Martina Navratilova

Martina Navratilova

Nine Wimbledons, the most any player has won on the grass, sit at the centre of Martina Navratilova's claim as the most complete champion the women's game has known. She built her tennis on serve-and-volley, an attacking style that pulled her forward on every surface, and she paired it with a level of fitness that reset what a woman on tour was expected to be. In all she won 18 Grand Slam singles titles and held world No. 1 for 332 weeks.

The defining thread was her rivalry with Chris Evert, a contrast of power at the net against baseline precision that ran to 80 meetings across the 1970s and 1980s. She had left Czechoslovakia in 1975, seeking asylum in the United States at 18, and her longevity carried her across three decades near the top, still winning majors deep into her later career. Her doubles record stands apart, but the singles alone place her among the greatest of all time.