With gender equality deservedly gaining more prominence in society, it is impressive to see exponentially increased female participation in sports.
Compared to the twentieth century, we have way more successful female athletes who proudly rose to the peak of sporting success and deservedly cemented their legacy in history.
Female sporting competitions are now being broadcasted in the biggest media outlets, with fans rushing to top prediction sites like Telecom Asia Sport to forecasts when their favorite female athletes play.
This article celebrates some of the most popular female faces in the global sporting arena.
Serena Williams
Serena is renowned for her potent serves, forceful groundstrokes, and all-around athleticism. She has held the title of top female tennis player worldwide for many years and is regarded as one of the all-time greats.
She was born in Michigan on September 26, 1981, and started playing tennis at a very young age, becoming more passionate about it with time.
Serena learned the fundamentals of tennis from her father, Richard Williams, who also served as her coach. She advanced to become one of the finest players in the world with his help and encouragement.
Serena has won 14 and 23 Grand Slam doubles and singles titles, respectively. She also has 2 Olympic gold medals and two major mixed doubles championships to her credit.
Serena Williams announced her retirement in September 2022 after a career filled with accolades.
Naomi Osaka
Japanese-born tennis player Naomi Osaka has become a global sensation. She first burst onto the scene in 2018 when she won her first WTA title.
She overcame Serena Williams later that year to also win the U.S. Open.
After that, Naomi continued to win championships and became one of the world’s top tennis players.
Naomi was born in Japan but moved to America at a young age. She picked up tennis quickly and started playing professionally in 2013. She is the first woman to win a Grand Slam singles title.
She is the second woman after Serena Williams to have won back-to-back major championships, and she currently has 7 trophies to her name.
Simone Biles
Simone Biles is an accomplished gymnast. She has won 25 medals from World Championships, 7 from the Olympics, and 2 from the Pacific Rim Championships. This collection of medals includes 25 gold medals.
Simone Biles is well-known for her exceptionally challenging and one-of-a-kind skills. These comprise several variations, such as the “Biles,” a double-double arrangement with a half twist.
She is also renowned for possessing an unusual amount of strength and flexibility.
Throughout her career, Simone Biles has broken countless records. She became the fourth American woman in history to win four gold medals at the Olympics and the first female gymnast to win four straight all-around titles at the World Championships.
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova is one of the world’s most accomplished and well-liked tennis players.
She has five Grand Slam victories and one Olympic medal to her name and spent 21 weeks atop the Women’s Tennis Association’s World Rankings.
Sharapova won her maiden Grand Slam championship at Wimbledon in 2004 at 17, making her one of the youngest athletes to do it. Since then, she has won 36 WTA singles titles, adding to her trophy collection.
Along with her accomplishments on the court, Sharapova is a well-known businesswoman. She shifted her attention to her candy brand “Sugarpova,” which she started in 2012 after she retired in 2021.
Alex Morgan
Alex has had amazing success both on and off the field and has become well-known as a result. Alex, a 1989-born Californian native, started playing soccer at a young age.
She excelled in high school, scoring several goals and taking home awards.
Her professional career began after signing with the WPSLs Western New York Flash in 2011. She had an instant impact and helped the Flash win the regular season championship.
She was called up for the 2012 Olympics in London and contributed significantly to the team, winning gold at the end and scoring three goals. Since then, Alex has had more amazing success with the USWNT.
Alex has scored more than 200 goals for the USWNT. She has won the FIFA Women’s World Cup twice and was named the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year in 2012 and 2018.
Venus Williams
The list of female tennis greats is not complete without mentioning Venus Williams. During her career, she won 7 Grand Slam singles titles and 73 WTA titles.
Born in California in 1980, her father taught her and her sister, Serena Williams, how to play tennis when they were very little. Thanks to this foundation, the two sisters advanced fast to the pinnacle of the sport.
Venus is known for her strength and athleticism and can stroke the ball with great force, and accuracy, and has a strong serve.
In her career, Venus Williams has broken several astounding records.
She is the only female athlete to have won three career Olympic gold medals and the first African-American woman to hold the top spot in the WTA or ATP rankings.
Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King is another tennis player who etched her name into the record books. She’s famously known for winning 39 major titles, including 12 singles and 27 in women’s and mixed doubles. She’s regarded as one of the finest tennis players in history and made it into the International Tennis Hall of fame in 1997.
Off the pitch, she’s a strong preacher of gender equality and social justice.
She’s won many sporting and social accolades. Her notable recognitions include the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Award, Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the year, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Saina Nehwal
Next on the list of the best female athletes of all time is the renowned Indian badminton player; Siana Nehwal. Saina represented her home country in various competitions and brought unmatched success.
She’s a former Number 1 badminton player in the World and has won 24 international titles.
Saina won the Olympic bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics and has two gold medals at the Commonwealth games.
She’s won at least one medal in all the BWF major events, becoming the only Indian to have ever done so. Not only did she achieve individual success in the sport, but her achievements help popularized badminton in India.
Conclusion
These female athletes are among the most well-known in the world. They all have accomplished a lot and shattered records. Many women and girls worldwide look up to them as role models.