The face of tennis is notably more diverse than when she and her sister arrived. Serena Williams celebrates after winning the French Open in 2013. Halep figures to add to her resume as one of the greats in years to come. She was never truly dominant like many on this list, but she had a short run in her career where she was a Grand Slam threat every single time. Ann Jones is an English former tennis and table tennis champion. She won seven grand slams and an Olympic gold medal in a hugely competitive era in the womens game. British tennis players 10 Rosewall. And she went to any lengths to make sure she stayed at the top, including practicing with men when that was frowned upon by the tennis establishment. She has grand slam titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, and shes most remembered for her runs at the Australian Open. Martina Navratilova, Serena Williams, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles were all popular with our readers. The French Open paid tribute to Lenglen's legacy by naming one of its show courts after her, and it stands to this day in memory of what she achieved. Due to an error during editing, Martina Navratilovas grand slam titles were listed as being between 1975 and 2003, rather than the actual dates of 1974 and 2006. Playing in the 1950s, when segregation was still the law of the land in America, Gibson became the first African-American woman to win Grand Slam titles, amassing five. An unbelievable fighter, she continued to play despite her debilitating illness, winning matches almost till the very end, retiring from professional tennis five months before her death from liver cancer. However, in her time, she was a dominant player who could win on any surface. Talk about a child prodigy Tim Henman. Just as Justine Henin excelled on the clay, the best surface for Clijsters was hard court. I position for the first time at the age of nineteen. Bottom line: Louise Brough lost the epic 1948 U.S. Open singles final against her frequent partner Margaret Osborne DuPont, but ultimately, her Grand Slam resume looked better at the end. Angela Mortimer was certainly one of the greatest British female tennis players alive during the 1950s and early 1960s. Evert relied on great placement, movement, and spin to have success in tennis. In doing so, she elevated herself from great to greatest. Helen Wills Moody was the number one player in the world from 1927 to 1933, and she regained that position in 1935 and 1938. WebShe is the face of womens tennis in the UK and took home a silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Games. Justine Henin is one of the greatest and most underrated players in womens tennis. The best women's tennis players of all time are multiple Grand Slam champions, Olympic tennis gold medalists and simply the best ladies to ever The daughter of British aristocrats Ralph Percy and Jane Richard, Lady Melissa Percy quit school at 14 to follow a career in tennis. Vote for Your Favourite British Female Tennis Players, (British Former Professional Tennis Player), (Former British Professional Tennis Player), (Former British Tennis Player and Television Presenter), (British Former Professional Tennis Player Who Formerly Represented Australia), (British Former Table Tennis and Lawn Tennis Champion), (Former Tennis Player and Television Host), (English Former Professional Tennis Player), (English Fashion Designer and Former Professional Tennis Player), (British Tennis Player and the Youngest Ladies Singles Champion), (British Tennis and Badminton Player and the Second Most Decorated Female British Olympian). Women's rankings Men's rankings Women's wheelchair rankings Men's wheelchair rankings Quad rankings British padel players Browse the profiles of Britain's top women's and men's padel players, including where they're ranked. Born: Aug. 25, 1927, Silver, South Carolina, Died: Sept. 28, 2003, East Orange, New Jersey (Age 76). Bottom line:The daughter of a Norwegian Army officer, Molla Mallory won matches with a power game atypical of her era. Shes been number one in the world for 64 weeks so far in her career, and she may add to that number in the end. Now 53 years old, she is a former professional player who ranked World No.1 for a record 377 weeks. Died: Oct. 24, 2012, El Paso, Texas (Age 94). 1 in doubles, Wade won four Grand Slam doubles titles. 9 Agassi and No. For years, however, the title most befitting a serve-and-volley player, Wimbledon, eluded her. She was poised to be a dominant tennis player for years to come, but when she was 19 years old, a horseback riding accident damaged her right leg and ended her career. Amelie Mauresmos game was a unique blend of power and elegance. Konta achieved a steep rise in her ranking from the spring of 2015 to late 2016, climbing from 150 to inside the world's top ten, thereby becoming the first Briton to be ranked amongst the WTA's top ten since Jo Durie over 30 years previously. Sloane Stephens is a bright light for American tennis in the post-Williams sisters future. Her stretch of seven grand slams won between 1990 and 1993 is one of the greatest runs of dominance recorded by a player in the modern era. Henry Haynes. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. British Female Tennis Players Ann Shirley Jones is a tennis legend and easily one of the greatest of all time, playing at a time 3: Virginia Wade. WebKathleen McKane Godfree was a British badminton and tennis player. Beyond the race issue, she was a breath of fresh air on our TV screens in the 1970s. Murrays tally of 46 singles titles is good for 14th on the all-time list, just behind Boris Becker and ahead of greats including Arthur Ashe and Stefan Edberg. When Venus Williams first started winning at the WTA level in 1997, many thought that she was well on her way to being the next dominant star. Played: Right-handed (two-handed backhand). M Court is the greatest women tennis player of all time and not even close. You rarely saw an unforced error from Evert. Based on 2022 results, Iga Swiatek has entered the top 20. Forty-three players made the list from the Americas, 39 from Europe and 18 from Oceania. This period included her best Grand more Birthplace: Sydney, Australia Nationality: Australia 98 It took her much of the decade, but Wozniacki put all doubts to rest when she took home the 2018 Australian Open title. If a player has a great serve, they have the chance to consistently win their games. 2, Jones managed to establish herself as a praiseworthy player despite playing in a highly competitive era; she played against some of the all-time greats like Margaret Court and Billie Jean King. Number 2 of the greatest female tennis player and most tennis Grand Slams womens division winners we have Steffi Graf. Serena Williams; Steffi Graf; Martina Navritolova; Chris Evert; Margaret Court; Monica Seles; Billie Jean King; Venus Williams; Evonne Goolagong Cawley; Justine Henin; Martina Hingis; Helen Wills Moody; Maureen Connolly; Lindsay Davenport; Kim Clijsters; Jennifer The Belgium one-hander could win points at any time by ripping backhands from all angles. WebBritish tennis players Browse the player profiles of our British tennis players, featuring the top tennis players in the UK. A powerful, attacking baseline game that allows her to dictate the pace of play on multiple surfaces and consistently gain the upper hand in rallies. 9 Agassi and No. She previously won a junior title at Wimbledon. She played with a serve-and-volley style, which even in her time was declining, but she found great success with it. She isnt considered a huge threat to win at the majors in this part of her career, but it was just 2017 when she made a run to the finals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Serena was 35 when she finally tied Steffis 22 Slams and 36 when she won #23. However, in 2001, she went on an absolute tear, making the semifinals of all four grand slams. Cause everybody expected her to win after she had won the second Masters of the year ( 6:0 6:0). She was able to win the 2009 and 2010 U.S. Open after giving birth, and that cemented her legacy on a list like this. One of the defining rivalries of tennis early era was between Helen Jacobs and Helen Wills, with the two meeting seven times in Grand Slam play. Its just the highest and most legendary achievement for tennis players in history. WebMonica Seles is a part-Hungarian, part-Yugoslavian, and part-American former womens tennis pro who had all the makings of one of the greatest tennis players to ever live. Those who try to diminish her achievement have their own agenda. That lead to seven Grand Slam singles titles, and a dominant run at the French Open. She was able to win the Golden Grand Slam, taking home all four major titles, as well as the Olympic gold in the Seoul Olympics. Died: Aug. 21, 1994, Sutton, United Kingdom (Age 78), Plays: Right-handed (one-handed backhand). Godfree won two Wimbledon singles titles. You could tell Chris would become a star. Top 5 British Tennis Players of All Time Throughout her 11 year career, she showed she was a continually great competitor. She then shocked the tennis world again by coming back and reaching new heights, winning three more Grand Slam titles. She raised the bar in terms of physicality in the womens game and recognised the advantages of assembling a support team, each of whom had a specific role to play. Players must track down balls and keep long rallies going to survive in a game that now takes place almost exclusively at the, Read More 10 Fastest Tennis Players In The WorldContinue, In the world today, about 10% of people are left-handed, and 1% of the population has what is called mixed-handedness or cross-dominance. Even the great Serena Williams would have struggled to get the ball past a prime Navratilova at the net. British tennis players In 1978, she wasinducted intothe International Tennis Hall of Fame. Robby J. Justine Henin is one of the greatest and most underrated players in womens tennis. Evonne often bullied her opposition, dominating early on and consistently throughout matches. In 2016, she won the mixed-doubles at Wimbledon, becoming the first British player to win at Wimbledon since Joanna Mary Durie in 1987. She became the first Grand Slam winner from Japan after stunning the tennis world with a finals win over Serena Williams at the 2018 U.S. Open. Vote up the best women's tennis players ever. The character and poise were there from the start. But Graf won her 22 slams within a 12 years range, Serena needed 17 years to equal this mark and 18 years to go ahead. Born: June 1, 1982, Liege, Belgium (Age 37). A former world No. The second-most successful female British Olympian, Godfree won five Olympic medals in two Olympic Games. Wades tally of 55 is particularly impressive. The United Kingdom is regarded as the birthplace of tennis, and no one fulfilled that countrys championship hopes more than Virginia Wade. In 1981, she was inducted posthumously into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. 2, Wade won three Grand Slam singles titles, including the famous 1977 Wimbledon, which was attended by Queen Elizabeth II. WebEasily one of the most successful female British tennis players, Virginia Wade is a three-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. Born: Dec. 12, 1962, Palos Verdes, California. She didnt hit hard, she was relatively small for a tennis player and she had a pretty laid-back demeanor. She finished with 98 total weeks at world number one, and three Grand Slam titles. Of course, her placement will depend upon future results, too. Its been said that no backhand in the history of womens tennis has been as great as Justine Henin. As such a young player, who won eight grand slam titles as a teenager, she showed such mental strength to win matches. When looking back at Tracy Austins career, its pretty remarkable what she was able to accomplish at such a young age. Forty-three players made the list from the Americas, 39 from Europe and 18 from Oceania. Best British Tennis Players It was an elegant but deadly stroke often compared to that of Roger Federer in the mens game. Steve Watts. Florence Angela Margret Mortimer Berret, better known as simply Angela Mortimer, is the 2: Ann Jones. Domien Takx. From trailblazing legends like Billie Jean King to champions like Serena Williams, dominant athletes on the tennis court have elevated womens sports to new heights. At 23, she was only ranked No. The most impressive thing about Osaka may be that, as accomplished as she is, her best likely lies ahead. Born: March 20, 1993, Plantation, Florida. This feat, winning an entire set while losing zero points, has only been recorded 14 known times across the entire history of mens or womens tennis. Her victory in the Olympics semi-final against Anastasia Myskina in 2004 also stands out, as well as her many battles with Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters. A hero in her native Brazil, she was greeted at home by ticker-tape parades upon returning from winning her Grand Slam titles. She is a seven-time British National Singles winner and a nine-time British National Doubles winner. Steffi Graf. Wade has the dual distinction of being the only British woman to win all four majors (although she only won the French in doubles). British tennis players Samantha Smith is a British retired professional tennis player. Bottom line: Players from Russia are now a common part of the tennis landscape, but it was not always the case. But Id have to go with her first Wimbledon victory, in 1988 over the great Martina Navratilova. 3. Steffi #2? To prove her milestone victory was not a fluke, she won the Australian Open title in 2014. Country: Germany. She had the consistency to remain at world No.1 for 64 consecutive weeks and the tenacity to win big individual matches, coming from behind to win her first French Open title against Sloane Stephens. Evert gave American fans an incredible champion to cheer for as she won 157 titles and 18 Grand Slams. All I can say is that Monica Seles had Steffis number and would of won most of the Slams in the 90s and even some that Serena won, had she not been stabbed. From trailblazing legends like Billie Jean King to champions like Serena Williams, dominant athletes on the tennis court have elevated womens sports to new heights. Serena Williams (the choice of our tennis correspondent, Kevin Mitchell) and Martina Navratilova were also popular choices and you added some new names to the discussion. If not for her come back in the early 2000s, she would not make a list like this. The only problem? Best Women Unfortunately, those were her only two Grand Slam titles, and she was already retired and in the Hall of Fame before she turned 30 years old. This guy was the tennis pro of the 90s. Born: Jan. 18, 1988, Bremen, West Germany. Andy Murray 2. Now its time for the readers to offer their verdict. She had most of her success at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, winning a total of 10 titles between the two. However, there was one person who would be in her way and never really allowed her to dominate the game. Greatest Female Tennis Players Of All Time Than its not a hit anymore.