Photo credit: Julien Finney/Getty/US Open
I’ve been writing about tennis for many years now—longer than a few of today's top players have been alive.
In that time, I've been fortunate to watch many of tennis' immortal champions play at the peak of their powers.
One topic that is often discussed, per ad nauseum perhaps is: Who is the GOAT?
I’ve written articles discussing who may be the GOAT several times over the years in tennis.
Discussing who the Greatest of All Time is in any sport has been debated ever since there have been sports. Unfortunately most sports aren’t like weightlifting or running a race where you can have an exact measurement of what you accomplished or at least a close measurement.
I’ve read some on the internet saying there is no GOAT in tennis.
That to me is not accurate. Of course there is a GOAT in tennis, but it depends on what category you are discussing.
Is it hard to determine the True GOAT?
Yes. But there definitely is a player over a period of time who played at the highest level.
One of the reasons I’m writing this article is not necessarily to determine who is the GOAT of tennis but to discuss the reasons how we should examine and determine a potential GOAT.
In this article, I want to offer my view of GOAT or GOAT contenders by Era.
I also felt it would be interesting to examine the facts. I may eliminate a few from consideration who have been called the GOAT and give my reasons why but overall, I’m really not going to commit to picking a GOAT in this article. I’m going to give I believe some logical reasons why a certain Great Player has a reasonable argument to be considered possibly the Greatest of All Time.
The game of chess now with our super chess computer programs, can analyze the accuracy of players throughout history. So they can establish who is the most accurate human player of all time, which I believe is currently Magnus Carlsen. Even that has some problems because the old-time chess players did not have the theory and the current technology that we have today to improve play. Perhaps these players would have been far better and perhaps could rival Carlsen for accuracy of chess play.
In some ways perhaps a better question is how would Carlsen do in Bobby Fischer’s time, Emmanuel Lasker’s time, Mikhail Tal’s time or the early days of Karpov and Kasparov when there were no computers or online play?
Clearly, as of now, if you just discuss the accuracy of chess moves, the GOAT of chess is Magnus Carlsen. That is one category in chess.
Would Carlsen be as accurate if he did not have the technology that we have today? Of course not.
Will they be able to analyze who is the best tennis player ever through used of computer analysis someday for certain categories? I would think so, at least for certain eras.
Can players today hit all the shots they hit today with a wood racquet? I don’t think so. Everything is relative.
For example, if you were discussing the GOAT of tennis with a wood racquet you definitely would NOT have in the Women’s Game, Serena Williams or Steffi Graf but you could have Suzanne Lenglen, Maureen Connolly, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova or Margaret Court in the mix.
Let’s look at a couple of different examples of how to examine things in tennis. Let’s say we have a Tennis Club in which a female player, I’ll call Player A, wins the Club Championship 10 years in a row! Excellent accomplishment of course. Player A takes a break from the club. Now Player A is very good but not World Class.
In the meantime, Martina Navratilova, age 25, joins the same Tennis Club. She plays for the Club Championship. She not only wins it but wins the Club Championship without losing a game. Navratilova repeats as champion the next year without losing a game. Martina then decides to leave the club.
My question is, who is the GOAT of that club? If you go by Club Championships, Player A is the GOAT. But let’s face it, the GOAT of the Tennis Club is Martina Navratilova by far!
Yet by the methods some use for counting majors, Player A would be the GOAT of that club! That would be imo absurd.
Remember in this article we are examining the level of play. Navratilova’s level of play at her peak is arguably the greatest ever!
Let’s look at another example. We have 2 players, one named Unbeatable and the other named Near Unbeatable. Unbeatable plays only 5 years but wins every tournament she plays in. She wins the Grand Slam every year and wins 100 tournaments and 20 majors in those 5 years. Unbeatable beats Near Unbeatable in the finals of every tournament they play. Unbeatable then retires. She is now unanimously called the GOAT despite playing for only 5 years.
Near Unbeatable continues to play. She plays 10 more years, wins 101 tournaments and 21 majors in her career before she retires. Some now call Near Unbeatable the GOAT because of her accomplishments. It also helps that the memory of Unbeatable has faded somewhat.
Who is the better player between Unbeatable and Near Unbeatable? Well, if you go by simple numeric accomplishments, it’s clearly Near Unbeatable. If you go by Level of Play, it’s clearly Unbeatable.
Most nowadays just look at the simple numeric accomplishments without regard to context. Is that wrong? Perhaps.
My thought is that just looking at raw numbers is just part of the equation. You have to look at everything and do an objective analysis. I’ve seen some articles in which the writer already decided beforehand on the outcome and simply uses only the information that supports their opinion. That to me is the incorrect way to examine things.
Let’s look at potential Tennis Goats in Women’s Tennis. The great thing about looking at Women’s Tennis history and analyzing the information is that, unlike the Men’s Tennis Game, there was really never an amateur and professional divide.
The Women could always play the Classic Major Tournaments like the Australian, French, Wimbledon and the US Championships. For example, Margaret Court and Billie Jean King, when they were amateurs, played the top players and when they became Professionals, they played all the top players because the top amateurs became pros. So, the divide between the Amateur Era and the Open Era was negligible.
Players who played their whole careers prior to the Open Era
Suzanne Lenglen
Lenglen was, aside from being the most famous tennis star in the world, she was perhaps as famous as anyone in the world. Considering how great she was, she deserved this admiration!
Lenglen, as with many top players was a ball machine with no weaknesses. She hit with controlled power and unerring accuracy. She was a fantastic volleyer. This made her almost unbeatable in doubles and mixed doubles. Her speed and footwork were unsurpassed.
Lenglen won 8 majors in 11 attempts. I’m sure you’re thinking, how good could Lenglen have been if she lost 3 majors? Well, Lenglen had to default the semifinals of Wimbledon in 1924 due to injury and defaulted the third round of Wimbledon in 1926 due to injury.
Lenglen legitimately lost her first match at the US Nationals in 1921 to Molla Mallory. However, the circumstances were odd and could not happen nowadays.
Lenglen had to travel by boat which took a while. So because of that she was unable to practice much. The US Nationals did not have seeds in those days so all the top players could be in one section of the draw. Lenglen’s first round opponent fell ill so she immediately had to face the powerful Molla Mallory, the defending champion and already a winner of many majors. Lenglen was also ill during the match and lost the match after losing the first set 6-2 and then defaulting due to illness.
Lenglen got her revenge the next year against Molla Mallory in the 1922 Wimbledon final by crushing her 6-2 6-0. This was to be the last match she would lose in her amateur career!
Lenglen also won 4 World Hardcourt Championships which were the clay court major of the day without a loss. So Lenglen won 12 majors in only 15 attempts.
Lenglen of course won the 1920 Olympic Gold Medal over Dorothy Holman.
Lenglen had a career record of a ridiculous 341-7 with winning streaks of 182 from 1921 to 1926 and 116 from 1916 to 1921. She had a lifetime winning percentage of 97.99%.
Does Lenglen have any real flaws in her resume?
I don’t think so. She has video game statistics and no apparent stroke weaknesses. She was as fast as any player, had the best groundstrokes and was probably the best volleyer. Arguably the most perfect player ever.
Helen Wills
It seemed impossible for any player to succeed Suzanne Lenglen and have the same level of invincibility. Helen Wills came about as close as you could get during her peak period.
Wills at one point won 158 straight matches that spanned 27 tournaments. In her career Wills won 52 of 92 tournaments she entered with a 398-35 which comes out to be 91.92%.
Wills’ career dominance did not exactly match Lenglen’s but at peak level she was very close. During her peak she was never challenged. She did not lose a set for 7 years!
Wills game was known for her strong serve, particularly her slice serve, her powerful forehand that controlled play and a strong backhand that she generally hit crosscourt. She hit crosscourt so often on the backhand side that some wondered if she was able to hit it down the line. She also had an excellent lob.
She did not apparently have great mobility like Lenglen but her anticipation made up for that. Generally speaking, she did not have to really move much since she was able to control play with her great power. Because of that she also rarely ventured to the net unless it was necessary. That’s the case with most players today anyway.
Wills’ main claim to fame and Goathood is that she won 19 majors in 23 attempts. Most accounts have Wills winning 19 majors in 22 attempts because they don’t count the 1926 French Championship and the 1926 Wimbledon because Wills had an emergency appendectomy after she won the first round of the French. Still, she did play in the 1926 French Championship and while she did not lose a match, did enter and did not win the tournament which was won by Lenglen. I do not count the 1926 Wimbledon because Wills did not play a match in that tournament.
To win 19 majors in a time where international travel was extremely difficult is unbelievable. Her record in majors is, to state the obvious, phenomenal.
It is clear that given the fact Wills, for most of her career towered over any player in the world I could have seen her winning around 20 plus majors if travel was as easy then as it is now.
Alice Marble
From the descriptions I have read about Alice Marble, it seemed to me that when healthy, she had the ideal tennis game and all the physical ability in the world. Her primary problem was her health.
I was particularly amazed by her story about when she was a ball girl for the San Francisco Seals at age 13. There was a pitching distance contest for throwing a baseball. Marble won the pitching distance contest with about 20 women competing. The judge was the great Babe Ruth. Marble, at age 13 won the contest by throwing the baseball from centerfield into the stands. Centerfield at that ballpark was about 400 feet from home plate!
That is astounding. As I wrote earlier, Marble won the contest.
One of the women she defeated was another Babe, this one named Babe Didrikson Zaharias! Zaharias was possibly the greatest all-around athlete in history. She won 2 Gold Medals in the Olympics, excelled in baseball, golf and track and field of course.
One of the reasons I mention this almost unreal story is that it shows how great her ability to throw was and how it was quite possible that with that ability she could also serve with great power and spin if she utilized her extraordinary talent.
Marble had all the shots including a twist serve that was comparable to any player that played with a small wood racquet. She was one of the few players who could serve and volley. Her overhead, as with her serve was superb as was her volley.
Clearly players like Lenglen and Wills prior to Marble had superior career records but Marble, once she reached her peak was fantastic also. In 1939 and 1940 she was unbeaten with records of 47-0 and 51-0 respectively. Her major weakness with her health problems.
Here’s a quote from Ellsworth Vines discussing Alice Marble from Stan Hart’s excellent book, Once a Champion, “She was a great player,” [Vines] said, kindly shifting the theme to a positive note.
“At her best, how would she do against Martina Navratilova?”
“I don’t know if she could beat her, but she would get her fair share. Alice had a marvelous high-kicking serve, and she was a very good net player. She wasn’t afraid to serve and come in. I am sure, in my mind, that she could have beaten Helen Wills and Helen Jacobs and those girls without any problems. But Martina? Martina has marvelous strokes and a devastating serve, and she is dedicated-but, of course, all champions are dedicated. Chris Evert is a good backcourt player, but good offensive players, if they are on their game, can beat a good backcourt player any day of the week. Helen Wills was really a backcourt player, too. But Marble wasn’t. She was a net rusher and a hard hitter and had a lot of speed. To me, Martina and Alice would be very close.”
Marble did not have the career record that Lenglen and Wills had but it’s possible that at her best, she may have been superior to both.
Lenglen, with her great mobility, and great net play would made a fascinating match to watch against Marble.
In some ways, the descriptions of her game makes her seem like the female version of Lew Hoad when healthy but with a better record.
In her career Marble won 330 matches and lost only 37 for 89.92% but she was unbeatable in her best years.
What is truly unbelievable is that Marble served as a spy for the United States during World War II! She discussed that dangerous world and her role in it in the book, Courting Danger.
Marble was a remarkably interesting tennis player and had a fascinating life.
Here’s Marble defeating Helen Jacobs.
https://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/video/universal-newsreel-alice-marble-and-bobby-riggs-win-news-footage/1B012261_031
Maureen Connolly
Maureen Connolly, aside from being a super player as would be every player I am discussing here had a really great nickname of “Little Mo.” The nickname came when media compared her hard-hitting style to the Battleship Big Mo and its firepower.
And Maureen Connolly, despite being only 5’5” tall (or 5’4” depending on the source) had great firepower off both sides. Some called her forehand the greatest of all time, but her backhand was also an excellent attacking stroke.
What sets Connolly apart from many of the Women’s Greats is that she won the Calendar Year Grand Slam in 1953. Not only did she do that, but she also won the last 2 majors of 1952. So Maureen Connolly won 6 majors in a row!
Connolly skipped the Australian in 1954 but won the next 2 majors she entered. Counting the fact that she won the 1951 US Championship, that gave her an unreal 9 majors in a row that she entered!
Could Connolly have competed today considering how small she was? Perhaps, especially considering that Justine Henin, who was not exactly a giant, was a dominant number 1 at her peak. I’ve seen some tennis sites who rank players by elo (tennis ratings by number based on the elo strength of the other player) that have Henin as high as almost any player.
Connolly, in her short but illustrious career, was 278-26 for 91.45%. She won 9 majors in a row after losing in the 2nd round of her first 2 majors.
https://www.britishpathe.com/asset/54674/
Players who spanned both the Pre-Open and the Open Era
Margaret Court
For pure accumulations of numbers and records, perhaps no player in tennis history can equal that of Margaret Court.
Court holds the record for most majors won with 24 majors in 47 attempts against some of the greatest competition in history. She played Billie Jean King, who was perhaps her chief rival, Chris Evert, Maria Bueno, Evonne Goolagong, Martina Navratilova (although Court was past her peak when she played Navratilova and Navratilova was not at her peak yet), Rosie Casals, Virginia Wade, Nancy Richey among many others.
Court won about 200 tournaments in her career, winning about 92% of her career matches.
Court won the Grand Slam in 1970. Winning the Grand Slam or to me, winning 4 majors in a row shows the great consistent high level of play of that particular player.
Court was a serve and volleyer with a great serve and a strong volley. She had possibly World Class speed and was consistent from the baseline.
Court has excellent arguments in the GOAT debate.
Here’s Court vs Chris Evert in the 1973 French Open final.
Players who played only in the Open Era
Chris Evert
For pure stroking ability, you can say Chris Evert is like Mary Poppins, she was practically perfect.
Evert hit consistently deep powerful groundstrokes from both sides and seemed at times immune to unforced errors. Her service return was possibly the greatest ever. Her two-handed backhand was one of the most dangerous shots ever. She combined power and touch. Her drop shot was again, practically perfect and she could thread passing shots through the tiniest openings. Her lob was great.
She was not as fast as some players but her anticipation more than made up for that. And of course, her concentration was elite.
Evert won 18 majors in 56 attempts, which is of course terrific.
However, many of those years, Evert did not play the Australian Open and for 3 years when she was invincible on clay the French Open! Evert won the French in 1974 and 1975, missed 3 years in a row from 1976 to 1978 and then went ahead to win 2 more in a row before eventually losing in 1981 to Hana Mandlikova, who was a gifted player, who, when on her game could beat anyone on any surface.
The French Open was basically owned by Evert when she was at her peak. When she played on clay in those days, she was unbeatable! Between August 1973 and May of 1979, Evert won 125 consecutive clay court matches. She proceeded to lose 1 match on clay, probably got annoyed and went on to win another 64 matches in a row! So Evert won 189 out of 190 matches on clay at one point!
In those days many players missed or were not allowed to play some majors for various reasons. I’m fairly certain Evert could have added 5 to 6 more majors if she played all the majors like the players are generally required to do today.
Considering that the grass at Wimbledon today is more conducive to baseline play, it’s possible that Evert may have added to her Wimbledon totals as well.
Evert won 157 tournaments in her career with a 1309-146 record. That comes out to 90%. That is the best winning percentage of the Open Era.
Chris Evert owns one of the greatest records in Open Era history: Evert won at least one major title every year for 13 consecutive years. Even the Big 3 of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer did not match that mark.
Here’s Evert against one of her great rivals Evonne Goolagong.
Here’s Evert against another legendary great rival with whom she played the most matches of any player, women or men, in the Open Era. They played 80 matches, with Navratilova leading 43 to 37.
Martina Navratilova
When Martina Navratilova turned pro in 1973, the ruling class in Women’s Tennis was Margaret Court, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert and Evonne Goolagong. Evert and Goolagong were assumed to be the successors to the Court and King royalty. While that was true for a while, Navratilova was far too gifted a player to be prevented from being a huge factor in every tournament.
Martina Navratilova was blessed with incredible hand-eye coordination, great power and excellent mobility.
She was also a lefty, which always helps. Her serve, as with many lefties, in the ad court could pull any player off the court. Navratilova’s slice serve on that side seems to pull the returner into the stands! Navratilova would be at the net, often dropping the ball into the empty court.
Navratilova was born in Czechoslovakia in 1956. She had the courage to deflect to the United States in 1975 and within a short time, became a United States citizen.
That year she was very successful in the majors, reaching the finals of the Australian Open and the French Open, losing to Goolagong and Evert respectively.
The year 1978 was her breakthrough year. It was the year she won her first Wimbledon over Chris Evert in 3 sets 2-6 6-4 7-5. She was trailing throughout the third set until she won the last 3 games to win the dramatic match.
Navratilova repeated the next year by defeating Evert again in the final 6-4 6-4. Navratilova was clearly the number 1 player in the world in 1979.
In 1980 and 1981 Navratilova was still tremendous. She played 45 tournaments and won 21 of them. Unfortunately for Navratilova, she only won 1 major tournament. That was the 1981 Australian Open over Chris Evert 6-7 6-4 7-5. It was feared by some that despite her astounding talent and skills, like many others, she would not live up to her potential. That thought would quickly change!
Navratilova improved her fitness, worked on flaws in her game and strategies on the court. By 1982 Navratilova jumped to a different level and was by far the best player in the world, perhaps of all time.
From 1982 to 1986 Navratilova had a won-lost record of 427-15, which is 96.61%. She won 12 majors in 19 attempts. At one point she won 6 majors in a row! No player in the Open Eta, including Margaret Court, Chris Evert, Serena Williams and Steffi Graf were ever this dominant over a consecutive period of years.
Navratilova still holds the WTA record and Open Era record for most consecutive matches won with 74.
Navratilova also holds the official WTA record for winning the most tournaments in history with 167. She had a career record of 1442-219 which is a percentage of 86.82. Navratilova won 18 majors in 67 attempts although I almost would not count the 2 majors she entered in 2004 after she retired for 10 years.
I would also mention that, like Chris Evert, Navratilova could have won more majors in she decided to enter the Australian Open and French Open more during her best years. I think most likely she would have been in the 20 plus range in majors if she could have entered more.
Clearly Navratilova has huge credentials to be considered the GOAT.
Steffi Graf
Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert totally ruled the tennis world for much of the 1980s. It seemed that no one could break up their monopoly of majors and frankly, all tennis tournaments.
That soon changed when Steffi Graf came onto the scene as a dominant player. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that Graf’s forehand may very well be the single most powerful groundstroke in Women’s Tennis history. It was astonishing the number of winners she could hit with it. This was coupled with the fact that she was unbelievably fast, had a great serve and strong backhand. Well, if that sounds awesome, it was.
Graf really had no weaknesses as a player.
Her backhand was a strong solid shot, but she tended to hit it with heavy slice instead of driving it like she could. Still, she was able to drive the ball on the backhand side with topspin if she needed to.
Graf’s backhand drive return was instrumental in her defeat of the great Martina Navratilova in the 1988 Wimbledon Final. Graf won by a score of 5-7 6-2 6-1.
That year, 1988, Graf won the Golden Slam. She won all 4 majors and the Gold Medal in the Olympics.
Here’s Graf completing the Grand Slam in 1988 over Sabatini.
Steffi won 22 majors in 54 attempts with a career won-lost of 885-106 for 89.30%. She entered 214 tournaments and won half of them for 107 tournament victories. Graf was number 1 in the world 8 times.
Serena Williams
Serena only retired from tennis a few years ago but it seems that it was only yesterday she burst onto the stage in winning the 1999 US Open as a teen.
At first it seemed like her sister Venus would be the one to be at the top of the tennis world for years. Venus reached the US Open final in 1997 losing to the best player in the world at that time, Martina Hingis.
Serena took control of the sister competition when she defeated Venus in 4 consecutive major finals in that last three of 2002 and the first major, the Australian Open in 2003. This was what they called the Serena Slam. It’s not a calendar year Grand Slam but to me at least, it’s the equivalent in difficulty. It shows the greatness of the player at their top level.
Serena’s main weapon, imo is her great serve, possibly the greatest in the history of Women’s Tennis. Her second serve is also excellent.
Serena also has great speed and power off both sides.
Everyone thinks of Serena as a great offensive player, but I think that her great defensive abilities are one of the reasons she has won so many majors. She has fabulous speed and can reach shots that few, if any other player can reach. I’ve always enjoyed her matches with Kim Clijsters in that both had super groundstrokes, excellent serves and most of all, super mobility to cover virtually everything on the court.
Here's their match in the semifinals of the 2003 Australian.
Serena, in her superb career, has won 73 tournaments out of 240 played. She has won 23 majors, which is second to Margaret Court in 85 majors played.
The level that Serena has played at makes her overqualified to be considered as a GOAT.
Conclusion
One thing I have noticed over the years is that the last player who seemed invincible is always called the GOAT. Sometimes you can understand why but often it might but too early to say. Sometimes, as with the case of a few other players over the years, a player may be called the GOAT prematurely.
Clearly Serena Williams can be called the GOAT but so can Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf and a few others.
Let’s have a tiny 3-way comparison.
Serena won 23 majors, which is fantastic.
Graf won 22 majors, which is great.
Martina Navratilova won 18 majors, which is also fantastic.
Serena won the 23 majors in 85 attempts for a 27.06%.
Graf won 22 majors in 54 attempts for 40.74%.
Navratilova won 18 majors in 67 attempts for 26.87%. I almost shouldn’t count the last 2 majors since Navratilova retired for a decade and came back. If she didn’t come back, it would be 27.69%. Still you have to count it.
Serena Williams won 73 tournaments in her career out of 240 played for 30.42%.
Graf won 107 tournaments in her career out of 214 played for 50%.
Martina Navratilova won 167 tournaments in her career out of 390 played for 42.82%.
Serena has a won-loss record lifetime of 849-151 for 84.98%.
Graf has a won-loss record lifetime of 885-106 for 89.30%.
Navratilova had a won-loss record lifetime of 1442-219 for 86.82%.
Serena won 4 majors in a row.
Graf won 4 majors in a row.
Navratilova won 6 majors in a row.
Serena, in her best percentage in 5 years was 379-25 for 91.78% with 9 majors out of 20.
Graf, in her best percentage 5 years was 370-20 for 94.87% with 10 majors out of 19.
Navratilova, in her best percentage 5 years was 427-15 for 96.61% with 12 majors out of 19.
Serena was No. 1 in the world 5 times.
Graf was No. 1 in the world 8 times.
Navratilova was number 1 in the world 6 or 7 times. Some have Navratilova as No. 1 in 1978, some do not.
My point here is that Serena has many statistics indicating that her level of play was perhaps the greatest but so does Martina Navratilova, Graf, Evert and some others like Lenglen and Court.
There is no slam dunk No. 1 and it amuses me when some get upset when their favorite is not picked No. 1.
These players were players of the highest magnitude. Each era is different. The training is different; the equipment is different. If Serena was born in the 1950s she probably would have been taught to hit a one handed backhand. If Navratilova was born in the 1990s, she probably would have a two handed backhand.
I believe all of them would have adapted to the era they played in and would have been great.
It’s good to look at peak level in addition to career achievements and level.
All these players were great and if anyone in this article is called the GOAT of Women’s Tennis it is a good choice.
Special Acknowledgements
Justine Henin
Justine Henin was a beautiful player to watch hit the ball. She had a spectacular one-handed backhand, perhaps the best in Women’s Tennis history. She had an excellent forehand, movement and a very powerful serve that was timed at 122 mph. That’s stunning considering her small stature.
Henin was a complete player who won 7 majors and was No. 1 in the world 3 times. It is not easy to be a top player in an era with Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters, Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Jennifer Capriati, Lindsay Davenport, Elena Dementieva and Amelie Mauresmo around.
If you believe in some of these Tennis Elo sites, some of them rank Henin at her peak up there with the top players of all time.
Clearly Henin’s peak level in 2006 and 2007 was extremely high and comparable to many of the best years of other greats.
Here’s Henin’s great match against Jennifer Capriati in the 2003 US Open semifinal.
Pauline Betz
Betz was the winner of 4 US Championships and 1 Wimbledon. Incredibly quick on the court with a fabulous backhand based on her studying Don Budge.
Jack Kramer called her the best Women’s Player he had seen next to Helen Wills.
Here’s Betz winning Wimbledon in 1946 over Brough.
Monica Seles
Seles was clearly the best player in the world in 1991 and 1992. She won 3 majors out of 3 entered in 1991. She did not enter Wimbledon in 1991. At the end of the year she finished with a 74-6 record for 92.5%. She won 10 tournaments out of 16 entered.
The next year, 1992 she also won 3 majors and lost the Wimbledon final to Graf. That Wimbledon final was a bit controversial because she tried not to grunt. Some believed that distracted her and she would have played better if she could grunt. That’s debatable. Graf defeated her soundly by 6-2 6-1. In 1992, Seles also won 10 tournaments but this time out of 14 played. She had a 70-5 record that year for 93.33%.
She continued her dominance with a win in the 1993 Australian Open by defeating her rival Steffi Graf in a great match 4-6 6-3 6-2.
Then it happened. On April 30, 1993 during a match, Seles was stabbed. I don’t necessarily want to get into details. You can find it easily on the internet but the physical and mental it took on her apparently was immense. She did not play competitive tennis for 2 years.
When she came back, she was not the player she was. Seles won 32 of her first 63 tournaments played prior to the stabbing. After the assault, Seles won 21 of the next 113.
Seles at her best hit with power off both sides and she hit two-handed on both sides. Her return was spectacular.
Seles won 53 tournaments and 9 majors in her career.
Who knows how her career arc would have been if not for the awful attack on her life.
Here’s Seles defeating Graf at the French Open in 1992. Great match.
Kim Clijsters
Winner of 4 major titles and 41 tournaments in her career, Kim Clijsters was a highly respected competitor. Clijsters’ talent was so great that when she made a comeback to win the 2009 US Open that afterwards some were discussing whether she could win the Grand Slam after she won the 2010 Australian. That’s particularly impressive considering Serena Williams was playing then at her physical peak.
Clijsters had every shot. Her mobility was as great as any player. Her backhand and forehand were powerful attacking strokes. Her volley was also excellent. She was ranked at number 1 in both singles and doubles at the same time at 1 point. Another great player that was wonderful to watch.
Here’s Clijsters’ great match against Serena Williams in the semi-finals of the 2009 US Open. Clijsters was unseeded but everyone knew that this was potentially the equivalent of the final. This is one of the finest matches I have seen. Both players played great.
Raymond Lee is a Tennis Now contributing writer, tennis historian and avid tennis player who lives in New York. He has written about tennis for more than three decades serving as a contributing writer for Tennis Week Magazine and TennisWeek.com. Raymond Lee joined the Tennis Now staff in 2010.
Check out Raymond Lee's Articles: The Greatest Over Age 30 Players of All Time, Star Turns: Top Tournament Performances in Tennis History, One for One: Who is the GOAT for One Match? Celebrating 50th Anniversary of John Newcombe's 1973 US Open Win, Why Novak Djokovic Can Win 30 Slams and Holy Grail: Why Winning the Calendar Grand Slam is Toughest Task in Sport and The Greatest Men Clay-Court Champions Of All Time