The Top Ten Female Tennis Players Since 1980.
1.Martina Navratilova
2. Serena Williams
3. Monica Seles
4. Chris Evert
5. Steffi Graf
6. Billie Jean King
7. Justine Henin
8. Evonne Goolagong Crawley
9. Venus Williams
10. Martina Hingis
Gayblackcanada
This is my world and now you are entering it.
Gayblackcanada 
Although I dislike some of these players (Chris Evert, Justine Henin & Martina Hingis), I have to admit that all of these players are/will be legends and are deserving of a place in the top 10. Their career statistcs are astounding.
It’s nice to see Serena so high up in your standings, but you know how I feel about Henin being placed higher than Venus.
It’s nice to see that Monica Seles is so high up. If not for her stabbing, perhaps her impressive tennis career would have been even better.
For the most part, I can’t complain about these standings.
I would be interested in knowing what criteria you used to compile this list (singles results, doubles results, prize money, playing styles, head-to-heads, overcoming adversity, your personal favourites, etc.)
Hi Ashley, I placed Martina Navratilova at number one because she has an incredible record she is the nine time Wimbledon champion. Wimbledon is the most important tennis event in the world. I also include Martina’s amazing doubles record she has won so many doubles and mixed doubles slams. Overall, Martina is the best female tennis player of the past thirty years.
Serena is second due to her incredible talent I feel Serena is more talented than Monica Seles and Graf she has a superior serve. I also feel that Seles at her prime was a better player than Graf that’s why I placed Seles above Graf. When Monica was dominating women’s tennis, she had a 3-1 record against Graf prior to the stabbing.
Graf has 22 slams but that number has to be questioned because her slam count sky rocketed due to the stabbing. Graf had inferior competition players like Sabatini, Sanchez Vicario, Martinez, Novotna, and Mary Joe Fernandez. Graf’ competition in the mid 1990s were so mentally weak.
Ashley, I know we disagree about Venus and Justine but let me explain to you why I feel Justine is superior. Justine is more consistent than Venus she has been number one for 117 weeks that means something.Venus is very inconsistent, she was only number one for eleven weeks. Justine is Serena’s rival and definitely not Venus. Venus is afraid of Serena she just does not believe she can beat Serena anymore. Justine is superior to Venus she is the better.
Some people would argue that Hingis is better than Venus because she has a slight edge 11 to 10 in their head to head.
However, Venus won more slams seven and Hingis won five.
Also, Hingis only won her slams in a two year span from 1997 to 1999 and never won a slam after that. Venus has more longevity she won her slams from 2000 to 2008 over an eight year slam.
Venus edges Hingis out she was the better player. Evonne Goolagong is better than Venus because she won three out of the four slams and Venus only won two out of the four majors.
Thanks, Orville, for explaining why you ranked these players in this way.
Although Serena has won less grand slams than Steffi Graf, if they played each other at their very best, Serena would win, so I have no problem with Serena being placed higher than Graf. I think Serena is the ultimate competitor. I certainly expect her to continue to break records.
I’m adamant that Monica’s stabbing contributed to Graf’s success, so I have no problem woth Monica being placed higher than Graf.
As far as singles results are concerned, I concede that Evonne Goolagong’s position should be higher than that of Venus since she won 3 out of the 4 majors, but she hasn’t done much in doubles & this should have an effect on the standings.
Like you, I believe Venus deserves to be placed higher than Hingis.
Venus should be disgusted that she doesn’t lead their head-to-head. This is one of those head-to-heads I’m willing to deem irrelevant.
Besides, you placed Henin higher than Venus despite the fact that Venus leads their head-to-head 7-2. Interestingly, the two matches Henin won were their first and last matches. If Venus plays the kind of tennis she has been playing lately, Henin may make the head-to-head less lopsided.
I agree that Henin has shown more consistency than Venus because of the grand slams won and the number of weeks spent at no. 1, not to mention the year (2007) when she won 10 tournamens. However, Henin hasn’t done much in doubles.
I’m mentioning Goolagong’s and Henin’s doubles statistics, which are nothing compared to those of Venus and Serena, because Navratilova’s doubles record is acknowledged.
It looks like we’re going to continue to disagree (amicably) about Venus and Henin. You aren’t going to change your stance and neither am I.
Ashley, I know we disagree about Venus and Henin but do you think Venus can comeback? After Venus mental breakdown against Na Li in China in the Australian Open women’s quarterfinals do you think Venus can comeback? Is Venus finished as a top player? What do you think? Can Venus win one more slam or is she finished?
I don’t think Venus is finished until she says she is finished. The way she gave the match to Na Li in the Australian Open quater-finals was appalling. I was utterly disgusted, especially since she should have won that match in straight sets.
Who knows whether or not Venus will win another grand slam? I don’t like making predictions because I don’t know what the future holds. All I can do is hope that Venus will be amazing again and not a shadow of her former self. Lately, her tennis has been worrying, but I will see how she performs in her upcoming tournaments before determining if I think she is finished.
I think you list is right on the money. You have to give Martina her due. She was one badass tennis player. Not only that she played at the top of the game for three decades, I repeat at the top of the game for three decades. And has won more tournments then any men or woman. I loved to watch Martina play.She is the reason I started loving tennis. I use to hear them talk about her sexuality and I thought let me she want all the noise is about. It was about her sexuality, it was the fact the she was kicking a mudhole in Chris Everts ass. I have been a fan of hers and tennis evre seen.
I don’t mean to be rude and thanks for the effort but this ranking only shows your favorite players, certainly not the best in the last 25 years and certainly not in this order. Steffi Graf is the best tennis player ever by far and nobody questions it, not even the best players in their own time. Martina is a great champion and she belongs to the top 5 or 3. Chris might justify a place among the best 5 too. Billy Jean King is a legend because of what she did for the game and there’s no question nobody ever did half of what she did for women’s tennis but as a tennis player she’d be very lucky to remain in the top 10 of the best female players ever. Plus her best tennis was over by the beginning of the 80’s. If you want to go back in time then take a look at Suzanne Lenglen’s or Margaret Court’s records, they’re much more impressive. We might consider Monica Seles as one of the most gifted players ever but her list of winners stays way behind the others. The fact that her career was suddendly stabbed in the back (as she actually was on the court in Germany by a lunatic) while she was on top of the game doesn’t change the final score unfortunately. Now what does Justine Henin do in this ranking? And what about Evonne Goolagong (in spite of the fact that she was the first mother to ever win a major, Wimbledon that is)? The Williams sisters hit harder than any other female player before or after but their list of winners don’t show half of Steffi Graf’s. They come on top as a family (though the Maleeva sisters were 3 they did less with more) but not individually. As for Martina Hingis she’s the most gifted player I ever saw in the game but she only won a few majors compared to Martina… Navratilova or Steffi Graf not to mention many others. I hope you keep sharing your passion for tennis and keep learning about history. I wish you the very best, Phil
I’d put Steffi second on the list too (if not first!), not simply because she comprehensively ended Martina’s reign but because she changed women’s tennis forever; she hit the ball harder than any other woman before and effectively started the whole “power” game. She overwhelmed the opposition and was an incredible athlete.
Unless you judge this purely on slams won then obviously its all very subjective. I dont really care about the rest of the list. My favourite female tennis player ever is Justine Henin.