Most sports fans agree upon the elegance of female tennis and the beauty of the players. Skillful, talented and good-looking, numerous young ladies who made a name in tennis were attracted towards fashion careers or towards becoming the image of big brands of sporting equipment, cosmetics or tech gadgets. On one hand, this allowed them to make a very nice additional income, while on the other hand, it allowed sports like tennis to gain more popularity among the masses, thus generating a snowball effect: as more people became aware of the top athletes, the more these athletes were courted by consumer goods manufacturers, and the more they benefited from publicity.
Martina Navratilova
Creating a list of the best female tennis players of all times is rather a matter of personal choice, as it’s really hard to establish a valid criteria for selection. For instance, a judgment based on the longest winning streak would place Martina Navratilova on top with her 74 consecutive wins. However, considering the Golden Slam recorded by Steffi Graf in 1988, when she won all four Grand Slams of the year might make us consider her on top. Yet, she has only 32 Grand Slam titles in her portfolio while Billie Jean King has 39 GS titles. So, which one is better: Steffi Graf or Billie Jean King? Or maybe the title should go to Chris Evert, because she won at least one Grand Slam title each year for 13 years in a row?
Steffi Graf
Billy Jean King
Chris Evert
Making best of lists is perhaps our human nature, but leaving this habit aside, female tennis, and tennis in general, is one of the most spectacular and entertaining sports, one of the few sports in which the audience has the opportunity to exercise while watching the matches. What? Do you think it’s easy to turn your head from left to right and vice-versa a thousand times over a few hours? Attending tennis tournaments has a strengthening effect on the neck muscles, just like working as a cashier in a supermarket. It’s only much more entertaining.
Coming back to our famous players, we have to mention a few more names, as they deserve a place in our tennis gallery. Venus and Serena Williams are the two sisters that turned their matches against each other into real shows, while making their way to the top of the WTA rankings. Serena is currently ranked second, while her sister, Venus is in third position on the women’s singles rankings. No small feat for the Williams girls.