Maria Sharapova to Venus Williams: Five inspiring women tennis stars who rose above low rankings to lift the Wimbledon trophy

Wimbledon does something to people. There is no other tennis tournament quite like it — the grass, the white outfits, the royals in the stands, the strawberries and cream doing the rounds in the crowd.

Founded in 1877, it is the oldest Grand Slam on the calendar and carries a weight of history that every player feels the moment they walk through the gates of the All England Club. But for all its tradition and elegance, Wimbledon has also been the stage for some of the most unexpected upsets in women's tennis. Some of the biggest moments on Centre Court have come not from the top seeds, but from players who arrived with something to prove and left with the trophy.

That debate is trending again among tennis fans online, with many looking back at the lowest-ranked women to win Wimbledon. They are some of the sport’s biggest stars. What stands out is the ranking beside their name when they lifted the trophy. For all its prestige, Wimbledon has often crowned champions who were not the favorites. Here are five women who proved that rankings do not always decide the winner.

Elena Rybakina – World No. 23

Of all the names on this list, Elena Rybakina's story carries a particular weight.

She arrived at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships ranked No. 23 in the world – not the name most people had circled at the start of the fortnight. But by the time the final was done, she had made history. Rybakina became the first player from Kazakhstan to win a Grand Slam title, a milestone that resonated far beyond the tennis world. She would go on to reach a career-high of No.

3, but it was that afternoon on Centre Court that announced her to the world.

Venus Williams – World No. 16

Venus Williams has never needed Wimbledon to validate her greatness, but her 2005 title run is one that still gets talked about. Coming in ranked No. 16, she was not the clear favourite but she moved through the draw with a serving game and athleticism that nobody could handle. The win added another chapter to one of the most remarkable careers women's tennis has ever produced.

Maria Sharapova – World No. 15

Maria Sharapova walked onto the Wimbledon grass in 2007 ranked No.

15 in the world and walked off as champion. Her game that fortnight was built on clean, heavy groundstrokes and a ferocious desire to control every rally. Opponents found it almost impossible to get on top of her. For Sharapova, who had already won Wimbledon as a teenager in 2004, the 2007 title was confirmation that she belonged at the very top of the women's game for the long haul.

Marion Bartoli – World No. 15

If there is one Wimbledon story on this list that tennis fans still talk about with a lot of warmth, it is Marion Bartoli's 2013 win.

Also ranked No. 15, her two-handed game on both sides and unorthodox style made her easy to underestimate. But across those two weeks, she was relentless, grinding out every point with a focus and energy that won over even the most casual Wimbledon spectator.

Garbiñe Muguruza – World No. 15

Garbiñe Muguruza rounds out the list, also ranked No. 15 when she claimed the Wimbledon title in 2017. The Spaniard was in the form of her life that summer – aggressive from the baseline, sharp on her returns, and mentally locked in from the first round to the last. Her game was built for grass even if clay was where she had first made her name and that Wimbledon title remains one of the standout moments of her career