75+ Famous American Tennis Players & Stats

American Female Tennis Players

American women are some of the sport’s most successful and influential athletes in history, including Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Chris Evert, and Billie Jean King, to name a few.

The following American women have retired from tennis, but their legacy and influence live on are worth exploring.

Chris Evert

One of the game’s most successful players, Chris Evert, turned pro in 1972 and dominated the game for much of the seventies and eighties.

In total, she claimed 18 Grand Slam singles titles, winning every Grand Slam at least twice. She also won three Grand Slams in doubles.

Her career record is thoroughly impressive at 1,309-146, winning 89.7% of her matches. In 1975, she ascended to world No. 1, which she held for 260 total weeks. Her success led to 157 singles and 32 doubles titles.

Unique to Chris, she reached 34 Grand Slam singles finals, the most of any player in history, and won at least one major every year for thirteen consecutive years, starting in 1974 and ending in 1986.

At the time, Evert deployed a unique style of baseline tennis that helped revolutionize the game along with her two-handed backhand. Previously, players mainly played serve and volley tennis.

Since retiring in 1989, Chris Evert has remained a high-profile personality in tennis as an ESPN commentator at Grand Slam events and Tennis Magazine contributor.

Martina Navratilova

Although Martina Navratilova started as a professional from Czechoslovakia in 1974, she eventually became a US citizen in 1981, so much of her success came as an American tennis player.

Like Chris Evert, she holds 18 Grand Slam singles titles and at least two at every Grand Slam tournament. Her most successful event by far is Wimbledon, which she won a record nine times.

In 1978, she became world No. 1, a position she held for 332 weeks in her career, the second-most of any player behind Steffi Graf. She held the same ranking in doubles for 237 weeks and is the only player to have reached 200 weeks in both disciplines.

Although her singles results are awe-inspiring, her doubles performance far eclipses her accomplishments in singles at Grand Slam events. She won an astounding 31 doubles Grand Slam titles, with at least seven at every tournament. In total, that’s 59 Grand Slam titles, the most of any player ever.

Post-retirement, she has served as a tennis commentator, written several books, and appeared in a few TV shows, which has helped her remain visible in the sport and beyond.

Billie Jean King

American, Billie Jean King, is one of the best-known female tennis players in history who had a successful career and helped shape women’s tennis as we know it today.

In 1959, King turned pro, and during her career, she won 12 singles and 16 doubles Grand Slam titles. In 1966 she was ranked No. 1 in the world in singles, a feat she matched in doubles a year later. She ended her career with a 695-155 singles record, winning 81.8% of her matches and earning 129 titles.

Billie Jean King is well-known for campaigning throughout and after her career for gender equality and equal prize money. In 1971, shortly after the Open Era began, she was part of the Original 9, a group of women who committed to the first women’s professional tour.

In 1973, King famously played in the Battle of the Sexes, an exhibition match against Bobby Riggs, which she won and was a huge milestone in developing and garnering respect for women’s tennis.

She was also instrumental in forming the WTA and became the organization’s first president in 1973. King remains involved with the sport and has continued to fight for women’s equality.

In 2006, the USTA renamed the USTA National Tennis Center the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to recognize her contributions.

Tracy Austin

Although her results aren’t entirely on par with the players previously mentioned, Tracy Austin goes down as one of the best American female tennis players.

Most notably, Tracy won the US Open twice in singles. Her first came in 1979 at the age of 16 as the youngest champion ever at the tournament, while her second came two years later in 1981. Shortly after her first victory in New York, she became ranked No. 1 in 1980.

Tracy Austin won 78.8% of her singles matches and claimed 30 titles throughout her career, along with a handful of doubles wins.

Since retiring, she’s gained some additional exposure working for the TennisChannel as a commentator.

Monica Seles

Monica Seles started her career representing Yugoslavia in 1989 but eventually became a US Citizen in 1994, playing under the American flag.

With an emphasis on singles, Monica won nine Grand Slam tournaments and claimed 53 titles overall. In 1991 she became the No. 1 ranked player, which she held for 178 weeks, 64 consecutive. Her career record of 595-122 netted her an impressive 82.3% winning percentage.

Unfortunately, in 1993, Monic Seles was the victim of an attack in Hamburg, Germany, when a man stabbed her in the back during her quarterfinal match. She wouldn’t return to the tour until 1995.

Although she managed to win another Grand Slam at the Australian Open after returning, she never quite found her prior form. An eventual foot injury in 2003 sidelined her, and she never played on tour again.

If the stabbing hadn’t occurred, many believe she was on track to become one of if not the most successful female tennis player of all time.

Lindsay Davenport

Born in California, Lindsay Davenport is another highly successful American tennis player who claimed three singles and women’s doubles Grand Slam victories during her career.

Her highest ranking as world No. 1 came in 1998, a position she kept for 98 weeks, 44 consecutive. Lindsay accomplished the same feat in doubles, which she achieved in 1997 and held for 32 weeks.

In 1996, Lindsay captured gold at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, GA, and she ended her career with a 753-194 record, winning 79.5% of her singles matches.

Since retiring, Davenport has remained consistently involved with tennis. She has served as a tennis commentator for Tennis Channel and coached American tennis player Madison Keys.

Jennifer Capriati

From early in her career, Jennifer Capriati was a success. After turning pro in 1990, she quickly climbed the ranks, reaching the top 10 at 14 years old.

Her first Grand Slam title came in 2001, which she followed up with another at the French Open. Although she’d make deep runs several times at Wimbledon and the US Open, her third and final Grand Slam victory came at the 2002 Australian Open.

Despite her success in the majors, she only won 14 titles during her career and ended with a 430-176 record, winning 71% of matches. In 2001 after a string of victories, she reached the No. 1 ranking in October.

At the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, Jennifer Capriati captured gold defeating Steffi Graf, coming from a set down.

Doris Hart

American, Doris Hart, was a successful tennis player in the 1950s who became the fourth player to win a Career Grand Slam in singles, doing so from 1949 to 1954 and accumulating 6 Grand Slam singles titles overall.

However, her success went far beyond singles, accumulating 14 women’s doubles titles and 15 mixed doubles. Notably, she achieved a Career Box Set, winning every Grand Slam at least once in every discipline.

In 1951, Doris garnered her highest ranking as world No. 1, and the Tennis Hall of Fame inducted her in 1951. Post-retirement in 1955, Doris taught tennis and published an autobiography.

Althea Gibson

Althena Gibson is a black American tennis player whose road to success was challenging in the 1950s. Notably, she was the first black tennis player to win a Grand Slam at the French Open in 1956.

Althena narrowly missed claiming a Career Grand Slam by winning the Australian Open in 1957, where she reached the finals. That same year, Althena attained the world’s No. 1 ranking. She’d win four more at Wimbledon and the US Open throughout her career.

Much of her success came as an amateur, but because it didn’t pay, she turned professional in 1958. Unfortunately for her, she was ahead of her time. Opportunities were limited, and racial discrimination was rampant.

Despite the challenges, she carried on. In 1964, she became the first black woman to join the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). Although her racial challenges continued, she reached a career-high ranking in golf of 27, extending her accomplishments as an athlete.

Although Althea Gibson passed in 2003, her legacy lives on, and her impact and influence are undeniable.

Helen Wills Moody

Easily one of the greatest tennis players of her time, American Helen Wills Moody’s success was unmatched in the 1920s, and her success continued well into the 1930s.

In total, Helen won 31 Grand Slam titles, 19 in singles. The only Grand Slam she didn’t win was the Australian Open, which didn’t start until 1922 and few American players traveled due to the distance.

In 1926, Helen traveled to France to participate in the Match of the Century against Suzanne Lenglen, a French tennis player. The two were widely considered the best at the time. Although competitive, Helen lost the match 3-6, 6-8.

In the 1924 Paris Olympic Games, Helen won gold in singles and doubles. That same year, she reached the No. 1 ranking in doubles after winning Wimbledon and the US Open. A few years later, in 1927, she achieved the world’s No. 1 ranking in singles.

Maureen Connolly

Success started early for Maureen Connolly, winning the US Championships in 1951 at 16. Soon after, in 1953, she became the first woman to win a Grand Slam as the champion of all four Grand Slam tournaments that year, only losing one set in all four of the tournaments.

In total, Maureen won 12 Grand Slam events from 1951 to 1954. Nine in singles, two in women’s doubles, and one in mixed doubles.

Unfortunately, a horseriding accident cut her career short in 1954 when she injured her fibula shortly after winning Wimbledon. A year later, she announced her retirement from the sport.