OFF: Who Is the WTA Tour’s GOAT?
Article by Aaress Lawless on Mar 14, 2008 | Print |
While the ATP Tour’s Greatest Of All Time debate is centered around only two men, the WTA Tour’s candidates can probably be counted on two hands.
Today’s Open Forum Friday is your chance to tell us whom you believe is the best female player of all time.
As groundwork for today’s discussion, let me issue one small requirement.
The player you nominate can be retired or active, but if you name an active player, she must be included based on her past achievements. Just because you believe a player can win five more Grand Slams before she quits does not make her eligible for this discussion. Check back in ten years and we’ll talk about it then.
Have a great weekend and thank you for participating!
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pov | Mar 14, 2008 | Reply
There are some fairly comprehensive stats here:
http://www.tennis-x.com/stats/tennisrecords.php
Kurt | Mar 14, 2008 | Reply
That’s a very difficult question to answer. It’s incredibly hard to measure the careers of those before the Open era began to those of today. Some strong candidates:
Margaret Court won the most grand slam titles total (and most singles) in history and won a career grand slam boxed set.
Steffi Graf has the Open era grand slam singles title record, ended eight years as the world no. 1, and won the Golden Slam in 1988.
Martina Navratilova won the most singles and doubles titles ever and once won six consecutive grand slam singles titles. She revolutionized fitness in tennis and is the owner of a career boxed set as well.
Chris Evert mastered clay brilliantly (a 125-match winning streak and a record 7 French Opens), dominated over many years (she won at least one grand slam singles title every year for 13 years- 1974-1986), and her overall career win-loss record (her record 90.1% winning percentage).
Honorable mentions: Billie Jean King and Monica Seles. The former’s career might have been greater had she not been so involved with fighting for equality and starting up and running the WTA Tour and WTT. The latter’s career was interrupted by a deranged Graf fan and she subsequently missed the next 10 grand slams. When she did return, the psychological effects of the attack lingered, and she lost much of her dominance. Who knows what she might have accomplished? Yet, she’s an honorable mention because of what she DID accomplish, as opposed to what might have been.
W | Mar 15, 2008 | Reply
SERENA!
M | Mar 15, 2008 | Reply
Easy. Steffi Graf. We all know her stats (22, slams, longest as No. 1 both men and women, etc.), but this will set her as the GOAT:
She has a head-to-head winning record over EVERYONE.
pov | Mar 15, 2008 | Reply
Graf vs Navratilova is 9-9 H2H
http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/2/players/playerprofiles/playerheadtoheaddetail.asp?PlayerID=70044&Player1ID=140007&x=9&y=8
Aaress | Mar 15, 2008 | Reply
Although this was not even close to being an “official” match, Graf defeated Navratilova only today at an exhibition in Tokyo.
Richard | Mar 15, 2008 | Reply
I think I’ll ignore the Serena comment and move on.
The WTA Top 5:
1. Martina Navratilova
2. Steffi Graf
3. Chris Evert
4. Billie Jean King
5. Margaret Court
I think that list should be universally agreed by the majority of tennis fans. My personal favorite and childhood idol is Graf, however. Not a fan of Martina, to be honest.
pov | Mar 16, 2008 | Reply
Aaress,
lol. Yeah I’ll leave out the decade after exhibition. What was interesting is that Kimiko Date beat Graf and Navratilova.
Richard,
Why do you think that list should be agreed on? Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
Richard | Mar 16, 2008 | Reply
Because the list is based off achievements, not opinions. This isn’t “Who do you think should be the WTA’s greatest player?”, this is “Who IS the WTA Tour’s GOAT.”
pov | Mar 16, 2008 | Reply
Richard, I think that what you stated is in itself an opinion. There is the opinion that “most titles” is the same as “greatest.”
Even if one goes with that, the stats are open to interpretation. For instance Chris Evert has more singles titles than Graf. Graf spent more weeks at #1 than anyone else.
Conclusions that differ to what you posted are not unusual: In December 1999, Graf was named the greatest female tennis player of the 20th century by a panel of experts assembled by The Associated Press.[2] Tennis writer Steve Flink, in his book The Greatest Tennis Matches of the Twentieth Century, named her as the best female player of the 20th century.
Also see - http://www.insidetennis.com/0405_bestfemale.html
And if you could post a link to the WTA’s info, I’d like to see what they use as their criteria.
Ash | Mar 20, 2008 | Reply
I have to give a heartfelt mention to Martina Hingis. Youngest this, longest number 1 without a slam that, etc.