The Greatest Female Tennis Player of All Time

[MargaretMcAleer]

Another reason why Navratilova is the greatest of all-time: Players back then didn't have the nutrition/full time cardio/conditioning/fitness teams they have today. It's amazing how Navratilova lasted more than 20 years on the WTA, when pretty much most of her contemporaries barely lasted ten. If we take this into consideration, Billie Jean King belongs in the discussion for GOAT, and possibly as high as #2 (behind Navratilova). [BJK also had a long career like Navratilova, but don't forget that she skipped the AO and FO during her early years.]

The more I think about it, Navratilova should be a clear #1, with the discussion for #2 being between BJK, Evert, and Graf. Serena benefitted from the nutrition/conditioning/fitness teams of today's tennis, which coincided with the dip in talent in women's tennis in about 2007. I truly believe that if Capriati was more talented than Serena, and if she had the nutrition/conditioning/fitness teams of today, she probably does not burn out and been unbeatable for a very long time. Seles is complicated because of the stabbing, but if she had the nutrition/conditioning/fitness teams of today after the stabbing, I see no reason why she doesn't get to at least 18-20 slams.

Well Margaret Court actually trained with men back in her day, for her cardio training, and also strength training which by the way was unheard of in her day. A fact you probably are unaware of.

 

[Kieran]

You clearly have no idea of the scope of the problem. Martina and Serena had problems with consistency far more years, than they didn't. Both 'late bloomers', both had some slumps mid career, and both hung around a long time after they won a major. Every champion including Evert, Court and Graf, has some embarrassing losses but its all about how many. I do not comment of 'tough eras' becaue I don't nessisarily believe in the concept. I believe eras have different strengths and weakness. I don't allow age to be much of an excuse in tennis, because players chose when they retired. They had complete control over that variable.

I was listening to Martina on desert island discs on the way home this evening, an old episode, but what she faced on leaving Czechoslovakia and adapting to life in the US marks her out already as a wonderful person. The difficulty and tragedy of that move alone as would be enough for most people in life. Add to this that she worked her way up in tennis to where she reached, in both singles and doubles, and it’s hard to think of a more complete player than her. Sure, she was inconsistent when she got older, but her best was the best I’ve seen, and she faced so many greats as rivals. I think she’d more than held her own in that regard too…

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I was listening to Martina on desert island discs on the way home this evening, an old episode, but what she faced on leaving Czechoslovakia and adapting to life in the US marks her out already as a wonderful person. The difficulty and tragedy of that move alone as would be enough for most people in life. Add to this that she worked her way up in tennis to where she reached, in both singles and doubles, and it’s hard to think of a more complete player than her. Sure, she was inconsistent when she got older, but her best was the best I’ve seen, and she faced so many greats as rivals. I think she’d more than held her own in that regard too…

Are you sleep talking? I thought you were going to bed

 

[Kieran]

Are you sleep talking? I thought you were going to bed

I can multi task in bed