Serena Williams vs Martina Navratilova
The greatest women's tennis GOAT debate — Serena Williams vs Martina Navratilova. Grand Slams, titles and dominance compared.
Advertisement
Serena Williams
American · Born 1981
23-time Grand Slam champion and the greatest female athlete of her generation — transformed tennis and redefined possibility.
View Full Profile →Martina Navratilova
Czech/American · Born 1956
18-time Grand Slam singles champion and arguably the greatest serve-and-volley player in tennis history.
View Full Profile →Career Statistics
| Statistic | Serena Williams | Martina Navratilova |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Slams | 23 | 18 |
| Weeks at World No.1 | 319 | 332 |
| Career Titles | 73 | 167 |
| Australian Open | 7 | 3 |
| French Open | 3 | 2 |
| Wimbledon | 7 | 9 |
| Us Open | 6 | 4 |
| Olympic Gold | 2012 (Singles), 2000, 2008, 2012 (Doubles) | — |
| Win Pct | 85% | — |
| Career Aces | 5100 | — |
| Doubles Grand Slams | — | 31 |
| Mixed Grand Slams | — | 10 |
| Total Grand Slams | — | 59 |
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams was born in Saginaw, Michigan in 1981 and grew up in Compton, California alongside her sister Venus, both trained on public courts by their father Richard from age three. She turned professional in 1995 and won her first Grand Slam at the US Open in 1999 aged 17 — defeating Martina Hingis in the final. Her career produced 23 Grand Slam singles titles — the most by any player in the Open Era: seven Australian Opens, three French Opens, seven Wimbledons and six US Opens. She held the world number one ranking for a total of 319 weeks. She won the Australian Open in January …
Full Serena Williams biography →Martina Navratilova
Martina Navratilova was born in Prague in 1956 and defected to the United States during the 1975 US Open, carrying little beyond her tennis bag. She became the most prolific title winner in professional tennis history with 167 singles titles and 177 doubles titles — 344 total, a figure no player in the sport's history has matched. Her 18 Grand Slam singles titles include 9 Wimbledon championships — the most at any single major by any player — won across three different decades. She held the world number one ranking for 332 weeks. Her win-loss record of 2,189-263 gives her a win rate of 89.3%. …
Full Martina Navratilova biography →The Verdict
Serena won 23 Grand Slams; Navratilova 18 singles plus 31 doubles Grand Slams (49 total). Navratilova won 167 singles titles; Serena 73. Navratilova's 89.3% win rate is higher than Serena's 85.7%. Most modern analysts favour Serena for singles dominance; Navratilova's total career achievement including doubles is unmatched.