Speaking of the tennis world, American tennis players have significantly participated in and impacted the game for a century. The glories have been made by These top American tennis players before or after the Open era.
The list could be endless if I didn’t emphasize the achievements from Grand Slam Tournaments and their impact on the tennis game. This list includes all-time great 20 American male tennis players and 10 American female tennis players.
Table of Contents
- Definition of Major Titles in Tennis Game
- 20 Greatest U.S. Men’s Tennis Players of All Time
- 10 Greatest U.S. Women’s Tennis Players of All Time
Before you dive into the list, you may want to know the definition of the major titles in the tennis game.
- Grand Slam – winning all 4 major titles (Wimbledon, US Open, French Open, Australia Open) in one calendar year.
- Career Grand Slam– winning all 4 major championships throughout the career.
- Boxed Set – winning all 4 major titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles throughout a player’s career.
- Golden Slam – winning all 4 major titles and Olympic gold medal in one calendar year.
- Career Golden Slam – winning all 4 major titles and Olympic gold medal throughout the career.
- Three-Quarter Slam – winning 3 of 4 major titles in one calendar year.
Now, continue to check out these top American men’s and women’s tennis players.
20 Greatest U.S. Men’s Tennis Players of All Time
20. Arthur Ashe
Career Highlights
- First and only black man to win the singles title at U.S. Open, Australian Open, and Wimbledon
- First black tennis player ever on the U.S. Davis Cup team
- Awarded the ATP Player of the Year in 1975.
- Helped found the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP)
- Co-founded the National Junior Tennis League
In 1968, the first year amateurs and professionals could compete against each other in major events. Ashe defeated an unforeseen counterpart Tom Okker (Netherlands) in the finals. He became the first black male to capture the title and the one and only player to have won both the amateur and national championships in the calendar year.
Starting in 1959, when he made his major tournament debut at the U.S. Nationals, Ashe played for twenty years, retiring in 1979. He was a fixture at the U.S. Nationals/U.S. Open, playing 18 times and earning a 53-17 record, the best of the four majors.
Ashe’s legacy is not limited to tennis. He was an activist, author, educator, and tireless campaigner for civil rights and racial equality in the United States and worldwide.
Profile
- Birth of the Date: July 10, 1943
- Birthplace: Richmond, VA
- Retired: 1979
- Height: 6’1″ (185cm)
- Plays: Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
- Hall of Fame: 1985
- Grand slam titles: 3 singles, 2 doubles
- ATP titles: 44 singles, 15 doubles.
19. Stan Smith
Career Highlights
- Two Grand Slam Singles titles
- Five Grand Slam Doubles titles
- Most successful doubles teams of all time (with Bob Lutz)
To those who didn’t follow Smith’s tennis career, he’s best known to non-tennis players as the namesake of a famous brand of tennis shoes.
Winning or losing, he had the evenest temperament of any male touring pro of his generation. A balanced, unemotional approach to competition led him to win 1,209 singles and doubles matches.
Smith also paired with Bob Lutz to create one of the most successful doubles teams of all time, with a total of 59 doubles titles throughout his career.
Profile
- Birth of the Date: December 14, 1946
- Birthplace: Pasadena, CA
- Retired: 1985
- Height: 6’4″ (193cm)
- Plays: Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
- Hall of Fame: 1987
- Grand slam titles: 2 singles, 5 doubles
- ATP titles: 48 singles, 56 doubles
18. Oliver Campbell
Career Highlights
- Youngest male player to win U.S. Open singles in 1890
- Three Grand Slam Singles Titles
- Three Grand Slam Singles Titles
Campbell was the youngest male player to win the U.S. Open singles title in 1890. That record stood for 100 years until Pete Sampras won the title 100 years later in 1990 as a 19-year-old.
Campbell was regarded as the first American to use net-rushing tactics. And using that unusual style of play, Campbell exploited his opponents to capture 3 U.S. Open singles and doubles titles.
Profile
- Birth of the Date: February 25, 1871
- Birthplace: Brooklyn, NY
- Retired: 1892
- Height: Unknown
- Plays: Unknown
- Hall of Fame: 1955
- Grand Slam Titles: 3 singles, 3 doubles
- ATP titles: N/A
17. Malcolm Whitman
Career Highlights
- Three Singles titles at the U.S. National Championships
- Ranked world No.1 in 1900
- Author of the book: Tennis – Origins and Mysteries.
Whitman is famous for his hat-trick at the U.S. National Championships and earned a No.1 ranking in those same years.
He played on the inaugural American Davis Cup squad in 1900. He beat Englishman Arthur Gore to help his U.S. team win the trophy. In the 1902 Davis Cup final, he defeated Joshua Pim and Reginald Doherty in the singles and contributed to his team’s win.
Whitman retired from tennis in 1902 when he was 25. He became a member of the executive committee of the U.S. National Lawn Tennis Association and held management positions in several companies.
Profile
- Birth of the Date: March 15, 1877
- Birthplace: New York City, NY
- Retired: 1902
- Height: 6’2″ (187cm)
- Plays: Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
- Hall of Fame: 1955
- Grand Slam Titles: 3 singles
- ATP titles: N/A
16. Ellsworth Vines
Career Highlights
- Dominated major tournaments of the 1930s
- Pro Slam titles on three different surfaces.
- A pro golfer (reached the semifinals of the PGA)
Vines dominated the game in the 1930s and won 3 singles and 2 doubles titles.
Vines was mainly known for his powerful forehand and very fast serve. Although he could play the serve and volley easily, he typically played an all-court game, preferring to hit winners from the baseline. He generally hit flat with no spin at all.
Jack Kramer once said, “Vines played the best tennis ever on his best days. You’d be lucky to get your racket on the ball once you served it when facing Elly.”
Profile
- Birth of the Date: September 28, 1911
- Birthplace: Los Angeles, CA
- Retired: 1940
- Height: 6’2.5″ (189cm)
- Plays: Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
- Hall of Fame: 1962
- Grand Slam Titles: 3 singles, 2 doubles
- ATP titles: N/A
15. Bobby Riggs
Career Highlights
- World No. 1 amateur in 1939
- World No. 1 professional in 1946, 1947
- Three Grand Slam Singles titles
- Tennis Hustler and promoter
- Organized exhibition match “Battle of the Sexes”
Riggs won the singles title both at Wimbledon and U.S. National Championships. He also attained the Men’s Doubles and the Mixed Doubles at Wimbledon in 1939.
Bobby Riggs has three distinct chapters in his career: The amateur, professional, and promoter years. Many focus solely on the last chapter of Riggs’s tennis career.
After retirement, Riggs then turned his full attention to becoming a tennis promoter. In 1973, Riggs organized two such events, he first challenged Billie Jean King, but Margaret Court stepped in when she declined.
On May 13 (Mother’s Day), Riggs used his drop shots and lobs to keep Court off balance and won the game easily. Then against Billie Jean King, which he easily lost. The latter, the prime-time “Battle of the Sexes” match, become one of the most famous tennis events of all time, with a winner-take-all prize of $100,000 ($610,000 today).
Riggs lacked the overall power of his larger competitors: Don Budge and Kramer, but made up for it with control, and speed. He’s a court strategist and tactician; he made the opponent out of position and scored with the game’s best drop shot and punishing ground strokes that let him come to the net for put-away shots.
Profile
- Birth of the Date: February 25, 1918
- Birthplace: Los Angeles, CA
- Retired: 1962
- Height: 5’7″ (170 cm)
- Plays: Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
- Hall of Fame: 1967
- Grand Slam Titles: 3 singles, 3 doubles
- ATP titles: N/A
14. Jack Kramer
Career Highlights
- Three Grand Slam Singles titles
- Ranked world No.1 amateur tennis player in 1946 and 1947
- Author of the book: My 40 Years in Tennis
Kramer won 3 Grand Slam tournaments (the U.S. Championships in 1946 and 1947, Wimbledon in 1947). He led the U.S. Davis Cup tennis team to victory in the 1946 and 1947 Davis Cup finals.
Jack Kramer doesn’t fit neatly into one particular tennis category. His impact on the game as a player, promoter, and analyst, as well as his tennis activities, television commentary, and sought-after analysis of the game’s greatest players of all time.
The key was to hold serve as best as possible, one of many things that made up Kramer’s mature game. He was mainly known for his powerful serve and forehand, as well as his ability to play “percentage tennis”, which he learned from Cliff Roche at the Los Angeles Tennis Club. This strategy maximized his efforts on certain points and in certain games during a match to increase his chances of winning.
Profile
- Birth of the Date: August 1, 1921
- Birthplace: Las Vegas, NV
- Retired: 1954
- Height: 6’2″ (188 cm)
- Plays: Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
- Hall of Fame: 1968
- Grand Slam Titles: 3 singles, 6 doubles
- ATP titles: N/A
13. Bill Johnston
Career Highlights
- Three Grand Slam Singles titles
- Three Grand Slam doubles titles
- World No.1 in 1915 and 1919
- 7 Davis Cup Trophies with Tilden
Johnston has three-time Grand Slam singles titles in 1915, 1919, and 1923 and three-time Grand Slam doubles titles with Clarence Griffin in 1919, 1916, and 1920.
Johnston had been the best American player for some years. He was ranked No. 1 by the United States Lawn Tennis Association in 1915 and 1919. Until Bill Tilden began to defeat him regularly.
Johnston was scrappy and tenacious on the court. His athleticism and powerful shoulder-high western grip were considered the best forehand of his time.
Profile
- Birth of the Date: November 2, 1894
- Birthplace: San Francisco, CA
- Retired: 1928
- Height: 5′ 8″ (173 cm)
- Plays: Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
- Hall of Fame: 1958
- Grand Slam Titles: 3 singles, 3 doubles
- ATP titles: N/A
12. Robert Wrenn
Career Highlights
- Four U.S. Singles Championship titles
- First left-hander to win the U.S. Singles Championship
- Harvard’s Greatest all-around Athletes
- Vice-president of the United States Tennis Association
Wrenn won the first four U.S. titles at 19 years, 11 months, and 10 days, making him the fourth youngest champion in history.
Wrenn used swift movements, extensive court coverage, and the skill to lob effectively as a strategic guide to win four U.S. Championships in five years, coming in 1893, 1894, 1896, and 1897.
In 1898, Wrenn contracted yellow fever while serving in Cuba with Theodore Roosevelt’s Rough Riders. War service stopped his chance for a fifth title in 1898, and he later served as a middle-aged pilot in World War I.
Profile
- Birth of the Date: September 20, 1873
- Birthplace: Highland Park, IL
- Retired: 1903
- Height: Unknown
- Plays: Left-handed (one-handed backhand)
- Hall of Fame: 1955
- Grand Slam Titles: 4 singles, 1 doubles
- ATP titles: N/A
11. Frank Parker
Career Highlights
- Four Grand Slam Singles titles
- Three Grand Slam Doubles titles
- Oldest player to compete in U.S. Open Singles (at the age of 52)
- Longest span (36 years) in Grand Slam men’s singles history
Parker is among the few Americans to win both the French and U.S. Championships. Parker took part in the 1968 U.S. Open at 52, becoming the oldest player in the U.S. Open men’s singles. He had the longest span in men’s Grand Slam Singles history (1932 to 1968).
He had grooved and polished strokes, particularly on his backhand. He was calm and confident under pressure. To defeat Parker, the opponent had to make him beat himself – he rarely made unforced errors. Parker was a U.S. Army Air Forces sergeant when he won his U.S. titles.
Parker teamed with Pancho Gonzales to win doubles titles at Wimbledon and the French International in 1949. With Jack Kramer, Parker won the doubles title at the U.S. Nationals in 1943.
Profile
- Birth of the Date: January 31, 1916
- Birthplace: Milwaukee, WI
- Retired: 1971
- Height: Unknown
- Plays: Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
- Hall of Fame: 1966
- Grand Slam Titles: 4 singles, 3 doubles
- ATP titles: N/A
10. Jim Courier
Career Highlights
- Two Grand Slam Singles titles
- The youngest man to reach the singles finals in all four majors(aged 22)
Courier turned pro in 1988 and made his Grand Slam breakthrough at the 1991 French Open.
In his 12-year career, Courier won four major singles titles, two at the French Open and two at the Australian Open – all coming from 1991-93. He earned 23 ATP Singles titles (was a finalist in nine others) and six playing doubles. When he was 22 years and 11 months old, he became the youngest man to reach the singles finals of all four majors.
Courier’s racquet head speed made him one of the best service returners in the world, and he was particularly explosive on second-serve opportunities. He was a strong volleyer when his approach shots were returned, which wasn’t often. He’d pounce on short balls, driving his power shots deep into the corners.
Since retirement from the ATP Tour in 2000, Courier has served as a television tennis analyst and commentator. He founded InsideOut Sport & Entertainment, an event production company that includes the operation of the Champions Series pro tennis circuit.
Profile
- Birth of the Date: August 17, 1970
- Birthplace: Orlando, FL
- Retired: 2000
- Height: 6’1″ (185 cm)
- Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
- Hall of Fame: 2005
- Grand Slam Titles: 4 singles
- ATP titles: 23 singles, 6 doubles
9. Tony Trabert
Career Highlights
- Five Grand Slam Singles titles
- Five Grand Slam Doubles titles
- Three-Quarter Slam in 1955
- Author of the book: Trabert on Tennis
Trabert was ranked the world’s No. 1 amateur tennis player in 1953 and 1955. He was only one step away from getting the calendar-year grand slam in 1955. Ken Rosewall stopped him in the semifinals of the A.U. championships.
Trabert won at Wimbledon in 1955 without losing a set. He is one of the male players to have won three Grand Slam singles titles in a calendar year.
Trabert won his singles and doubles majors with a stylish serve-and-volley game and an adaptable baseline game that featured fundamentally sound technique. Those skills were developed in his native Cincinnati, Ohio, where he lived two houses away from a public park with clay courts that helped him groove his strokes.
Profile
- Birth of the Date: August 16, 1930
- Birthplace: Cincinnati, OH
- Retired: 1963
- Height: 6’1″ (185 cm)
- Plays: Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
- Hall of Fame: 1970
- Grand Slam Titles: 5 singles, 5 doubles
- ATP titles: N/A
8. Don Budge
Career Highlights
- Only American Tennis Player won Grand Slam in the Calendar Year
- The second player won Career Grand Slam
- Rated best backhands in tennis history
- Author of the book: A Tennis Memoir
Budge is the most famous and the only American tennis player with all 4 major Grand Slam Singles titles in the same year of 1938, even today. Also, the second player after Fred Perry has the Career Grand Slam. He was ranked the world’s Number 1 amateur in 1937 and 1938 and the world’s Number 1 professional in 1939, 1940, and 1942.
He had a graceful, overpowering backhand that he hit with a slight amount of topspin. His quickness and serve made him the best player of his time.
He was mechanically sound, fluid, and graceful — what many in the tennis world called the “complete package.” “Playing tennis against him was like playing against a concrete wall,” said Wood. “There was nothing to attack.”
Profile
- Birth of the Date: June 13, 1915
- Birthplace: Oakland, CA
- Retired: 1961
- Height: 6’1″ (185 cm)
- Plays: Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
- Hall of Fame: 1964
- Grand Slam Titles: 6 singles, 4 doubles
- ATP titles: N/A
7. Richard Sears
Career Highlights
- Seven Grand Slam Singles titles
- Six Grand Slam Doubles titles
- Ranked U.S. No.1 in 1885-1887
Sears learned to play tennis in 1879 and turned pro in 1880. He won the U.S. championships singles titles for seven straight years (1881-87) and six consecutive doubles titles (1882-87). Sears dominated competitive tennis in America during his 8-year career.
Sears employed an attacking style, which he frequently utilized to dismantle his opponent. He moved into the forecourt to endpoints with crisp volleys before other players fully perceived the tactic and could react. It was a strategic windfall for Sears, who became a terrific net player.
Profile
- Birth of the Date: October 26, 1861
- Birthplace: Boston, MA
- Retired: 1888
- Height: unknown
- Plays: Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
- Hall of Fame: 1955
- Grand Slam Titles: 7 singles, 6 doubles
- ATP titles: N/A
6. William Larned
Career Highlights
- Seven U.S. Championships Singles titles
- The oldest champion in history
Larned got his last title in 1911 at age 38, making him the oldest champion in history, a record that holds firm today. Five of the champion titles came in his mid-to-late 30s, so he was the most senior champion in history.
Larned has a good style and is pleasant to watch his game. With minimal effort, Larned gets excellent pace on the ball. He quickly reaches the net after a good-length drive and can drive the ball while on the run. He got the most vital points from his forehand volley and serve, which is a capital one of the ordinary straight kind.
Profile
- Birth of the Date: December 30, 1872
- Birthplace: Summit, NJ
- Retired: 1911
- Height: unknown
- Plays: Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
- Hall of Fame: 1956
- Grand Slam Titles: 7 singles
- ATP titles: N/A
5. John McEnroe
Career Highlights
- Seven Grand Slam Singles titles
- Nine Grand Slam Doubles titles
- World No.1, both singles and doubles
- Most records of ATP titles
- Best single-season win rate of the Open Era.
McEnroe finished his career with 77 singles and doubles titles on the ATP Tour. This remains the highest men’s combined total of the Open Era.
McEnroe was known for his shot-making and volleying skills. The subtle nuances he displayed at the net were just a sliver of his vast arsenal of shots. Stood out in sharp contrast to his boisterous outbursts between the lines, which often overshadowed the depth of his game.
He possessed a capacity to defeat any competitive style he faced. He could nullify the power and pace of Ivan Lendl, match the aggressive counterpunching of Jimmy Connors, and trade groundstrokes with Björn Borg, his three biggest rivals.
Profile
- Birth of the Date: February 16, 1959
- Birthplace: Germany
- Retired: 2006
- Height: 5’11” (180 cm)
- Plays: Left-handed (One-handed backhand)
- Hall of Fame: 1999
- Grand Slam Titles: 7 singles, 9 doubles
- ATP titles: 77 singles, 77 doubles
4. Andre Agassi
Career Highlights
- Eight Grand Slam titles
- One Olympic Gold Medal
- Career Grand Slam
- Ranked world No.1 in 1995
- The first man to win all four major titles on three different surfaces
- ATP Most Improved Player of the Year
- Autobiography <Open: An Autobiography> in 2009
Agassi won the Australian four times (1995, 2000, 2001, 2003), the French once (1999), Wimbledon once (1992), and the U.S. Open twice (1994, 1999). He was a major finalist 15 times and earned $31,152,975 in prize money, the sixth highest in history.
In 1995, Agassi was ranked the World No. 1 for the first time but was stopped by personal issues in the late 1990s and sank to No. 141. Many believe that his career was over. Agassi returned to No. 1 again in 1999 and enjoyed the most successful run of his career over the next four years. During his 20-plus-year tour career, Agassi was known by the nickname “The Punisher”.
In his early days, Agassi would look to end points as quickly as possible. He hit balls deep, flat, or with moderate topspin, and was a powerful counterpuncher. His favored groundstroke was his flat and compact two-handed backhand, which hit well cross-court but especially down the line. On the rare occasion, he charged the net, he liked to take the ball early and hit a volley for a win.
His most substantial surface throughout his career was hardcourt, where he won six of his eight majors.
Profile
- Birth of the Date: April 29, 1970
- Birthplace: Las Vegas, NV
- Retired: 2006
- Height: 5’11” (180 cm)
- Plays: Right-handed (Two-handed backhand)
- Hall of Fame: 2011
- Grand Slam Titles: 8 singles, 9 doubles
- ATP titles: 60 singles, 1 doubles
3. Jimmy Connors
Career Highlights
- Eight Grand Slam Singles titles
- Two Grand Slam Doubles titles
- Three-quarter Slams
- Ranked ATP Year-end No.1 from 1974 to 1978
Connors won eight major singles championships, including five U.S. Opens, two for Wimbledon. and one for the Australian Open. He didn’t attend the French Open during his peak years because he was banned from playing at the event due to his association with World Team Tennis.
Connors hit the ball with full extension and exertion. He took the ball early, on the rise, but unlike most of the pros of his generation who hit the ball with topspin, he hit the ball extremely flat, with little or no topspin. The balls snapped off his racquet like a torpedo in a perpendicular line precariously close to skimming the net but rarely did.
Profile
- Birth of the Date: September 2, 1952
- Birthplace: Belleville, IL
- Retired: 1996
- Height: 5’10” (178 cm)
- Plays: Left-handed (two-handed backhand)
- Hall of Fame: 1998
- Grand Slam Titles: 8 singles, 2 doubles
- ATP titles: 109 singles, 16 doubles
2. Bill Tilden
Career Highlights
- Grand Slam Singles titles in 6 consecutive years
- First American man to win Wimbledon Singles title
- Highest career winning rate 90.7% at U.S. Championships
William Tatem Tilden II, known as “big Bill”. He thoroughly dominated the game from 1920-1926. Tilden won 6 straight U.S. National Championship Men’s Singles titles and Wimbledon 3 times.
Many of Tilden’s statistical records stand alone, most notably his ten U.S. National finals appearances, a 42-match win streak at Forest Hills (1920-1926), a 95-match win streak (1924-1925), and the best win-loss (78-1) single season (1925). Tilden was ranked in the world’s Top 10 twelve straight times from 1919-1930.
Tilden brought a strategic approach to tennis. He mastered the spin, drop shots, and lobs and would rely on his athleticism and physical talents to defeat his opponents.
Profile
- Birth of the Date: February 10, 1893
- Birthplace: Philadelphia, PA
- Retired: 1946
- Height: 6’13” (187 cm)
- Plays: Right-handed (One-handed backhand)
- Hall of Fame: 1959
- Grand Slam Titles: 10 singles, 7 doubles
- ATP titles: N/A
1. Pete Sampras
Career Highlights
- Fourteen Grand Slam Singles titles
- Youngest U.S. Open men’s singles champion in history
- 78% winning mark of Gram Slams in singles
Sampras won 14 major singles titles, an all-time record when he retired. A record of seven Wimbledon titles, two Australian Opens, and five U.S. Open titles.
Sampras was known for his attacking serve-and-volley game, which was enough to propel him past most players. But as his game matured, Sampras learned to rely less on his serve and became exceedingly equipped to play an all-court game.
His forehand could be lethal, and his return of serve improved. his backhand – both topspin and slice – became a dependable and powerful stroke. His willingness to strategically orchestrate points made him a rock-solid opponent to defeat.
Profile
- Birth of the Date: August 12, 1971
- Birthplace: Washington, D.C.
- Retired: 1946
- Height: 6’1″ (185 cm)
- Plays: Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
- Hall of Fame: 2007
- Grand Slam Titles: 14 singles
- ATP titles: 64 singles, 2 doubles
10 Greatest U.S. Women’s Tennis Players of All Time
10. Doris Hart
Career Highlights
- Ranked world No. 1 in 1951
- Career Grand Slam in singles
- Won the “Triple Crown” in U.S. & French Championships
- Author of the book <Tennis with Hart> in 1955
Hart was the first player in tennis history to win a career Grand Slam in all events, known as a “boxed set.”
She also won the Triple Crown (the singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles at one event in the same week) at the 1952 French International Championships and the 1954 U.S. National Championships.
Hart’s game was based more on subtlety than power. Her racquet control was impeccable, and it helped her develop an arsenal of shots that left her opponents off balance and reeling.
Hart retired in 1955 and became a tennis teaching professional. Her autobiography Tennis with Hart was published that year.
Profile
- Birth of the Date: June 20, 1925
- Birthplace: St. Louis, MO
- Retired: 1955
- Height: unknown
- Plays: Right-handed
- Hall of Fame: 1969
- Grand Slam Titles: 6 singles, 14 doubles
- WTA titles: N/A
9. Althea Gibson
Career Highlights
- Five Grand Slam titles in singles and doubles
- First African American won a Grand Slam title
- The first woman to receive the Theodore Roosevelt Award
- First black woman on the covers of Sports Illustrated and Time
- Ranked world No.1 in 1957
Althea Gibson was the first African-American to compete at the U.S. National Championships in 1956. In her 8-year career, she won 11 Grand Slam tournaments: five singles titles, five doubles titles, and one mixed doubles title.
At that time, there wasn’t much money to be made in professional women’s tennis, so Gibson turned her attention to professional golf. In 1964, at age 37, she became the first African-American woman to join the LPGA tour.
Gibson’s widely distributed quote read, “I always wanted to be somebody. If I made it, it’s half because I was game enough to take a lot of punishment along the way and half because there were a lot of people who cared enough to help me.”
Profile
- Birth of the Date: August 29, 1927
- Birthplace: Clarendon County, SC
- Retired: 1958
- Height: 5’11” (180 cm)
- Plays: Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
- Hall of Fame: 1971
- Grand Slam Titles: 5 singles, 5 doubles
- WTA titles: N/A
8. Chris Evert
Career Highlights
- Eighteen Grand Slams Singles titles
- Seven times Year-end World No. 1 Singles player
- Record of Most Winning Matches at the U.S. Open
- The first player to win 1000 singles matches
- Best winning percentage 88.52% in history
- The first female player to reach $1 million in career prize money
- Four times the Female Athlete of the Year Award
Christ Evert won 18 major singles titles, including seven French Open titles and six U.S. Open titles. She was never once beaten in a major tournament’s first or second round. During her nearly two decades on tour, Evert was never ranked lower than No. 4 worldwide and ended the year ranked No. 1 seven times (1974-78, 1980, 1981).
Evert’s two-handed backhand was developed out of necessity more than desire. She was a slight youth not strong enough to hit a one-hander, so she employed two hands. Before long, it became the most impenetrable backhand in tennis. Evert was a 5-foot-6 slugging machine, not the biggest player on tour. Still, it hardly mattered when her groundstroke accuracy was the best in the game.
Profile
- Birth of the Date: December 21, 1954
- Birthplace: Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Retired: 1989
- Height: 5’6″ (168 cm)
- Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
- Hall of Fame: 1995
- Grand Slam Titles: 18 singles, 3 doubles
- WTA titles: 154 singles, 8 doubles
7. Venus Williams
Career Highlights
- Seven Grand Slam Singles titles
- Four Olympic Gold Metals
- First African American woman ranked singles world No.1 in the open era
Williams has attained 7 Grand Slam Singles titles, 5 at Wimbledon and 2 at the U.S. Open. She turned pro in 1994 and achieved her first major final at U.S. Open in 1997. Williams claimed the Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles in 2000 and 2001 and Olympic singles gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Williams has also won 14 women’s doubles titles, partnering with Serena. The pair is stoppable in Grand Slam doubles. They also won 3 Olympic gold medals in women’s doubles in 2000, 2008, and 2012.
Williams is an aggressive all-court player. She can quickly produce powerful groundstrokes on both sides and hit her forehand and backhand with a flat or topspin. Her serve is so powerful, which allows her to do numerous aces.
Williams had held the record for the fastest serve at 129 mph on the WTA Tour, recorded at the 2007 U.S. Open.
Profile
- Birth of the Date: June 17, 1980
- Birthplace: Lynwood, CA
- Retired: N/A
- Height: 6’ 1” (185 cm)
- Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
- Hall of Fame: N/A
- Grand Slam Titles: 7 singles, 14 doubles
- WTA titles: 49 singles, 22 doubles
6. Monica Seles
Career Highlights
- Nine Grand Slam Singles Titles
- Olympic Bronze Medal
- Youngest French Open champion at age 16
Monica Seles won 9 Grand Slam titles in singles, 8 of 9 as a teenager representing Yugoslavia, and the final one representing the United States.
From 1991 to 1993, Seles played in eight major singles finals and captured seven of them, all before her 20th birthday. At age 18, when most teenagers are determining their freshman college courses, Seles became the world’s No. 1 ranked player, a slot she held in 1991 and 1992.
However, on April 30, 1993, Seles was stabbed in the back during a quarter-final match against Magdalena Maleeva. Seles was recovering for over two years after the stabbing. Though she enjoyed some success after returning in 1995, she could not consistently produce her best tennis.
Several historians have stated that Seles had the potential to become one of the most accomplished female players of all time, if she had not been stabbed.
Seles was a baseline player known for her highly aggressive playing style. She could create sharp angles around the court and hit winners at will. Her unconventional double-handed forehand and backhand were smashed flat with speed, power, and depth.
Seles was also known as the first woman player to accompany her shots with loud grunting and was frequently criticized for doing so.
Profile
- Birth of the Date: December 2, 1973
- Birthplace: Novi Sad, Yugoslavia
- Retired: 2008
- Height: 5’ 10” (178 cm)
- Plays: Left-handed (two-handed on both sides)
- Hall of Fame: 2009
- Grand Slam Titles: 9 singles
- WTA titles: N/A
5. Maureen Connolly
Career Highlights
- Nine Grand Slam Singles titles
- First woman in history to win a calendar year Grand Slam
- Only player in history to win a title without losing a set at all four major championships
- Youngest ever to win the U.S. national championship for girls 18 and under
At the 1951 U.S. Championships, the 16-year-old Connolly defeated Shirley Fry to become, at that time, the youngest ever to win America’s most prestigious tennis tournament. Connolly won her first Wimbledon title in 1952, defeating Louise Brough in the final. Connolly won the title at the 1952 U.S. Championships against Doris Hart.
For the 1953 season, she entered all four Grand Slam tournaments for the first time. She defeated Julie Sampson Haywood and Doris Hart in the finals. She became the first woman and the second tennis player after Don Budge, to win the world’s four major titles in the same year, commonly known as a “Grand Slam.”
Connolly was a hard-swinging baseliner. She struck the ball cleanly and forcefully, powering past her opponents with a game that relied heavily on groundstrokes and little on net play. The New York Times tennis writer Allison Danzig said, “Maureen, with her perfect timing, fluency, balance and confidence, has developed the most overpowering stroke [forehand] of its kind the game has known.”
Profile
- Birth of the Date: September 17, 1934
- Birthplace: San Diego, CA
- Retired: 1955
- Height: 5’ 5” (165 cm)
- Plays: Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
- Hall of Fame: 1968
- Grand Slam Titles: 9 singles, 2 doubles
- WTA titles: N/A
4. Billie Jean King
Career Highlights
- The record 20 championships won at Wimbledon
- Twelve Grand Slam singles titles
- Sixteen Grand Slam doubles titles
- Ranked World No.1 five times between 1966 and 1974
- Ranked World No.1 on the U.S. doubles list for a record 12 years
- Greatest success at Wimbledon, where she holds a record 20 titles combined
- The only woman to win the U.S. singles title on four surfaces
- First woman in the history of sports to win $100,000 in a single year
- First female athlete to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Founder of WTA and Women’s Sports Foundation
In 1972, King made her Career Grand Slam in singles. She is one of only five women at that time to achieve the feat. King’s mixed doubles championship in 1968 at the Australian added a Career Grand Slam in that category to her portfolio.
King was an all-court player; she played aggressively, hit her groundstrokes with a purpose, and also was a tenacious net player. Her court speed was exceptional, and her competitiveness was the edge that earned her a 695-155 (82%) record in singles and an 87-37 mark in doubles.
King’s all-court game made her an ideal doubles partner. She teamed with Aussie Owen Davidson to win eight of her 11 titles, four coming at Wimbledon, ten women’s doubles titles came at Wimbledon, five at the U.S. Nationals/U.S. Open, and one at the French. In mixed doubles, King won four times at Wimbledon, four times at the U.S. Nationals/U.S. Open, twice at the French, and once at the Australian.
The most significant moment in King’s life happened in 1973: the famous Battle of the Sexes match. Bobby Riggs was a top men’s player in the 1930s and 1940s. The 29-year-old King beat the 55-year-old Riggs with 6–4, 6–3, 6–3 in front of an audience estimated 50 million people (U.S.) and 90 million over 37 countries. A match is significant in developing respect for women’s tennis.
King once said, “I thought it would set us back 50 years if I didn’t win that match. It would ruin the women’s tour and affect all women’s self-esteem,” and that “To beat a 55-year-old guy was no thrill for me. The thrill was exposing a lot of new people to tennis.”
Profile
- Birth of the Date: November 22, 1943
- Birthplace: Long Beach, CA
- Retired: 1990
- Height: 5’ 4.5” (164 cm)
- Plays: Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
- Hall of Fame: 1987
- Grand Slam Titles: 12 singles, 16 doubles
- WTA titles: 67 singles, 101 doubles
3. Martina Navratilova
Career Highlights
- Eighteen Grand Slam Singles Champions
- Thirty-one Grand Slam Doubles Champions
- Career Grand Slam
- Career Boxer Set
- Ranked World No.1 in singles for a total of 332 weeks
- Ranked world No.1 in doubles for a total of 237 weeks
Navratilova is the most outstanding singles, doubles, and mixed doubles player ever. Since 1968, when the Open Era began, no male or female player has won more singles tournaments than Navratilova (167), doubles events (177), or matches (2,189). She felt the ping of defeat a meager 219 times (singles) in a career that began in 1975.
Her 59 major championships rank second all-time, behind Court’s 62. The left-handed playing Navratilova, whom Sports Illustrated named one of the “Top Forty Athletes of All-Time,” won a record nine Wimbledon Ladies Singles Championships and six in a row (1982-87), surpassing Suzanne Lenglen’s record of five straight (1919-23).
Navratilova had attained a Career Grand Slam in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, also referred to as the Career Boxed Set.
Profile
- Birth of the Date: October 18, 1956
- Birthplace: Prague, Czech Republic
- Retired: 2006
- Height: 5’ 8” (173 cm)
- Plays: Left-handed (one-handed backhand)
- Hall of Fame: 2000
- Grand Slam Titles: 18 singles, 31 doubles
- WTA titles: 167 singles, 177 doubles
2. Helen Wills
Career Highlights
- Nineteen Grand Slam Singles titles
- Nine Grand Slam Doubles titles
- One Olympic Gold Metal in singles
- One Olympic Gold Metal in doubles
- Winning 161 straight matches (141 straight without losing a set)
- First American woman to win French Championships
- First tennis player to win 3 major titles in the same year
Wills was the first American woman to win the French Championships. In 1928, she became the first tennis player, male or female, to win three Grand Slam titles in one calendar year.
During her 17-year career, Wills entered 24 Grand Slam singles events, winning 19, finishing runner-up three times, and defaulting twice due to her appendectomy. Wills won 31 Grand Slam titles in singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.
Wills was the first American woman athlete to become a celebrity. She was part of a new tennis fashion, typically wearing a white sailor suit having a pleated knee-length skirt, white shoes, a short sleeve top, and a cerise-colored cardigan. Her signature white visor was the most iconic part of her attire, which she wore almost without exception since her junior playing days.
Unusually, she practiced against men to hone her craft, and she played a relentless predominantly baseline game, taking down her female opponents with power and accuracy. Wills served and volleyed with mighty forehand and backhand strokes. She forced her opponents out of position by placing deep shots left and right.
Profile
- Birth of the Date: October 6, 1905
- Birthplace: Centerville, CA
- Retired: 2006
- Height: 5’ 7.5” (171 cm)
- Plays: Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
- Hall of Fame: 1959
- Grand Slam Titles: 19 singles, 9 doubles
- WTA titles: N/A
1. Serena Williams
Career Highlights
- WTA singles world No.1 for 319 weeks
- Five times the Year-end No.1
- Most Grand Slam Singles Titles in the Open Era
- Career Grand Slam
- Career Golden Slam
- The first player achieved Career Golden Slam
- Three Olympic Gold Metals
Williams won 23 major women’s singles and 14 doubles titles. Achieved a non-calendar year Grand Slam between the 2009 Wimbledon Championships and the 2010 French Open. She has won 4 Olympic gold medals, making her the first tennis player to get the Career Golden Slam both singles and doubles.
Williams is an aggressive baseliner, whose game is centered around her powerful serve and forceful groundstrokes. She typically hits a large number of both winners and unforced errors. Williams’ greatest asset is her serve, considered the greatest in the history of women’s tennis.
She possesses an accurate and consistent ball toss, allowing her to serve to any position on the court. It’s so difficult for opponents to read her service motion and predict the position of her serve. Serena also possesses effective and accurate kick and slice serves, which she deploys as second serves, minimizing double faults and preventing opponents from scoring free points.
Profile
- Birth of the Date: September 26, 1981
- Birthplace: Saginaw, MI
- Retired: N/A
- Height: 5’ 9” (175 cm)
- Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
- Hall of Fame: N/A
- Grand Slam Titles: 23 singles, 14 doubles
- WTA titles: 73 singles, 23 doubles
What’s Next
Hopefully, this article not only helped you dive into tennis history but also let you see how Americans changed the game. Every nominated tennis player contributed to the game in terms of the way they see it. If you have any thoughts on this topic, feel free to reach out.
