All time winners singles female US Open

Image via Wikipedia1887 Ellen Hansell
1888 Bertha Townsend
1889 Bertha Townsend
1890 Ellen Roosevelt
1891 Mabel Cahill
1892 Mabel Cahill
1893 Aline Terry
1894 Helen Hellwig
1895 Juliette Atkinson
1896 Elisabeth Moore
1897 Juliette Atkinson
1898 Juliette Atkinson
1899 Marion Jones
1900 Myrtle McAteer
1901 Elisabeth Moore
1902 Marion Jones
1903 Elisabeth Moore
1904 May Sutton
1905 Elisabeth Moore
1906 Helen Homans
1907 Evelyn Sears
1908 Maud Barger-Wallach
1909 Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman
1910 Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman
1911 Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman
1912 Mary Browne
1913 Mary Browne
1914 Mary Browne
1915 Molla Mallory
1916 Molla Mallory
1917 Molla Mallory
1918 Molla Mallory
1919 Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman
1920 Molla Mallory
1921 Molla Mallory
1922 Molla Mallory
1923 Helen Wills
1924 Helen Wills
1925 Helen Wills
1926 Molla Mallory
1927 Helen Wills
1928 Helen Wills
1929 Helen Wills
1930 Betty Nuthall
1931 Helen Wills Moody
1932 Helen Jacobs
1933 Helen Jacobs
1934 Helen Jacobs
1935 Helen Jacobs
1936 Alice Marble
1937 Anita Lizana
1938 Alice Marble
1939 Alice Marble
1940 Alice Marble
1941 Sarah Palfrey Cooke
1942 Pauline Betz
1943 Pauline Betz
1944 Pauline Betz
1945 Sarah Palfrey Cooke
1946 Pauline Betz
1947 Louise Brough
1948 Margaret Osborne duPont
1949 Margaret Osborne duPont
1950 Margaret Osborne duPont
1951 Maureen Connolly
1952 Maureen Connolly
1953 Maureen Connolly
1954 Doris Hart
1955 Doris Hart
1956 Shirley Fry
1957 Althea Gibson
1958 Althea Gibson
1959 Maria Bueno
1960 Darlene Hard
1961 Darlene Hard
1962 Margaret Smith
1963 Maria Bueno
1964 Maria Bueno
1965 Margaret Smith
1966 Maria Bueno
1967 Billie Jean King
1968 Virginia Wade
1968 Margaret Smith Court
1969 Margaret Smith Court
1969 Margaret Smith Court
1970 Margaret Smith Court
1971 Billie Jean King
1972 Billie Jean King
1973 Margaret Smith Court
1974 Billie Jean King
1975 Chris Evert
1976 Chris Evert
1977 Chris Evert
1978 Chris Evert
1979 Tracy Austin
1980 Chris Evert Lloyd
1981 Tracy Austin
1982 Chris Evert Lloyd
1983 Martina Navratilova
1984 Martina Navratilova
1985 Hana Mandlikova
1986 Martina Navratilova
1987 Martina Navratilova
1988 Steffi Graf
1989 Steffi Graf
1990 Gabriela Sabatini
1991 Monica Seles
1992 Monica Seles
1993 Steffi Graf
1994 Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
1995 Steffi Graf
1996 Steffi Graf
1997 Martina Hingis
1998 Lindsay Davenport
1999 Serena Williams
2000 Venus Williams
2001 Venus Williams
2002 Serena Williams
2003 Justine Henin-Hardenne
2004 Svetlana Kuznetsova
2005 Kim Clijsters
2006 Maria Sharapova
2007 Justine Henin
2008 Serena Williams
2009 Kim Clijsters
2010 Kim Clijsters
2011 Samantha Stosur
2012 Serena Williams

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• Women's Tennis and US Open Greats: Graf, King, Navratilova, Williams (bleacherreport.com)

Steffi Graf

Although Steffi became a tennis professional in 1982, her pinnacle year was 1988.
In 1988 Steffi Graf, aged 19, was the best female tennis player in the world. She had won the Grand Slam that year (winning all four grand slams) and an Olympic Gold medal at Seoul. No tennis player had ever done this before. It is hard enough to win a grand slam. Only Maureen Connelly and Margaret Court had done that before (in the women's game). But to win the Gold on top was a master stroke. However, tennis had not been an Olympic sport between 1924 and 1988. Grand slams were also not recorded before the late 20s either.

I think those achievements alone made her one of the greatest female tennis players ever. Martina Navratalova of the same vintage had won many tournaments and Gram Slams but never in the one calendar year had she won them all.


I loved watching the grace of Steffi's game. I saw her play at the Australian Open in a game of doubles. I was 6 foot away from her and very excited. She was taller than expected. She was the best athlete and most well-rounded player. She had a great serve. Her trademark powerful forehand revolutionized the game, and her slice backhand, while not as powerful, complimented her game perfectly, especially because it was virtually the same swing as her backhand drop shot. She was always the fastest player with the most endurance, the best conditioning, and the most will to win and she always raised the level of play on the big points.

Steffi's career highlights
Highest Rank: 1
Grand Slam Titles: 22
Tournaments Won: 107
Australian Open Titles: 4
French Open Titles: 6
Wimbledon Titles: 7
US Open Titles: 5
Grand Slam Finals: 31
Consecutive Grand Slams: 5
Years Ranked No1: 8
Career Prize Money: $21 million
Career Record: 902-114
Career Weeks Ranked No 1: 377



Steffi's biography
Steffi was born in Mannheim, West Germany and later moved to Bruhl. She still lived with her family in Bruhl in 1988. Steffi's parents both played tennis and her father was a competent player. She picked up a sawn off racquet at the age of 2 and played inside the house with her father using the sofa as a net. Soon she was hitting so hard this was no longer feasible and she moved on to a court at the age of 5.

She was dedicated player and sacrificed much to become the great player she was. She had to practice a lot and went to bed at 9pm. But she always loved the game and was never forced to practice.

As she got older it became clear that she had a powerful serve and a beautiful forehand. She was also extremely fit and could run 800 metres in 2' 5 secs. In those days the women didn't use weights or run to get fit. They just played tennis. But Steffi practiced running with weights on her ankles to become stronger.

Steffi retired from the sport at the age of 30, married Andre Agassi and has 2 children with him. I love it when Agassi plays becauseSteffi Graf and kids I love seeing the TV move in on her after they have found where she is sitting. She never sits in the players' box except maybe for a final Agassi is in. She is still shy of the spotlight. You see her these days with her children all watching Agassi play.
What sort of players will those kids be I wonder?

Steffi's records

Only person to win all four Grand Slams at least four times each
Only person to win Golden Grand Slam
Only person to win Grand Slam on four different surfaces
Only person to win and successfully defend all four Grand Slams
Only person to win all four Grand Slams twice in 2 different decades
Only person to win all four Grand Slams in the 1990's
Had a .500 or better record against every major opponent
Ranked No1 for a record 377 weeks
Ranked No1 for a record 186 consecutive weeks
Ranked No1 at end of year for a record 8 years
Ranked at least No 2 every week for a record 10 consecutive years
Named WTA Player of the Year a record 8 times
Won 3+ Grand Slams in a year a record 5 times
Had a record 13 consecutive Grand Slam Finals
Had a record 57 set win streak
Had a record 45 Grand Slam match win streak
Reached all four Grand Slam Finals in a year a record 3 times
Won a record 8 out of 9 Grand Slams in 1988-'90
1st in career prize money, $21 million
Achieved highest ranking point average ever of 441.1746
Achieved highest ranking point total ever of 6951.6185
Only person to win a calendar and a non-calendar year Grand Slam on separate occasions
One of only 5 people (3 women) to win all four Grand Slams in a year
One of only 2 people to win a non-calendar year Grand Slam
2nd in career Grand Slam wins, 22
3rd in career tournaments won, 107
3rd in most consecutive Grand Slams won, 5
2nd in consecutive years with 1+ Grand Slam, 10
4th in career Australian Open titles, 4
2nd in career French Open titles, 6
3rd in career Wimbledon titles, 7
4th in career US Open titles, 5
6th in career Australian Open finals, 5
1st in career French Open finals, 9
2nd in career Wimbledon finals, 9
4th in career US Open finals, 8
2nd in career WTA Championships titles, 5
3rd on my list of the top 100 Athletes of the Century