We have all seen so many great women stars in tennis history. We have seen their individual records and achievements but we don't recognise their doubles achievement as such. Let's look into the 3 best women's doubles tennis teams of all time.
1. Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver
Czech-American ace Martina Navratilova is up there in the Greatest of All Time pantheon. In 1975, soon after defecting from the then-Communist Czechoslovakia, Navratilova won her first ever Major doubles title – teaming up with the World No. 1 of that time – Chris Evert, to take top honours at the French Open.
The pair would team up again the following year, winning Wimbledon. Navratilova would win a doubles title a year over the next two years, twice with WTA founder and tennis legend Billie Jean King. But it was the beginnings of her partnership with American ace Pam Shriver in 1981 that proved to be one of the most fruitful doubles partnerships of all time. The two won the 1981 edition of Wimbledon, and for the next two years took top honours at both the year-opening Australian Open and Wimbledon.
Navratilova won three Majors in 1982, two of them with Shriver, and three Slams with the American the following year.But it was 1984 that would prove to be their biggest year yet. That year, the Navratilova-Shriver combine won the Calendar Grand Slam – winning every Major doubles title that year.Over the next five years, the two added another ten titles to their kitty. The pair ended their partnership with a staggering twenty one doubles Majors titles on every possible surface.
They won 79 of the 104 tournaments they participated in over the course of their partnership, finishing with a win-loss record of 390-25.Perhaps one of the most successful doubles partnerships in tennis history started only because of a phone call from Navratilova asking Shriver to partner her.
2. Natasha Zvereva and Gigi Fernandez
Belarusian Natasha Zvereva had success as a youngster in the singles, winning the Wimbledon girls’ singles title in 1986, then the US Open girls’ singles the following year. Like a number of successful women’s doubles players of her time, she was one of the top-ranked in the singles as well, reaching a career high of World No. 5, making the finals of the French Open in 1988.
But it was in the doubles that the outspoken Zvereva truly shone. Initially pairing up with Larisa Savchenko, with whom she won two titles, Zvereva won a title with Pam Shriver before partnering Puerto Rican-American Gigi Fernandez in one of the most successful women’s doubles pairings in tennis. Together, the two went on a nine-Grand Slam winning streak, and at Wimbledon 1993 held all four Grand Slam titles.
The pair won fourteen Majors of 17 Slam finals they played together and a record number of titles on the Tour, becoming the most successful doubles pair since Navratilova and Shriver just before them. Together, the two were inducted into the tennis Hall of Fame in 2010.
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3. Serena Williams and Venus Williams
By winning the 2001 Australian Open Doubles championship with Venus Williams, became the fifth pair to complete a Career Doubles Grand Slam and the only pair to win a Career Doubles Golden Slam. By winning the 2010 Roland Garros doubles with sister Venus, they became the first pair since 1998 to hold the four slams at the same time.
By winning the 2010 Roland Garros doubles with sister Venus, they became the first pair in Open Era history to complete the Career Doubles Golden Slam twice (2001 & 2003 Australian Open, 1999 & 2010 Roland Garros, 2000 & 2002 Wimbledon, 1999 & 2009 U.S. Open, and 2000 & 2008 Olympic gold medalists).
In 2016, won 6th Wimbledon doubles title with Venus Williams. It was the 4th time Serena won the singles and doubles titles at Wimbledon in the same year (2002, 2009, 2012, 2016). Venus also accomplished this feat twice (2000, 2008).
Serena and Venus improved their grand slam doubles finals record to 14-0. Only Martina Navratilova/Pam Shriver own more grand slam doubles titles as a team with 20 championships.
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