The highest achievement in tennis is to collect the calendar Grand Slam,
i.e. win four major tennis tournaments in one year - Australian Open,
French Open (Roland Garros), Wimbledon and US Open.
However, this task is practically impossible, especially in the Open Era,
which began in 1968, when amateur and professional tennis were equalized.
Only three women tennis players in history were able to assemble the Grand Slam
in one season.
However, there is such a thing as a “Grand Slam” - winning all four major tournaments
during a tennis career. Only ten tennis players were able to collect the Grand Slam
in their career. These ten best tennis players in history are presented in the ranking,
which is compiled by the number of tournaments won in the women's singles.
10th place: Shirley Fry (born June 30, 1927) is an American tennis player who,
before the Open Era, won once all the Grand Slam tournaments: the French Open
in 1951, Wimbledon and the US Open in 1956 and Australian Open in 1957.
9th place: Maria Sharapova (born April 19, 1987) is a Russian tennis player
who has won Wimbledon (2004) once, the US Open (2006), the Australian Open (2008)
and twice Roland Garros (2012, 2014). In total, Sharapova won 35 WTA tournaments
during her career.
8th place: Doris Hart (born June 20, 1925) is an American tennis player who,
before the onset of the Open Era, won 6 Grand Slam tournaments: once the Australian
Open (1949) and Wimbledon (1951) and twice the Open French Championship (1950, 1952)
and US Open (1954, 1955).
7th place: Mauren Connolly / Maureen Connolly (September 17, 1934 - June 21, 1969)
- American tennis player, the first of the women who managed to collect the calendar
Grand Slam. This happened in 1953. In total, Connolly won 9 Grand Slam tournaments
during her career: once the Australian Open (1953), two times the French Open (1953, 1954)
and three times Wimbledon (1952, 1953, 1954) and the US Open (1951, 1952, 1953).
6th place: Billie Jean King / Billie Jean King (born November 22, 1943)
is an American tennis player who won 12 Grand Slam tournaments:
once the Australian Open (1968) and the French Open (1972),
four times the Open Championship USA (1967, 1971, 1972, 1974)
and six times Wimbledon (1966, 1967, 1968, 1972, 1973, 1975).
In total, Billy Jean King won 129 tournaments during her career,
including 84 in the Open Era. In addition to the tournaments won,
Billie Jean King made history by winning a tennis match called the Battle of the Sexes.
5th place: Chris (Christina) Evert / born December 21, 1954 - American tennis
player who won 18 Grand Slam tournaments: twice Australian Open (1982, 1984),
three times Wimbledon (1974, 1976, 1981 ), six times the US Open
(1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1982) and a record for women's tennis seven times
the French Open (1974, 1975, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986). In total,
Evert won 157 tournaments during her career.
4th place: Martina Navratilova / Martina Navrátilová (born October 18, 1956) -
Czechoslovak and American tennis player who won 18 Grand Slam tournaments:
twice the French Open (1982, 1984), three times the Australian Open
(1981, 1983, 1985), four times the US Open (1983, 1984, 1986, 1987)
and a record nine times Wimbledon (1978, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990).
In total, Navratilova’s career has won 167 singles tournaments, which is a record in
the Open Era.
3rd place: Serena Williams / Serena Williams (born September 26, 1981)
is an American tennis player who won 21 Grand Slam tournaments:
three times the French Open (2002, 2013, 2015) and six times the US Open
(1999, 2002 , 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014), Australian Open
(2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2009, 2010, 2015)
and Wimbledon (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015). In total,
Serena won 68 WTA tournaments. In addition, Serena managed to collect
the so-called career "Golden helmet", i.e. Win all Grand Slam tournaments
and the Olympic Games. Serena became the Olympic tennis champion at
the London Games in 2012. Serena Williams is also the record holder for prize money
- more than $ 72 million per career.
2nd place: Margaret Court (born July 16, 1942) is an Australian tennis player
who won 24 Grand Slam women's singles, which is an absolute record.
Cort also holds a record for the number of Australian Open championships won -
eleven (1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973).
Court won Wimbledon three times (1963, 1965, 1970) and five times the French Open
(1962, 1964, 1969, 1970, 1973) and the US Open (1962, 1965, 1969, 1970, 1973).
In total, Margaret Court won 192 tournaments during her career, which is also
a record, although it is worth considering that only 92 tournaments won
(of which 11 Grand Slam tournaments) were in the Open Era.
1st place: Steffi (Stefani) Graf / Steffi Graf (born June 14, 1969) -
a German tennis player who won 22 Grand Slam tournaments (Open Era record):
four times the Australian Open (1988, 1989, 1990, 1994), five times the
US Open (1988, 1989, 1993, 1995, 1996), six times the French Open
(1987, 1988, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1999) and seven times Wimbledon
(1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996). In addition, Steffi Graf Dvaji
became the Olympic tennis champion: in 1984 in Los Angeles and in 1988 in Seoul.
In 1988, Steffi Graf managed to collect not only the calendar Grand Slam,
but also the Golden Helmet - four Grand Slam tournaments won + Olympic Games won.
