Greatest Female Hard Court Players in Tennis History

The 2012 U.S. Open is about to get underway as the tennis season nears the end of the U.S. Hard-Court Series. Serena Williams, currently ranked world No. 4, will be the favorite as the WTA tour moves to Flushing Meadows—where DecoTurf, has been in place since 1978.

In recent tennis history, undoubtedly, Martina Navratilova is best remembered for her outstanding play on grass courts. Chris Evert, on the other hand, could hardly lose when playing on clay. But both of these ladies played well on all surfaces, including hard courts.

Since the Open Era of tennis began, all of the women on this list are renowned for playing extremely well on a wide variety of hard courts.

Playing on artificial surfaces has impacted the game, especially physically for players in terms of injury and longevity. As the tennis calendar expands, adding more tournaments, we see players absent more on tour because of fatigue and injury.

The WTA statistics used to compile the list are available at the WTA website and through other WTA publications linked from there. The categories used for comparison were the nine most meaningful WTA records that tracked results accumulated by the players on hard courts.

The top 14 players included here were ranked against each other in each of the selected categories with points awarded from 1 to 14, depending on where the ranking fell.

With three-quarters of the tennis year played on hard courts, winning tournaments on this surface is critical to the success of the modern player.

To date, these are the best female hard court tennis players in the history of the sport.

14. Jennifer Capriati: (Retired)

Jennifer Capriati +17 Hard Court Ranking Points

Jennifer Capriati of the United States burst onto the scene in 1990 as a teenager. She had an immediate impact becoming the youngest woman to be ranked in the top 10 at the age of 14.

Being young, Capriati "burned out" after too much success too fast. Her career took on an "on again, off again" aspect as the young lady dealt with mental and physical problems.

But during the time Capriati spent playing tennis, she had some outstanding results. She was a fierce competitor, winning three Grand Slam titles, plus an Olympic gold medal in tennis.

1. Ranked #12: Most Grand Slam titles on hard courts: Won the Australian Open two times, two finals. Never won the U.S. Open. In all, two titles, two finals.

2. Ranked #13: Won 63 hard-court matches at Grand Slams.

3. Ranked #14: Hard-court major winning percentage 75.0 (63-21).

4. Ranked #14: Winning percentage at U.S. Open 72.92 (35-13).

5. Ranked #13: Winning percentage at Australian Open 77.78 (28-8).

6. Ranked #12: WTA hard-court titles 9.                   

7. Ranked #14: WTA total match wins on hard courts 232.

8. Ranked #13: Total hard-court winning percentage 72.27 (232-89).

9. Ranked #13: Number of Year-End Championships. “0” titles. Seven appearances.

13. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario (Retired)

Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario +32 Hard Court Ranking Points

Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario from Spain turned pro in 1985. She enjoyed a long and illustrious career playing top-notch tennis in both singles and doubles.

In fact, Sanchez-Vicario won Grand Slam titles in both singles and doubles during her career.

On tour, the lady from Spain was known for her tenacity—she never gave up on a point, to the constant frustration of any opponent facing her. In that regard, she was much like David Ferrer, her countryman, who plays on the men's tour today.

Known primarily for her play on clay, Sanchez-Vicario managed to win her only major on the hard courts of New York City in 1994.

1. Ranked #13: Most Grand Slam titles on hard courts. Won the U. S. Open one time, 2 finals. Never won the Australian Open, made two finals. In all, one Grand Slam title, four finals.

2. Ranked #5: Won 98 hard-court matches at Grand Slams.

3. Ranked #13: Hard-court major winning percentage 78.4 (98-27).

4. Ranked #11: Winning percentage at U.S. Open 77.78 (56-16).

5. Ranked #11: Winning percentage at Australian Open 79.25 (42-11).

6. Ranked #14: WTA hard-court titles 8.

7. Ranked #9: WTA total match wins on hard courts 303.

8. Ranked #14: Total hard-court winning percentage 71.46 (303-121).

9. Ranked #13: Number of Year-End Championships. Won “0” titles, one final. Made 13 appearances at the year-end championships.

12. Gabriella Sabatini (Retired)

Gabriella Sabatini +37 Hard Court Ranking Points

The beautiful lady from Argentina, Gabriella Sabatini was a contemporary of Steffi Graf and Monica Seles.

She managed to squeeze a major trophy away from the two of them, who dominated the women's game at the top.

Sabatini won the U.S. Open in 1990. In the process the Argentine upset world No. 1 Steffi Graf.

Ranked as high as world No. 3, Sabatini also won two year-end championships on the indoor carpets, defeating Pam Shriver and then Lindsay Davenport.

1. Ranked #14: Most Grand Slam titles on hard courts. Won the U.S. Open one time, two finals. Never won the Australian Open. In all, one grand slam title, two finals.

2. Ranked #9: Won 80 hard-court matches at Grand Slams.

3. Ranked #12: Hard-court major winning percentage 79.21 (80-21).

4. Ranked #10: Winning percentage at U.S. Open 79.69 (51-13).

5. Ranked #12: Winning percentage at Australian Open 78.38 (29-8).

6. Ranked #12: WTA hard-court titles 9.

7. Ranked #12: WTA total match wins on hard courts 251.

8. Ranked #12: Total hard-court winning percentage 77.47 (251-73).

9. Ranked #5: Number of Year-End Championships. Won two times, four finals.

11. Maria Sharapova (Active)

Maria Sharapova +38 Hard Court Ranking Points

Still active and only 25 years old, Maria Sharapova has time to add to her hard court totals.

Her next opportunity, in fact, will come as the 2012 U.S. Open gets underway at the end of August. She has won each hard-court major once in her career and would like to add more trophies, as well as retrieving the world No. 1 ranking.

Sharapova began playing tennis as a teenager and won her first Grand Slam title at the All England Club at age 17. Since that time, she has added both the U.S. Open and the Australian Open to her resume as major hard court victories.

She definitely wishes to make New York City the site of her second U.S. Open Grand Slam win.

1. Ranked #9: Most Grand Slam titles on hard courts. Won one U.S. Open, one final. Won one Australian Open, three finals. In all, two hard-court wins, four finals.

2. Ranked #14: Won 61 hard-court matches at Grand Slams.

3. Ranked #11: Hard-court major winning percentage 80.26 (61-15).

4. Ranked #12: Winning percentage at U.S. Open 77.42 (24-7).

5. Ranked #10: Winning percentage at Australian Open 80.95 (34-8).

6. Ranked #10: WTA hard-court titles 17.

7. Ranked #11: WTA total match wins on hard courts 264.

8. Ranked #10: Total hard-court winning percentage 80.0 (264-66).

9. Ranked #10: Number of Year-End Championships: Won one title, two finals, in three appearances. Winning percentage 75 (3-1).

10. Martina Hingis (Retired)

Martina Hingis +62 Ranking Hard Court Points

The Swiss Miss, Martina Hingis ruled the tennis world briefly as a teenager back in the 1990s. She was ranked world No. 1 during that time for 209 weeks, dominating the game for a short time.

Hingis won with her tennis acumen, knowing how to win utilizing sharp angles and intelligent play. Her reign ended primarily because of the rising power game brought on by Lindsay Davenport and the Williams sisters.

But injury also played a role, causing Hingis to retire from the game at age 22. She came back briefly in 2006 but did not remain long, announcing her official retirement in 2007.

Hingis was a brilliant tactician on all surfaces, including hard courts.

1. Ranked #5: Most Grand Slam titles on hard courts: Won the Australian Open 3 times, 6 finals. Plus, won one U.S. Open title, 3, finals. In all, four hard court titles, 9 finals.

2. Ranked #7: Won 95 hard-court matches at Grand Slams.

3. Ranked #6: Hard-court major winning percentage 85.59 (95-16).

4. Ranked #9: Winning percentage at U.S. Open 82.7 (43-9).

5. Ranked #4: Winning percentage at Australian Open 88.14 (52-7).

6. Ranked #11: WTA hard-court titles 16.

7. Ranked #10: WTA total match wins on hard courts 290.

8. Ranked #11: Total hard-court winning percentage 79.67 (290-74).

9. Ranked #10: Number of Year-End Championships. Won two championships, four finals; winning percentage 76.19 (16-5)

9. Justine Henin (Retired)

Justine Henin +63 Hard Court Ranking Points

One of the top players in recent history, Justine Henin won Grand Slam titles on every surface, except grass.

Her surface of choice appeared to be clay, where she earned four titles. She was going for her fifth French Open title in 2008 when Henin suddenly announced her retirement from the game. At the time, she was still world ranked No. 1.

Henin did return briefly to the game in 2010 but injury forced her permanent retirement in 2011.

The lady from Belgium was small, compared to the giants who faced her across the net. But she made up for her lack of size with aggression, doggedness and supreme concentration.

Her play on hard courts gave her two U.S. Open championships plus numerous other wins on the surface. 

1. Ranked #8: Most Grand Slam titles on hard courts. Won one Australian Open, reached three finals. Won two U.S. Open titles, three finals. In all, three major titles, 6 finals.

2. Ranked #10: Won 73 hard-court matches at Grand Slams.

3. Ranked #8: Hard-court major winning percentage 82.95 (73-15).

4. Ranked #8: Winning percentage at U.S. Open 83.33 (35-7).

5. Ranked #6: Winning percentage at Australian Open 82.61 (38-8).

6. Ranked #9: WTA hard-court titles 25.

7. Ranked #11: WTA total match wins on hard courts 251.

8. Ranked #7: Total hard-court winning percentage 81.76 (251-56).

9. Ranked #5: Number of Year-End Championships. Won two titles, winning percentage 72.22 (13-5).

8. Venus Williams (Active)

Venus Williams +64 Hard Court Ranking Points

Venus Williams won her first U.S. Open title in 2000 at the age of 20. She had also won her first Wimbledon title that same summer. 

With her arrival on the tennis scene, women's tennis would never be the same.

Williams brought the women's power game to the table on a new level. She played with all-out aggression on every point, going for depth and accurate placement.

Her serve became the basis of her game because she could over-power opponents, winning many free points.

Her style of play allowed her to win on grass and on hard courts because her speed and power took time away from the opposition.

At age 32, Williams is still active and will be playing in 14th U.S. Open, looking for her third trophy in New York City.

1. Ranked #9:  Most Grand Slam titles on hard courts: Won the U.S. Open 2 times, reaching four finals. Never won the Australian Open. In all, two hard court titles, four finals.

2. Ranked #4: Won 99 hard-court matches at Grand Slams.

3. Ranked #9: Hard-court major winning percentage 81.81 (99-22).

4. Ranked #6: Winning percentage at U.S. Open 85.71 (60-10).

5. Ranked #14: Winning percentage at Australian Open:  76.47 (39-12)

6. Ranked #8: WTA hard-court titles 26.

7. Ranked #3: WTA total match wins on hard courts 335.

8. Ranked #8: Total hard-court winning percentage. 80.72 (335-80)

9. Ranked #10: Number of Year-End Championships: Won one title, two finals in four appearances. Winning percentage 68.75 (11-5).

7. Lindsay Davenport (Retired)

Lindsay Davenport +69 Hard Court Ranking Points

American Lindsay Davenport played the majority of her tennis in the late 1990s and early 2000s. She was another of the big women power players on tour whose big serve was the cornerstone of her game.

She won hard court major titles at the U.S. Open and the Australian Open as well as winning an Olympic gold medal in tennis on the hard courts in Atlanta.

Davenport left tennis at the end of 2006 to have a family, returning briefly to play doubles.

Her prowess on hard courts was considerable throughout her career.

1. Ranked #9: Most Grand Slam titles on hard courts: Won the Australian Open one time, two finals. Won the U.S. Open one time, two finals. In all, two hard court titles, four finals.

2. Ranked #2: Won 118 hard-court matches at Grand Slams.

3. Ranked #10: Hard-court major winning percentage 80.27 (118-29).

4. Ranked #12: Winning percentage at U.S. Open 77.5 (62-18).

5. Ranked #9: Winning percentage at Australian Open 81.16 (56-13).

6. Ranked #4: WTA hard-court titles 34.

7. Ranked #1: WTA total match wins on hard courts 469.

8. Ranked #9: Total hard-court winning percentage 80.17 (469-116).

9. Ranked #10: Number of Year-End Championships: Won one tour title, 3 finals. Winning percentage: 62.07 (18-11)

6. Kim Clijsters (Active)

Kim Clijsters + 86 Hard Court Ranking Points.

Kim Clijsters is nearing her second retirement from professional tennis. Her first came in 2007 when she left tennis for marriage and family.

Clijsters, however, returned to the game in 2009 and remarkably won the U.S. Open for the second time that year.

Since coming back, Clijsters has won two U.S. Open titles plus one Australian Open. Constant injuries, however, have shortened her return and she is leaving the game again at the conclusion of this year's action at Flushing Meadows.

A very popular player on tour, Clijsters has accumulated some amazing statistics during her career on hard courts.

1. Ranked #4: Most Grand Slam titles on hard courts. Won the Australian Open one time, reaching two finals. Won the U.S. Open three times, reaching four finals. In all, five hard court major titles, 6 finals.

2. Ranked #9: Won 80 hard-court matches at Grand Slams.

3. Ranked #7: Hard-court major winning percentage 95.12 (80-14).

4. Ranked #2: Winning percentage at U.S. Open 88.10 (37-5).

5. Ranked #7: Winning percentage at Australian Open 82.70 (43-9).

6. Ranked #5: WTA hard-court titles 31.

7. Ranked #6: WTA total match wins on hard courts 323.

8.Ranked #6: Total hard-court winning percentage 82.40 (323-69).

9. Ranked #3: Number of Year-End Championships. Won three titles with a 73.08 winning percentage (19-7).

5. Monica Seles (Retired)

Monica Seles +92 Hard Court Ranking Points

Monica Seles was a tremendous competitor on court. She played all out, stepping into the court early to return balls—denying her opponents adequate time to react. Such aggressive play won her tournaments at a tremendous clip.

Her rivalry with contemporary Steffi Graf was one of the game's greatest. Unfortunately, in 1993, Seles was stabbed in the back with a knife from a crazed German fan.

That act effectively silenced a great talent. Seles was never the same player after her return to the game over two years later.

Her play on hard courts, however, was outstanding.

1. Ranked #3: Most Grand Slam titles on hard courts: Won the Australian Open four times, reaching four finals. Won the U.S.Open two times, reaching four finals. In all, six Grand Slam titles on hard courts, eight finals.

2. Ranked #6: Won 97 hard-court matches at Grand Slams.

3. Ranked #4: Hard-court major winning percentage 87.39 (97-14).

4. Ranked #7: Winning percentage at U.S. Open 84.38 (54-10).

5. Ranked #1: Winning percentage at Australian Open 91.49 (43-4).

6. Ranked #7: WTA hard-court titles 28.

7. Ranked #7: WTA total match wins on hard courts 312.

8. Ranked #5: Total hard-court winning percentage 83.37 (312-60).

9. Ranked #3: Number of Year-End Championships. Won three titles, reached four finals. Winning percentage 75 (18-6).

4. Chris Evert (Retired)

Chris Evert +92 Hard Court Ranking Points

Chris Evert played tennis brilliantly for a long time. Most of her greatest successes came on clay. But, Evert did win many titles, including Grand Slams, on hard courts.

In her 17 years on tour, Evert saw the surface of the U.S. Open change three times from grass, to clay, and finally to DecoTurf. She won her titles on both clay and hard courts.

Known primarily for her court savvy, Evert's ability to focus on court was legendary. This power to remain on task and not be ruffled by distractions won her countless titles.

Her concentration allowed her to become one the very best ever to play the game.

While hard courts were not her best surface, Evert managed them extremely well.

1. Ranked #7: Most Grand Slam titles on hard courts: Won the Australian Open once, but never on hard courts, reached one final. Won the U.S.Open six times, three times on hard courts, reaching 6 finals. In all, 3 hard court slam titles, seven finals.

2. Ranked #10: Won 73 hard-court matches at Grand Slams.

3. Ranked #2: Hard-court major winning percentage 87.95 (73-10).

4. Ranked #1: Winning percentage at U.S. Open 89.02 (73-9).

5. Ranked #5: Winning percentage at Australian Open (6-1) 85.71.

6. Ranked #3: WTA hard-court titles 36.

7. Ranked #8: WTA total match wins on hard courts 304.

8. Ranked #2: Total hard-court winning percentage. 89.15 (304-37)

9. Ranked #5: Number of Year-End Championships: Won four year end championships, two on clay, two on indoor carpet, reaching four finals.

3. Martina Navratilova (Retired)

Martina Navratilova +96 Hard Court Ranking Points

There are few records in women's tennis that Martina Navratilova does not own. Her name is almost always included in the top two or three of whatever category is being analyzed or discussed.

The same is true when looking at hard court statistics. Part of the reason for this, beyond Navratilova's prowess on the playing court, was her longevity. The woman played tennis a very long time.

In women's singles, Navratilova retired at age 37 in 1994 after 20 years of top-notch competition.

Her serve-and-volley style of play sustained her all those years—her play on grass at Wimbledon is the stuff of legend.

Her hard-court play, however, also remains as one of the best—she is ranked in the top three.

1. Ranked #6: Most Grand Slam titles on hard courts. Won the Australian Open three times, but never on hard courts. Won the U.S. Open four times, reaching six finals. In all, four titles, six finals.

2. Ranked #8: Won 86 hard-court matches at Grand Slams.

3. Ranked #5: Hard-court major winning percentage 86.0 (86-14).

4. Ranked #5: Winning percentage at U.S. Open: 86.52 (77-12).

5. Ranked #8: Winning percentage at Australian Open 81.81 (9-2).

6. Ranked #1: WTA hard-court titles 41.

7. Ranked #2: WTA total match wins on hard courts 340.

8. Ranked #3: Total hard-court winning percentage 87.63 (340-48).

9. Ranked #1: Number of Year-End Championships: Eight wins, 13 finals on indoor/outdoor hard-courts/carpets. 82.19 winning percentage.

2. Serena Williams (Active)

Serena Williams +100 Hard Court Ranking Points

Serena Williams, the younger of the Williams sisters, began her career by winning the U.S. Open in 1999 as a teenager. She never looked back after that moment.

Winner of 14 grand slam titles, including eight on hard courts, Serena will be hoping to add to her totals by capturing another title at this year's U.S. Open.

At age 30, soon to be 31, the youngest Williams sister shows no signs of slowing up. When you consider her recent triumph at the All England Club winning her fifth Wimbledon title plus her first gold medal at the 2012 Olympics, there appear to be no limits on her career.

Expect Serena to continue to add to her hard court totals—perhaps soon surpassing the lady ranked ahead of her.

1. Ranked #2: Most Grand Slam titles on hard courts: Five Australian Open titles, five finals. Three U.S. Open titles, five finals. In all, eight finals, ten finals.

2. Ranked #3: Won 112 hard-court matches at Grand Slams.

3. Ranked #3: Hard-court major winning percentage 87.5 (112-16).

4. Ranked #4: Winning percentage at U.S. Open 86.57 (58-9).

5. Ranked #3: Winning percentage at Australian Open 88.52 (54-7).

6. Ranked #6: WTA hard-court titles 29.

7. Ranked #5: WTA total match wins on hard courts 326.

8. Ranked #4: Total hard-court winning percentage 84.46 (326-60).

9. Ranked #5: Number of Year-End Championships: Won two, reached four finals. Winning percentage 75 (15-5).

1. Steffi Graf (Retired)

Steffi Graf +119 Hard Court Ranking Points

While Martina Navratilova was best known on grass and Chris Evert on clay, Steffi Graf was the best all-around player of all times. This included her stellar play on hard courts.

She won 37 hard-court titles, including nine hard court Grand Slam singles titles throughout her career.

Graf is regarded by many as the best woman ever to play the game. She is the only player in the history of the game to have captured a calendar year golden slam which she accomplished in 1988.

She remains the No. 1 hard-court player in the history of women's tennis for the moment.

Whether there is anyone who can reach her level of achievement is yet to be seen.

1. Ranked #1: Most Grand Slam titles on hard courts: Won the Australian Open four times, reaching five finals. Plus won the U.S. Open five times, reaching eight finals. In all, nine hard court slam titles, 13 finals.

2. Ranked #1: Won 120 hard-court matches at Grand Slams.

3. Ranked #1: Hard-court major winning percentage 88.24 (120-16).

4. Ranked #3: Winning percentage at U.S. Open 87.95 (73-10).

5. Ranked #2: Winning percentage at Australian Open 88.68 (47-6).

6. Ranked #2: WTA total hard-court titles 37.

7. Ranked #3: WTA total match wins on hard courts 335.

8. Ranked #1: Total hard-court winning percentage 90.30 (335-36).

9. Ranked #2: Number of Year-End Championships - 5 titles, 6 finals. 81.58 winning percentage (31-7).