The Open Era is the current era of professional tennis. It began in 1968 when the Grand Slam tournaments allowed professional players to compete with amateurs, ending the division that had persisted in men's tennis since the dawn of the sport in the 19th century. The first "open" tournament was held in Bournemouth, England, [1] followed by the inaugural open Grand Slam tournament a month later. [2] All records are based on data from the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), the International Tennis Federation (ITF), and the official sites of the four Grand Slam tournaments. Active streaks and active players are in boldface.
Active streaks and active players are in boldface.
|
|
|
|
|
# | Titles | Years |
---|---|---|
6 | Margaret Court | 1969–71 |
Martina Navratilova | 1983–84 | |
5 | Steffi Graf | 1988–89 |
4 | Steffi Graf (2) | 1993–94 |
Serena Williams | 2002–03 | |
Serena Williams (2) | 2014–15 | |
3 | Billie Jean King | 1972 |
Martina Navratilova (2) | 1981–82 | |
Chris Evert | 1982–83 | |
Steffi Graf (3) | 1989–90 | |
Monica Seles | 1991–92 | |
Steffi Graf (4) | 1995 | |
Steffi Graf (5) | 1996 | |
Martina Hingis | 1997–98 | |
# | Finals | Years |
---|---|---|
13 | Steffi Graf [7] | 1987–90 |
11 | Martina Navratilova | 1985–87 |
6 | Margaret Court | 1969–71 |
Martina Navratilova (2) | 1983–84 | |
Chris Evert | 1984–85 | |
Monica Seles | 1991–93 | |
5 | Steffi Graf (2) | 1993–94 |
Martina Hingis | 1997–98 | |
4 | Chris Evert (2) | 1982–83 |
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario | 1994–95 | |
Serena Williams | 2002–03 | |
Venus Williams | 2002–03 | |
Justine Henin | 2006 | |
Serena Williams (2) | 2014–15 |
# | Semifinals |
---|---|
19 | Martina Navratilova |
15 | Steffi Graf |
11 | Chris Evert |
Martina Hingis | |
10 | Serena Williams |
9 | Margaret Court |
Chris Evert (2) | |
7 | Chris Evert (3) |
6 | Steffi Graf (2) |
/ Monica Seles | |
Jennifer Capriati | |
Serena Williams (2) | |
Aryna Sabalenka |
# | Quarterfinals |
---|---|
19 | Martina Navratilova |
Steffi Graf | |
15 | Gabriela Sabatini |
11 | Chris Evert |
Martina Hingis | |
10 | Lindsay Davenport |
Serena Williams | |
9 | Chris Evert (2) |
Steffi Graf (2) | |
Serena Williams (2) |
# | Match wins |
---|---|
45 | Martina Navratilova |
40 | Steffi Graf |
35 | Margaret Court |
33 | Serena Williams |
Serena Williams (2) | |
32 | Steffi Graf (2) |
27 | Steffi Graf (3) |
/ Monica Seles | |
26 | Steffi Graf (4) |
Martina Hingis |
# | Appearances |
---|---|
68 | Alizé Cornet |
62 | Ai Sugiyama [8] |
61 | Francesca Schiavone |
56 | Jelena Janković |
54 | Nathalie Dechy |
Elena Likhovtseva | |
52 | Patty Schnyder |
51 | Angelique Kerber |
48 | Ana Ivanovic |
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Event of completion | Age | Player |
---|---|---|
1970 Wimbledon | 27 | Margaret Court |
1972 French Open | 28 | Billie Jean King |
1973 US Open | 22 | Evonne Goolagong Cawley |
1975 US Open | 20 | Chris Evert |
1981 Wimbledon | 19 | Hana Mandlíková |
1981 US Open | 24 | / Martina Navratilova |
1988 Australian Open | 18 | Steffi Graf |
1992 Wimbledon | 18 | Monica Seles |
1995 Wimbledon | 23 | Arantxa Sánchez Vicario |
1997 US Open | 16 | Martina Hingis |
2003 Australian Open | 22 | Venus Williams |
2003 Australian Open | 21 | Serena Williams |
2004 Australian Open | 21 | Justine Henin |
2012 French Open | 25 | Maria Sharapova |
# | All 4 titles + Olympic gold medal* | Year |
---|---|---|
1 | Steffi Graf | 1988 |
*called the Golden Slam |
# | All 4 titles* | Year |
---|---|---|
1 | Margaret Court | 1970 |
Steffi Graf | 1988 | |
*called the Grand Slam |
# | 3+ titles | Year |
---|---|---|
5 | Steffi Graf | 1988–89, 93, 95–96 |
3 | Margaret Court | 1969–70, 73 |
2 | Martina Navratilova | 1983–84 |
Monica Seles | 1991–92 | |
Serena Williams | 2002, 15 | |
1 | Billie Jean King | 1972 |
Martina Hingis | 1997 |
# | 2+ titles | Year |
---|---|---|
7 | Serena Williams | 2002–03, 09–10, 12–13, 15 |
6 | Martina Navratilova | 1982–87 |
5 | Chris Evert | 1974–76, 80, 82 |
Steffi Graf | 1988–89, 93, 95–96 | |
3 | Margaret Court | 1969–70, 73 |
2 | Monica Seles | 1991–92 |
Venus Williams | 2000–01 | |
Justine Henin | 2003, 07 | |
1 | Evonne Goolagong Cawley | 1971 |
Billie Jean King | 1972 | |
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario | 1994 | |
Martina Hingis | 1997 | |
Jennifer Capriati | 2001 | |
Amélie Mauresmo | 2006 | |
Angelique Kerber | 2016 | |
Iga Świątek | 2022 |
# | All 4 semifinals | Year |
---|---|---|
6 | Chris Evert | 1974, 81–82, 84–85, 86* |
4 | Martina Navratilova | 1984–85, 86*, 87 |
Steffi Graf | 1988–90, 93 | |
3 | Margaret Court | 1969–70, 73 |
2 | Martina Hingis | 1997–98 |
Serena Williams | 2015–16 | |
Justine Henin | 2003, 06 | |
1 | Evonne Goolagong Cawley | 1973 |
Monica Seles | 1992 | |
Conchita Martínez | 1995 | |
Jennifer Capriati | 2001 | |
Kim Clijsters | 2003 | |
Aryna Sabalenka | 2023 | |
*Australian Open not played in 1986 Made all 3 available semifinals |
# | All 4 quarterfinals | Year |
---|---|---|
6 | Chris Evert | 1974, 81–82, 84–85, 86* |
5 | Steffi Graf | 1988–91, 93 |
Serena Williams | 2001, 07, 09, 15–16 | |
4 | Martina Navratilova | 1984–85, 86*, 87 |
3 | Margaret Court | 1969–70, 73 |
Gabriela Sabatini | 1991–93 | |
Martina Hingis | 1997–98, 00 | |
Lindsay Davenport | 1998–99, 05 | |
2 | Venus Williams | 1998, 02 |
/ Monica Seles | 1992, 02 | |
Jennifer Capriati | 2001–02 | |
Justine Henin | 2003, 06 | |
1 | Billie Jean King | 1969 |
Rosemary Casals | 1969 | |
Virginia Wade | 1972 | |
Evonne Goolagong Cawley | 1973 | |
Hana Mandlíková | 1981 | |
Helena Suková | 1986* | |
Claudia Kohde-Kilsch | 1987 | |
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario | 1991 | |
Conchita Martínez | 1995 | |
Kim Clijsters | 2003 | |
Amélie Mauresmo | 2004 | |
Maria Sharapova | 2005 | |
Aryna Sabalenka | 2023 | |
*Australian Open not played in 1986 Made all 3 available quarterfinals |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
# | Player | Majors |
---|---|---|
6 | Martina Navratilova | 1983 WM, 1983 US, 1984 WM, 1986 WM, 1987 US, 1990 WM |
Serena Williams | 2002 WM, 2002 US, 2008 US, 2010 WM, 2014 US, 2017 AU | |
5 | Chris Evert | 1974 FR, 1976 US, 1977 US, 1978 US, 1981 WM |
Steffi Graf | 1988 AU, 1988 FR, 1989 AU, 1994 AU, 1996 US | |
4 | Evonne Goolagong | 1971 FR, 1975 AU, 1976 AU, 1977 AU (Dec) |
3 | Margaret Court | 1969 US, 1970 AU, 1973 AU |
Billie Jean King | 1971 US, 1972 FR, 1972 US | |
Lindsay Davenport | 1998 US, 1999 WM, 2000 AU | |
Justine Henin | 2006 FR, 2007 FR, 2007 US | |
2 | Martina Hingis | 1997 AU, 1997 US |
Venus Williams | 2001 US, 2008 WM | |
1 | Monica Seles | 1992 US |
Maria Sharapova | 2008 AU | |
Marion Bartoli | 2013 WM | |
Iga Świątek | 2020 FR | |
Emma Raducanu | 2021 US | |
Ashleigh Barty | 2022 AU | |
Aryna Sabalenka | 2024 AU |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Court claimed both US National titles played in 1968 & 1969 alongside the US Open, but these tournaments were subsequently downgraded to non-Grand Slam status.[ citation needed ]
|
|
# | Titles |
---|---|
167 | / Martina Navratilova |
157 | Chris Evert |
107 | Steffi Graf |
92 | Margaret Court |
73 | Serena Williams |
68 | Evonne Goolagong |
67 | Billie Jean King |
55 | Virginia Wade |
Lindsay Davenport | |
53 | / Monica Seles |
49 | Venus Williams |
# | Finals | Record |
---|---|---|
239 | / Martina Navratilova | 167–72 |
230 | Chris Evert | 157–73 |
138 | Steffi Graf | 107–31 |
122 | Billie Jean King | 67–55 |
121 | Margaret Court | 92–29 |
119 | Evonne Goolagong | 68–51 |
98 | Serena Williams | 73–25 |
93 | Lindsay Davenport | 55–38 |
85 | / Monica Seles | 53–32 |
83 | Venus Williams | 49–34 |
# | Played |
---|---|
1661 | / Martina Navratilova [10] |
1455 | Chris Evert [11] |
1169 | Sara Errani |
1168 | Virginia Wade [12] |
1158 | Tatjana Maria |
1107 | Varvara Lepchenko |
1099 | Patty Schnyder |
1096 | Venus Williams [13] |
1093 | Francesca Schiavone |
1064 | Samantha Stosur |
# | Won |
---|---|
1442 | / Martina Navratilova |
1309 | Chris Evert |
900 | Steffi Graf |
858 | Serena Williams |
839 | Virginia Wade |
818 | Venus Williams |
765 | Arantxa Sánchez |
733 | Lindsay Davenport |
719 | Conchita Martínez |
679 | Evonne Goolagong |
# | Played (active) |
---|---|
1169 | Sara Errani |
1158 | Tatjana Maria |
1107 | Varvara Lepchenko |
1096 | Venus Williams |
1049 | Angelique Kerber |
997 | Karolína Plíšková |
993 | Alizé Cornet |
966 | Zhang Shuai |
# | Won (active) |
---|---|
818 | Venus Williams |
677 | Angelique Kerber |
673 | Sara Errani |
650 | Tatjana Maria |
646 | Caroline Wozniacki |
634 | Karolína Plíšková |
633 | Petra Kvitova |
632 | Varvara Lepchenko |
616 | Victoria Azarenka |
597 | Vera Zvonareva |
# | Consecutive match wins | Years |
---|---|---|
74 | Martina Navratilova | 1984 |
66 | Steffi Graf | 1989–90 |
58 | Martina Navratilova | 1986–87 |
57 | Margaret Court | 1972–73 |
56 | Chris Evert | 1974 |
54 | Martina Navratilova | 1983–84 |
46 | Steffi Graf | 1988 |
45 | Steffi Graf | 1987 |
42 | Chris Evert | 1975–76 |
41 | Martina Navratilova | 1982 |
39 | Martina Navratilova | 1982–83 |
37 | Iga Świątek | 2022 |
36 | Monica Seles | 1990 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2014) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
WTA rankings began in 1975. These weekly rankings determine tournament eligibility and seedings. At the end of each year they also become the official WTA season rankings.
Correct as of 22 April 2024 [update] with (▲) indicating active streaks. [20] .
|
|
|
Year-end rankings total through 2023
|
|
|
|
|
|
See WTA Prize money. As prize money has increased strongly in recent decades, the lists of prize money leaders for the Open Era (since 1968) and for the WTA Tour period (since 1973) are the same.
Stefanie Maria Graf is a German former professional tennis player. She won 22 major singles titles, the second-most in women's singles won since the start of the Open Era in 1968 and the third-most of all-time. In 1988, Graf became the first tennis player to achieve the Golden Slam by winning all four major singles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year. She is the only tennis player, male or female, to have won each major singles tournament at least four times.
The Grand Slam in tennis is the achievement of winning all four major championships in one discipline in a calendar year. In doubles, a Grand Slam may be achieved as a team or as an individual with different partners. Winning all four major championships consecutively but not within the same calendar year is referred to as a "non-calendar-year Grand Slam", while winning the four majors at any point during the course of a career is known as a "Career Grand Slam".
Martina Navratilova is a Czech-American former professional tennis player. Widely considered among the greatest tennis players of all time, Navratilova won 18 major singles titles, 31 major women's doubles titles, and 10 major mixed doubles titles, for a combined total of 59 major titles, the most in the Open Era. Alongside Chris Evert, her greatest rival, Navratilova dominated women's tennis for much of the 1970s and 1980s.
Christine Marie Evert, known as Chris Evert Lloyd from 1979 to 1987, is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. Widely considered among the greatest tennis players of all time, Evert won 18 major singles titles, including a record seven French Open titles and a joint-record six US Open titles. Evert was ranked world No. 1 for 260 weeks, and was the year-end world No. 1 singles player seven times. Alongside Martina Navratilova, her greatest rival, Evert dominated women's tennis for much of the 1970s and 1980s.
Hana Mandlíková is a former professional tennis player from Czechoslovakia who later obtained Australian citizenship. During her career, she won four Grand Slam singles titles - the 1980 Australian Open, 1981 French Open, 1985 US Open and 1987 Australian Open. She was also runner-up in four Grand Slam singles events - twice at Wimbledon and twice at the US Open. The graceful right-hander secured one Grand Slam women's doubles title, at the 1989 US Open with Martina Navratilova. Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1994, Mandlíková was one of the brightest stars of her generation and is considered one of the greatest female players of the Open Era.
Monica Seles is a former world No. 1 tennis player who represented Yugoslavia and the United States. She won nine major singles titles, eight of them as a teenager while representing Yugoslavia, and the final one while representing the United States.
Tracy Ann Austin Holt is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. She won three major titles, the women's singles titles at the 1979 and 1981 US Opens, and the mixed doubles title at the 1980 Wimbledon Championships. Additionally, she won the WTA Tour Championships in 1980 and the year-ending Toyota Championships in 1981, both in singles.
Gabriela Beatriz Sabatini is an Argentine former professional tennis player. A former world No. 3 in both singles and doubles, Sabatini was one of the leading players from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, amassing 41 titles. In singles, Sabatini won the 1990 US Open, the Tour Finals in 1988 and 1994, and was runner-up at Wimbledon 1991, the 1988 US Open, and the silver medalist at the 1988 Olympics. In doubles, Sabatini won Wimbledon in 1988 partnering Steffi Graf, and reached three French Open finals. Among Open era players who did not reach the world No. 1 ranking, Sabatini has the most wins over reigning world No. 1 ranked players. In 2006, she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and in 2018 Tennis Magazine ranked her as the 20th-greatest female player of the preceding 50 years.
Betty Flippina Stöve is a Dutch former professional tennis player. She is best remembered for reaching the ladies' singles final, the ladies' doubles final and the mixed doubles final during the same year at Wimbledon in 1977. She also won ten Grand Slam titles in women's doubles and mixed doubles.
The WTA rankings are the ratings defined by the Women's Tennis Association, introduced in November 1975. The computer that calculates the ranking is nicknamed "Medusa".
This article lists the tennis players who have won the most tour-level professional tournament titles since the Open Era began in 1968. Titles can be any combination of singles and doubles, so the combined total is the default sorting of the lists. The current top-level events are on the ATP Tour for men and the WTA Tour for women.
The Evert–Navratilova rivalry was a tennis rivalry in the 1970s and 1980s between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, widely regarded as two of the greatest female tennis players of all time. It is considered to be one of the greatest rivalries in tennis history and sports in general. The pair contested 80 matches between 1973 and 1988, with Navratilova leading the overall head-to-head 43–37 and 36–24 in finals. It is the most prolific tennis rivalry of the Open Era.
This is a list of the main career statistics of former Czechoslovak-born American tennis player Martina Navratilova.
The 1985 Virginia Slims World Championship Series was the 13th season since the foundation of the Women's Tennis Association. It commenced in March 1985, and concluded in March 1986 after 52 events.
This is a list of Women's Tennis Association (WTA) records since its inception in June 1973. Some records additionally extend back a few more years in order to include the immediately preceding Virginia Slims Circuit era for completeness. The Virginia Slims Circuit started in September 1970 and was replaced in 1973 by the WTA. These however do not make up the entire Open Era records. For those, see Open Era tennis records – Women's singles.
This page covers all the important events in the sport of tennis in 2014. It primarily provides the results of notable tournaments throughout the year on both the Association of Tennis Professionals and Women's Tennis Association Tours, the Davis Cup, and the Fed Cup.
This article covers the period 1884 to present. Before the beginning of the Open era in April 1968, only amateurs were allowed to compete in established tennis tournaments, including the four Grand Slams. Wimbledon, the oldest of the majors, was founded in 1877, followed by the US Open in 1881, the French Open in 1891, and the Australian Open in 1905. Beginning in 1905 and continuing to the present day, all four majors have been played yearly, with the exception of the two World Wars, 1986 for the Australian Open, and 2020 for Wimbledon. The Australian Open is the first major of the year (January), followed by the French Open (May–June), Wimbledon (June–July), and US Open (August–September).
'Yes, "open" tennis has come at last and Bournemouth has been entrusted with the task of a world shaking launching,' said the programme notes for the 1968 Hard Court Championships of Great Britain, which brought an end to the sport's segregation of amateur and professional players.
Another significant turning point came in 1968 when the French Internationals became the first Grand Slam tournament to join the "Open" era.