richard Williams, Oracene Price, Patrick Mouratoglou, Eric Hechtman, and Rennae Stubbs.
Her feats and achievements cannot be skipped when talking about the greatest tennis players ever. By the time she ended her professional career in 2022, Serena had already established herself as one of the greatest female Tennis players in history.
2. Steffi Graf
Name | Stefanie Maria Graf |
Born | June 14, 1969 |
Height | 5’9″ |
Career Run | 1982 – 1999 |
Prize Money | $21,895,277 |
Career Status | Retired. |
Stefanie Maria Graf is a 53 years old former tennis player from a medium-sized city, Mannheim, West Germany. She is considered one of the best tennis players of her time and widely regarded as the greatest. During her professional career time, Steffi earned prize money of $21,895,277, winning 107 career titles in singles and 11 in Doubles.
Besides, she has also participated in two Summer Olympics (1988 and 1992) and won a Gold and Silver in Singles and a bronze in Doubles. Similarly, she is the only tennis player among Men and Women to win each major tournament at least 4x times.
3. Martina Navratilova
Name | Martina Navratilova / Martina Navrátilová |
Born | 18th October 1956 |
Height | 5’8″ |
Career Run | 1974 – 2006 |
Prize Money | $21,626,089 |
Career Status | Retired. |
When the topic includes the greatest, Martina Navratilova will have to be on every list as she is among the greatest tennis players with feats only a few have achieved. She came from the capital city of the Czech Republic, Prague, and turned pro in 1974, having a 32-year-long career run.
In her long career run, Martina has achieved much success in her professional career. She had achieved 167 Career titles in singles and 177 in doubles. Furthermore, the left-handed player earned about US$21,626,089 before her career retirement. She is a legend and undoubtedly among the greatest of all time.
4. Margaret Court
Name | Margaret Court / Margaret Smith Court |
Born | July 16, 1942 |
Height | 5’9″ |
Career Run | 1960 – 1977 |
Prize Money | $1,632,798 |
Career Status | Retired. |
Magaret Court, one of the greatest tennis players ever, was an inductee to the International Hall of Fame in 1979. She won 24 major titles in singles and 19 Grand Slam women’s doubles titles, including 21 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles.
She is one of only three players to achieve the “Grand Slam Boxed Set”, and the only one to win a Multiple Grand Slam set twice.
Magaret turned pro in 1960 and had a 17-year-long professional career as a tennis player. She won 192 singles titles and 21 mixed doubles titles.
5. Monica Seles
Name | Monica Seles /Szeles Mónika /Моника Селеш |
Born | 2nd December 1973 |
Height | 5’10” |
Career Run | 1989 – 2008 |
Prize Money | $14,891,762 |
Career Status | Retired. |
Monica Seles, among the greatest tennis players of all time, was a former world No. 1. At a young age, she made her way to become the youngest-ever French Open champion. Before turning 20, she had won eight major singles titles. Throughout her 19-year professional career, Monica achieved 53 singles titles and 6 doubles titles, and 9 Grand Slam singles titles.
Monica ended her career with prize money of $14,891,762, including multiple major titles and achievements. Furthermore, during her career, she had a winning streak of 36 matches and won six consecutive tournaments.
6. Chris Evert
Name | Christine Marie Evert |
Born | December 21, 1954 |
Height | 5’6″ |
Career Run | 1972 – 1989 |
Prize Money | $8,895,195 |
Career Status | Retired. |
The 68 years Chris Evert was one of the best tennis players during her professional career. She has achieved multiple titles and awards in her name. During her entire run, she had won 18 Grand Slam titles in singles and three in doubles.
Chris Evert made herself a pro in 1972 and has participated in multiple big matches ever since. She even made her name in the International Hall of Fame in 1995. Before retiring from her career in 1989, Chris had made prize money of $8,895,195.
7. Billie Jean King
Name | Billie Jean King |
Born | 22nd November 1943 |
Height | 5’4″ |
Career Run | 1968 – 1990 |
Prize Money | $1,966,487 |
Career Status | Retired. |
The American former world No. 1 tennis player, Billie, ranks among the greatest of all time with her career stats. She has reached 39 Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles in her entire career. She has also played a massive role in finding the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).
Billie turned pro in 1968, and since then, she has achieved multiple significant titles and made prize money of $1,966,487. Before meeting her retirement, Billie had inducted herself into the International Hall of Fame in 1987.
8. Naomi Osaka
Name | Naomi Osaka / Osaka Naomi |
Born | 16th October 1997 |
Height | 5 ft 11 in |
Career Run | 2013 – present |
Prize Money | $21,177,252 |
Career Status | Active |
From Japan, Naomi Osaka is considered a great female tennis player to brought prestige to her country by becoming the first female to reach the top ranking in singles. Osaka was also ranked world number one in singles by the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association).
Osaka turned pro in 2013 and was able to achieve success in a short time. She won the Grand Slam titles in singles four times and still aiming to add more achievements to her career. Currently, she has made prize money of $21,177,252 in her professional run and continues her professional career in Tennis.
9. Venus Williams
Name | Venus Ebony Starr Williams |
Born | 17th June 1980 |
Height | 6’1″ |
Career Run | 1994 – present |
Prize Money | $42,403,103 |
Career Status | Active |
The 42 years old American professional tennis player Venus Williams is considered one of the sport’s all-time greats. Her career stats rank among the greatest, as she has achieved multiple major titles in both singles and doubles.
Venus turned pro in 1994 and continues to reach new heights in her career. In her overall career, she has achieved seven grand slam titles in singles and earned a prize of $42,403,103. Furthermore, she has won four Olympic Gold medals, three in doubles, one in singles, and has also won one Silver in mixed doubles.
10. Sania Mirza
Name | Sania Mirza |
Born | November 15, 1986 |
Height | 5’8″ |
Career Run | 2003 – 2023 |
Prize Money | $ 7,265,246 |
Career Status | Retired. |
Sania Mirza, one of India’s most successful female athletes, has established a successful career in tennis. Throughout her professional career, she has accomplished some of the best feats and achieved six Grand Slam titles in doubles and mixed doubles, ending up as the world’s No. 1 in doubles.
Sania turned pro in 2003, and in her overall career, she made herself a widely popular, highest-paid, and most influential athlete in India. Considering her successful career and popularity in India, we consider her one of the greatest as she has reached a height of international success only a few from India has done.
Conclusion
Ultimately, there are more than the Top 10 Greatest Female Tennis Players Of All-Time to list. However, we have created this top-10 list to highlight some of the greatest female tennis players on one page. All the athletes listed here are selected from different regions based on their popularity.
However, we may have made a mistake and should have included your favorite player here. Therefore, you can help our knowledge by stating your thoughts and naming the greatest tennis player of all time according to you.
- Related: 10 Richest Tennis Players