Female Tennis Players

Early Women Tennis Players

Tennis is an old classic sport. It made documented appearances dating all the way back to ancient Greece. William Shakespeare also gave mention to the game of tennis the 16th century in his play Henry V. Modern tennis was more formally developed in the early 1860s.

From its first phases of development, women were involved with playing the game of tennis. It was a common form of entertainment a lawn and garden parties in the late 1800s. Women first competed in what would become the U.S. Open in 1887.

In the early 1970’s, American women started forming their own professional tennis association, known as the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). The WTA is responsible for ranking tennis players. Early advocates for the WTA included activist and tennis star Billie Jean King.

Famous Female Tennis Players

Billie Jean King did wonders for the advancement of women in the sport tennis. She was originally a softball player, but later picked up the game of tennis. King became an advocate for women’s rights in the world of sports. In an exhibition that was known as the “Battle of the Sexes,” King took on professional men’s tennis player Bobby Riggs (a former Wimbledon champion), and beat him in front of a live audience numbering over 30,000 plus thousands of television viewers. This event increased respect for female tennis players. Ladies like Venus and Serena Williams surely appreciate the work of King in her quest to legitimize women’s tennis.

Famous Black Female Tennis Players

Althea Gibson was a pioneer for women in both tennis and golf. Like Ashe, she was the first black woman to win at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, and she also won the French Open. The Associated Press named her Female Athlete of the Year in 1957, an impressive title for an African American woman in the heat of the Civil Rights Movement.

African American sisters Venus and Serena Williams are well known tennis players experiencing a great deal of success on the court and in the media. Between the two of them, they hold many impressive records and achievements. Venus Williams holds the record for the fastest recorded serve by a woman at 128.8 miles per hour. She also claims 14 Grand Slam tournament titles as well as a gold medal from the Olympic Games. Like King, Venus Williams has advocated for women’s equality in sports, arguing that men and women should be paid equal prize monies at Wimbledon. Tennis officials have listened to her argument, but thus far there is still a significant difference between the pay for the two sexes. Serena Williams has captured an Olympic gold medal in the doubles competition, as well as eight Grand Slam titles. She also dabbles in the fashion world with her own clothing line known as Aneres, as well as special lines with Nike and Puma.