(*10*)The Frenchwoman Suzanne Lenglen, the American sisters Serena and Venus Williams, the American Billie Jean King… all of them marked the history of tennis in the world. Portraits of the fifteen greatest players in history.
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(*10*)In January 2022, Rafael Nadal gained the Australian Open, defeating Daniil Medvedev in the event ultimate. sufficient to permit him to interrupt the file for Grand Slam victories for male players. In whole, he has gained twenty-one main competitions, yet one more than Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. “Rafaël Nadal becomes the most successful Grand Slam player in history”, we may learn in the title of many articles. And if he’s certainly the primary man to build up so many titles, others have already executed higher: girls. Margaret Smith Court has gained twenty-four Grand Slams, Serena Williams twenty-three and Steffi Graf twenty-two. Records hardly ever highlighted by the media reporting the exploit of Rafael Nadal, which says lots in regards to the place of ladies in tennis.
The place of ladies in tennis / Credit: Unsplash
The history of tennis and girls
(*10*)Tennis has its origins in tennis, a ball sport the place players – and girls players, the game was not reserved for males – tapped with the palms of their arms. The rackets and the online had been added in order that it turned tennis, a phrase coined by Walter Clopton Wingfield, in 1874. Three years later, in 1977, the Wimbledon event in England was created, 5 years earlier than Roland-Garros. But the competitions are first closed to girls. It was not till 1884 that they performed a match at Wimbledon for the primary time, in outfits probably not suited to the follow of the game: long-sleeved costume with petticoats as much as the ankles, with corset, stockings and hat . The French girls’s worldwide occasion was created in 1897, however tenniswomen are usually not quite a few on the courts… there are solely three registered in the primary yr.
(*10*)Little by little, girls made a spot for themselves in tennis competitions, however earnings parity solely occurred in 2007. During all these years, many tenniswomen have distinguished themselves on the courts. Here are the highest 10 girls who’ve marked the history of tennis.
Suzanne Lenglen (1899 – 1938), the primary worldwide female tennis star
(*10*)Suzanne Lenglen began taking part in tennis at an early age, coached by her father. He made her a champion, who gained 98% of the matches she performed. She was nicknamed “the divine”. Suzanne Lenglen notably gained the French internationals twice, Wimbledon six instances and gained the Olympic gold medal in the women’ singles on the Antwerp Games in 1920. In 1997, her identify was chosen to rename Court A of the stadium internationals of France, at Porte d’Auteuil, constructed in 1994.
Suzanne Lenglen gave her identify to a pitch on the Stade des Internationnaux de France / Credit: Unsplash
Althea Gibson (1927 – 2003), the primary black lady to win a Grand Slam title
(*10*)Althea Gibson is an American tenniswoman who distinguished herself on the courts in the Nineteen Fifties. In 1956, she gained the French worldwide competitors, thus changing into the primary black lady to win a Grand Slam title, and this, twelve years earlier than Arthur Ashe in males. The following yr, she gained at Wimbledon and obtained the cup from the arms of Elizabeth II. In whole, Althea Gibson has gained eleven Grand Slams in singles, in addition to her skilled golf profession. She devoted the tip of her life to the accessibility of tennis in deprived neighborhoods.
Margaret Smith Court (1942 – ), the file holder for Grand Slam victories
(*10*)Australian Margaret Smith Court is taken into account one of many greatest girls in the history of tennis, thanks in specific to her twenty-four Grand Slam titles, out of forty-seven appearances. Record that has (thus far) by no means been equaled. She additionally multiplied the victories in girls’s doubles and blended doubles.
Billie Jean King (1943 – ), the winner of a match in opposition to a sexist participant
(*10*)The American Billie Jean King gained between 1959 and 1990 thirty-nine Grand Slam titles (twelve in girls’s singles, sixteen in girls’s doubles and eleven in blended doubles). She remained on the prime of the world rankings from 1966 to 1974. But Billie Jean King additionally distinguished herself in 1973 by beating Bobby Riggs, former world primary who assured {that a} lady may by no means beat him. A narrative that impressed the movie Battle of the sexes (2017), by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Fais, with Emma Stone because the tennis participant.
Emma Stone in Battle of the Sexes / Credit: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Steffi Graf (1969 – ), the one winner of the Golden Grand Slam
(*10*)Steffi Graf, German, had a profession between 1982 and 1999. She gained twenty-two Grand Slam titles, sufficient to be one of many greatest female tennis champions behind Margaret Smith Court (twenty-four in Grand Slam) and Serena Williams (twenty three). Steffi Graf even achieved the calendar Grand Slam in singles in 1988, that’s, she gained all 4 main competitions in the identical yr, and he or she gained the gold medal in singles on the Seoul Olympics , thus attaining a golden Grand Slam. Exploit of which Steffi Graf is the one winner.
Monica Seles (1973 – ), the youngest winner of Roland-Garros
(*10*)Monica Seles is a tennis participant from the previous Yugoslavia, naturalized American in 1994. She gained the Roland-Garros event in 1990 when she was solely sixteen and a half years outdated, changing into the youngest winner. The following yr, in 1991, she turned the youngest world primary in the WTA rankings, interrupting the reign of Steffi Graf. Before her twenties, she gained eight Grand Slam titles. She was stabbed in the again by a spectator throughout a match in Hamburg in 1993. Forced to interrupt her profession, Monica Seles returned to the courts in 1995 however didn’t discover her degree earlier than.
Amélie Mauresmo (1979 – ), essentially the most profitable French tenniswoman in girls’s singles
(*10*)Frenchwoman Amélie Mauresmo began tennis very younger, and gained her first victories at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon in the junior part. She gained the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2006, when she was world primary. She is essentially the most profitable Frenchwoman, forward of Mary Pierce, Marion Bartoli and Julie Halard. Amélie Mauresmo retired from sport in 2009 to turn into a coach.
The Williams sisters: Venus (1980 – ) and Serena (1981 – ), the world’s first primary black girls
(*10*)Born right into a poor household, Venus and Serena Williams had been skilled at a really younger age to turn into champions and to get out of social distress by their father. In 2002, the eldest turned the primary black lady primary in the world, just some months earlier than the youngest. Serena William has gained thirty-nine Grand Slam singles and doubles titles. She has gained 4 gold medals on the Olympic Games (three along with her sister Venus and one in singles). Moreover, if the sisters performed collectively, they had been additionally in competitors: the youngest gained nineteen of the thirty-one matches they performed. She distinguished herself by her tremendous highly effective sport.
Venus and Serena / Credit: Instagram
Maria Sharapova (1987 – ), the perfect Russian female tennis participant
(*10*)Maria Sharapova, born in Siberia, distinguished herself on the tennis courts between 2001 and 2020. She is the primary Russian lady to win Wimbledon in 2004, and the primary Russian to turn into world primary in the WTA rankings. She has multiplied the victories, sufficient to make her the perfect Russian participant in the history of tennis. In 2016, she was suspended for 2 years by the International Tennis Federation for testing optimistic for meldonium throughout the Australian Open. On enchantment, her suspension was decreased to fifteen months, as a result of the Court of Arbitration for Sport acknowledged that she had not consumed the doping product voluntarily.
Naomi Osaka (1997 – ), the primary Japanese to win a Grand Slam title
(*10*)Naomi Osaka, Japanese participant, is a part of the brand new technology of champions. She was revealed in 2016. In 2018, at solely 21 years outdated, she gained the Indian Wells event, then the US Open, and, in 2019, the Australian Open. She is the primary Japanese to win a Grand Slam event and prime the world rankings. On the lads’s aspect, no Japanese participant has but achieved this feat. Naomi Osaka can be identified for her dedication: in 2020 she supported the Black Lives Matter motion, in 2021 she refused to participate in Roland-Garros press conferences to guard her psychological well being, earlier than leaving the event beneath an excessive amount of of strain.
Naomi Osaka / Credit: Instagram
(*10*)Many different girls have distinguished themselves in tennis. We may have talked about Christ Evert, who holds the file for victories at Roland Garros, we may have talked about Anne Kournikova, tennis participant turned mannequin. We may have chosen the final winner of the French internationals, Barbora Krejčíková. We may even have talked about Peng Shuai, a Chinese tennis participant who mysteriously disappeared after accusing Zhang Gaoli, a Chinese politician, and who simply as mysteriously reappeared saying that her statements had been “false” and that she was retiring from sport. There are many champions and programs.