It’s every tennis player’s dream to win a Grand Slam title. While this is a dream that can come true for a few of them, some achieve it very young. Here are the 10 youngest Grand Slam champions in history.
10. Emma Raducanu — 18 years, 302 days
Emma Raducanu became one of the youngest female winners of the US Open in 2021. Indeed, she did it at 18 years and 282 days old. Raducanu’s unprecedented path from the qualifiers to the title win without letting a single set go was one of the greatest achievements in tennis.
9. Bjorn Borg — 18 years, 10 days
50 years ago Bjorn Borg won his first grand slam title at the French Open at 18 and 10 days. With his great groundstrokes and strong nerves, Borg earned altogether six French Open titles and five consecutive Wimbledons.
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8. Mats Wilander — 17 years, 293 days
Mats Wilander emerged a winner of the French Open in 1982 at 17 and 293 days. A final win over Guillermo Vilas engraved him into the record books as one of the youngest Grand Slam champions. It also marked the start of what would become a seven Grand Slam-winning career.
7. Boris Becker — 17 years, 228 days
Boris Becker is the youngest male champion at Wimbledon. He achieved this specifically at the age of 17 years 228 days in 1985. The German player wrote history after beating Kevin Curren in the final, using his serve and volley game. That will eventually lead to him winning six Grand Slam titles.
6. Arantxa Sánchez Vicario — 17 years, 174 days
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario won her first Grand Slam at the French Open in 1989 at only 17 years and 174 days. This win over Graf in the final put Sánchez Vicario on the map as a champion on clay surface.
5. Michael Chang — 17 years, 110 days
Michael Chang is to this day, the youngest male to win the Grand Slam title. He did it at 17 years and 110 days old after he won the French Open in 1989. Chang’s victory over Stefan Edberg was a memorable one, due to his determination and excellent tactics.
4. Maria Sharapova — 17 years, 75 days
Marie Sharapova made her jump to fame when at the age of 17 years and 75 days she won the Wimbledon championship of 2004. This was the start of Sharapova’s career after she defeated Serena Williams in the final. Then, she went on to clinch five grand slam titles.
3. Tracy Austin — 16 years, 270 days
Tracy Austin won her first Grand Slam title at the US Open in 1979 at the age of 16 and 270 days. Her wins against Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert on her journey to the title made Austin one of the youngest champions in tennis.
2. Monica Seles — 16 years, 189 days
Monica Seles who was only 16 years and 189 days won her first Grand Slam title at the French Open in the year 1990. Seles beat Graf in the final to be crowned the champion of the French Open and the youngest ever at that. Her baseline and powerful two-handed techniques on the court completely revolutionized women’s tennis.
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1. Martina Hingis — 16 years, 177 days
Swiss legend Martina Hingis is the youngest-ever Grand Slam champion in the open era. She won the Australian Open in 1997 when she was only 16 years and 177 days old. Hingis was in very unbeatable form as she did not drop a set throughout the tournament and defeated Mary Pierce in the final.