5 of the best WTA World No. 1s

Bonus slide: Monica Seles

But for misfortune, many believe Monica Seles had the talent to be the best ever

You get a bonus slide for patiently toggling through the slideshow!!

Hungarian star Monica Seles was so good, I just couldn't leave her out of this list. One could argue for her inclusion in place of Martina Hingis, it's just a choice I made. Monica was as good as the rest on this list.

In 1990, Seles became the youngest singles champion at the French Open aged 16 years and won 8 Grand Slams (3 Australian Opens, 3 French Opens and 2 US Opens) before turning 20. She was the year-end world number one in 1991 and 1992.

However, on April 30, 1993, she was the victim of an on-court attack, when a mentally ill man (who apparently was a fan of Steffi Graf) stabbed her in the back with a 9-inch (23 cm) long knife in Hamburg, Germany. Her physical injuries healed quickly but she couldn't cope with the trauma of the attack and missed more than 2 years, in her prime. Though she enjoyed some success after rejoining the tour in 1995, including a fourth Australian Open in 1996, she was unable to consistently reproduce her best form and last played professional Tennis at the French Open in 2003.

The leftie was known for two-handed forehand and backhand. She had a solid serve which she used to great effect. Many have argued that had Seles not been stabbed, she would at least have doubled her Grand Slam tally, if not more. Much like Hingis, she remains a case of what could have been.

Post Script: To choose 5 out of the best players to have played the game is a cumbersome task. Some of the ladies who miss out are absolute legends. Notable mentions: Venus Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters and Maria Sharapova.