All-time tennis records – women's singles

Overall tennis records – women's singles 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 and 1986 for the Australian Open. The Australian Open is the 1st Major of the year (January), followed by the French Open (May–June), Wimbledon (June–July), and US Open (August–September). There was no prize money and players were compensated for travel expenses only. A player who wins all four current major tournaments, as a single or as part of a doubles team, in the same calendar year is said to have achieved the "Grand Slam". If the player wins all four consecutively, but not in the same calendar year, it is called a "Non-Calendar Year Grand Slam". Winning all four at some point in a career, even if not consecutively, is referred to as a "Career Grand Slam". Winning the four Majors and a gold medal in tennis at the Summer Olympics has been called a "Golden Slam" since 1988.[1] Winning all four plus gold at some point in a career, even if not consecutively, is referred to as a "Career Golden Slam". Winning the Year-End Championship also having won a Golden Slam is referred to as a "Super Slam".[2][3][4] Winning the four Majors in all three disciplines a player is eligible for – singles, doubles, and mixed doubles – is considered winning a "boxed set" of Grand Slam titles. The current Grand Slams are the four most prestigious tournaments in the world held every year, they are distinguished by participation from almost every top player and by their two-week duration, 128-player draw in women's singles. It's extremely rare for a player to win all four events, "the Grand Slam", in one calendar year. This was only achieved three times since 1888 by Maureen Connolly, Margaret Court, and Steffi Graf, the latter of whom stands alone in winning the "Golden Slam".

These are some of the important records since the start of women's tennis in 1884.

Most statistics are based on the data at the WTA Tour and International Tennis Federation, the official websites of each respective Grand Slam tournament and published sources though this is not a definitive list due to the time periods involved.

Active streaks and active players are in boldface.

Grand Slam tournament records

Grand Slam singles totals

Grand Slam tournament consecutive streaks

This section is for consecutive streaks across all Grand Slam tournaments. If a player skips a tournament the streak ends.

(3) Denotes multiple streaks within one category

active streaks in boldface

TitlesStart – End#
1. Maureen Connolly1952 WM–1953 US6
Margaret Court1969 US–1971 AU
/ Martina Navratilova1983 WM–1984 US
4. Steffi Graf1988 AU–1989 AU5
5./ Molla Mallory1915 US–1918 US4
Steffi Graf (2)1993 FR–1994 AU
Serena Williams2002 FR–2003 AU
Serena Williams (2)2014 US–2015 WM
9. Helen Wills1928 FR–1928 US3
Helen Wills (2)1929 FR–1929 US
Pauline Betz1942 US–1944 US
Shirley Fry1956 WM–1957 AU
Margaret Court (2)1965 WM–1966 AU
Billie Jean King1967 WM–1968 AU
Billie Jean King (2)1972 FR–1972 US
/ Martina Navratilova (2)1981 AU–1982 WM
Chris Evert1982 US–1983 FR
Steffi Graf (3)1989 WM–1990 AU
/ Monica Seles1991 US–1992 FR
Steffi Graf (4)1995 FR–1995 US
Steffi Graf (5)1996 FR–1996 US
Martina Hingis1997 WM–1998 AU
FinalsStart – End#
1. Steffi Graf1987 FR–1990 FR13[8]
2./ Martina Navratilova1985 FR–1987 US11
3. Maureen Connolly1952 WM–1953 US6
Margaret Court1969 US–1971 AU
/ Martina Navratilova (2)1983 WM–1984 US
Chris Evert1984 FR–1985 WM
/ Monica Seles1991 US–1993 AU
8. Pauline Betz1941 US–1945 US5
Margaret Court (2)1963 WM–1964 WM
Margaret Court (3)1965 AU–1966 AU
Steffi Graf (2)1993 AU–1994 AU
Martina Hingis1997 AU–1998 AU
SemifinalsStart – End#
1./ Martina Navratilova1983 WM–1988 AU19
2. Steffi Graf1987 FR–1990 US15
3. Chris Evert1984 FR–1986 US11
Martina Hingis1996 US–1999 FR
5. Serena Williams2014 US–2017 AU10
6. Margaret Court1969 AU–1971 AU9
Chris Evert (2)1981 FR–1983 FR
8. Maria Bueno1964 FR–1965 US7
Margaret Court (2)1965 AU–1966 WM
Billie Jean King1967 WM–1969 AU
Chris Evert (3)1973 FR–1974 US
QuarterfinalsStart – End#
1./ Martina Navratilova1983 WM–1988 AU19
Steffi Graf
3. Gabriela Sabatini1990 WM–1994 AU15
4. Margaret Court1968 WM–1971 AU11
Billie Jean King1967 FR–1969 US
Chris Evert
Martina Hingis
8. Lindsay Davenport10
Serena Williams
10./ Martina Navratilova (2)9
Chris Evert (2)
Steffi Graf (2)
Serena Williams (2)
Match winsStart – End#
1./ Martina Navratilova1983 WM–1984 AU40
Steffi Graf1988 AU–1989 FR
3. Margaret Court1969 US–1971 FR35
4. Maureen Connolly1952 WM–1953 US33
Serena Williams2002 FR–2003 FR
Serena Williams (2)2014 US–2015 US
7. Steffi Graf (2)1993 FR–1994 FR32
8. Steffi Graf (3)1989 WM–1990 FR27
/ Monica Seles1991 US–1992 WM
Appearances#
1. Ai Sugiyama[9]62
2. Francesca Schiavone61
3. Jelena Janković56
4. Nathalie Dechy54
Elena Likhovtseva
6. Alizé Cornet53
7. Patty Schnyder52
8. Ana Ivanovic48
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
10. Tsvetana Pironkova47
Agnieszka Radwańska
Julia Görges

Grand Slam match winning percentages

** Not all sources agree with one of Wills' losses. She did not play two matches because of appendicitis, causing her to miss the 1926 Wimbledon Championships. Wimbledon did not assign a loss to her or a win to her opponent. The other tournament gave her a loss instead of a default to her and a walkover to her opponent, neither of which count as a loss or a win. It is unknown why the tournament chose to assign a loss to her. Taking these facts into consideration, her adjusted win percentage would be 125–3 = 97.66%.

Grand Slam career achievements

Grand Slam, Golden Slam and Super Slam
Career Grand Slam * Event of completion
Maureen Connolly1953 French International Championships
Doris Hart1954 U. S. National Championships
Shirley Fry Irvin1957 Australian National Championships
Margaret Court1963 Wimbledon Championships
Billie Jean King1972 French Open
Chris Evert1982 Australian Open
/ Martina Navratilova1983 US Open
Steffi Graf1988 US Open
Serena Williams2003 Australian Open
Maria Sharapova2012 French Open
* each Grand Slam title at least once
Career Golden Slam * Event of completion
Steffi Graf1988 Olympics
Serena Williams2012 Olympics
* Career Slam + Olympic Gold (since 1988)
Career Super Slam * Event of completion
Steffi Graf1988 Olympics
Serena Williams2012 Olympics
* Career Golden Slam + Year-End Championship (since 1970)

Winning tournament without losing a set
  • Minimum 2
# Player Majors
13 Helen Wills1927 US, 1928 FR, 1928 WM, 1928 US, 1929 FR, 1929 WM, 1929 US, 1930 FR, 1930 WM, 1931 US, 1932 FR, 1932 WM, 1938 WM
6/ Martina Navratilova1983 WM, 1983 US, 1984 WM, 1986 WM, 1987 US, 1990 WM
Serena Williams2002 WM, 2002 US, 2008 US, 2010 WM, 2014 US, 2017 AU
5 Suzanne Lenglen1922 WM, 1923 WM, 1925 FR, 1925 WM, 1926 FR
Maureen Connolly1953 AU, 1953 WM, 1953 US, 1954 FR, 1954 WM
Margaret Court1961 AU, 1962 AU, 1963 AU, 1965 WM, 1966 AU
Billie Jean King1967 WM, 1967 US, 1971 US, 1972 FR, 1972 US
Chris Evert1974 FR, 1976 US, 1977 US, 1978 US, 1981 WM
Steffi Graf1988 AU, 1988 FR, 1989 AU, 1994 AU, 1996 US
4 Nancye Wynne Bolton1946 AU, 1947 AU, 1948 AU, 1951 AU
Evonne Goolagong Cowley1971 FR, 1975 AU, 1976 AU, 1977 AU

Individual Major tournaments
Titles per event
  • Minimum 3 titles
Consecutive titles per event
  • The French Open was only a Grand Slam event from 1925 onwards
  • (3) Denotes multiple times

Bold: Active players

Finals per event

Bold: Active players

Match wins per event
Match win streaks per event
#Australian OpenYears
38 Margaret Court1960–68
33/ Monica Seles1991–99
27 Martina Hingis1997–2000
25 Steffi Graf1988–91
21 Margaret Court1969–75
20 Evonne Goolagong Cawley1974–77
18 Victoria Azarenka2012–14
17 Nancye Wynne Bolton1947–49
14 Jennifer Capriati2001–02
Serena Williams2009–10
#French OpenYears
29 Chris Evert1974–81
25/ Monica Seles1990–96
24 Justine Henin2006–10
20 Steffi Graf1987–89
19 Helen Wills1928–32
Chris Evert1985–87
15 Hilde Krahwinkel Sperling1935–37
14 Margaret Scriven1933–35
Margaret Smith Court1969–71
#WimbledonYears
50 Helen Wills[18]1927–38
47/ Martina Navratilova1982–88
23 Billie Jean King1966–69
22 Louise Brough1948–51
21 Steffi Graf1991–93
20 Venus Williams2000–02
Serena Williams2002–04
Venus Williams2007–09
18 Maureen Connolly1952–54
Maria Bueno1959–62
17 Serena Williams2009–11
#US OpenYears
46 Helen Wills[19]1923–33
31 Chris Evert1975–79
28 Helen Jacobs1932–36
26 Serena Williams2012–15
20 Margaret Osborne duPont1948–53
Monica Seles1991–95
Venus Williams2000–02
19 Pauline Betz1942–45
18 Alice Marble1938–40
17 Maureen Connolly1951–53
Darlene Hard1960–62
Maria Bueno1963–65
Margaret Smith Court1969–72
Winning percentages per event
Australian Open% *W–L
1. Daphne Akhurst95.8323–1
2. Margaret Court95.2360–3
3./ Monica Seles91.4943–4
4. Steffi Graf88.6747–6
5. Chris Evert88.2330–4
6. Martina Hingis88.1352–7
7. Serena Williams87.8887–12
8./ Martina Navratilova86.3545–7
9. Nancye Wynne Bolton86.2744–7
10. Kim Clijsters82.6943–9
* Minimum 20 wins
French Open% *W–L
1. Helen Wills95.2320–1
2. Chris Evert92.3172–6
3. Margaret Court89.8044–5
4. Steffi Graf89.3684–10
5. Justine Henin88.3738–5
6./ Monica Seles87.1054–8
7. Doris Hart84.8528–5
8. Arantxa Sánchez Vicario84.7072–13
9. Ann Haydon Jones84.6244–8
Shirley Fry22–4
* Minimum 20 wins
Wimbledon% *W–L
1. Helen Wills98.2155–1
2. Suzanne Lenglen94.5935–2**
3. Steffi Graf91.3574–7
4./ Martina Navratilova89.55120–14
5. Serena Williams89.0998–12
6. Louise Brough88.8956–7
7. Chris Evert86.4996–15
8. Billie Jean King86.3695–15
9. Margaret Court85.0051–9
10. Maria Bueno84.7550–9
* Minimum 20 wins
US Open% *W–L
1. Helen Wills96.1550–2
2./ Molla Mallory90.2765–7
3. Margaret Court89.6652–6
4. Chris Evert89.38101–12
5. Pauline Betz89.1933–4
6. Steffi Graf89.0273–9
7. Serena Williams88.60101–13
8. Alice Marble88.5731–4
Tracy Austin
10. Maria Bueno87.0447–7
* Minimum 20 wins
  • ** both losses were actually "default", Suzanne Lenglen's adjusted win percentage would be 100%.

Season streaks

Title leaders by decade

minimum 2 titles

Calendar year achievements
Golden Grand Slam * Event of completion
Steffi Graf1988 Olympics
* The Grand Slam + Olympic Gold

Four Majors

Three Majors

Consecutive Majors

Four

Australian/French/Wimbledon/United StatesYear
Maureen Connolly1953
Margaret Court1970
Steffi Graf1988

Three

Two

Best single season

All tournament records

Singles titles and finals

Tournament streaks
  • Active players in bold

Most titles at a single tournament

Most finals at a single tournament

Titles by court surface type
  • Note - Incomplete. Many pre-Open Era titles missing.

Titles by environment
  • Note - Incomplete. This only contains Open Era data.

Matches played/won
  • Note - Incomplete. This only contains Open Era data.
  • As of January 25, 2020

Consecutive match streaks

Match wins per court type
  • Note - Incomplete. This only contains Open Era data.

Matches won by environment
  • Note - Incomplete. This only contains Open Era data.

Winning percentage by surface
  • Note - Incomplete. This only contains Open Era data.
  • Note that the figures below represent career winning percentages of players that are retired (regular font) as well as current active players (boldface). The latter are subject to change and do not reflect the final figure.

Best single season

The Year-End Championships
  • (1970 – present)

WTA Tier I, Premier Mandatory and Premier 5
  • Overall totals include Tier I, Premier Mandatory, and Premier 5 tournaments only.
  • Tier I events were played on 3 surfaces, (carpet) ceased as a surface after 1995.

Titles by court type

Match wins/ percentages

Ranking records (since 1883)

Notes: 1883 –1920 rankings are more variable in nature because of limited sourcing from 1921 onwards more recent rankings are much better sourced are shown here World number 1 women tennis players. Before the open era of tennis arrived in 1968, rankings for amateur players were generally compiled only for a full year of play. Professional players were ranked by journalists, promoters, and players' associations usually at the end of the year. Even for amateurs, however, there was no single official overall ranking that encompassed the entire world. Instead, nation rankings were done by the national tennis association of each country, and world rankings were the preserve of tennis journalists. It was only with the introduction of computerized rankings in the open era that rankings were issued more frequently than once yearly. Even the end-of-year amateur rankings issued by official organizations such as the United States Lawn Tennis Association were based on judgments made by men and women and not on mathematical formulas assigning points for wins or losses.

  • * as of May 8, 2017.

Notes: Sources that are as authoritative as can be found in the men's article are also quoted in the women's can also be found here: ranking sources.

WTA Prize money leaders

See the Open Era records page since the leaders are all in that era.

See also

References
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