The rise of women's tennis

Tennis is one of the few sports where both men's and women's tennis are roughly equally popular worldwide. Especially in recent decades, women's tennis has experienced enormous growth, resulting in ever-increasing spectator numbers, prize money, and increased media attention. But how has women's tennis actually evolved so much? Who are the big names who have dominated this sport, and what does its future hold? In this blog post, we'll zoom in on the rise of women's tennis and take a look at its growing popularity. 

First participations in major tennis tournaments 

The history of women's tennis begins in the late 19th century, when women first competed in major tournaments like Wimbledon . At that time, female athletes were often looked down upon, and the sport was considered more of a recreational sport than a serious and competitive one. Yet, a few women—like Lottie Dod, who won Wimbledon five times in the late 19th century—showed that women could also achieve great things on the court. 

It wasn't until the 1960s and 1970s that women's tennis truly began to break through. Iconic figures like Billie Jean King were undoubtedly responsible for this. This is especially true when we consider her victory over Bobby Riggs in 1973 during the "Battle of the Sexes," which proved to be a pivotal moment in the fight for gender equality in sports. Billie Jean King triumphed: she defeated her male opponent 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, demonstrating that she was certainly no match for Riggs. 

WTA as the driving force behind women's tennis 

A key factor in the growth of women's tennis was the founding of the WTA (Women's Tennis Association) in 1973. This was—and remains—the global organization responsible for regulating women's professional tennis tournaments. The WTA was founded by Billie Jean King, in collaboration with other female tennis stars who fought for equality in tennis. The goal of creating a professional circuit for women to compete at the highest levels for fair pay was quickly achieved. Even today, the WTA regulates most major women's tennis tournaments, and in recent years, even equal prize money has been achieved at major Grand Slam tournaments . 

Who has won the most Grand Slams among women? 

Just as in men's tennis, the Grand Slam tournaments—the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open—are also the most important tournaments in women's tennis. It's no wonder, then, that the women who dominate these tournaments are considered the greatest and best tennis players of all time. Currently, Margaret Court holds the most Grand Slam titles with 24 titles, closely followed by Serena Williams (23). Other women with many Grand Slam titles to their credit include Germany's Steffi Graf (22 titles) and Czech Martina Navratilova (18 titles). These names also stand out when looking at the list of Wimbledon women's winners. Navratilova won nine times in London, Williams won seven titles on the hallowed grass, and Graf also proved to be the strongest seven times. 

Who dominates the women's rankings in the Netherlands? 

The Dutch women have also made a name for themselves in women's tennis at times. Brenda Schultz, for example, reached the quarterfinals at both Wimbledon and the US Open in 1995, and more recently, Kiki Bertens put Dutch women's tennis on the map. Bertens achieved several major tournament victories, climbed to fourth in the world rankings, and reached the semifinals of Roland Garros in 2016. Unfortunately, physical ailments hampered her career, forcing her to retire from professional tennis in 2021. 

If you look at the current women's rankings in the Netherlands, you'll see that Arantxa Rus tops the list. She currently holds the 77th position in the WTA rankings. Rus is followed in the Dutch rankings by Suzan Lamens, Arianne Hartono, Anouk Koevermans, and Demi Tran. Michaëlla Krajicek, Annelin Bakker, Sarah Olff, Dilara Okur, and Eva Vedder complete the top ten of the Dutch women's tennis rankings. 

Long list of promising names in women's tennis 

The future of women's tennis looks promising. With players like Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Qinwen Zheng, there are already plenty of (young) tennis players who belong to the next generation of great female tennis players. Partly because of this, the popularity of women's tennis continues to grow, and this trend is expected to continue in the coming years. At the time of writing, Belarusian Sabalenka leads the WTA rankings, followed by Swiatek and Gauff. Other promising women's tennis players in the world's top ten include Elena Rybakina and Emma Navarro.