The 15 most influential female athletes

1. Serena Williams (tennis player). She has won 23 singles Grand Slams, 14 women's doubles Grand Slams, two mixed doubles Grand Slams, 23 WTA 1 titles, four Olympic gold medals, a Federation Cup and two Hopman cup. She is the only tennis player of either sex to have completed the Golden Slam career in both modalities (singles and doubles) or one of the greatest female athletes of all time.

2. Maria Sharapova (tennis player). Despite serving a 15-month suspension for testing positive for a banned substance in a drug test, the five-time Grand Slam champion is still among the most popular sportswomen on the planet and has been world No. 1 multiple times. In 2008, Time magazine named her as one of the "30 Legends of Women's Tennis: Past, Present and Future."

3. Simone Biles (U.S. gymnast). At the 2016 Rio Olympics she won four Olympic gold medals, along with a bronze medal, setting the U.S. record for most golds in women’s gymnastics at a single Games.

4. Danica Patrick (NASCAR pilot). She is the most successful woman driver in American open-wheel racing history. She holds the distinction of being the only woman to win an IndyCar Series race and to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole.

5. Marta (football player). Regarded as one the greatest female soccer players of all time, Marta holds the record for scoring the most number of goals (15) in FIFA Women's World Cup history. She was named FIFA World Player of the Year for five consecutive years — from 2006 to 2010.

6. Katie Ledecky (swimmer). A five-time Olympic gold medalist and nine-time world champion, she holds the world record in the women's 400-meter, 800-meter, and 1,500-meter freestyle (long course) events. After the 2016 Rio Olympics, Ledecky was the most decorated female athlete of the games, winning four gold medals, one silver, and breaking two world records.

7. Alex Morgan (football player). Morgan plays in the forward position in the U.S. women's national team. She is an Olympic gold medalist and a FIFA Women's World Cup champion. She was named U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year in 2012, and has been a FIFA World Player of the Year finalist. Also, she was the first female footbaler to appear on the cover of the FIFA's videogame.

8.  Ronda Rousey (UFC fighter). A decorated fighter known for her toughness, Rousey was the first U.S. woman to win a medal in judo at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. 

9. Carli Lloyd (football player).  The two-time Olympic gold medalist helped the U.S. win silver in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. She is the first-ever player to score a hat trick in a women's FIFA World Cup final. Lloyd was named the FIFA Player of the Year twice, in 2015 and 2016. 

10. Brittney Griner (WNBA player). She is one of the most dominant basketball players to be remembered in the NCAA, allowing her to be one of the few women able to perform mates during matches. She was the first university player to put 2,000 points and to plug 500 shots of the rivals.

(Original source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/brittney-griner/)

11. Lindsey Vonn (alpine ski racer).  She is a four-time World Cup overall championship winner - in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012. An Olympic gold medalist, she has won 77 World Cup races and was named Laureus Sportswoman of the Year in 2010.

12. Li Na (tennis player). She is one of the most influential women in sports according to Time magazine in 2013. She is the first Asian-born player to win a Grand Slam singles tournament. She achieved her highest WTA ranking to date (No. 2) in February 2014. As for Li’s influence, the popularity of tennis in China has skyrocketed. The sport was barely a blip on the radar a few years ago; now some 15 million people play it.

13. Lydia Ko (golf player). When she was just 17 years, 9 months and 8 days old on Feb. 2, 2015, became the youngest player of either sex to be ranked world No. 1 in professional golf. She currently holds the top position in women's golf and was named as one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in 2014.

14. Jordanne Whiley (Paralympic tennis player). Paralympic bronze medallist and six times Grand Slam champion in the women’s wheelchair doubles with her Japanese partner Yui Kamiji. Whiley was the only British victor at Wimbledon 2015 and has been an important figurehead in the growing popularity of wheelchair tennis.

15. Venus Williams (tennis player). She won 49 singles WTA tournaments, a WTA Tour Championships, 14 women's doubles Grand Slams, two mixed doubles Grand Slams, 9 WTA 1 titles and four Olympic gold medals. In 2002, she became the first African American player to be No. 1 in the WTA rankings.