Tennis legend Chris Evert has revealed her picks for the five greatest women’s tennis players of all time. In a surprising move, the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion left her own name off the list.
In a video shared by TNT Sports in partnership with the WTA, Evert crowned Serena Williams as her No. 1, calling her not just the best player, but the best athlete she’s ever seen on a tennis court.
Chris Evert Names Serena Williams as Her No. 1 All-Time Women’s Tennis Player
The ranking is notable not just for who’s on it, but who’s missing. Evert, a dominant force in the 1970s and ’80s, won 18 Grand Slam singles titles in 34 finals. One of the sport’s most consistent champions, she chose to exclude herself and instead spotlight five other icons who, in her view, redefined women’s tennis across different eras.
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Evert began her list with Billie Jean King at No. 5, praising her all-court game, versatility and championship pedigree. Margaret Court was No. 4, highlighted for her grass-court dominance and 64 total Major titles. Steffi Graf came in at No. 3, with Evert pointing to the German star’s Calendar Year Golden Slam in 1988 as an unmatched feat in tennis history.
“Five would be Billie Jean King. Versatility, serving and volleying, could hit ground strokes. She had an all-court game as well and had a lot of titles. Number four would be Margaret Court. She’s won more Majors than anyone and she just had, especially on grass, she had a very dynamically strong game. Number three, Steffi Graf. She won the Olympics and she won all the Majors in one year.”
Her longtime rival and friend Martina Navratilova landed at No. 2. Evert cited Navratilova’s dominance in singles, doubles and mixed doubles, and her unmatched 167 career singles titles.”Number two would be Martina Navratilova because, again, she’s won more tournaments than any woman player, and she also was winning singles, doubles and mixed doubles, so she had all the shots in the book.”
But it was Serena Williams who topped Evert’s list.”The number one greatest player of all time to me would be Serena Williams,” Evert said. “Because I think she is the best tennis player and the best athlete that I have seen in the game of tennis.”
Evert Acknowledges She Couldn’t Compete With Williams in the Modern Era
Evert has previously said Williams is on another level. In a 2015 USA Today interview, she said she’d have to completely overhaul her game to compete today. Though she backed her own mental toughness, she admitted Serena would overpower her — and likely anyone else.
“If I were to come up with a graphite racket, a different grip, different training regimen — I mean, everything has improved. The physicality, the athleticism, it’s all gotten better. I think I would be more of a thoughtful player and would invest more of my talent in strategy and being mentally solid out on court,” Evert said.
“I don’t know. It’s hard. I think I could do okay on the mental side, but somebody like Serena would just wipe me off the court for sure. You know what though? She’s the only one who’s not human. Everyone else is human.”
“I think if you put Steffi or Martina or Billie Jean or myself or anyone with a champion’s mind in the game today, I think with everything the way it is, we could still do well. But I still see Serena overpowering everybody. She’s that good,” she added.
Evert is too modest. She’s a bit better than BJK. She also handled power well and was more consistent than Serena. Would be interesting to see. But, he is right about the champion’s mentality. That’s the biggest difference.