Top 6 Best Mixed Doubles Tennis Teams of All Time
While the singles tournaments (both men's and women's) often get the most attention, there are also doubles tournaments going on. One of those doubles tournaments is a mixed doubles event, where men and women play together. Mixed doubles first took place at the 1887 US Open, and the remainder of this article will discuss six of the most successful mixed doubles tennis teams of all time.
Who are the best mixed doubles tennis teams of all time?
- Margaret Smith-Court and Ken Fletcher
- Billie Jean King and Owen Davidson
- Margaret Smith-Court and Marty Riessen
- Martina Hingis and Leander Paes
- Betty Stove and Frew McMillian
- Margaret Osbourne DuPont and Neale Fraser
1. Margaret Smith-Court and Ken Fletcher
- Two Australian Open titles
- Three French Open titles
- Four Wimbledon titles
While there is certainly room for some debate, the greatest mixed doubles tennis team of all time, by many accounts, is Margaret Smith-Court and Ken Fletcher. The duo managed to win the calendar Grand Slam together in 1963 by winning all four Grand Slam events, and were undoubtedly the most dominant pairing of the 1960s. In fact, Fletcher was the first male tennis player to accomplish the feat of being a part of a calendar Grand Slam team in mixed doubles. As for Court, she is one of the most successful women’s singles players of all time in addition to her mixed doubles success, winning 24 Grand Slam titles. Finally, as for their victories together, Court and Fletcher won 10 Grand Slams: the 1963 US Open, back-to-back Australian Opens in 1963 and 1964, three straight French Open titles in 1963, 1964, and 1965, and four Wimbledon titles in 1963, 1965, 1966, and 1968.
2. Billie Jean King and Owen Davidson
- 1967 French Open champions
- Three US Open titles
- Four Wimbledon titles
Another team with one of the greatest female players of all time, the duo of Billie Jean King and Owen Davidson comes in at number two on this list. Billie is one of the most well-rounded tennis players ever, and in addition to her well-known activism for women’s rights, she won 39 total Grand Slam titles (12 singles, 16 women’s doubles, and 11 mixed doubles). As for Davidson, he followed up Fletcher’s feat of winning the calendar Grand Slam in mixed doubles by doing so in 1967, although he only won three of the four events with Billie. Since she was unable to participate in the Australian Open that year, he won that tournament with Lesley Bowery. As for the tournaments that the two did win together, they won the 1967 French Open, three US Opens in 1967, 1971, and 1973, and four Wimbledon titles in 1967, 1971, 1973, and 1974, for a total of eight Grand Slams.
3. Margaret Smith-Court and Marty Riessen
- Three-time US Open champions
- 1969 French Open and Australian Open champions
- 1975 Wimbledon champions
The second team to include all-time great Margaret Smith-Court on this list, she and Marty Riessen check in at number three on this list. Court won 10 of her 19 mixed doubles titles with the aforementioned Ken Fletcher, and she won six more in this pairing with Riessen. Perhaps most impressively, Court is one of only three women to have what is known as the career boxed set. In other words, she won every Grand Slam title she could possibly win (singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles at all four Grand Slam tournaments). In Riessen’s case, he won six of his seven mixed doubles titles with Smith-Court. At the peak of their pairing together, the two were ranked number three in the world. The six titles the pair won consisted of three US Open titles in 1969, 1970, and 1972, the 1969 French Open and Australian Open Championships, and the 1975 Wimbledon title.
4. Martina Hingis and Leander Paes
- 2016 French Open Champions
- 2015 Wimbledon and Australian Open winners
- 2015 US Open winners
The most modern pairing on this list, Martina Hingis and Leander Paes are the fourth-best mixed doubles pairing of all time. Paes is one of the greatest doubles players to ever play, winning 18 total titles between men’s doubles (10) and mixed doubles (eight). Four of those titles came playing with Martina Hingis, who herself was an accomplished singles player early in her career before teaming up with Leander. In her singles career, Martina made 12 Grand Slam singles finals and won five, all between 1997 and 1999. At the end of her career, she teamed up with Leander, and they did all of their damage in a short period of time together, winning the Australian Open, US Open, and Wimbledon in 2015, then completing their career Grand Slam together in 2016 at the French Open. Martina also won three other mixed doubles titles, two with Jamie Murray and one with Mahesh Bhupathi.
5. Betty Stove and Frew McMillian
- Two-time Wimbledon Champions
- Two-time US Open Champions
- Nine Grand Slam finals together
The number five pairing on this list is the duo of Betty Stove and Frew McMillian. Betty was a successful doubles player throughout her career, winning six Grand Slam mixed doubles titles (four with Frew) and four women’s doubles grand slam titles. In Frew’s case, he won one additional mixed doubles Grand Slam title in addition to his four with Stove. The pair had all of their success together at Wimbledon and the US Open, making nine total finals between those two tournaments and winning the former in 1978 and 1981, while winning the latter back-to-back in 1977 and 1978. The pair also were runners-up at Wimbledon in 1977 and 1979 and at the US Open in 1976, 1979, and 1980. While they did not have any success together at the Australian Open or French Open, their run of consistency at Wimbledon and The US Open was enough to earn them a spot on this list.
6. Margaret Osbourne DuPont and Neale Fraser
- Three-time US Open champions
- 1962 Wimbledon Champions
- Never lost a Grand Slam final together
Another pairing that had all of their success at the US Open and Wimbledon, Margaret Osbourne DuPont and Neale Fraser round out this list at number six. Margaret had a few partners with whom she could have made this list, as she won 10 mixed doubles titles throughout her career, in addition to six singles titles and 21 women's doubles titles. Eight of her mixed doubles titles came at the US Open, which is the record for mixed doubles titles at the tournament. Meanwhile, Fraser is one of the few individuals in history to reach the number one ranking in both singles and doubles. He won three singles titles, 11 men's doubles titles, and five mixed doubles titles throughout his career. Together, Margaret and Neil won the 1962 Wimbledon title and three straight US Opens in 1958, 1959, and 1960. These were the only four finals appearances for the pair, meaning they never lost a Grand Slam final together.
Honorable Mentions
While the ten teams listed below did not quite make the top six, they still deserve some recognition as honorable mentions. They are listed in alphabetical order by the second player’s last name.
- Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi
- Martina Navratilova and Bob Bryan
- Eleanor Hopman and Harry Hopman
- Nancy Bolton and Collin Long
- Steffi Graf and John McEnroe
- Cara Black and Leander Paes
- Doris Hart and Elias Seixas Jr.
- Martina Navratilova and Leander Paes
- Doris Hart and Frank Sedgman
- Margaret Osbourne DuPont and William Talbert
FAQ
What is the best men's doubles tennis pair of all time
There is little debate amongst tennis historians that the best men’s doubles pair of all time in tennis is the Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike. Together, they won an astonishing 16 doubles titles together, including winning every Grand Slam title at least twice. Their brotherly chemistry came naturally to them, with Bob playing right-handed and Mike playing left-handed, and it was a key component in their on-court success, allowing them to stay together for a long time.
What is the best women’s doubles tennis pair of all time?
Similar to the Bryan brothers on the men’s side, the women’s doubles pairing of Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver is widely considered to be the greatest of all time. They won their first title together in 1981 at Wimbledon, and they would go on to win 21 Grand Slam titles together, including the calendar Grand Slam in 1984. Overall, they won 79 of the 104 tournaments they played together and had 390 match victories during that time.
Which mixed doubles tennis teams have won the most Grand Slams?
The pair with the most mixed doubles grand slams of all time is the pair who was named the greatest according to this list: Margaret Smith-Court and Ken Fletcher. As was mentioned above, they won 10 major titles together: four at Wimbledon (1963, 1965, 1966, and 1968), three at the French Open (1963, 1964, and 1965), two at the Australian Open (1963 and 1964), and one at the US Open (1963). The pair won the Calendar Grand Slam together in 1963.