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Winning a Grand Slam is no small feat in tennis, regardless of how easy the likes of Serena Williams and the Big-3 made it look over the last two decades. Achieving the highest accolade in the sport takes grit, determination and nerves of steel. Behind a day of glory are years of hard work.
What many players can't experience in a lifetime, however, some hardworking tennis prodigies have managed to achieve at a very young age. From Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis to Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, nine female stars have successfully won a Major before they turned 19, a club Coco Gauff, unfortunately, cannot join any more.
Breaking onto the scene as a 15-year-old when she won her first WTA Tour title, Gauff was expected by many to join the last. But after being ousted from the 2023 Australian Open following a fourth-round loss to Jelena Ostapenko, Gauff will be 19 by the time she takes to the court at the French Open, which is slated to begin on May 28.
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Nonetheless, let’s take a look back at the 9 female tennis stars who won a Major title before 19:
#1 Martina Hingis - 16 years and 3 months
Swiss tennis legend Martina Hingis was just 16 years, 3 months and 26 days when she won her first singles Grand Slam at the 1997 Australian Open. The win against 1995 Australian Open champion Mary Pierce made her the youngest tennis player to win a singles Grand Slam.
In March 1997, Hingis became the youngest ever top-ranked player in the Open Era. Prior to her 1997 Australian Open triumph, Hingis became the youngest player to win a Grand Slam across all age categories at 15 years and 9 months in 1996, when she won the women’s doubles title at Wimbledon with partner Helena Sukova.
#2 Monica Seles - 16 years and 6 months
Former World No. 1 Monica Seles beat out then top-ranked Steffi Graf 7-6, 6-4 at the 1990 French Open final to lift her maiden Slam trophy. Seles scripted history with the win by becoming the youngest major singles champion in the Open Era at the time (Hingis became the youngest in 1997).
Seles had a rock solid 1992, winning the French Open, Australian Open and the US Open but fell short of a Golden Slam after she lost the 1992 Wimbledon Final against Steffi Graf. The Yugoslavia-born Seles has won a total of 9 Grand Slams and is an Olympic Bronze medalist, making her one of the most celebrated tennis players in history.
#3 Tracy Austin - 16 years and 9 months
American Tracy Austin won her first Grand Slam at the 1979 US Open at 16 years and 9 months making her the youngest US open champion in history. On her way to winning the title at Flushing Meadows, she defeated fan favorites like Martina Navratilova in the semifinals and Chris Evert in the final.
For her efforts, Austin was named the Female Athele of the Year in 1979 by The Associated Press. The American went on to win the mixed-doubles championship at the 1980 Wimbledon with her brother John Austin. Her second and final Grand Slam win came at the US Open as well, where she defeated Martina Navratilova in a marathon match 1-6, 7-6(4),7-6(1) in the final of the 1981 edition.
#4 Maria Sharapova - 17 years and 2 months
One of the most famous upsets in tennis history was arguably caused by Russian star Maria Sharapova at the 2004 Wimbledon Final, who was seeded No. 13 in the tournament. She defeated top-seed Serena Williams 6-1, 6-4 in the summit clash to lift her maiden Grand Slam title.
Her win catapulted her into the top 10 and made her the third-youngest Wimbledon champion in history behind Lottie Dod (pre-Open Era) and Martina Hingis. Sharapova is one of the few tennis players to have achieved a Career Grand Slam by winning all four Majors at least once.
Along with conquering the 2004 Wimbledon singles final, she won the 2006 US Open (beating Justine Henin in the final), the 2008 Australian Open (beating Ana Ivanovic in the final) and the French Open twice in 2012 and 2014 (beating Sara Errani and Simona Halep in the respective finals).
#5 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario - 17 years and 5 months
Spanish legend Arantxa Sanchez Vicario won her maiden Grand Slam title at the 1989 French Open singles title by defeating Stefi Graf 7-6, 3-6, 7-5 in the final. Her win in 1989 made her the youngest winner of the women's singles title at a Major, a record broken by Monica Seles the very next year at the same Slam.
Sanchez has won 14 Grand Slam titles in her career -- four in singles, six in women's doubles, and four in mixed doubles, earning her the nickname 'Barcelona Bumblebee'.
#6 Serena Williams - 17 years and 11 months
One of the most celebrated athletes of our generation, Serena Williams has been making waves in the tennis world since she was a teenager. The American legend started her groundbreaking 23 Grand Slam campaign at the 1999 US Open, where she defeated Swiss star Martina Hingis 6-3, 7-6(4) in the summit clash.
Serena Williams has been World No.1 for 319 weeks in total, the third most in WTA history. In addition to 23 Grand Slam singles titles, Williams also earned an Olympic gold medal in the 2012 singles event.
Furthermore, Serena Williams has also had a glittering doubles tennis career which often goes under the radar, winning 14 Grand Slam finals in women's doubles, two Grand Slam wins in mixed-doubles and three Olympic golds in the doubles format.
#7 Steffi Graf - 17 years and 11 months
German great Steffi Graf won the 1987 French Open against another tennis legend, Martina Navratilova, beating her 6-4, 4-6, 8-6 at 17 years and 11 months to earn her maiden Grand Slam triumph.
In 1988, at the age of 18, Graf achieved the Golden Slam by winning all four Major singles tournaments and an Olympic Gold medal in the same calendar year. She is also the only tennis player to have won all four Grand Slams at least four times each.
Steffi Graf has won 22 Grand Slams in her career and reached a career-high ranking of No. 1 in 1987. She stayed at the top for a record 377 weeks and a record consecutive 186 weeks (tied with Serena Williams).
#8 Emma Raducanu - 18 years and 9 months
British rising star Emma Raducanu scripted history in the 2021 US Open final by defeating Canadian teen Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-3, winning the tournament without dropping a single set.
The match was the first all-teen women's singles final at the US Open since 1999. What stood out the most about Raducanu's triumph was that she was the first qualifier in tennis history, male or female, who went on to win the Slam.
Raducanu, who turned pro as recently as 2018, also holds the Open Era record for the fewest Majors played before winning a Major title, with the 2021 US Open being only her second main draw appearance at a Grand Slam.
#9 Hana Mandlikova - 18 years and 10 months
Czech player Hana Mandlikova is another teenager who was able to taste success at an early stage of her career. Her first Slam triumph came at the 1980 Australian Open, where she defeated Wendy Turnball 6-0, 7-5.
Mandlikova won a total of four singles Slams before retirement -- the Australian Open in 1980 and 1987, the US Open in 1985 and the French Open in 1981. She also appeared in two Wimbledon singles finals in 1981 and 1986.
Her career-high ranking of No. 3 came in April 1984 and for her achievements in the sport, Mandlikova was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1994.
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