As some of you may know, this July marked the 125th anniversary of women's tournament tennis. So, in order to celebrate that, I decided to compile a historical account of women's tennis over those 125 years. It is a look at all of the champions, personalities, and events that have shaped the history of women's tennis. And while I could not go into as much detail as each entry deserved, for the sake of brevity, I feel I've been pretty thorough. Think of each entry as a "Reader's Digest" version, whetting your appetite for more involved discussions, both here, and in our excellent (plug) Blast From The Past forum.
I had intended to complete this in July, but I underestimated the work involved, and overestimated the time I would have, and didn't expect several other events. So, here it is, late, but hopefully worth the wait. I wanted to get it done before the YEC, or on the day they started. I may yet accomplish that goal. And while I was rushing to finish this thread, I thought, why worry if it isn't 100% finished, or if I don't have as much as I want. This is a thread, not a published article. If more info comes up later, I can always edit. So instead of worrying about completing "my" thread, I open it to all of your contributions as well. Any interesting facts and tidbits can be added in later, to make it an evolving history.
And yes, some info has been omitted for the sake of making it manageable. Legends such as Navratilova, Graf, Evert, Court, King, etc., could easily take up an entire thread on their own (and do, in BFTP). So I've listed some of their highest highlights. If you feel I've shortchanged a player, it is purely unintentional. This thread is not intended to elevate any great above any other. It is merely a (largely) chronological history of women's tennis. Do take note, however, that every player who has won a Grand Slam title of any kind is included in this thread. So enjoy, discuss, and honor the people and events that have shaped this sport we love.
Index: in the listing of GS (Grand Slam) titles won, they are abbreviated in order of tournament (Australian, French, Wimbledon, and US) then event (Singles, Doubles, and Mixed).
Also note: where I don't specify men's or women's tennis, assume I'm refering to the women's tour.
I had intended to complete this in July, but I underestimated the work involved, and overestimated the time I would have, and didn't expect several other events. So, here it is, late, but hopefully worth the wait. I wanted to get it done before the YEC, or on the day they started. I may yet accomplish that goal. And while I was rushing to finish this thread, I thought, why worry if it isn't 100% finished, or if I don't have as much as I want. This is a thread, not a published article. If more info comes up later, I can always edit. So instead of worrying about completing "my" thread, I open it to all of your contributions as well. Any interesting facts and tidbits can be added in later, to make it an evolving history.
And yes, some info has been omitted for the sake of making it manageable. Legends such as Navratilova, Graf, Evert, Court, King, etc., could easily take up an entire thread on their own (and do, in BFTP). So I've listed some of their highest highlights. If you feel I've shortchanged a player, it is purely unintentional. This thread is not intended to elevate any great above any other. It is merely a (largely) chronological history of women's tennis. Do take note, however, that every player who has won a Grand Slam title of any kind is included in this thread. So enjoy, discuss, and honor the people and events that have shaped this sport we love.
Index: in the listing of GS (Grand Slam) titles won, they are abbreviated in order of tournament (Australian, French, Wimbledon, and US) then event (Singles, Doubles, and Mixed).
Also note: where I don't specify men's or women's tennis, assume I'm refering to the women's tour.