As part of our Top 10 series, we're looking at the Top 10 female tennis players of all-time.
It can be hard to compare tennis players over different eras, especially with the pool of talent on the WTA Tour now stronger than ever before, and that is something that has to be factored into the debate.
A number of star players have seen their careers interrupted by injury, others have taken time out to focus on parenthood, while early retirements have not been out of the equation for some.
It makes for a fascinating topic, especially with former generations having racked up multiple Grand Slam victories in weaker eras, and here’s our top 10.
10 - Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka is the current world number one and she has spent 50 consecutive weeks in that position, which goes some way to highlight her ability given how competitive the WTA Tour has become.
The 27-year-old has made the final in seven of her last 11 Grand Slam appearances, winning two hard-court titles at both the Australian Open and US equivalent, and her brute force should see her enjoy plenty more success at the top table.
9 - Iga Swiatek
We may never see a better female player on clay than Iga Swiatek who, despite still being only 24 years of age, has already won six Grand Slam titles with four of those coming at her favoured French Open.
Double-figures and beyond should easily be in reach of the Polish phenomenon, who added another string to her bow with victory at Wimbledon this year, and she has the longest winning streak of the 21st century which stands at 37 consecutive matches.
8 - Venus Williams
Although often in the shadows of her more successful sister, Venus Williams was still one of the best to ever grace a tennis court in her own right and that enabled her to make 14 Grand Slam finals and be crowned champion on seven occasions.
Venus was unfortunate to bump into sister Serena in nine of those Grand Slam finals, but she also has an Olympic gold medal to her name and the fact she can still compete on the WTA Tour to this day at 45 years of age speaks volumes about her natural ability.
7 - Billie Jean King
Twelve Grand Slam titles between 1966 and 1975 has Billie Jean King firmly in top-10 reckoning, with the American opting to carefully plot the tournaments to target.
That enabled her to make eight Wimbledon finals in 10 years, winning the title on six occasions, and she was one of the founding members of the first women’s professional tour.
6 - Monica Seles
What could have been for Monica Seles if her career wasn’t cruelly halted during her dominant period by a devastating incident at a tournament in Germany.
Seles became the youngest-ever Grand Slam winner at just 16 with her victory at the 1990 French Open and by the 1993 Australian Open she already had eight major successes to her name.
During her short stint at the top, Seles won 53 titles and she showed her bravery by making it nine Grand Slam wins at the 1996 Australian Open, which came two seasons after being stabbed on court.
5 - Chris Evert
Chris Evert made hay from 1974 until 1977, winning seven of her 18 Grand Slam titles in that period, and she still managed to run out a regular champion despite the emergence of old foe Martina Navratilova.
With a win rate throughout her career of over 90 per cent, Evert was a real stalwart and her dominance from the baseline was especially effective on clay, with her winning seven French Open titles and enjoying a 125-match win streak on her beloved slower surface.
4 - Martina Navratilova
Martina Navratilova was a winning machine. The American won 59 Grand Slam titles in total - 18 in singles, 31 in doubles and 10 in mixed doubles - and she remains the only player to top both rankings in the singles and doubles for over 200 weeks.
Navratilova enjoyed her best days at Wimbledon, where she was crowned champion on nine occasions, and her fierce rivalry with compatriot Chris Evert, who also won 18 Grand Slam titles, helped take the game to new heights.
3 - Margaret Court
At the top of the pile with the most Grand Slam title successes is Australian ace Margaret Court, who was the scene-setter and racked up 24 major titles from 1960 to 1973.
Eleven of those wins did come in her home Grand Slam in Melbourne but, nevertheless, she is one of only three players to win the singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles at all four Majors and her strict training regime had her miles clear of her generation.
2 - Steffi Graff
Until Serena Williams came along, Steffi Graff was chief, having won 22 Grand Slam titles between 1987 and 1999.
In 1988, the German became the first player to complete the Golden Slam, which saw her win all four Grand Slams as well as being crowned gold medallist at the Olympics in Seoul, and she also held the world number one tag for 377 consecutive weeks.
1 - Serena Williams
The most dominant female in the Open era is Serena Williams, who chalked up 23 Grand Slam titles and won 73 WTA Tour titles overall.
Williams overcame injuries, setbacks and motherhood to dominate over a period spanning three decades and was versatile, even managing to win three French Open titles on her weakest surface of clay.
Considered to be the most powerful female in tennis history, the American had the mental fortitude to match and she is also the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam title having triumphed in the 2017 Australian Open aged 35 years and 124 days.
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group.
