Wimbledon Women Legends

Hundreds of players have participated in the Wimbledon championships till date. Few of these were better than other players, and chosen among those few were the champions. And even among the champions, the legends had the game which made them stand tall. Here is an account of the ladies Wimbledon legends.

Margaret Court
Margaret Court, from Australia, amassed a record that remains unequalled: 62 Grand Slam titles in all, including 24 singles, 19 doubles, and 19 mixed doubles titles. Margaret was tall, athletic, strong, quick, and competitive. People often said that she played like a man, so intimidating was her style to opponents. Her strength and skill combined to make her most formidable on the grass surface. Margaret Court retired from professional tennis in 1975.

Singles Champion: 1963, 1965, 1970
Singles Runner-up: 1964, 1971
Doubles Champion: 1964, 1969
Doubles Runner-up: 1961, 1963, 1966, 1971
Mixed Doubles Champion: 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1975
Mixed Double Runner-up: 1964, 1971

Chris Evert
Chris Evert, from USA, made her debut in Wimbledon in 1972 and continued competing till 1989. Having a trend-setting two-fisted backhand and nerves seemingly made of steel, Evert contested no less than ten Wimbledon finals, and won three of them. Evert enjoyed the Wimbledon top seeding for the first time in 1975. Rivalry between Evert and Navaratilova, another great, was legendary. For many fans, cat-and-mouse play of Evert and Navratilova, studded with acute volleys, marvellous passing shots and breathtaking serves, embodied ideal tennis.

Singles Champion: 1974, 1976, 1981
Singles Runner-up: 1973, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1985,
Doubles Champion: 1976

Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King, from USA, is officially recognized as the most dynamic and prolific winner ever to play at Wimbledon. She was the woman who contributed more to the development of tennis than any other. Billie Jean was the winner of the most talked-about tennis match ever, held at the Houston Astrodome in September 1973, when she defeated Bobby Riggs in three straight sets. Between 1961 and 1979, King claimed 20 titles - six singles, ten doubles and four mixed.

Singles Champion: 1966, 1967, 1968, 1972, 1973, 1975
Singles Runner-up: 1963, 1969, 1970
Doubles Champion: 1961, 1962, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1979
Doubles Runner-up: 1964, 1976
Mixed Doubles Champion: 1967, 1971, 1973, 1974
Mixed Doubles Runner-up: 1966, 1978, 1983

Suzanne Lenglen
Suzanne Lenglen is referred to by many as the Goddess of Tennis. She fulfilled every other requirement of a sporting goddess - ethereal, all-conquering and a leader in setting trends and fashions. Lenglen was only 20 when she made her first visit to Wimbledon for the 1919 Championships, the first to be held after the Great War. Lenglen won six Wimbledons and was never beaten in the competition at the Wimbledon. She revitalised and reformed the game in the seven years of her dominance until turning professional.

Singles Champion: 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1925
Doubles Champion: 1919, 1920. 1921, 1922, 1923, 1925
Mixed Doubles Champion: 1920, 1922, 1925

Helen Wills Moody
Helen, from USA, was a premier player of the pre-war era. Between 1927 and 1932 she did not lose a set, never mind a match, winning five Wimbledons, four US and four French titles. She was feared by her opponents, who were rarely able to mark victory on her. After her retirement, she became an accomplished writer and painter.

Singles Champion: 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1938
Doubles Champion: 1924, 1927, 1930
Mixed Doubles Champion: 1929


Martina Navaratilova
Martina Navaratilova, the greatest woman player of modern era, was a Czech who settled in the United States. She won a record number of nine singles titles, spanning three decades and involving some of the fiercest rivalries in women's tennis history. She was admired for her humility, honesty and vulnerability, the traits which are often discarded by the people.

Singles Champion: 1978, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990
Singles Runner-up: 1988, 1989, 1994
Doubles Champion: 1976, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986
Doubles Runner-up:1977, 1985
Mixed Doubles Champion: 1985, 1993, 1995, 2003
Mixed Doubles Runner-up: 1986

Steffi Graf
Steffi Graf, from Germany, enjoyed an exemplary career as a tennis player. She won the Wimbledon Singles crown seven times and had a Golden Grand Slam in 1988. Steffi Graf was the tallest player of her era, dominating the women's game for over a decade to win 22 singles Grand Slam titles. She was always quiet and modest, and an underlying determination was always evident. She was world No. 1 for a record 377 weeks and in total won 106 tour titles.

Singles Champion: 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996
Singles Runner-up: 1987, 1999
Doubles Champion: 1988