The French Open and Wimbledon are considered to be the toughest among all Grand Slam tournaments in the sport of tennis. While the French Open is played on clay, Wimbledon is played on grass.
The distinction between these two surfaces makes it challenging for players to adapt. However, the players who acclimatise and adjust to these varying conditions quickly end up becoming legends of the sport.
Although rare, there have been several instances of players winning both these majors in the same year. Women, in particular, have been phenomenal in doing so repeatedly.
In this listicle, we take a look at the top seven women tennis players who won both Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year.
#1 Margaret Court
The legendary Margaret Court was the first women’s tennis player to achieve the spectacular feat of winning both Wimbledon and the French Open in the same year when she did it in 1970. Court was one of the finest tennis players the world has ever seen.
#2 Evonne Goolagong
Australian Evonne Goolagong was the second women’s tennis player to follow in the footsteps of Court after she achieved this rare double a year later in 1971.
Goolagong was also appointed as an OBE for her services to the sport of tennis in the year 1972 after being announced as Australian of the Year the year before.
#3 Billie Jean King
The legendary Billie Jean King, who is synonymous with greatness in the women’s category in tennis, won her only French Open in 1972 and soon followed it up by winning Wimbledon a few weeks later. This was the fourth of the six Wimbledon titles King would go on to win.
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#4 Chris Evert
The flamboyant Chris Evert comes fourth on this list by virtue of achieving this rare double in 1974.
She was still a young player back then, and the French Open she won was the first of her career, followed by Wimbledon. Evert would go on to win eighteen major titles in her career.
#5 Martina Navratilova
How can the godlike Martina Navratilova not be on this list? The Czech-American is widely considered to be the best women’s tennis player ever.
She achieved this historic double by winning both the French Open and Wimbledon in 1982. In fact, Navratilova did this feat twice by repeating it in 1984. Evert, interestingly, was the finalist on both occasions.
#6 Steffi Graf
The stylish, demure yet elegant Steffi Graf, whom a lot of modern-day tennis players have looked up to for inspiration, comes sixth on this list.
Graf won all four majors in 1988 — she beat Natalia Zvereva in the final of the French Open and Navratilova in Wimbledon. Astonishingly, the German achieved this feat again in 1993, 1995 and 1996.
#7 Serena Williams
The arrival of Serena Williams on the international stage completely changed the way the women’s category was viewed in tennis.
The American showcased that being an enforcer and destroyer could be in a female tennis player’s nature as well. She first achieved this double in 2002 and then repeated it in 2015.
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