There’s nothing quite like a good-old G.O.A.T. debate…
It’s widely accepted that one of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer deserve the G.O.A.T. title in men’s tennis.
Leading the Grand Slam race by two, many now believe Djokovic has gone clear of his ‘big three’ rivals.
But who is the greatest women’s tennis player of all time?
Who is the greatest women’s tennis player of all time?
We asked tennis fans on TalkingPoints what they thought.
Tennis fans name Serena Williams as the greatest women’s player ever
Several tennis fans were quick to name 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams as their G.O.A.T.
“Serena Williams, she is the G.O.A.T,” said one fan.
“Has to be Serena [Williams], unrivaled,” added another.”
Some fans put forward cases for other players, but eventually agreed that Williams is the greatest.
“Serena. Doubles and Open Era are definitely fair tiebreakers, which makes it Serena vs. Martina [Navratilova],” said a fan on TalkingPoints.
“And it’s gotta be Serena with five more singles [titles].”
“A case could be made for two or three players, depending on which stats you look at,” said someone else.
“Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf…
“But alas, the G.O.A.T. is Serena.”
It’s hard to argue with the Williams pick, given all her success.
Serena Williams’ career achievements
| Event | Titles won | Years |
| Grand Slams | 23 | 1999-2017 |
| WTA 1000s | 23 | 1999-2016 |
| WTA Finals | 5 | 2001-2014 |
| WTA | 73 | 1999-2020 |
| Olympics | 1 | 2012 |
| Billie Jean King Cup | 1 | 1999 |
Williams won an Open Era record 23 Grand Slam titles, and matched that tally at the WTA 1000 level.
She also won five WTA Finals titles, 73 WTA titles, an Olympic gold medal, and the Billie Jean King Cup title (then Fed Cup) in 1999.
And that’s just in singles…
There aren’t many players who come close to matching those numbers, although a certain German legend deserves a mention.
One TalkingPoints fan argued that Steffi Graf was the greatest women’s tennis player of all time.
“Steffi Graf!” they said.
“She’s won all the Grand Slam events four times.
“I believe she’s been number one in the world longer than all of those women, and she’s got a serious amount of titles, and she moved and played better than all of them.”
Graf enjoyed a sensational tennis career, winning 22 Grand Slam singles titles.
But how does she compare to Williams, and other legends such as Navratilova, Chris Evert, and Margaret Court, for that matter?
Comparing WTA legends and their career achievements
| Player | Grand Slam titles | Weeks at number one | WTA 1000 titles | WTA Finals titles | Olympic gold medals | WTA titles |
| Margaret Court | 24* (11 in Open Era) | – | – | – | – | 192 (92 in Open Era) |
| Serena Williams | 23 | 319 | 23 | 5 | 1 | 73 |
| Steffi Graf | 22 | 377 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 107 |
| Martina Navratilova | 18 | 332 | 3 | 8 | – | 167 |
| Chris Evert | 18 | 260 | – | 4 | – | 154 |
Court won more Grand Slams and WTA titles than anyone else, although her numbers are often overlooked as she played across both the Amateur and Open Eras.
She did, however, accomplish something remarkable during the Open Era.
Court completed the Calendar Grand Slam in 1970, winning all four major tournaments.
Nobody matched that feat until Graf won all four Grand Slams in 1988.
As the only two players to have won Calendar Grand Slams in the Open Era, Court and Graf definitely deserve a mention in the G.O.A.T. debate.
But, as many of our fans suggested, Williams’ achievements likely push her to the top of the rankings.
She may not be the greatest women’s tennis player of all time forever, though, as several active WTA stars continue to impress.
Which current players could become the WTA G.O.A.T.?
There are seven active women’s players who have won multiple singles Grand Slam titles.
- Venus Williams – 7
- Iga Swiatek – 6
- Aryna Sabalenka – 4
- Naomi Osaka – 4
- Coco Gauff – 2
- Barbora Krejcikova – 2
- Victoria Azarenka – 2
Venus Williams and Victoria Azarenka are unlikely to win another major before retiring, which all but eliminates them from the discussion.
And it’s hard to imagine Barbora Krejcikova winning many more Grand Slams past her 30th birthday.
That leaves four players: Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Naomi Osaka.
Swiatek is best-placed to challenge Williams’ Grand Slam record, having already won six titles at 24.
The Pole has also spent 125 weeks at number one.
Sabalenka (27) and Osaka (28) don’t exactly have age on their side, but have still won four majors each.
What do you think about Naomi Osaka’s Australian Open outfit?
Then, there’s Gauff, who, despite only being a two-time Grand Slam champion, arguably has more potential than anyone else.
She’s also a big fan favorite already, which undeniably plays a role in becoming the G.O.A.T.
And it would be wrong to ignore those who have yet to win a Grand Slam.
The likes of Mirra Andreeva, Victoria Mboko, and Iva Jovic all look promising and could one day enter the conversation.
Only time will tell how their careers will pan out, but it will certainly be interesting to see if Williams is still considered the greatest women’s player of all time 10, 15, 20 years from now…
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