There is no objective formula that can identify the greatest women’s tennis player across every era. Using major singles success, sustained dominance, versatility, longevity and historical impact, this ranking places Serena Williams first by a narrow margin over Steffi Graf, with Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert completing the leading group.
The order is an editorial judgment, not a claim that players separated by different equipment, travel conditions, tournament access and competitive structures could be measured perfectly. Statistics in this article were checked through August 9, 2026.
Ranking Methodology
The ranking gives the greatest weight to singles performance because singles records are the most consistent point of comparison across eras.
| Criterion | Weight | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Major singles record | 40% | Titles, finals, efficiency and performance across the four major championships |
| Sustained dominance | 30% | No.1 record where available, year-end leadership, winning consistency and command over contemporaries |
| Versatility and longevity | 20% | Success across surfaces, changing conditions and multiple seasons |
| Wider significance | 10% | Doubles, Olympics, team competition and lasting influence on women’s tennis |
The weights guide the order but do not create a false-precision score. A numerical total would still depend on subjective decisions about the relative strength and structure of each era.
Why Comparing Eras Is Difficult
The WTA computer rankings began in 1975, so weeks at No.1 cannot be applied to Suzanne Lenglen, Helen Wills Moody, Maureen Connolly or most of Margaret Court’s peak. Contemporary world rankings existed, but they were compiled differently and should not be treated as the same measurement.
Access to the four majors also varied. International travel was expensive and slow, fields were disrupted by war, and leading players did not always enter every championship. The Open Era began in 1968, allowing professionals and amateurs to compete together, but it did not erase all differences in scheduling, surfaces, sports science or field depth.
This ranking therefore uses achievements within a player’s own competitive environment before comparing raw totals. Readers unfamiliar with the modern event hierarchy can use Types of Tennis Tournaments and How They Work to distinguish the majors from tour events.
Greatest Women’s Tennis Players Ranked
| Rank | Player | Major singles titles | No.1 evidence | Defining achievement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serena Williams | 23 | 319 WTA weeks | Open Era women’s record of 23 major singles titles |
| 2 | Steffi Graf | 22 | Record 377 WTA weeks | Only calendar-year Golden Slam in singles |
| 3 | Martina Navratilova | 18 | 332 WTA weeks | Record nine Wimbledon singles titles and 167 tour singles titles |
| 4 | Chris Evert | 18 | 260 WTA weeks | Record seven Roland Garros women’s singles titles |
| 5 | Margaret Court | 24 | Pre-WTA world No.1 | All-time record of 24 major singles titles and 1970 calendar Grand Slam |
| 6 | Helen Wills Moody | 19 | Pre-WTA world No.1 | Nineteen major singles titles and a 161-match winning streak |
| 7 | Billie Jean King | 12 | Pre-WTA world No.1 | Thirty-nine majors across singles, doubles and mixed doubles |
| 8 | Monica Seles | 9 | 178 WTA weeks | Eight major singles titles as a teenager |
| 9 | Suzanne Lenglen | 8 | World No.1 in contemporary rankings | Dominant 1919 to 1926 run and two Olympic gold medals |
| 10 | Maureen Connolly | 9 | Pre-WTA world No.1 | First woman to complete a calendar Grand Slam |
No.1 evidence is listed in the form available for each era. Pre-1975 designations are not converted into hypothetical WTA weeks.
1. Serena Williams
Embed from Getty ImagesSerena Williams leads this ranking because her 23 major singles titles, 319 weeks at WTA No.1 and longevity at the top form the strongest combined case. Her first major singles title came at the 1999 US Open and her 23rd at the 2017 Australian Open, placing major success across the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.
Williams won every major at least three times and completed two separate runs of four consecutive major titles, although neither occurred within one calendar year. She also finished five seasons as WTA No.1 and held the top ranking for 186 consecutive weeks, a record she shares with Graf.
Her 23 titles are the women’s Open Era major singles record, not the all-time record. Court’s 24 span the amateur and Open eras. The choice between Williams and Graf is close, but this methodology gives Williams a small advantage for the extra major and the length of her elite relevance.
2. Steffi Graf
Embed from Getty ImagesSteffi Graf has the strongest sustained-ranking case. Her 377 weeks at WTA No.1 remain the women’s record, and she finished a record eight seasons in the top position.
Graf’s 1988 season separates her from every other singles player. She won the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, the US Open and Olympic singles gold in the same calendar year, completing the only calendar-year Golden Slam in singles.
Her 22 major titles were distributed across all four events, and she won at least four at each. A reader who values concentrated dominance and all-surface balance more heavily could reasonably place Graf first.
3. Martina Navratilova
Embed from Getty ImagesMartina Navratilova combines singles dominance with the broadest elite doubles record in this group. She won 18 major singles titles, spent 332 weeks at WTA No.1 and collected 167 singles titles, the WTA’s all-time record.
Her nine Wimbledon singles titles remain the tournament record for women. She also won 177 doubles titles and reached No.1 in doubles, giving her an exceptional record across both disciplines.
Navratilova’s place behind Williams and Graf reflects the heavier weight assigned to major singles totals. A methodology that values doubles and total tour titles more strongly could move her higher.
4. Chris Evert
Embed from Getty ImagesChris Evert matched Navratilova with 18 major singles titles and held WTA No.1 for 260 weeks. Her seven Roland Garros singles titles remain the women’s tournament record, while six US Open titles demonstrate that her success was not limited to clay.
Evert reached at least the semifinals in 52 of the 56 majors she entered and won at least one major in 13 consecutive years from 1974 through 1986. That consistency is central to her case.
Navratilova receives the higher position because of her greater No.1 total, Wimbledon record and broader doubles achievements. Their 80-match rivalry, led 43-37 by Navratilova, is close enough to show why either order can be defended.
5. Margaret Court
Embed from Getty ImagesMargaret Court owns the all-time record of 24 major singles titles. She also completed a calendar Grand Slam in 1970, becoming the first woman to do so in the Open Era.
Court’s career crossed the amateur and Open eras, which makes direct comparison complicated. Her record cannot be reduced simply because the competitive structure was different, but the ranking also should not treat every title environment as identical to a modern global field.
This methodology places Court fifth because the four players above combine major success with long, fully documented tour and computer-ranking dominance. A title-count-first ranking would place Court at or near the top.
6. Helen Wills Moody
Embed from Getty ImagesHelen Wills Moody won 19 major singles titles and compiled a 161-match winning streak from 1927 to 1933. She won 14 majors during that unbeaten run and finished 19-3 in major singles finals.
Her eight Wimbledon singles titles stood as the women’s record until Navratilova won a ninth in 1990. Wills also won Olympic gold in singles and doubles at Paris 1924.
The absence of WTA rankings and the more limited intercontinental schedule prevent a direct statistical comparison with modern players. Within her own era, however, the scale of her dominance makes a top-six position reasonable.
7. Billie Jean King
Embed from Getty ImagesBillie Jean King won 12 major singles titles, including six at Wimbledon. Her complete major record reached 39 titles when women’s doubles and mixed doubles are included.
King’s influence extends beyond results. She helped establish the WTA and was central to the movement for a stable professional women’s tour and equal opportunity in sport. Historical influence is only 10% of this methodology, but her 12 singles majors ensure that the ranking is not based on impact alone.
Her position below Wills reflects the difference in major singles totals and peak statistical dominance. Her broader contribution to the structure of women’s professional tennis remains unmatched in this list.
8. Monica Seles
Embed from Getty ImagesMonica Seles won nine major singles titles, eight of them while still a teenager. She reached WTA No.1 in 1991, spent 178 weeks there and finished 1991 and 1992 as the year-end leader.
From 1991 through the 1993 Australian Open, Seles won seven of the eight majors she entered. Her career path changed profoundly after she was attacked on court in Hamburg in April 1993 and did not compete for more than two years.
This ranking uses achievements actually completed rather than projecting what might have happened. Even without speculation, her early dominance and nine major titles support a place among the top ten.
9. Suzanne Lenglen
Embed from Getty ImagesSuzanne Lenglen won six Wimbledon singles titles and the internationally open French Championships in 1925 and 1926, giving her eight recognized major singles titles. Earlier French championships restricted to members of French clubs are not included in that major total.
She went unbeaten in Wimbledon singles, winning all 32 matches she played there. At the 1920 Antwerp Olympics, she won gold in singles and mixed doubles and bronze in women’s doubles.
Lenglen competed before modern tours, computer rankings and routine international travel. Her position is based on overwhelming dominance within the conditions available and her role in making women’s tennis a major spectator sport.
10. Maureen Connolly
Embed from Getty ImagesMaureen Connolly became the first woman to win all four major singles championships in one calendar year, completing the Grand Slam in 1953 at age 18. She won nine major singles titles during a career that lasted only four years.
Connolly finished 9-0 in major singles finals and won her last nine major appearances. Her career ended after a horse-riding accident in 1954 caused severe leg injuries.
Her short career limits the longevity part of this methodology. The completeness and concentration of her results nevertheless earn the final place in the top ten.
Players Just Outside the Top Ten
| Player | Main case | Why she is outside this top ten |
|---|---|---|
| Justine Henin | Seven majors, 117 weeks at No.1 and 2004 Olympic singles gold | Shorter career and lower major total than the leading group |
| Venus Williams | Seven majors, 49 singles titles and four Olympic gold medals | Shorter No.1 reign and fewer major singles titles than the top ten |
| Martina Hingis | Five majors and 209 weeks at No.1 | Exceptional peak, but a lower major singles total |
| Evonne Goolagong Cawley | Seven major singles titles across the 1970s and 1980 | Less sustained No.1 evidence than the players ranked above |
These omissions show why a greatest-player list should not be mistaken for a simple trophy table. Changing the weight assigned to peak form, longevity, doubles or influence changes the boundary.
Greatest Players by Era
| Era | Leading candidates | Why the comparison matters |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-1927 | Suzanne Lenglen | Dominated before a standardized global circuit |
| Late 1920s to 1930s | Helen Wills Moody | Nineteen majors and a 161-match winning streak |
| 1950s | Maureen Connolly | First women’s calendar Grand Slam |
| 1960s to early 1970s | Margaret Court and Billie Jean King | Major records spanning amateur and Open tennis |
| Mid-1970s to 1980s | Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert | Long No.1 reigns and the defining rivalry of their era |
| Late 1980s to 1990s | Steffi Graf and Monica Seles | Graf’s record ranking reign and Seles’s extraordinary early peak |
| 2000s to 2010s | Serena Williams | Open Era major record and elite longevity |
The modern ranking system measures rolling performance rather than historical greatness. What Is the Tennis World Ranking? explains why a current No.1 position and an all-time ranking answer different questions.
Important Women’s Major Records
| Record | Player | Achievement |
|---|---|---|
| Most women’s major singles titles, all eras | Margaret Court | 24 |
| Most women’s major singles titles, Open Era | Serena Williams | 23 |
| Most Wimbledon women’s singles titles | Martina Navratilova | 9 |
| Most Roland Garros women’s singles titles | Chris Evert | 7 |
| Most WTA weeks at singles No.1 | Steffi Graf | 377 |
| Calendar Grand Slam plus Olympic singles gold in one year | Steffi Graf | 1988 Golden Slam |
The US championship has changed name, venue and surface across its history. US Open History and Records provides the event context behind results from Wills, Evert, Williams and the other New York champions in this ranking.
Best Active Women’s Players Building an All-Time Case
Active careers should not be frozen into a final historical position. As of August 9, 2026, the strongest developing cases include the following players.
| Player | Verified career position by August 9, 2026 | What remains open |
|---|---|---|
| Iga Swiatek | Six major singles titles and 125 weeks at WTA No.1 through the July 20 records update | Longevity, additional surfaces and future major total |
| Aryna Sabalenka | Four major singles titles and 102 weeks at WTA No.1 through the August 3 records update | Length of peak and future success away from hard courts |
| Coco Gauff | Two major singles titles, a WTA Finals title and a career-high ranking of No.2 | Future No.1 record and major-title growth |
| Elena Rybakina | Two major singles titles, including the 2026 Australian Open, and the 2025 WTA Finals title | Sustained No.1-level dominance and longevity |
Current results can change quickly. This section records the evidence available at the stated date rather than predicting where any player will finish.
Final Verdict
Serena Williams is the narrow choice for greatest women’s tennis player under this balanced methodology. Graf has the strongest ranking and single-season case, Navratilova the broadest singles-and-doubles record, Evert exceptional sustained consistency and Court the highest raw major singles total.
The most useful conclusion is not that one statistic settles the argument. It is that greatness looks different across eras, and any responsible ranking should state what it values before presenting an order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the greatest women’s tennis player of all time?
This methodology selects Serena Williams because she combines 23 major singles titles, 319 weeks at No.1 and major-winning longevity across three decades. Graf, Navratilova, Evert and Court all have credible alternative cases under different weighting.
Who has won the most women’s major singles titles?
Margaret Court holds the all-time record with 24. Serena Williams holds the women’s Open Era record with 23.
Who spent the most weeks at WTA No.1?
Steffi Graf holds the record with 377 weeks. The WTA computer ranking began in 1975, so the measure cannot be applied to earlier champions.
Which women completed a calendar Grand Slam in singles?
Maureen Connolly did it in 1953, Margaret Court in 1970 and Steffi Graf in 1988. Graf also won Olympic singles gold in 1988, completing the Golden Slam.
Why is Margaret Court not ranked first despite 24 majors?
This ranking weighs field context, sustained tour dominance, versatility and longevity alongside the title total. A methodology based mainly on raw major count would rank Court first.
Are doubles titles included?
Singles drives the ranking. Doubles and mixed doubles contribute to the wider-significance category and help separate otherwise close cases, particularly for Navratilova and King.
Can current players enter the top ten?
Yes. An active player’s position should be reassessed as major totals, No.1 records and longevity develop. It is too early to treat an unfinished career as having a fixed final rank.