10 Women’s Tennis Records That May Never Be Broken

Comparing women’s tennis records across generations is never simple. The tour, equipment and tournament schedules have all changed. Even so, some numbers have barely been approached. These ten may be the hardest to break.

1. Margaret Court — 24 Grand Slam Singles Titles

Margaret Court still holds the women’s record with 24 Grand Slam singles titles. Thirteen of her titles came before the Open Era, and the Australian Championships did not always attract the strongest international field.

Serena Williams finished on 23 and Steffi Graf on 22. A player could win two majors a season for 12 years and still not pass Court.

2. Serena Williams — 23 Open Era Grand Slam Titles

Serena Williams was 17 when she won the 1999 US Open and 35 when she won the 2017 Australian Open. Injuries and serious health problems interrupted her career, yet her 23 major titles still spanned 18 years.

3. Steffi Graf — The Golden Slam

In 1988, Steffi Graf won the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open. She also won the Olympic singles gold medal in Seoul. Graf remains the only player to win all four majors and Olympic singles gold in the same calendar year.

The Olympics come only once every four years, leaving very few chances even for the greatest players. Graf was 19 when she did it.

4. Martina Navratilova — 167 Singles Titles

Martina Navratilova won 167 singles titles during her career. Leading players entered more tournaments in Navratilova’s era, including smaller events that today’s top players often skip. Even eight titles a year for 20 seasons would produce only 160.

5. Martina Navratilova — 74 Consecutive Match Wins

Navratilova also won 74 straight singles matches in 1984. Helena Sukova ended the run in the semifinals of the 1984 Australian Open.

6. Chris Evert — 34 Consecutive Grand Slam Semifinals

Chris Evert reached the semifinals in 34 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments that she entered.
For more than eight years, every major Evert entered ended with at least a semifinal appearance.
To match it, a player would have to reach the last four at every major she entered for more than eight years.

7. Chris Evert — 125 Straight Wins on Clay

Between 1973 and 1979, Chris Evert won 125 consecutive matches on clay. For nearly six years, nobody beat her on the surface. Her patience, movement and control suited clay better than any other surface.

8. Steffi Graf — 377 Weeks at World No. 1

Steffi Graf spent 377 weeks as the world’s top-ranked player. That amounts to more than seven years at No. 1. Graf first reached No. 1 in 1987 and returned to the top again in 1997.

9. Monica Seles — Eight Grand Slam Titles Before Turning 20

Monica Seles won eight Grand Slam singles titles as a teenager. Teenage champions have become much rarer, with most players now peaking later. Seles won her first major at 16 and added seven more before she turned 20.

10. Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver — 109 Straight Doubles Wins

Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver won 109 consecutive doubles matches between 1983 and 1985. In doubles, both players must remain healthy, available and committed to the partnership.
Injuries, singles commitments and changing schedules often break up successful teams before they can build such a run.

Which Women’s Tennis Records Are Hardest to Break?

Graf’s Golden Slam may be the hardest to repeat because the opportunity comes only once every four years. Evert’s 125 clay-court wins and Navratilova’s 167 titles may be even less likely to fall because today’s tour is organised differently.

One of these records may eventually go. Most of them, though, were built under conditions modern tennis no longer offers.

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