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Navratilova would go down as perhaps the greatest female star to have ever played the gameTennis is an individual sport and as a fan and critics of the game, we usually end up debating as to who is the best player of all time or of their generation. There have been endless discussions as to who among the tennis legends in Margaret Court, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf or Serena Williams would be hailed as the "Greatest of All Time".But have we ever pondered as to which are the tennis playing nations from where these illustrious female players hail and how often have these countries produced champion players over a sustained time period. As a performance yardstick, a tennis player success at winning grand slam titles, breaking and cementing their position in the top ten rankings, and overall titles won on the WTA tour are key indicators to assess their individual careers.But as these statistics only highlight their individual achievements on tour, we need to factor in as to how the same players perform while representing their nations in premier team competitions. Going by this rationale, I have taken into account two performance indicators.Firstly, how have nations performed in the Fed Cup, which is hailed as the premier tournament in women’s tennis and secondly, the medals won by female tennis athletes representing their nations in tennis events at the Olympics Games.Combining these parameters along with the individual Grand Slam performances, I have come up with my top ten list of the most dominant nations in women's tennis since the start of the Open Era.
#1 United States of America
Right from the days of Billie Jean King in the 60s to the dominance of Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova in the 70s and 80s to the Williams Sisters stamping their authority in the new millennium, United States has been the most dominant nation in women’s tennis.
Martina Navratilova would go down as perhaps the greatest female star to have ever played the game. She was the most dominant player for over two decades which saw her win a staggering 166 singles and 167 doubles titles.
Martina ended up with 18 singles grand slam titles, a testimony to her consistency and longevity as a champion. Chris Evert created a place for herself in history by winning 18 grand slam singles titles, besides collecting an impressive 157 tour titles. The turn of the millennium saw the rise of Williams sisters who took tennis to another physical level courtesy their brute force and power hitting.
The tall leftie Lindsay Davenport known for her powerful groundstrokes became World No’1 and a Grand Slam champion. Venus Williams with her powerful serves had notable success at Wimbledon, winning 5 singles titles. In the modern era, Serena Williams has become the most dominant player to have played the game, drawing comparisons with the all-time greats considering her consistency and longevity at the top of the sport.
The US challenge in recent times has been spearheaded by Christina McHale, Sloane Stephens, Coco Vandeweghe and Key Madison who look like promising stars for the future. They have also produced some of the greats in doubles with the likes of Pam Shriver, Gigi Fernandes, Lisa Raymond, Lisa Huber and Williams Sisters who went on to become multiple Grand Slam champions.
Notable Mentions: Tracy Austin, Jennifer Capriati, Zina Garrison, Meghann Shaughnessy, Chanda Rubin, Vania King and Bethanie Mattek-Sands
USA at Fed Cup: Champions 17 Times – (1963, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1986,1989, 1990, 1996, 1999, 2000)
Grand Slam Singles Titles won by US players: Serena Williams (21), Martina Navratilova (18), Chris Evert (18), Monica Seles (1), King (8), Venus Williams (7), Lindsay Davenport and Jeniffer Capriati (3),Tracy Austin (2),Nancy Richey (1)
Medals Won at Olympics – Ladies Singles: Jennifer Capriati Gold (1992), Lindsay Davenport - Gold (1996), Venus Williams - Gold (2000), Serena Williams- Gold (2012), Bronze – Mary Joe Fernandes (1992)
Ladies Doubles: Venus and Serena Williams - Gold (2000,2008,2012), Mary Joe and Gigi Fernandes - Gold (1992 and 1996), Gina Garrison and Pam Shriver - Gold (1988)
#2 Russia
Post the disintegration of the Mighty Soviet Union, Russia emerged as a powerhouse in tennis. Anna Kournikova could be hailed as the poster girl of Russian tennis in the 90s. The pretty blonde who created waves around the tennis universe for her killer looks had notable success in doubles with Swiss teen sensation Martina Hingis.
In the new millennium, Russia could be hailed as a potent force in the women's game with a plethora of female tennis players dominating the WTA tour courtesy their athletic physiques and powerful baseline game.
Russian tennis announced itself on the world stage in the year 2004 when three of the four Ladies singles grand slam singles title were won by Russian players. The pack was led by their golden girl Maria Sharapova.The tall and lanky Russian blonde combined her model like looks with some sublime tennis to become one of the highest earning and popular female tennis player in the new millennium. Sharapova has been a World No. 1 and has completed a career Slam in her career.
Svetlana Kuznetsova, another top-ranked player has won two Grand Slam Titles. She has tasted success in doubles too by winning the Australian and US Open. The likes of Elena Dementieva, Vera Zvonareva, Nadia Petrova, Dinara Safina, Anna Chakvetadze and Maria Kirilenko all have had resounding success by winning multiple tour titles and spending a considerable time in the top 10.
At present, the Russians have some exciting young players in Ekaterina Makarova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Courtesy a group of top-ranked players, the Russians have managed to become a dominant force in the Fed Cup, winning the coveted title four times.
Russia in Fed Cup: Champions - 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008
Grand Slam Singles Titles won by Russian Players: 8 Titles - Maria Sharapova (5), Svetlana Kuznetsova (2), Anastasia Myskina (1)
Medals at Olympics:
Ladies Singles: Elena Dementieva - Gold (2008), Silver (2000), Maria Sharapova - Silver (2012), Dinara Safina - Silver (2008)
Ladies Doubles: Maria Kirilenko and Nadia Petrova - Bronze (2012)
#3 Australia
Australia was one of the dominant forces in international tennis with the commencement of the Open Era. Margaret Court could be hailed as one of the legends of women’s tennis.
Margaret was a multiple Grand Slam champion who dominated women’s tennis in the 60s. She was amazingly consistent in her career and won a record 62 Grand Slams across all categories.
She won eleven out her record 24 singles grand slams in the Open Era. Margaret Court had an imposing physique and made good use of her height to overcome opponents.
Evonne Goolagong Cawley was a top ranked player in the early 70s. Goolagong reached a record 17 Grand Slam finals in the 70s besides winning 68 singles titles. Wendy Trendbull was an accomplished singles player who reached 3 Grand Slam finals, besides winning nine grand slam titles in the doubles and mixed doubles events.
Jelena Dokic was a teen sensation who reached the finals of a couple of slams. In the last decade, Samatha Stosur has been the top Australian female player to have won the 2011 US Open besides winning multiple premier level WTA tournaments.
Rennae Stubbs has been Australia’s greatest doubles players. Stubbs has won four grand slam titles, besides having collected 60 tour titles.
Notable Mentions: Kerry Melville Reid, Casey Dellacqua, Elizabeth Smylie, Alicia Molik
Australia in Fed Cup - Champions - 1964, 1965, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974
Grand Slam Singles Titles won by Australian Players - 21 Titles - Margaret Court (11), Evonne Goolagong (7), Kerry Melville Reid (1), Chris O'Neil (1), Samantha Stosur (1)
Medals at Olympics - Ladies Singles - Alice Molik - Bronze - (2004)
#4 Spain
Spanish female tennis players have created a legacy of their own in the sport. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario was Spain’s greatest player in the 90s.
In an era dominated by Seles and Graf, Vicario was second to none when it came to battling for Grand Slam Titles. Her spirited finals at Roland Garros with Graf shall be always be cherished by fans.
Vicario had considerable success on her favourite surface clay by winning the French Open title thrice in 1989, 1994 and 1998 besides lifting the US Open in 1994. Vicario was a bubbly character on the court and hence garnered immense popularity among fans.
Conchita Martinez was another top class singles player who won the 1994 Wimbledon title. After these two greats departed, Spanish tennis saw a visible decline.
The latest spark in women’s tennis has come from Garbine Muguruza, who looks to be one the cleanest strikers of the ball. She has immense talent to become a top tennis player in the near future.
Muguruza did her nation proud by reaching the finals of the 2015 Wimbledon. Spain has an accomplished singles player in C. Suarez Navarro. Meanwhile, Anabel Medina Garrigues has won a couple of grand slams in doubles.
Virginia Ruano Pascual was one of the legendary doubles players of all time. Pascual had a highly successful doubles career in which she won 43 Titles, including 10 Grand Slam Titles.
Spain at Fed Cup: Champions - 1991,1993,1994,1995,1998
Grand Slam Singles Titles won by Spanish - 5 Titles - Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (4) and Conchita Martinez (1)
Medals at Olympics:
Ladies Singles: Arantxa Sánchez Vicario – Silver (1996), Bronze (1992)
Ladies Doubles: Conchita Martínez and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario - Silver - (1992), Bronze (1996)
Conchita Martínez and Virginia Ruano Pascual – Silver - (2004)
Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual – Silver (2008)
#5 Germany
Steffi Graf could be hailed as the greatest female tennis player to emerge out of Germany. For a glittering career which saw her win record 22 singles grand slams, Steffi Graf was arguably one of the legends of the game.
Graf dominated women’s tennis in the late 80s and 90s. Steffi spent a considerable 377 weeks in total as World No'1 and won an astonishing 107 singles titles. She had a sense of flair and panache in her playing style which made her game look effortless. Steffi’s backhand strokes were considered one of the best in the women's game.
Her rivalry with Monica Seles would go down as one of the greatest in the sport. In the 90s, Anke Huber was a top ten ranked player for most of her career, ended up winning 12 tour titles.
In the last decade, German tennis witnessed a resurgence with the emergence of talented players in Sabine Lisicki, Angelique Kerber, Julia Georges and Andreas Petkovic who have the arsenal to take on the best in the world.
German tennis regained some of its lost glory when Angelique Kerber stamped her class by stunning defending champion and top seed Serena Williams in 2016 Australian Open finals.
Notable Mentions: Annika Beck, Claudia Kohde-Kilsch, Barbara Rittner
Germany at Fed Cup - Champions - 1987, 1992
Grand Slam Singles Titles Won By German Players - 23 Titles - Steffi Graf (22), Angelique Kerber (1)
Medals Won at Olympics - Ladies Singles - Steffi Graf - Gold (1988), Silver (1992)
#6 Czech Republic
A powerhouse in tennis, Czech Republic has produced some outstanding female tennis players who have achieved notable success. A top ranked player in the 80s, Hana Mandilkova won four grand slam singles titles besides leading the Czech to three consecutive Fed Cup titles.
In the 90s, Jana Novotna, a great exponent of the serve and volley technique was a top-ranked player in both singles and doubles. The 1997 Wimbledon title was her career defining moment. Novotna and double specialist Helena Sukova formed a potent pair to win multiple grand slams.
Sukova ended her doubles career with nine grand slam titles apart from winning 69 tour titles. Sukova was a four-time grand slam finalist in her singles career.
Petra Kvitova has been Czech Republic’s best female player in recent times. Kvitova is known for her big serve and powerful groundstrokes. She has won the Wimbledon title twice in 2012 and 2014.
Lucie Safarova a top singles player, has won a couple of premier WTA tournaments. Karolina Pliskova has immense potential to do well in the future. Apart these budding stars, the Czech's have a formidable doubles pair in Lucie Hradecka and Andrea Hlavackova who have been Grand Slam champions.
It is notable that the Czech Republic team has been the defending Fed Cup champion over the last two years.
Notable Mentions - Nicole Vaidisova, Barbora Strycova
Czech Republic at Fed Cup - Champions - 1975, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1998, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015
Grand Slam Singles Titles won by Czech Players - 7 Titles – Hana Mandilkova (4), Petra Kvitova (2) and Jana Novotna (1)
Medals at Olympic Games:
Ladies Singles: Jana Novotna – Bronze (1996)
#7 France
Francoise Durr was the first major French female tennis star. A top 10 player in the 70s, she won the French Open in 1967. She was successful in doubles too, winning 7 slams and becoming World No’1.
The beautiful Mary Pierce was a multiple grand slam champion and a top ten player in the 90s. Pierce did the nation proud by winning the 2000 French Open besides being the finalist in 1994 and 2005. Pierce also won the Australian Open in 1995. Pierce ended her successful career with 18 Singles and 10 Doubles WTA Titles.
Strongly built Amelie Mauresmo added that punch to women’s tennis with her powerful all court game. Mauresmo won the 2005 Wimbledon title breaking her jinx of faltering at the big stages of premier tournaments.
In the 90s, France had seasoned players in Nathalie Tauziat, Nathalie Dechy, Sandrine Testud and Julie Halard-Decugis who had success on the WTA tour. Marion Bartoli emerged as the next big French female player. Bartoli stunned the critics across the world by winning the coveted 2013 Wimbledon title.
Alize Cornet and Aravane Rezai have led the French charge with some success on tour but France still awaits a top class player in their ranks who could possibly win a Grand Slam.
Notable Mentions - Tatiana Golovin, Virginie Razzano
France at Fed Cup - Champions - 1997, 2003
Grand Slam Singles Title Won by French Players – 5 Titles - Mary Pierce and Amile Mauresmo (2 each), Marion Bartoli (1)
It might be noted that I haven’t taken into the account the accomplishments of the legendary Suzanne Lenglen as we are only considering the Open Era for our analysis.
#8 Italy
Italy has been one of the most successful nations in women’s tennis in the last decade by churning out top quality players on a consistent basis. Italians are known for their skillful play on the slow European clay courts where they wither down opponents with their counterpunching style of baseline hitting.
Over the last decade, Italians had some top class players in Francesca Schiavone, Sara Errani, Roberta Vinci and Flavia Pennetta who all were Grand Slam winners. Such a rich crop of talented players made Italy one of the most dominant nations in the Fed Cup.
Francesca Schiavone did her nation proud by winning the 2010 French Open and reaching the Roland Garros finals the very next year.
The 2015 US Open was a golden moment in Italian tennis courtesy an all-Italian final between Flavia Pennetta and Roberta Vinci. Pennetta created history by winning the 2015 US Open thereby stalling Serena Williams bid to complete a grand slam sweep.
Sara Errani has been a highly successful doubles player, completing a career Grand Slam with her doubles partner Roberta Vinci. Errani reached the finals of the 2012 French Open.
Notable Mentions - Karin Knapp, Sandra Cecchini, Tathiana Garbin
Italy at Fed Cup - Champions: 2006, 2009, 2010, 2013
Grand Slams Singles Title Won by Italian Players - 2 Titles – Flavia Pennetta and Francesca Schiavone (1 each)
#9 Belgium
With the turn of the millennium, Belgium had their heydays in women’s tennis when the nation produced two champion players in Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters. Henin-Hardenne a specialist clay courter won four titles at Roland Garros.
The diminutive Henin-Hardenne had tremendous athleticism to out beat her opponents with sheer speed. Her single-handed backhand was considered one of the best shots in women’s tennis. In a glittering career, she reached the World No'1 ranking, besides winning 7 Grand Slams and notching up 43 titles.
Kim Clijsters had powerful groundstrokes and thrived on the hard courts of North America. Clijsters won the US Open thrice and the 2011 Australian Open. Clijsters won 41 tour titles and reached the No’1 ranking in both singles and doubles.
Henin and Clijsters combined brilliantly to hand Belgium their first Fed Cup win in 2001. Clijsters would be remembered for winning a Grand Slam title as a mother, a feat only accomplished by Evonne Goolagong Cawley in the Open Era.
After the retirement of these two legends, Yanina Wickmayer and Kirsten Flipkens have emerged as the next big hopes for Belgian tennis. Both have had a decent run on the WTA tour but still need to break into the top league.
Belgium at Fed Cup Champions - 2001
Grand Slam Singles Titles Won by Belgian Players - 11 Titles - Justin Henin (7) and Kim Clijsters (4)
Medals at Olympic Games:
Ladies Singles - Justin Henin – Gold (2004)
Ladies Doubles - Els Callens and Dominique Van Roost - Bronze (2000)
#10 Switzerland
If Roger Federer is considered as the King of Swiss tennis, Martina Hingis was hailed as their "Swiss Miss". Hingis, a teen sensation rose to prominence by winning the Australian Open aged just 15.
Hingis became World No’1 and added 5 singles grand slam titles, besides reaching the finals of seven more slams. Known for her versatile shot making and deft touches, Martina was a crowd puller owing to her pleasant mannerisms on court. Hingis had resounding success in doubles and mixed doubles by winning multiple grand slams.
After a long hiatus from the game due to a sustained injury, Hingis made a successful comeback by forming a potent doubles pair with Indian tennis queen Sania Mirza. The “Santina” pair has won 3 Grand Slams, besides reaching the No’1 doubles ranking.
Patty Schynder did well on the tour and served the Swiss team with distinction for almost a decade. After Hingis and Schynder's departure, Swiss tennis saw a dearth of talent but women’s tennis seems to be back on track courtesy promising youngsters in Belinda Bencic and Timea Bacsinszky who have stamped their presence by notching up impressive results in Grand Slam tournaments.
Switzerland at Fed Cup - Finalist (1998)
Grand Slam Singles Title Won by Swiss Player - Martina Hingis (5)
#11 Honourable Mentions
Whenever you compile an all-time list there are certain nations which come very close to making the cut but haven’t made it to my elite list owing to their lack of consistency in churning out top players and combining well as a unit to play at team events.
However, before I conclude, we must take a note of those nations which have produced some exceptional tennis players, some of who were grand slam champions and won multiple tour titles.
Virginia Wade, Sue Barker and Ann Haydon Jones (United Kingdom), Monica Seles and Mima Jausovec (Yugoslavia), Anna Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic (Serbia), Gabriela Sabatini and Gisela Dulko (Argentina), Amanda Coetzer (South Africa), Iva Majoli (Croatia), Victoria Azarenka and Natasha Zvereva (Belarus), Daniela Huntakova and Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia), Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark), Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland), Virginia Ruzici and Simona Halep (Romania), Li Na (China) and Sania Mirza (India).
Hope you all enjoyed reading my article and would draw general consensus with most of the nations which made it to the top ten.
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