| The Players Who Made Today's Tennis | |
Continued from Page 1:
Martina Navratilova is, like Laver, arguably the greatest player of her gender, and like Lendl, a major role model for the value of fitness. Since joining the pro tour in 1973, Navratilova has won 167 singles titles and 162 doubles titles, both more than any other player, male or female. She is still entering a few doubles tournaments today. Martina was hindered early in her career by carrying too much weight, but she eventually made fitness one of her two trademarks, the other being her relentless attacks at the net. Her playing style of serve-and-volley and chip-and-charge has fewer and fewer disciples each year, the most prominent one, Jana Novotna, recently retiring. Her example of athleticism and fitness, though, is now evident throughout women's tennis, and is largely responsible for the huge elevation in the quality of women's tennis over the last several years. Martina owns 56 major titles, 18 of them in singles, including a record nine Wimbledon singles titles and multiple wins at each of the other three Grand Slams.
Chris Evert was Martina Navratilova's opponent in the most famous and enduring rivalry of Open Era tennis. Her record was not quite as spectacular as Martina's, but she did set several impressive records. Most comfortable on slow courts, Evert had an unbelievable 125-match winning streak on clay that lasted from 1973 to 1979. Clay suited Chris because her game was anchored by precision ground strokes from the baseline. It was one of those groundstrokes, her two-handed backhand, that made her biggest mark on tennis. She was not the first two-hander, but her success with that stroke sparked the popularity it enjoys today, and the vast majority of female players now use the two-handed backhand. It's the biggest weapon of top players like Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport, and both Williams sisters. Chris Evert won 21 major titles, with a record 13 consecutive years, 1974-1986, in which she won at least one. She captured each of the Grand Slams multiple times, with her greatest success, not surprisingly, at the French Open, where she won a record seven singles titles.
Laver, Lendl, Navratilova, and Evert are by no means the only players who have shaped today's tennis in a major way. Let's add to the list in our tennis forum. Please join the discussion.
Additional Resources:
Major Records in Tennis History Maze
The Origins and Early History of Tennis
