Tennis is one of the most well-known sports in the world. No matter where you travel to on this globe, you're bound to find a couple of tennis fanatics hanging out and watching the fast-paced game. It doesn't matter if they're located in the metropolitan area or the middle of nowhere, you're still going to find some tennis fans.
Unless if you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard of American tennis players such as the decorated sisters Venus Williams and Serena Williams. You've probably also heard of Russian tennis stars Anna Kournikova and Maria Sharapova, but these four lovely ladies aren't the only female tennis players out there.
You might not be an actual fan of tennis, but you have to admit that some female tennis players are some of the best looking women on this Earth. While they may not be the most skilled women on the court, they have a significant amount of followers on social media due to their stunning looks.
So it's fairly hard for us to pick just 15 female tennis players to write about, but at least we tried our best. You can tell us your favorites in the comments section, but we felt like our readers should read about these 15 females first. Most of these beauties hail from Russia along with various countries in Eastern Europe, but there are a handful from other countries.
With all that being said, here are 15 female tennis players you haven't heard of, but now you're glad you have.
15 Tsvetana Pironkova
Bulgarian tennis player Tsvetana Pironkova may not be a household name, but she's an accomplished athlete who's often overlooked. She made her WTA (Women's Tennis Association) debut at the Istanbul Cup in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2005 and achieved moderate amounts of success up until the 2010 Wimbledon Championships. That was when she entered the tournament with a 1-4 record and ended up making the semifinals, becoming just the second Bulgarian tennis player in history to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam in singles.
The following year, Pironkova earned the nickname "The Wimbledon Darkhorse" by following up with a quarterfinal run in the 2011 Wimbledon Championships. She's best known for putting higher-ranked opponents in the shade at various tournaments. She has also been named one of the most beautiful women in sports by MSN. MSN got that right as she's a brunette beauty with a pretty smile that makes her look like the girl next door you'd like to meet for a cup of coffee.
14 Donna Vekic
You may not know anything about Croatia, but we think you should know about Croatian tennis player Donna Vekic, who has won two singles titles (2014 Malaysian Open and 2017 Nottingham Open) on the WTA Tour. In addition, she has won five singles titles and one doubles title on the ITF (International Tennis Federation) Women's Circuit. So far, her best feat in a Grand Slam singles event was reaching the third round in both the 2015 French Open and 2017 US Open, and she most recently reached her career-high singles ranking of No. 45 in September 2017.
Enough about Vekic's career accomplishments. She's a blonde stunner who has been dubbed as the next Maria Sharapova by a lot of media outlets. She just turned 21 last year, so she's still got a lot of time to grow her name. However, she has been allegedly involved in a love triangle with two male tennis players, Stan Wawrinka and Thanasi Kokkinakis, at the age of 19. Hopefully, it wasn't true, but it could've been possible due to her stunning looks.
13 Laura Robson
Australian-born, British-based tennis player Laura Robson achieved high amounts of success at the 2012 US Open and 2013 Wimbledon Championships, respectively. This subsequently allowed her to become the first British woman since Samantha Smith at Wimbledon in 1998 to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament.
While Robson may not be relevant anymore—as she has struggled with her form and failed to creep into the world's top 150 after suffering multiple injuries—she's still a beautiful young woman who turned 24 this year.
Sure, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, but Robson is certainly a brunette stunner and maybe this was one of the reasons why she reportedly had a fall out with Canadian tennis player Eugenie Bouchard in 2014 after having a decade-long friendship where they were inseparable and Bouchard once stayed in Robson's family home. Bouchard told Daily Mail: 'I don't think the tennis tour is the place to have friends." Well, then.
12 Camila Giorgi
If you have a thing for Italian girls, you've stumbled upon the right entry on this list. Italian tennis player Camila Giorgi was born in Macereta, Italy, to Argentinian parents of Italian descent. She began playing tennis at the age of five and has excelled ever since. She reached the fourth round of the 2012 Wimbledon Championships in only her second appearance at the tournament. After that, she made her top 100 debut in WTA rankings.
Giorgi is a hard-hitting tennis player who is known for her aggressive style of play along with her powerful groundstrokes. But she doesn't appear as tough off the court. In fact, she looks like an innocent blonde beauty who has a seductive sense of fashion and can define the hashtag #LegsForDays with her long legs that stand out.
11 Mandy Minella
Unlike the other female tennis players on this list, Luxembourgish tennis player Mandy Minella is a veteran who turned pro in 2001. She was born in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg, and started playing tennis at the age of five. She went on to achieve success, winning two doubles titles on the WTA Tour along with nine singles titles and five doubles titles on the ITF Tour. In 2012, she reached her best singles ranking of world No. 66. The following year, she rose to world No. 47 in terms of doubles rankings.
Minella fell victim to injuries and injuries, starting in 2014. While she had a lot of struggles, she managed to turn things around at the 2016 Bol Open and then gave to her first child, a daughter named Emma Lina, in 2017. Her husband and coach, Tim Sommer, is indeed a lucky man to have a drop dead gorgeous wife and soon-to-be pretty daughter in his life.
10 Karolina Pliskova
Czech tennis sensation Karolina Pliskova is currently a world No. 6 in the WTA and a former world No. 1. She has won nine singles titles and five doubles titles on the WTA Tour. She has won 10 singles titles and six doubles titles on the ITF Tour. Moreover, she reached her first Grand Slam final at the 2016 US Open, where she finished as a runner-up to Germany's Angelique Kerber in three sets.
Pliskova's playing style is quite aggressive as she possesses a powerful serve that's often accurate. In addition, she possesses forceful groundstrokes that take out errors from her opponents or win points then and there.
Pliskova is also drawing attention to herself off the court with her stunning looks that are the perfect combination of sugar and spice. She's a blonde beauty with two Maori-style tattoos. She can certainly clean up nice, whether she's getting ready for a tennis match in athletic gear or the red carpet in an evening gown.
9 Sania Mirza
Indian women may be overlooked in the Western world, but Indian tennis player Sania Mirza is absolutely worth a moment of your time.
Mirza was born to Hyderabadi Muslim parents. She and her sister were brought up in a Sunni Muslim household. So you probably won't find her in the center of any controversies aside from her controversial wedding to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, who was accused of being married to another woman named Ayesha Siddiqui, in 2009. Malik eventually divorced Siddiqui to legally marry Mirza.
Mirza is a familiar face among Indian tennis fans, but you should check her out because she's known for her curvy figure and hip-hugging styles. She also has a flawless face with captivating eyes that would actually justify the windows to her soul. She appears to be healthy, strong and muscular, which is the complete package when it comes to the appearance department.
8 Maria Kirilenko
Former Russian tennis player Maria Kirilenko was most definitely overshadowed by the likes of fellow Russians Maria Sharapova and Anna Kournikova, but let's take a closer look at Kirilenko, who most recently reached her career-high WTA ranking of world No. 10 in June 2013.
Kirilenko made some waves off the court when she was engaged to Russian NHL player Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals in December 2012. No, it had nothing to do with the fact that she found a high-profile man, but the shocking turn of events when she called off the wedding for "a lot of reasons." She's now married to Alexei Stepanov, the head of the Committee of Public Services in Moscow, Russia, with whom she has a young son with. Her ex-fiance has also moved on with aspiring Russian model Nastya Shubskaya.
However, we still shake our heads at how Ovechkin might've ruined his previous engagement to Kirilenko over an Instagram photo with Olympic rhythmic gymnast Karolina Sevastyanova and Russian basketball player Vitaliy Fridzon.
7 Ana Ivanovic
Serbian tennis player Ana Ivanovic has been retired since 2016 and subsequently honored at the 2017 French Open. She had a lot to be proud of though. She was once ranked as a world No. 1 in 2008. She also qualified to the WTA Tour Championships three times (2007, 2008, 2014) and won the WTA Tournament of Champions in back-to-back years of 2010 and 2011.
We doubt they're related in some way, but Ivanovic does look fairly similar to Los Angeles-based sportscaster Alex Curry, which is a plus because they share the same smiles, cheekbones and hairstyles.
Ivanovic has been married to German midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, who currently plays for the Chicago Fire of the MLS (Major League Soccer), since their ceremony in Venice, Italy, on July 2016. She announced that she was expecting the couple's first child in November 2017. We wish the couple the best of luck because the wife is a brunette beauty who deserves nothing but the finer things in life.
6 Daniela Hantuchova
Unless if you pay attention to Slovakian sports, you've probably never heard of retired Slovakian tennis player Daniela Hantuchova until you've somehow decided to check out this list.
Hantuchova turned pro in 1999 and won her first WTA Tournament, the Indian Wells Masters, with a victory over Switzerland's Martina Hingis in 2002. Hantuchova also reached the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon Championships and US Open that year. In addition, Hantuchova was a member of the Slovakia national tennis team that won the 2002 Fed Cup and 2005 Hopman Cup.
As an established athlete on and off the court, Hantuchova continues to look smokin', no matter what injuries she had to cope with in the public eye. She has blown her fans away with photoshoots that show off her long legs. Her name is the "Queen of 3-Setters" for a reason and she's no stranger to serving up irresistible poses in front of the cameras.
5 Vojislava Lukic
Here's another Serbian tennis player that you probably haven't heard of before. Her name is Vojislava Lukic, which can be quite difficult to pronounce, but we think that you likely would try to learn her name so you could get her attention in a public place.
Lukic was born and raised in Subotica, Serbia, and competed in gymnastics as a little girl, but later left her gymnastic pursuits to work towards a career in tennis. Either way, she would've excelled in one sport or the other by earning a lot of victories and titles in sporting events.
After retiring from tennis, Lukic worked as a television presenter and model. She also founded her own tennis school for young girls.
4 Dominika Cibulkova
Slovak tennis player Dominika Cibulkova is best known for her fast and aggressive playing style as well as the notable fact that she won eight singles titles on the WTA Tour as well as two singles titles on the ITF Circuit.
With a win in the WTA Finals in 2016, Cibulkova became the fourth player—after Serena Williams (2001), Maria Sharapova (2004) and Petra Kvitova (2011)—to win the tournament on debut. Moreover, her finals apperance at the 2014 Australian Open helped her become the first Slovak female to reach the championship round of a Grand Slam.
Cibulkova also made splashes off the court due to her stunning looks, and of course, luscious blonde locks. She has modeled for some magazines such as Top Fashion. She basically can rock any type of outfit, whether it's an Adidas two-piece set for a workout or a Versace dress for an awards ceremony. She's just a blonde lady who's easy on the eyes.
3 Anna Chakvetadze
Retired Russian tennis player Anna Chakvetadze is actually half Russian (through her mother) and half Georgian (through her father), but she still looks so darn good. While where she stands on the invisible scale of appearances is debatable, she looks like the blonde girl next door type in our eyes.
Chakvetadze retired due to a persistent back injury that wouldn't stop bothering her for quite a while. She previously finished her tennis career by winning eight singles titles on the WTA Tour, reaching her career-high singles at world No. 5 in 2007 and becoming a quarterfinalist at the 2007 Australian Open and 2007 French Open.
Right now, Chakvetadze works as a commentator for the Eurosport channel. This is obviously good news for tennis fans and just about any sports fan who's looking for new female athletes to check out when there aren't any games going on. She's a blonde beauty who also has the brains to continue to thrive in the industry.
2 Heather Watson
British tennis player Heather Watson is the interesting daughter of a Papua New Guinean mother and a British father, but in a good way as she has a rather unique look for someone of her nationality.
Watson is currently a world No. 2, behind Great Britain's Johanna Konta, and a former world No. 1. She has won four titles on the WTA Tour and two titles on the ITF Tour. She also became the first British female to win a WTA singles title since Great Britain's Sara Gomer in 1998 after defeating Taiwan's Chang Kai-chen in the final of the Japan Open.
When it comes to Watson's looks, she appears to be a natural beauty with sleek brunette hair and a toned body as she can slay in a variety of looks ranging from fur coats to revealing swimsuits. She's currently dating British tennis player Lloyd Glassdoor, who looks just as good as her.
1 Sloane Stephens
Move over, Venus and Serena Williams!
American tennis player Sloane Stephens is a rising star who stands at five-foot-seven and weighs 134 lbs. So far, she has won five singles titles, which includes her first ever Major at the 2017 US Open. With that win, she became the lowest-ranked player to win the women's singles title and the first American woman aside from the Williams sisters to win a Grand Slam since Jennifer Capriati in 2002. She was subsequently awarded the WTA Comeback Player of the Year award in 2017.
Stephens serves more than just tennis serves on the court. She also serves some of the boldest looks in the fashion world. She has posed for well-known magazines such as Harper's BAZAAR, and most recently, Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue. This just goes to show that she can kill it in an outfit covering up or leaving little to the imagination.
Well done, Stephens!