Greatest women's tennis players of all time
Debates over the greatest women's tennis player of all time spark passionate arguments among fans, mixing eras, playing styles, and legendary rivalries that shaped the sport. From dominant Grand Slam champions to trailblazers who redefined athleticism and fought for equality on court, each contender brings a compelling case. Cast your vote and help settle where these icons rank in tennis history.
What counts: Seeded with approximate real-world figures — the crowd's votes decide the order from here.
Margaret Court▲ Rising
Owner of 24 Grand Slam singles titles, still the record on paper, including a real Grand Slam in 1970 that nobody has matched since. Her numbers are staggering, amassed in an era of smaller draws and less depth, which is exactly why she sits here instead of at the very top. Impossible to ignore, impossible to fully compare — a ledger-topping legend from tennis's amateur-to-open transition.
Grand Slams: 24—: 0
added by IJRin 2 rankingsMargaret Court
78
Serena Williams▲ Rising
23 Grand Slam singles titles, a Golden Slam at 20 years old, and a two-decade reign of raw power that turned tennis into a spectacle of pure dominance. She won the Australian Open pregnant, torched the 'Serena Slam' twice, and redefined what an athlete's body and will could do to a sport. The argument against her is technicality — the argument for her is that everyone else was playing a different game.
Grand Slams: 23—: 0
added by IJRin 9 rankingsSerena Williams
52
Steffi Graf▲ Rising
The only player, man or woman, to complete a Golden Slam — all four majors plus Olympic gold in a single calendar year, 1988, at age 19. Twenty-two Grand Slam titles and 377 weeks at world No. 1 came from a forehand and a slice backhand that terrorized opponents for over a decade. She beat the best of two generations, Navratilova's and Seles's, and never lost her claim to being the most complete player ever.
Grand Slams: 22—: 0
added by IJRin 4 rankingsSteffi Graf
35
Martina Navratilova▲ Rising
Nine Wimbledon singles titles anchor a career of 18 Grand Slam singles crowns, but the real story is the rivalry with Chris Evert and the serve-and-volley revolution she brought to the women's game. She trained like a bodybuilder before anyone else thought to, redefining athleticism in tennis and staying at an elite level into her 40s. Her longevity and versatility — dominant in singles, doubles, and mixed — make the case she did more things well than anyone on this list.
Grand Slams: 18—: 0
added by IJRin 6 rankingsMartina Navratilova
21
Billie Jean King▼ Falling
She didn't just win 39 Grand Slam titles across disciplines — she beat Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes and founded the WTA, turning a sport into a platform for pay equity that changed the lives of every woman on this list. Her Wimbledon singles dominance in the '60s and '70s was real, but her legacy is measured in open dollars and open doors. No player shaped the business and politics of the sport more than she did.
Grand Slams: 12—: 0
added by IJRin 3 rankingsBillie Jean King
-3
125-match winning streak on clay, 18 Grand Slam titles, and a head-to-head rivalry with Navratilova that defined the late '70s and '80s as tennis's golden age of contrasts — her ice-cold baseline precision against Martina's serve-and-volley fire. She made the two-handed backhand a weapon and never had a losing season in her entire career. Consistency this relentless, across surfaces and decades, is its own kind of greatness.
Grand Slams: 18—: 0
added by IJRin 3 rankingsChris Evert
-9
Monica Seles▼ Falling
A teenage phenom who won eight Grand Slam titles by age 19 with a two-fisted, grunting, unstoppable game that briefly made her the best player on Earth — then a knife in Hamburg in 1993 ended the run of a career that should have rivaled anyone here. What she did before the stabbing suggests a potential Slam count in the 20s; what she did after, fighting back to more finals, is its own testament to resilience. She belongs on this list for what she was and the tragedy of what was stolen.
Grand Slams: 9—: 0
added by IJRin 3 rankingsMonica Seles
-18
Venus Williams▼ Falling
Seven Grand Slam singles titles and a Wimbledon serve that once hit 129 mph, but Venus's biggest win happened off the court — spearheading the fight for equal prize money that made Wimbledon and the French Open pay women the same as men. She was the trailblazer whose power game paved the way for her sister's later dominance, and she was still reaching major finals in her late 30s. A pioneer first, a champion always.
Grand Slams: 7—: 0
added by IJRin 3 rankingsVenus Williams
-33
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Comments (13)
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Put some respect on the defensive end of this argument.
You can't compare eras like this, but here we are, and I love it.
The eye test and the stats finally agree on this one.
Longevity has to count for more than peak. This order underrates it.
No debate for me — Serena Williams at the top is exactly right.
- YYara LindqvistJul 27, 2026
Rings aren't everything, look at the supporting casts.