Three of the Greatest Female Athletes of All-Time

There have been some incredible female athletes throughout history, with many reaching superstar status. From the Olympic Games to lawn tennis and combat sports to hockey, women have excelled in their chosen sports and become inspirations for girls and women worldwide.

Selecting the greatest female athletes of all time is a challenging task, not least because women have not always been allowed to play certain sports. That said, few people would argue that the following trio of female sports stars you will read about are among the best in their field and among the most remarkable female athletes to have lived.

Serena Williams

Tennis is one sport that lends itself to producing unbelievable female players, and Serena Williams is one of the best-ever tennis players to have picked up a racket. Williams won 23 major singles titles, 14 in women’s doubles, and two in mixed doubles. Her incredible singles career record of 858 wins to 156 losses, a win rate of 84.6%, was one of the reasons Williams was always a favorite to win with all the sports betting sites.

The first of Williams’ major titles came at the 1999 US Open when she was only 18 years old. Williams went on to win the US Open six times, including becoming the champion three years in a row between 2012-14. She won the Australian Open seven times, the French Open on three occasions, and was crowned champion of Wimbledon seven times. In addition, Williams won four gold medals across three summer Olympic Games. Williams’ undoubted ability saw her win $94,816,730 in prize money, the most of any female tennis player ever.

Williams retired from professional tennis in late 2022 but had secured her legacy long before hanging up her racket.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee

No article discussing elite-level female athletes would be complete without Jackie Joyner-Kersee—the retired American track and field athlete specialized in the heptathlon event and the long jump. Joyner-Kersee was inspired to compete in multi-discipline events after watching a movie about another legendary female athlete, Babe Didrikson Zaharias.

Joyner-Kersee won three gold, one silver, and two bronze medals at four Olympic Games. She also won four gold medals in World Championships events, four in the Goodwill Games, and one in the Pan American Games.

Joyner-Kersee’s achievements are awe-inspiring in their own right, but the fact she overcame severe asthma as a youngster makes them extra special. Her early battles with her health and her almost unrivaled athletic ability saw the International Sports Hall of Fame induct Joyner-Kersee in March 2023.

Lottie Dod

You are forgiven for not knowing much about Charlotte “Lottie” Dod because she was born in September 1871, a time when women were unable to compete in high-level sports. The late Englishwoman was a multi-sport athlete, although she was best known for her phenomenal tennis skills.

Lawn tennis was still in its infancy – invented in 1873 – when Dod was a child. Dod had a natural talent for tennis and played in her first tournament at age eleven. Four years later, aged only 15 years and 285 days, Dod won the 1887 Wimbledon Championship and did so while wearing a metal-and-whalebone corset. To this day, Dod is still the youngest-ever Wimbledon champion. Dod went on to win the ladies singles Wimbledon title five times, becoming the champion in 1888, 1891, 1892, and 1893.

It was not only tennis where Dod excelled because she was a well-rounded athlete. She competed at a high level in mountaineering, curling, field hockey, golf, and archery; Dod’s brother Willy won a gold medal in archery at the 1908 Summer Olympics.

In later life, Dod worked for the British Red Cross during World War 1—a truly inspirational woman on all fronts.