Which female tennis player holds the record for the longest winning streak in tennis?

Which female tennis player holds the record for the longest winning streak in tennis?

Grace Waruguru
April 2, 2024 at 7:15 PM

Which female athlete has the longest winning streak in tennis? Several players have earned the World's Number 1 spot in global ranking because of their achievements. In this article, check out the players who have stayed unbeaten the longest and when they hit those records.

Steffi Graf, Chris Evert, and Martina Navratilova
Steffi Graf (L), Chris Evert (C), and Martina Navratilova (R) boast some of the longest winning streaks in tennis. Photo: @steffi_graf1, @chrissieevert, @martinanavratilova (Modified by author)
Source: Instagram

Table of Сontents:

What is WTA's longest winning streak? The Women's Tennis Association holds numerous tournaments globally to rate its players. Online sources like WTA Tour have ranked the players with the longest winning streak. Keep reading to find out about the record-breaking female stars.

Who has the longest winning streak in tennis?

The legendary Martina Navratilova has the longest winning streak of 74 in women's tennis history (as of March 2024). Here are the female tennis players with the longest winning streaks in history.

Player

Winning streak

Year

Christine Evert

41, 55

1975/76, 1974

Steffi Graf

45, 46, 66

1987, 1988, 1989/90

Margaret Court

57

1972

Martina Navratilova

54, 58, 74

1983, 1987, 1984

Chris Evert - 41, 55

Chris Evert
Christine "Chris" Evert attends the 33rd Annual Salute To Women In Sports Gala at Cipriani Wall Street on October 17, 2012, in New York City. Photo: Mike Coppola (Modified by author)
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Christine Marie Evert
  • Date of birth: December 21st, 1954
  • Age: 69 (as of March 2024)
  • Nationality: American

Christine Evert is a retired American professional tennis player born in December 1954. The former World Number 1 became the first player to win 1,000 singles matches and has the second-highest career wins (1309) after Martina Navratilova.

Evert is the daughter of Jimmy Evert, a former professional tennis player who was also her coach, as reported by Tennis Hall of Fame. In 1974, Chris recorded 55 consecutive wins. Additionally, between 1975 and 1976, she attained 41 undefeated matches, one of the longest winning streaks in women's tennis.

Chris, popularly known as America's Tennis Sweetheart, is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. The 69-year-old won 18 major championships and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1995.

Steffi Graf - 45, 46, 66

Steffi Graf
Steffi Graf plays Pickleball on February 4, 2024, in Hollywood, Florida. Photo: Marc Serota (Modified by author)
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Stefanie Maria Graf
  • Date of birth: June 14th, 1969
  • Age: 54 (as of March 2024)
  • Nationality: German

Steffi Graf is a retired American player who won 22 major singles titles and was the only player to win the Golden Grand Slam. She was the World's Number One ranking for 377 consecutive weeks, the longest reign in the history of any player.

Graf won 45 back-to-back matches in 1987 and 46 in 1988. Between 1989 and 1990, the tennis player won 66 successive matches. Graf holds the record for the most extended stay in the world's top two (10 years, 3 months, and 1 week) between March 2nd, 1987, and June 8th, 1997.

The 54-year-old started learning tennis at three, thanks to her father. She retired in 1999 and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004.

Margaret Court - 57

Margaret Court
Margaret Court poses with her autobiography during day ten of the 2017 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 25, 2017, in Melbourne, Australia. Photo: Vince Caligiuri (Modified by author)
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Margaret Smith Court
  • Date of birth: July 16th, 1942
  • Age: 81 (as of March 2024)
  • Nationality: Australian

Margaret Smith Court attained 57 consecutive wins in 1972, one of the longest female winning streaks in tennis. The retired Australian player and former World Number 1 boasts 24 women's singles major titles (won between 1974 and 1975) and 64 major titles, the most in the sport's history.

According to the Tennis Hall of Fame, Court is one of only five players in the sport's history to win a Grand Slam in two categories and the only player to win three calendar-year Grand Slams. The athlete started playing at eight and won the first of seven consecutive Australian Championship titles in 1960 when she turned pro at 18.

The award-winning player retired in 1977 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979. The Show Court One, a sports complex in Melbourne Park, was renamed the Margaret Court Arena in her honour.

Martina Navratilova - 54, 58, 74

Martina Navratilova
Martina Navratilova at the GNP Seguros WTA Finals Cancun 2023, part of the Hologic WTA Tour, on November 5, 2023, in Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Photo: Artur Widak (Modified by author)
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Martina Navratilova
  • Date of birth: October 18th, 1956
  • Age: 67 (as of March 2024)
  • Nationality: Czech-American

What is the longest winning streak in tennis for women? Martina Navratilova holds the record for the longest winning streak in women's tennis (74). She attained this feat in 1984. The athlete also hit a record-winning streak in 1983 (54) and 1987 (58).

Martina is a retired Czech-American athlete who dominated the sport in the 70s and 80s. She won 18 major singles titles and three major women's doubles titles. Her career debut was in 1975, and she had only lost 219 singles matches before retiring in 2006.

Navratilova's biggest competitor was Steffi Graf, who beat her in four of six contests (The 1987 French Open, the 1988 and 1989 Wimbledon events, and the 1989 US Open).

Frequently Asked Questions

These female athletes have broken world records, earning them top places in the tennis scene. Here are some frequently asked questions on the longest winning streak in tennis.

Who holds the record for the longest winning streak in women's tennis?

Martina Navratilova boasts the record for the longest winning streak in women's tennis (74 years) in 1984. The Australian player is regarded as one of the best players of all time.

What is Margaret Court's longest winning streak?

Margaret Court achieved 57 back-to-back wins in 1972. The retired Australian player retired in 1977 before being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1979.

Steffi Graf
Steffi Graf speaks during an interview at the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai at Zhuhai Hengqin International Tennis Centre on October 22, 2019. Photo: VCG (Modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

Who has the longest reign as world number 1 in women's tennis?

According to Statista, Steffi Graf has the longest time at World No. 1 in women's tennis after spending 377 weeks at the top of the ATP rankings. Martina Navratilova spent 322 weeks, while Serena Williams managed 319 weeks during her career.

Final word

Athletes with the longest winning streak in tennis have excelled in multiple singles and doubles championships. Their records have stood for years, and upcoming athletes have big shoes to fill to beat or match the existing standard. Will the records ever be broken?

READ ALSO: Top 21 richest tennis players in the world and their net worth

Sports Brief published a listicle featuring the richest tennis players in the world and their net worth. These individuals have consistently pursued success, earning a place at the top. Who are some of these players?

American player Jessica Pegula is the heir to a family fortune worth approximately $6.7 billion. The family owns Pegula Sports, which holds various sports teams, including the Buffalo Bills. Others include Ion Tiriac, worth $1.2 billion, and Roger Federer, worth $550 million. Follow the above link to check out the top 21 richest tennis players.

Authors
Grace Waruguru photo
Grace Waruguru
Grace has over 4 years of experience in article writing and digital media content creation for various local and global brands. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication (Public Relations) from Daystar University, Kenya.