Let’s talk about the shortest female tennis players in [CurrentDatetime format=”Y”]. Because, Why not?
While other sports like ice hockey, baseball, basketball, football, etc., has yet to see female players as an equal, tennis has been celebrating its female players for decades. Tennis has some of the greatest female athletes who conquer the court with high spirits and energy.
Usually, these female tennis player are taller than the average female and has an average height of 5 feet 8 inches, but many defy this and have made their place with their skills and swiftness.
Here are a few of the shortest female players who have been breaking the height-related stereotype in the tennis world.
| Player | Height (m) | Height (ft) | Weight (kg) | Career Best | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gem Hoahing | 1.46 | 4.9.5 | 53 | Reached fourth round in 1949 and 1957 in Wimbledon | English |
| Nuria Llgostera Vives | 1.55 | 5.1 | 53 | No. 35 in WTA Singles Ranking (6 June 2005) | Spanish |
| Anna Smashnova | 1.57 | 5.2 | 53 | 15 in WTA Singles Ranking (2003) | Israeli |
| Amanda Coetzer | 1.58 | 5.2 | 51 | 3 in WTA Singles Ranking (1997) | South African |
| Lauren Davis | 1.57 | 5.2 | 29 | 26 in WTA Singles Ranking (22 May 2017) | American |
| Misaki Doi | 1.57 | 5 feet 2 inches | 30 in WTA Singles | Japanese | |
| Martina Trevisan | 1.60 | 5.4 | 32 | 24 in WTA Singles Ranking (2 March 2009) | Italian |
Gem Hoahing
Height: 4 ft 9.5 in (1.46 m)
Weight: 53 kg
Birth: 20 October 1920
Death: 15 October 2015
Career-best: Reached fourth round in 1949 and 1957 in Wimbledon
Nationality: English
Retired: Early 1960s
The first one on the list is the late Chinese-English female tennis player Gem Hoahing.
She is the shortest female player in the history of tennis, with a height of 4 feet and 9.5 inches (146 cm).
Born in Hong Kong, her family moved to British Guyana. Hoahing played for the United Kingdom till 1960 and ran a flower shop near Kengiston garden before dying at the age of 95.
She reached the quarterfinal in Grand Slam Doubles in 1948 and the fourth round in Grand Slam Mixed Doubles in 1956.
Nuria Llgostera Vives
Height: 5 feet and 1 inch (1.55 m)
Weight: 53 kg
Age: [DatetimeDifference startDate=”1980-05-16″ endDate=”now” format=”Y”] years old
Career-best Rank: No. 35 (6 June 2005)
Nationality: Spanish
Retired: 2013
The second one on the list is Nuria Llagostera, the shortest female tennis player till 2013.
Vives is a former Spanish tennis player who has played professionally since 1996.
Though she retired from tennis in 2013, she was one of the shortest female tennis players, as she is only 5 feet and 1 inch (155 cm).
She reached the fifth position in the Doubles Career High ranking on November 02, 2009. She won two WTA career titles, one in 2008 – Bogotá and the other one in 2005 – Rabat.
Anna Smashnova
Height: 5 feet and 2 inches (157 cm)
Weight: 53 kg
Age: [DatetimeDifference startDate=”1976-07-16″ endDate=”now” format=”Y”] years old
Career-best Rank: 15 (2003)
Nationality: Israeli
Retired: July 2007
Plays: Right-hand
Another tennis player who falls on the list of the shortest female tennis player is the retired Israeli tennis player Anna Smashnova.
She would have been the female tennis player with the shortest height during her time on the court if it was not for Vives.
Smashnova was born in the Soviet Union but represented Israel throughout her tennis career.
During her tennis career that ended in 2007, she was one of the shortest tennis players as she is 5 feet and 2 inches (157 cm).
Her career-best rank was world number 15 in 2003. She became the number 1 junior in the Soviet Union at the age of 10 and went on to win the Junior French Open title.
In 2002, she won four titles and defeated popular players like Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters, and Jelena Dokić
Amanda Coetzer
Height: 5 feet and 2 inches (158 cm)
Age: [DatetimeDifference startDate=”1971-10-22″ endDate=”now” format=”Y”] years old
Nationality: South African
Career-best Rank: 3
Turned Pro: January 1988
Retired: June 2004
Plays: Right-hand
The retired South African tennis player, Amanda Coetzer, follows Smashnova on the list. Though Coetzwer is a bit taller than Smashnova and retired several years in 2004, she is still one of the shortest female players on the court.
She was a skilled player who earned the nickname The Little Assassin for winning over opponents with a ranking superior to her.
Being the highest-ranked African player, she was ranked the World Number 3 on her best days.
Despite being only 5 feet and 2 inches (158 cm), Smashnova could still make her opponent nervous on the court with her skills.
Lauren Davis
Height: 5 feet and 2 inches (157 cm)
Age: [DatetimeDifference startDate=”1993-10-09″ endDate=”now” format=”Y”] years old
Career-high Rank: 26 in WTA Singles Ranking (22 May 2017)
Turned Pro: January 2011
Retired: *Not Yet
Coach: Eddie Elliott
Prize Money: Over US$ 4,200,000
The next one on the list is the current shortest female tennis player in the world, Lauren Davis. Davis, who started playing tennis at the early age of nine, ranks eighty-seventh on the world rank.
She has several titles to her name, including being the current shortest female tennis player in the world and one of the top four in the entire female tennis history with a height of 5 feet and 2 inches (157 cm).
Misaki Doi
Height: 5 feet and 2 inches (157 cm)
Age: [DatetimeDifference startDate=”1991-04-29″ endDate=”now” format=”Y”] years old
Career-high Rank: 30 in WTA Singles, & 77 in Doubles
Nationality: Japanese
Turned Pro: 2006
Retired: *Not Yet
Coach: Christian Zahalka
While Davis holds the title of the shortest female tennis player, there are plenty more who stands below the average height for a female tennis player. One of them is Misaki Doi.
Doi is a skilled left-handed Japanese tennis player who has been playing professionally since 2006.
Though she stands just 5 feet and 3 inches (159 cm), she held the thirtieth position in the WTA singles ranking.
Martina Trevisan
Height: 5 feet and 3 inches (160 cm)
Age: [DatetimeDifference startDate=”1993-11-03″ endDate=”now” format=”Y”] years old
Career-high Rank: 24 in WTA Singles (6th of June 2022)
Nationality: Italian
Turned Pro:
Retired: *Not Yet
Coach: Matteo Catarsi
Plays: Left-hand
The last on the list of shortest female tennis players is Martina Trevisan, who stands at 5 feet and 3 inches (160 cm).
Trevisan, also a lefthanded player like Doi, is shorter than other female tennis players whose height can reach 6 feet or more.
However, she is a force to reckon with in the court. Her fierceness and skills on the court have won her the twenty-fourth spot in the WTA singles and number one in the Italian ranking.
The above names are some of the shortest female tennis players. Many others also do not have the usual height of 5 feet and 8 inches. However, despite lacking in tallness, these players compensate for their height disadvantage with their skills and enthusiasm.
Many of these players have made it to the top ten in the WTA rankings with pure dedication. They are the perfect motivation for everyone scared to enter sports because of their short height.
Are you interested in other WTA-related articles? Check out who are the most-hated female players.
About the Author
