5 Greatest Doubles pairs in Tennis

Conventionally doubles and mixed doubles draw lesser crowds and offer lower prize money vis-a-vis singles competitions but that doesn't mean that the competition is not stiff or there is lack of talent in the doubles game. US Open was the first Grand Slam to hold the Men's Doubles event in 1881 and Wimbledon followed in 1884.

In 1889, US Open conducted the very first Women's Doubles Championship and Wimbledon did the same in 1913. Mike Bryan holds the record for the most Grand Slam Doubles titles won by Men in any era with 18. Martina Navratilova holds the record for the most Grand Slam Doubles titles won across eras and including men and women with 31 titles. Margaret Court with 21 Mixed Doubles titles is the all-time record holder. India's Leander Paes with 8 Grand Slam Doubles titles is the most successful Asian tennis athlete in Doubles. We jog down memory lane and look at five of the greatest doubles pairings of all time:

#5 Natasha Zvereva and Gigi Fernandez

Belarusian Natasha Zvereva and American Gigi Fernandez tasted stupendous success in the Doubles field but they also excelled in singles too. Natasha Zvereva was a runner-up in Roland Garros in the year 1998 and she also was a semi-finalist in Wimbledon that year. Gigi Fernandez's best Grand Slam singles result was a semi-final appearance at Wimbledon in 1994.

But they will be remembered for being serial Grand Slam winners in doubles. The duo won 14 Grand Slam Doubles titles across all 4 Grand Slam events between 1993-1997. After winning the Wimbledon Doubles title in 1993, they were holders of all 4 Grand Slam Doubles titles. Their contribution to Women's tennis earned them a place in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in the year 2010.