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Wimbledon: The 9 greatest women’s singles champions – ranked!
By Oli Dickson Jefford,
2024-06-24
Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf star in our countdown.
One of the most famous events in all of sport has delivered some of the most iconic champions of all time.
The Venus Rosewater Dish is one of the most coveted trophies in women’s sports, and several tennis greats have been able to get their hands on that very trophy at Wimbledon .
As the 2024 Championships move ever close, we look back and rank our nine greatest women’s singles champions of the Open Era.
9) Jana Novotna
Titles: 1998 Finals: 1993, 1997
An enduring Wimbledon champion, the late, great Novotna finally claimed the title in 1998 in one of the most popular wins ever.
The Czech star famously blew a heavy lead in the 1993 final to Steffi Graf , and four years later was beaten by Martina Hingis in the 1997 final.
However, Novotna finally claimed the title that had eluded her the following year, defeating Nathalie Tauziat in straight sets.
8) Petra Kvitova
Titles: 2011, 2014
One of the best WTA players of the past decade and a half, there were few better sights in tennis than Kvitova in full flight on a grass court.
The Czech stormed to her first SW19 title in 2011, beating former champion Maria Sharapova in straight sets to claim a maiden Grand Slam title.
The former world No 2 then regained her title three years later, handing out one of the heaviest Grand Slam final defeats to Eugenie Bouchard in a dominant 2014 final.
7) Evonne Goolagong
Titles: 1971, 1980 Finals: 1972, 1975-76
Another beloved tennis figure, Goolagong’s 1980 triumph at the All England Club is one of the most famous in tennis history.
By defeating Chris Evert , the Australian became the first woman to win the title as a mother – an achievement not matched since.
Goolagong had previously claimed the title in 1971, defeating Margaret Court in the final, while losing a further three finals across the 1970s.
A true great of the game, Evert was a huge fan favourite at SW19 and would ultimately pick up multiple titles at the tournament.
After beating Olga Morozova for her first title in 1974, she battled past Goolagong in a classic final to regain the title in 1976.
Five years later she beat Hana Mandlikova for her third and final title at Wimbledon, though she did impressively reach a further seven finals.
5) Billie Jean King
Titles: 1968, 1972-73, 1975 Finals: 1969-70
Having won two titles pre-Open Era, King would win four more after the birth of the professional game in the late 1960s.
She in fact won the first Wimbledon of the Open Era in 1968, beating Judy Tegart-Dalton in the final, before finishing as the runner-up in 1969 and 1970.
But the pioneering figure then beat Goolagong and Evert to win the titles in 1972 and 1973, before winning her final Slam by again beating the Australian in 1975.
Venus is synonymous with the All England Club, with five of her seven Grand Slam singles victories coming at Wimbledon.
The American beat Lindsay Davenport for her first title in 2000, before battling past Justine Henin in 2001 to successfully defend her crown.
Venus then beat Davenport in the legendary 2005 final, before beating Marion Bartoli and younger sister Serena for back-to-back titles in 2007 and 2008 – reaching a further four finals as well.
A true great of the game, Graf ruled Wimbledon through the late 1980s and early 1990s, starting with back-to-back triumphs in 1988 and 1989 versus Martina Navratilova – having lost the 1987 final to her.
The German then won three straight titles from 1991 to 1993, edging past Gabriela Sabatini in a thrilling 1991 final before victories over Monica Seles and Novotna.
After a shock round one loss in 1994, she beat Arantxa Sanchez Vicario for her final two victories in 1995 and 1996, also reaching the final in 1999.
Perhaps the greatest woman to ever pick up a racket, Wimbledon is arguably Serena’s greatest Slam tournament, with a staggering seven titles to her name.
Her SW19 success began by beating sister Venus in the 2002 and 2003 finals, before beating her again to reclaim the Venus Rosewater Dish in 2009.
Serena beat Vera Zvonareva to defend her title in 2010, before beating Agnieszka Radwanska in 2012, and Garbine Muguruza and Angelique Kerber in 2015 and 2016.
Outside of those victories, she was a beaten finalist a further four times.
No woman has come close to emulating Navratilova’s staggering haul of nine Wimbledon titles, with the Czech the greatest female grass-courter of all time.
Navratilova won her first SW19 title in 1978, beating Evert in the final, before beating her great rival again to defend her crown in 1979.
After missing out for two years, she then won a historic six titles in a row from 1982 to 1987, before capturing her ninth and final title in 1990.
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