Women's Tennis: 5 Players with Most Singles Titles in Open Era
Since the dawn of the Open Era of tennis in 1968, many women have graced and aced the tennis courts and have rose to become legends. In the early days, women used to peak early probably in their late teens and would lose form or retire by the age of 30. However, that is no longer the case in the Modern Era as women just like their male counterparts continue to push well into their 30's and give the younger players a run for their money. One doesn't have to look further back to validate this point.
Angelique Kerber became the oldest World Number 1 in 2016 at the age of 28 and Serena Williams won the 2017 Australian Open at the age of 35. Currently, there are 8 players in the WTA Top 30 who are 30 or older. Although Grand Slams offer the same prize money to both men and women, there is a considerable difference in prize money between ATP organized tournaments for men and WTA tournaments conducted for women. We take a look at 5 women who have tasted most success in the Open Era :
#5 Serena Williams
The only active player in the list is American Serena Williams. Serena rose to prominence as a teenager in the late 1990's and is the only woman in tennis history to win Grand Slam singles titles in 3 different decades (the 1990's 2000's and 2010's). Her tally of 23 Grand Slam titles till date is second to none in the Open Era. The only woman with over 80 Million in prize money earnings, Serena has inspired women all over the world and continues to defy age and time as she looks to break Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles.
Serena has also won the Olympic Gold in doubles 3 times and also the Olympic Singles Gold in 2012. Apart from helping USA win the Fed Cup in 1999 and the Hopman Cup twice, Serena also has won every single Grand Slam doubles final that she has featured in along with her sister Venus as partner giving her a total of 14 Grand Slam Doubles titles. Bestowed recently with 'The WTA Comeback Player of the Year in 2018 Award', Serena Williams has won 72 Singles titles till date.