Anybody that watches women’s tennis can not fail to notice the advances in game over the last 30 years or so.

Women seem to be a lot stronger and faster in the sport lately. Here is my opinion of who I think are the top 7 players since 1980 in women’s tennis, in reverse order.

7. Venus Williams, her achievements in her Grand Slams and her Wimbledon wins just go to show what an immense talent this woman is, and with her rivalry with her sister Serena this woman just seems to grow each year.

6. Justine Henin, still only 27 years of age, Justine at her peak was a match for both of the Williams sisters, but she retired at the peak of her career, and only now has started to make a comeback. Let’s just hope she can recreate her previous form.

5. Monica Seles, Monica was an awesome prospect, and after winning 9 Grand slams at an early age she was tipped to become one of the all time great women players; but after she was stabbed in an incident, Monica failed to reproduce her best Tennis, and subsequently seems to have faded from the spotlight.

4. Chris Evert. Chris was an icon of both the Seventies and Eighties and managed to win 18 grand slams in her glittering career.

3. Serena Williams: another powerhouse Tennis player, Serena can go toe to toe with any women’s player around today, a real force to be reckoned with in today’s tennis.

2. Martina Navratilova. This lady was a dominant force in women’s Tennis for over a decade and her 18 Grand slam victories plus numerous other titles in her career says it all.

1. Steffi Graf, I think that the fact that Steffi had won an amazing 22 career Grand slams just gave her the edge over Martina for the top spot. This girl would be a match for anybody on her day, but as I said earlier this is just my opinion.

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Sometimes called ‘Rafa,’ Rafael Nadal is a local of Spain who has made a massive impact in the world of tennis.

Born June three, 1986 in Manacor, Mallorca, Rafael Nadal is the child of Sebastian and Ana Maria Nadal. His sister, Maria Isabel, is 5 years younger than Rafael and is his only sibling.

Standing 6′1′ and weighing 178 lbs, Rafael Nadal turned into a professional tennis player in 2001 after having played since four years of age.

Under the guidance and teaching of Toni Nadal, his uncle, Rafael Nadal commenced learning to play tennis extraordinarily early in life as is evident from his early championship.

Toni, who remains Rafael’s coach, is a particularly critical part of this child’s success. In 2003, Rafael Nadal earned the ATP Newcomer of the Year award.

In 2005, he won 11 titles and also caught recognition as the ‘Most Improved Player’ for 2005 as named by the ATP.

In June 2006, Rafael Nadal won his 2nd Roland Garros crown and also scored his hundredth claycourt career victory.

That same month, Rafael Nadal turned twenty and finished his teenage years with major success. It was during these years that Rafael Nadal won sixteen career titles, which tied the record for the most titles won by a teenager.

Even though Rafael Nadal is right-handed, he plays left-handed and produces a backhand using both. As with most top sportsmen in their sport, Rafael Nadal is managed by IMG and is commonly found in Nike clothes.

Fans who would like to request a signed photograph or just send Rafael Nadal their best wishes are urged to do so in care of his pro connection.

If you are asking for an autograph, be sure to include a SASE ( self-addressed stamped envelope ) along with your request.

Popular items to have signed include blank index cards and photos. It is usually recommended that fans not send any item that they can’t afford to lose, for example cherished possessions and/or limited edition collectibles.

As with all mailed autograph requests, there is no guarantee of an answer. For this reason, many fans simply wish to request a signed photograph.

Depending on the sportsman’s schedule, autographs could be authentic, secretarial, pre-printed or even not possible to provide. Patience is the key to asking for autographs by mail, particularly when you are talking about a sports figure as popular as Rafael Nadal.

Rafael Nadal ATP Tennis 201 ATP Blvd. Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082.

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Just a year and a half ago, Justine Henin ruled the WTA tennis tour, and many were calling her the best women’s player of our generation. It seemed like no one could stop the diminutive but powerful Henin.

Many were calling her the Roger Federer of women’s tennis, and deservedly so. She was simply unstoppable at her best. Why did she retire in 2008, then?

Her retirement had everything to do with the fact that she simply grew tired of the lifestyle that comes with that of a professional athlete. The training and the grueling schedule had taken their toll on this champion.

There were personal initiatives that she preferred to focus on, including a camp for children where she’d teach them how to play tennis.

It wasn’t until a few months ago during the fall of 2009 in which Henin announced that she’d be planning a return to women’s professional tennis. Fans of the sport rejoiced, as her presence would certainly add an interesting element to the state of the female game.

Many wondered if Henin would be able to compete at the level she previously played at. After all, nearly two years away from the sport could leave her rusty and a bit older. Will she be able to return to the world’s number one ranking that she firmly occupied before she called it quits?

Boy, were they wrong. Justine Henin looked as if she never took a day off after easily beating Nadia Petrova in straight sets at Brisbane. The competitive fire still burns in this warrior. In fact, some people claimed that she looked as if she never even took a day off.

From here, there’s one thing on her mind, and no one’s doubting she can get there. Expect to see her back at the top in due time.

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Rafa is the nick name of Rafael Nadal Parera, a young man who has the world of tennis wowed by his fast rise to success. After entering the professional tennis arena at the tender age of just 15 years he has enjoyed a magnificent run of wins. This short Rafael Nadal biography is a brief look at what he has achieved in the few years he has played this widely loved spectator sport.

Reaching the pinnacle of his success as the number two tennis player in the world seems to have come very easily to Rafael Nadal. His clay-court performance has seen sixty consecutive wins, which is a magnificent achievement.

Rafa was born in the town of Manacor on the Island of Mallorca, on the 3rd June 1986. He is no newcomer to sporting achievement as his family has another well known sporting personality in its midst. His uncle was a professional football player for FC Barcelona for many years and he was only 15 when he turned professional.

Our Rafael Nadal biography tells us he was only 15 when he won his first professional tennis match the ATP in Mallorca. In this tennis match he defeated Ramon Delgado and became the ninth player to be younger than 16, to win and ATP tennis championship. One year later he became ranked as one of the top 100 singles tennis players world-wide and was the 2nd youngest player to achieve this claim to fame.

He debuted at Wimbledon aged 16 and made his way into the 3rd round. Since Boris Becker also did this, Rafa was the youngest player to reach the 3rd round at Wimbledon. By the year 2005, Rafael Nadal was ranked the world’s 5th best singles tennis player and this also made him a “youngest” record.

He is perhaps best known for being the winner of the French Open on four consecutive occasions. Pete Sampras won the US Open aged 19 and Rafa was the first teenager to achieve this again. He is also the arch opponent of Roger Federer, fourth youngest Roland Garros champion, as well as the 7th player in the history of the Grand Slam era to win one of these competitions on their first appearance.

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Women’s tennis has evolved very much so over the course of the last 30 years or so. It continues to develop into an extremely competitive sport and the bar has been raised some more with each decade.

Women are faster, stronger, and harder working in the world of professional tennis and we’ve been lucky enough to see some absolutely great players. Here are the 7 best since 1980, in my opinion.

Venus Williams has been one of the best players in modern tennis, and it’s crazy to think about the fact that she finds herself at #7 here. With 10 grand slam wins, her career has been wildly successful. Perhaps the most impressive stat is her four Wimbledon titles.

After Venus is Justine Henin-Hardenne. I put her ahead of Venus because she was simply better, and won more slams in a shorter span. While she cut her career short, she’s on the way back up now as she’s returned to the sport.

The next player on my list is one who I do believe should have been ranked higher, if not for a very unfortunate event. Monica Seles was the best woman in the world in her young prime, even beating the likes of Steffi Graf with ease. Unfortunately, a fanatical lunatic decided to stab her during a match, which effectively ruined her career.

4. Chris Evert. She ruled the 1970s and part of the 1980s, and had a long, successful career. 18 grand slams says it all.

After Seles is the other Williams sister, as Serena now has more grand slams, not to mention the fact that she’s younger than Venus. The last few years have been dominated by Serena ever since Henin retired, and she still has a handful of good years ahead of her.

2. Martina Navratilova. What an outstanding career she had, and she just never seemed to go away. 18 grand slams and a shining career.

1. Steffi Graf. The queen of women’s tennis, she was the Roger Federer of the women’s game. 22 grand slams.

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Seriously, what’s the deal here?

When Steffi Graf ruled the sport people did not enjoy it. When both of the Williams girls were devastating everyone on the road to the championship, the public did not appreciate it. And presently when grand slams are more well balanced than before? Tennis lovers do not appreciate this.

The majority confess that the Williams girls dominate most of the time. Although injuries and diminished non-Slam tournament schedules denote they presently meet prior to the championship match. Though yet again allow us to recall that very recently the previously referenced whining regarding this regular matchup in the final round and their governance over other athletes.

So currently we have Dinara Safina boasting the number spot in the WTA race and the US Open seeds. And what do people imply? She doesn’t deserve it since she has never won a Grand Slam (not to mention that she has been defeated in a couple slam finals recently.) But she’s getting to slam title and she is fairly entertaining along the way, on the court and off.

Earlier Safina was forced to battle it out yet again, practically becoming the 1st #1 seed to be defeated in the first round. Was it entertaining? I thought so. Although we’ll learn all regarding the inaccuracy of the ranking system, yada, yada.

And then there was Venus Williams last night–additionally pushed to 3 pairs. Also engaging. (Furthermore note that Venus didn’t have the best of summers post Wimbledon.) But in all likelihood to be heard is the prevalence of injuries among the sisters Williams and their “distractions” off the courts.

Furthermore presently Kim Clijsters is back and as opposed to being very excited – which we ought to be since she is affable and polite and a fine player – fans are all saying “okay what does it reveal about the women’s game that she might return and maintain a 6-2 finish for the summer season?”

Well I suppose it reveals that she – as she always has -exercises very well. Also that she is a seasoned player and she has nearly zero to lose.

So let’s simply cease all the bashing, please. Yes, there are problems in the ladies game. (For example the lack of diversity in terms of playing style.) But I for my part love that it is anyone’s guess as to who’ll play in that final in under 2 weeks. And I am excited about seeing how they end up there.