An otherwise happily married couple may turn a mixed doubles game into a scene from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.
Rod Laver
Many sporting events feature tiered competition, where the 'lesser' contests miss out on all the press and glamour. The Olympic Games are the most famous example of such. Everyone flocks to whichever country hosts that year's Games. But, almost everyone leaves as the Paralympic Games get underway, including reporters and television crews.
We see the same phenomenon in tennis. Singles matches are the big draws, and the bigger the players' names, the larger the crowds. Doubles tennis gets far less coverage, and sees far fewer spectators. This article wants to remedy that situation. Here, you'll read about the best tennis duos to grace the courts.
| 🎾 Doubles Team | 📊 Their record | 🏆 Their claim to fame |
|---|---|---|
| Ken McGregor Frank Sedgman | Seven consecutive Grand Slam titles | The only men's duo to earn a Grand Slam. |
| Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver | Won the 1984 Grand Slam. | Won a Grand Slam and a non-calendar year Grand Slam. |
| Todd Woodbridge Mark Woodforde | Won their Career Grand Slam over several years. | They dominated the Australian Doubles circuit for nearly 10 years. |
| Mike Bryan Bob Bryan | Won a non-calendar year Grand Slam. Won a Career Golden Slam. | The only set of identical twins with such a tennis record. |
| Venus Williams Serena Williams | Won a non-calendar year Grand Slam. Won a Career Golden Slam. | The sisters were rivals as well as partners. |
| Kateřina Siniaková Barbora Krejčíková | Won a Career Grand Slam. Won a Career Golden Slam. | They've been a Doubles team since 2013. |
| Rajeev Ram Joe Salisbury | Claimed four Doubles titles in four years. | They are one of the two durable duos in men's Doubles tennis. |
| Pierre-Hugues Herbert Nicolas Mahut | Won a Career Grand Slam in 2020 | The second enduring partnership in men's Doubles tennis. |
The Most Unique Tennis Doubles Team
It's not uncommon for Singles tennis players to hold all four Grand Slam titles. Some of the tennis world's top stars did/do so, including Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams.
This feat is called a Grand Slam. It involves winning all four major tennis tournaments—the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open - all in the same calendar year.
In all of tennis's long history - or, at least, in its officially recorded parts, only these tennis Doubles pairs have managed that feat.
McGregor-Sedgman
- Name: Ken McGregor
- Nationality: Australian
- Career titles: 10
- Highest ranking: 3
- Years active: 1952 - 1957
- Name: Frank Sedgman
- Nationality: Australian
- Career titles: 49
- Highest ranking 1
- Years active: 1953 - 1978
In fact, the McGregor-Sedgman duo won a total of seven consecutive Grand Slam titles. To this day, only one men's tennis pairing has been so successful, but none has won the Grand Slam. For that reason, we dub this team the best men's doubles tennis players of all time.
Navratilova-Shriver
The 80s were a phenomenal time in tennis. The women's game was finally gaining the recognition it deserved, and Martina was one of the top female tennis players. Like McGregor-Sedgman, the Navratilova-Shriver pair clinched a Grand Slam (in 1984).
- Name: Martina Navratilova
- Nationality: Czech-American
- Career titles: 344 (177 Doubles)
- Highest ranking: #1
- Years active: 1974 - 2006
- Name: Pam Shriver
- Nationality: American
- Career titles: 133 (112 Doubles)
- Highest ranking: #1
- Years active: 1979 - 1997
Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver also won a non-calendar year Grand Slam, in 1986 - 1987. Well, mostly. Playing the 1986 French Open, Martina teamed up with Hungarian player Andrea Temesvári, as Pam was absent.
"The Woodies"
No article about Doubles tennis would be complete without mention of Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde. Nicknamed The Woodies, they were Australia's most invincible Doubles team.
Individually, Mark and Todd were exceptional Singles players. Together, they complemented each other's playing style. They ruled the Doubles circuit from the early 1990s until 2000, just before Woodforde retired. Coincidentally, clinching the 2000 French Open earned thedie pair their Career Grand Slam.
Best Doubles Tennis Teams
It's also possible to hold all four Grand Slam titles, but not in the same year. For instance, One might win Wimbledon and the US Open in one year, and the Australian and French Open events the next year. This is not a rare occurrence, it happens thanks to the tournaments' schedules.
Once again, it's more common for Singles' players to manage this feat. Still, a handful of the best tennis doubles players have assured themselves a place in tennis history by doing so.
These are the players that held all four Doubles tennis Grand Slam titles, but not in the same calendar year.
Martina Hingis
Sometimes, a tennis player might win Grand Slam playing with different partners for each event. Martina Hingnis is one such player. In 1998, she won the Australian Open with partner Mirjana Lučić. And then, she picked up the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open titles with Jana Novotná.
Maria Bueno
Reaching into tennis history, in the Amateur Era, we find this Brazilian tennis player. In 1960, Maria switched from Christine Truman to Darlene Hard to clinch her Grand Slam.
Natasha Zvereva
Natasha boasts one of the most unusual Grand Slam records in Doubles tennis. Her first non-calendar year Grand Slam (1992 - 1993), she won with Gigi Fernandez. Her second one (1996 - 1997), she paired with Gigi for the 1996 US Open but, for the 1997 Australian contest, she played with Martina Hingis.
Men's Doubles
Many male tennis players have teamed up to win championship events, but no men's tennis duos have won a Grand Slam. Nor has any won a non-calendar year Grand Slam. These are the teams that have completed all four Championship tournaments, albeit in non-consecutive years.
Amateur Era
- Ken Rosewall / Lew Hoad: 1953 - 1956
- Neale Fraser / Roy Emerson: 1959 - 1962
- John Newcombe / Tony Roche: 1965 - 1967
Open Era
- Jacco Eltingh / Paul Haarhuis: 1994 - 1998
- Mark Woodforde / Todd Woodbridge: 1992 - 2000
- Pierre-Hughes Herbert / Nicolas Mahut: 2015 - 2019
Famous Tennis Brothers
It's not unusual for entire families to play tennis professionally, The Evert siblings rose to that challenge in the 1970s/80s, with Chris Evert - one of the GOATs of tennis, being the most famous among them. Currently, in Australia, we celebrate siblings Emerson and Hayden Jones.
These junior players could be the next big thing in Australian tennis, but they are not twins. Nor do they partner up to play doubles. And, because their tennis careers have hardly gotten started, they couldn't possibly hold a Grand Slam record. However, the Bryan brothers check all those boxes.
Identical twins Mike and Bob Bryan each dabbled in Singles tennis, but neither of them won any Singles titles. Besides being the only twins to ever win a non-calendar year Grand Slam, they also scored a Career Golden Slam (in 2012). That's when a player (or duo) wins all four Open tournaments, plus the Olympic Gold medal.
Best Women's Doubles Players
Unlike the Bryan Brothers, the Williams Sisters were rivals, at times, and partners at others. When they faced each other across the net, the contests were brutal. When they teamed up, they were nearly unbeatable.
As a Doubles team, Venus and Serena also scored a non-calendar year Grand Slam. They won Wimbledon and the US Open in 2009, and picked up the Australian and French Open titles in 2010.
Margaret Court
Once again, reaching back in time, we find one of Australia's best tennis players of all time. Margaret played Singles, Doubles, and Mixed Doubles - male/female pairings, with equal skill. With Judy Tegert Dalton, she won a Grand Slam (1966 - 1970). However, her most fruitful pairings were with men.
Between 1963 and 1968, Margaret and Ken Fletcher were the unbeatable duo. Together they nabbed 10 titles, four of which they won at Wimbledon.
The pair also tasted success at the Australian Open two years in a row, and a hat-trick in Paris.
A player or duo who achieves three consecutive wins in a tournament (or series of matches).
Margaret also paired well with Marty Riessen. This American player had a modest string of successes before teaming up with Margaret. On the court together, they were unstoppable.
In 1969, they claimed the Australian, American and French Opens. They also snagged a Wimbledon title, and two more US Open trophies before parting ways. For many reasons, tennis fans consider Margaret and her double partners to be the best doubles tennis players of all time.
Today's Best Doubles Team Players
Among today's top doubles team players, none are as formidable as the Czech Republic duo, Kateřina Siniaková and Barbora Krejčíková. Their partnership, which originated on the Junior circuit around 2013, has flourished remarkably over the years.
Together, they have clinched titles at all four Grand Slam tournaments, securing two in 2018 and the remaining two in 2022. They also claimed Olympic Gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Alongside the legendary Williams sisters, they are the only teams in tennis history to have achieved a Career Golden Slam. Kateřina and Barbora's synergy and tactical prowess make them the team to watch in any competition.
In men's tennis, we don't have such conclusive teams. However, some of today's best male tennis players break away from the Singles' courts to pair up for doubles. Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinaki combined forces to win the 2022 Australian Open Doubles contest, for instance.
American Rajeev Ram and Briton Joe Salisbury are also fairly durable. They paired up in 2020 to win the Australian Open, and then won the US Open three years straight (2021, 2022, 2023). Even though they fell short of victory in 2024, but they might triumph again in 2025.
Besides these remarkable tennis duos, we add a few more names to our list. Though not strictly dedicated to their Doubles games, these players are the ones to watch for during the 2025 Doubles tennis events.
- Kristina Mladenovic (French) - 28 Doubles titles; highest ranking: #1 (currently #23)
- Bethanie Mattek-Sands (American) - 30 Doubles titles; highest ranking: #1 (currently #20)
- Hsieh Su-wei (Taiwanese) - 35 Doubles titles; highest ranking: #1 (currently #6)
- Nicolas Mahut (French) - 37 Doubles titles; highest ranking: #1 (currently #115)
- Pierre-Hugues Herbert (French) - 23 Doubles titles; highest ranking #2 (currently #349)
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