I’ve been crazy about tennis since this year’s French Open (yup, I hated the way the mighty Federer folded yet again to muscle man Nadal!). I’ve loved tennis as a teenager. I remember really enjoying watching two people trade shots on a tennis court. I had hoped to learn the sport early on, but unfortunately didn’t have anyone in my life willing to join or support me in this quest. Well, that’s history. Now that I’ve rekindled my love for the game… I have the internet and cable TV to satisfy my tennis fix! No, can’t play still. Those coaches and ballboys are too expensive to hire when you don’t have a hitting partner.

I’ll focus on women’s tennis for this post. The guys will have their time. I’ve tried to look into a little history of tennis because the women playing these days are just not that interesting to me. I remember the time when the name Graf is synonymous with the word tennis. Not even Sharapova’s name (nor her horrible grunts!) resounds as much as that!

There’s no one answer to the question “Who is the greatest woman to ever play tennis?” It has been the subject of much heated debates among tennis enthusiasts. There are too many factors that come into play: number of titles, number of years played, consistency in winning the majors, ability to win on all surfaces [the 4 tennis majors, called the Grand Slam events, are played on synthetic rebound Ace (Australian Open) , red clay (French Open), grass (Wimbledon), and hard court (U.S. Open)], the number of weeks at no.1, and not to mention the strenght of competition. Looking from the year of my birth, three women dominated the tennis circuit in such a manner that nobody from the current ranks can seem to achive, much less surpass. One took the crown from the other in succession. It was the golden era of women’s tennis when all three were playing (1982-1986), one of them on her way to stealing the show from the two great rivals. Here’s a quick look (each woman succeeded by the next one; at least in my list, from the great to the greatest):



Chris Evert

“The Ice Princess”

Nationality: American

Turned Pro: 1972

Retired: 1989

Grand Slam singles titles: 18 [2 AO, 7 FO, 3 W, 6 USO]

Career titles: 154

Career record: 1304 wins, 144 losses

Weeks at no. 1: 140 (consecutive); 262 (total)

Career Prize: US$8,895,195



Martina Navratilova

“Wimbledon Queen”

Nationality: Naturalized American (born in Czechoslovakia)

Turned Pro: 1975

Retired: 1994 from the Singles tour (2006 from the Doubles tour)

Grand Slam singles titles: 18 [3 AO, 2 FO, 9 W, 4 USO]

Career titles: 178

Career record: 1440 wins, 213 losses

Weeks at no. 1: 156 (consecutive); 331 (total)

Career Prize Money: U.S. $21,400,871



Steffi Graf
“Fraulein Forehand”

Nationality: German

Turned Pro: 1982

Retired: 1999

Grand Slam singles titles: 22 [4 AO, 6 FO, 7 W, 5 USO]

Career titles: 107

Career record: 902 wins, 115 losses

Weeks at no. 1: 186 (consecutive); 377 (total)

Career Prize: $21,895,277



After Steffi Graf retired in 1999, no one was able to fill the void that these three players left. There have been a number of exceptional players, but none in their caliber. Their records speak for themselves. Some say the game has more depth these days, that’s why the women are seemingly at par with each other. They’re all great, all fit, all amazing athletes. But the same can be said for the guys, yet Federer rules.

For so many reasons, my all-time best is Steffi. One, because she dominated in the years when I was able to really appreciate the sport. One of these days, I may be able to tell you her beautiful story – one that involves so many things that i’ve come to admire, among them excellence, grace, discipline, and on top of it all, love .

Well, this is all for now. Next stop, the current faces…