Women’s tennis has evolved a lot over the past 30 years. It continues to become an extremely competitive sport and the bar has been raised a little higher with each decade. Women are faster, stronger and work harder in the world of professional tennis and we have been fortunate to see some absolutely great players. Here are the top 7 since 1980, in my opinion.

7. Venus Williams. With all her wins at Wimbledon and a few other slams, there’s no denying how great she has been.

6. Justine Henin. At its peak, it was beating the two Williams sisters. Although he retired early. Luckily for us, he just announced a comeback.

5. Monica Seles. Striking with both hands on either side, he literally hit the ball with every shot, and his growls indicated that. For a time, he was untouchable, until his unfortunate stabbing. She was never the same again after that. His 9 slams were all won at an extremely young age.

4. Chris Evert. She ruled the 1970s and parts of the 1980s, and had a long and successful career. 18 grand slams say it all.

3. Serena Williams. A true powerhouse on the women’s tour that won’t be leaving anytime soon.

2. Martina Navratilova. What an outstanding career he had, and it never seemed to go away. 18 grand slams and a brilliant career.

1. Steffi Graf. The queen of women’s tennis, was the Roger Federer of women’s football. 22 big hits.