The King of Clay is thought of by some as the greatest tennis player of all time. Stefi Graf is third all-time on the title leaderboard with 107 and has a singles career record of 900-115 for a win rate of 88.7%. Born on August 8, 1981, in Switzerland, Roger Federer is one of the most dominant players in the history of our sport with a massive number of impressive stats that will cement him as one of the greatest players of all time. Pasarell from the heat and streets of Puerto Rico, Ashe from the segregated courts of Richmond, Virginia. Not surprisingly, they not only faced formidable foes but racism as well. The NCAA tennis championships began in 1883 on the courts of a Hartford insane asylum. Although Djokovic has the same number of Grand Slam titles as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, his wins are the most diverse across the events showing that he can perform well in all conditions and on all surfaces. Although John McEnroe is perhaps best known for his outbursts on the court, his many accomplishments far outweigh his frequent sub-par behavior and speak for themselves. Its relatively easy to identify who deserves to be near the top of the list for the best male tennis players of all time. As a senior, Isner led the Bulldogs to a perfect 32-0 record and the programs fifth NCAA Team Championship. 1 for the first time, a position he held for a total of 170 weeks throughout his career. Stanford, 1978 John McEnroe, Matt Mitchell, Bill Maze, Peter Rennert, Lloyd Bourne. Johnson reached No. . He played college tennis for the University of Southern California (USC) and won the NCAA singles . 1; 2; First Prev 2 of 2 Go to page. Born on July 16, 1942, in Australia, Margaret Court is a right-handed tennis player who played with a one-handed backhand and holds some of the most significant records in womens tennis. Not having the same amount of success at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open probably contributes to him not getting some of the recognition he rightly deserves. He won the 1995 French Open, but he dominated in plenty of tournaments on clay courts as well. During those years, he claimed eight titles at three of the biggest professional tournaments, the US Pro, French Pro, and Wembley Pro. Awards: 3x National College Player of the Year, 3x ACC Player of the Year, ACC Rookie of the Year, 3x . Proponents of college note that the game has become much more physical in recent years due to advances in racket technology, and, as a result, the average age of the top 100 players is around 27 . As a result, its common for competitive singles players to pull back on doubles as they achieve more success because the money isnt as crucial, and there is a desire to conserve energy, protect their health, and improve their longevity. A three-time All-American and one of . Similarly, is it more impressive that a player wins a Grand Slam at the age of 16 or 35? Its a crucial factor because the sport is constantly changing and evolving. To come to our conclusions and rank the best female tennis players of all time, we performed an in-depth analysis of the games most accomplished female athletes. Some, such as prize money and whether they were left or right-handed, are there for fun. He started playing professional tennis in 1998 and was dominating the sport after defeating Andre Agassi at the US Open in 2005. 1 for 270 total weeks through his career. Winning Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces can be a huge challenge. For example, as black athletes, Serena and Venus Williams overcame unprecedented challenges growing up to break into tennis. -These polls use voters to determine the best 25 men's and women's teams in Division I. Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Rankings-Rankings Homepage-The ITA lists the top teams and players in the country at all levels of college tennis. In addition to his deep runs in the individual NCAA Championships, Anderson led the Illini to the finals of the team competition in 2007. In total, Sampras claimed 64 titles, 762 wins, and had a 77.4% win record. Andre Agassi. Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MIT, University of California - Los Angeles - UCLA, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo, 2002-2023 NCSA College Recruiting All Rights Reserved. Although Stefi didnt play doubles frequently, she has a womens Grand Slam to her name, which she earned in 1988 alongside Gabriela Sabatini. In his prime, Andy Murray was every bit as good as any of the Big Three tennis players. Moreover, the Dutch is in place #59 of the best college tennis players of the moment, her highest ranking ever. In total, she would win 12 Grand Slam titles, including one at the Australian Open, one at the French Open, six at Wimbledon, and four at the US Open. In his final season with the Bruins, McDonald won not only the NCAA Singles Championships, but also the NCAA Doubles Championships with Martin Redlicki. The following year the pair fell just short of repeating their doubles title falling to Middle Tennessee State duo Marco Born and Andreas Siljestrm. However, this list is based more on how players fared against the competition, as well as their overall play. 3. Steffi Graf is the only player in history, male or female, to achieve this feat in a calendar year. Looking back on the history of Grand Slam events, the Australian Open is a bit of an outlier. Born on June 17, 1980, in California, Venus Williams is an American tennis player whos achieved considerable success in her long career on the WTA tour. He currently sits ranked No. 3 player. Another area where its challenging to compare players is how heavily to weigh individual stats. Without a doubt, Kings most successful years were from 1966 to 1975. Born on July 31, 1951, Evonne Goolagong is an Australian tennis player whose results in the 1970s at the start of the Open Era have earned her recognition as one of the best to play the sport. In 2002, Venus ascended to the world No. List of ATP number 1 ranked doubles tennis players. 8, and the considerable Brian Gottfried, ,who rose to No. It doesnt make accomplishments from years past less impressive, relevant, or important, but its a factor that we should weigh when making comparisons. During his career, John McEnroe was also highly successful at the Davis Cup, where he helped revive the United States. Furthermore, she contested 14 Grand Slam finals, where she was the runner-up. She holds seven titles at the Australian Open, three at the French Open, seven at Wimbledon, and six at the US Open. Go. He has proven his talent for over 20 years and is still competing at the very highest level. Learn more about available mens tennis scholarships and mens tennis camps in your area. Jimmy Connors. 10. Arguably the best tennis player of all time, Roger Federer has done it all. Wolf turned professional a little over a year ago in July of 2019. These days, the Olympics hold quite a bit of significance related to a players overall success and perception. The Best Tennis Players of All Time (Top 10 Male + Female) Find the US States - No Outlines Minefield. And as fabulous as USCs singles lineup was, their doubles teams with Bill Bond, Tom Edlefson and Ramsey Earnhart were even stronger. 269. He took home a total of three French Open titles, and became an icon in Brazil for his consistent play. Here are a few of the factors that present challenges when drawing comparisons. 368. Heres another hypothetical example to consider: Again, which player is more impressive. Rod Lavers career is unique because of his success and crossover from amateur to professional and subsequent success during the Open Era. 1 through 4 and gladly made sacrifices for a team that went 28-0 and scored 26 shutouts. Here we have listed our picks for the top 12 best tennis players of all time: Top 12 Best Tennis Players of All Time 12. He was most recently in the Australian Open quarterfinals. He was twice a semifinalist at Wimbledon in 1960 and 1961, reaching as high as World No. 3. Depending on a players ranking, that extra cash can be crucial. Yea, if a tennis player is not in the top 50 by 18 they'll never make it. Below youll find our selection, along with some data points that highlight why these female tennis players deserve to make our list. As a professional, Isner has continued his excellence. Would have to argue that the 2007 UGA team, led by John Isner, that went 32-0, only lost 1 point in NCAAs, had the #1 singles player and #1 doubles team in the country, the US Open Jr Doubles Champs at #3 deserves to be in the Top 10. However, there are players who make winning Grand Slams a habit and win numerous titles at prestigious events. Begin typing to search, use arrow keys to navigate, Enter to select. 3. On the ATP Tour, Tennys has achieved a career-high of No. Top 10 Best Tennis Players (Male) of All Time - Wonderslist Novak Djokovic has won 19 singles Grand Slams and was ranked world number 1 in 2011. Its just a matter of what is weighed most importantly in tennis. -These polls use voters to determine the best 25 men's and women's teams in Division I. Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Rankings. A lot of guys are more than happy to jump in to this question especially in the aftermath of US Open 2018 final fiasco (and Serena's claims on sexism) on. Djokovic is younger than the players #2 and #3 players on the list, and the most likely to add Grand Slams to his rsum. 163 which is a career record. He has 98 career titles and 20 Grand Slam Singles Title including 8 Wimbledon, 6 Australian Open, 5 US Open, and . Against Federer, Nadal has an impressive 24-16 record. . For most coaches, the recruiting process begins with academics. Guillermo Vilas and the Top 25 South American Players in Tennis History In 65, even without Pasarell, the Bruins broke USCs three-year stranglehold on the championships. Furthermore, Federer has notched 1,251 match wins with a winning rate of 81.98%. The Australian finished his career with five Grand Slams, but is often overlooked by some of the greater players from his country. 5. BTW: Whitlinger beat Hagey to claim the singles crown, and would coach Stanford for a decade. HONORABLE MENTIONS: Over the years there have been many fantastic teams. Outside of singles, Serena has had a successful career in doubles, primarily competing with her sister. The Best Male Tennis Players of All Time - Sporting Ferret Her professional career started around the age of 16, and throughout her career, she achieved impressive results, perhaps most notably including her seven Grand Slam titles. His determination keeps him in any match. He started his professional career in 2003 and soon after becoming professional, Djokovic started a journey of success that continues. In-depth Resources Born on August 8, 1981, in Switzerland, Roger Federer is one of the most dominant players in the history of our sport with a massive number of impressive stats that will cement him as one of the greatest players of all time. 10. Open by Andre Agassi. She also made it to 11 other Grand Slam finals, where her opponent defeated her. A helpful place to start when considering who might make a list of the best players of all time are the challenges we face making comparisons. 5. In 72, four of the eight quarterfinalists Stockton, Gottfried, McKinley and Paul Gerken were Trinitonians. And college tennis has changed so drastically that its insane to try to come up with an all-time collegiate top 10. Book. That is until the big three came along. Potential student-athletes must meet minimum standards or benchmarks for acceptance into their particular school, with GPA, SAT scores, ACT scores taken into account. In the heart of the Depression, a hard-working Paris, Texas boy earned a bicycle from the Saturday Evening Post. But for years Trinity did not win an NCAA title because Wimbledon was scheduled at the same time. In the three years that followed, Seles was dominant, winning six of the eight Grand Slam events in 1991 and 1992. Your Safe Play Approval Expires in $(daysToExpire) days! I won't repeat it but answer the implicit question- it doesn't matter. Agassi also managed to earn himself a career Super Slam, which he is the only player to hold, and a Golden Slam, the latter of which has only been matched by Rafael Nadal. The Australian reached #1 at a very young age, and his overall career success started younger than most players in general. Their No. He has a 16-24 record against Nadal and an 18-20 record against Djokovic. Federer is joint top as the player with most Grand Slam titles in the world (20) and is second behind Djokovic in most weeks spent at the World No.1 spot. He reached #1 in the world and dominated during the U.S. Open run, but he was a mainstay in the top 10 for quite a while as well. 7) all stepped up at USCs new tennis center to take Stanfords first title, in what would become a dynastic run of 17 championships. Greatest Tennis Players of All Time - Top Ten List - TheTopTens However, as it stands now, I think Federer is more deserving of this spot. He closed out his career with USC on a 72 match win streak. In total, Nadal has claimed an unprecedented 13 French Open titles. Norrie holds the mens singles title at the inaugural Oracle ITA Masters. When I was a young kid and teenager, he was incredible at learning how I learn and making me the . 3. Table of Contents show. Do we believe player A holding the number one ranking for 20 more weeks is more valuable than player Bs five additional titles? College Tennis is for Losers - Dave Mullins - Tennis Recruiting That was only his sophomore year. Not too long after, in 1962, Laver became the second man after Don Budge to achieve a calendar-year Grand Slam, winning all four major tournaments in a single year. 1, and has a more diverse record for Grand Slam events, while Nadals success heavily skews toward clay. Perhaps at another point, well consider the group as a whole. He became the first African-American to win a Grand Slam title on the mens side, and his activism off of the court makes him a legend. Rankings. Learn with comprehensive resources to help you improve your game. Husband to Steffi Graf, a shoo-in for one of the top spots in the best female tennis players of all time, Agassi comes in at number 8 on the tennisbros.com's list. 15 Best College Players Of All Time | 2022 Ranking - Kiiky Thread starter Clemson_tennis; Start date May 28, 2012; Prev. Shop official NCAA team and championship gear . Furthermore, he was never able to win the US Open despite four appearances in the finals. Unfortunately, that would be the only two career Grand Slams for him. Vernon Gholston - 6'3, 260 lbs. USC, 1962-1964 - Dennis Ralston, Rafael Osuna, Bill Bond, Tom Edlefsen, Ramsey Earnhart, Chuck Rombeau. 1952 Modesto Junior College Team, they beat Stanford , CAl, USF, they had Jerry DeWitts, Whitney Reed, Ralph Freund , Fritz Earle, Coach Fred Earle, DeWitts 22nd in the U.S, Whitney Reed 15th in U.S., also Stan Canter on team , 6th in junior singles in Eastern U.S., some rankings actually went up.Big Seven Champs. He came back from two sets down to beat him 36, 26, 64, 75, 75. 1 ranking for the first time, which he retained for 109 weeks throughout his career. 3 in men's singles tennis by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Combine that with his dominance as world No. 1 ranking for longer than any other player in history at 345 weeks and currently has 85 titles to his name. Top 10 Greatest Tennis Players (Male) of All Time - Sports Virsa Although its a challenging exercise to rank the best tennis players of all time, male or female, its a fun process that wed encourage fans to consider and dig into to develop their opinions. Hoping to get recruited for mens tennis? The Art of Doubles by Pat Blaskower. Born on June 14, 2969, Steffi Graf is a German tennis player. Stanford, 1998 <br><br>After completing my Master's degree at Minnesota, I . Trinity turned tenniss California dream into a nightmare. This is where he could get a good look at every single return, and dictate points even as the returner. Now let's look at how many weeks each player has been rated the No. In 2004, Henin won the Australian Open, but an infection kept her off the court for much of the year. Roger Federers most significant rivalries in his career are Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The beauty of Andre Agassis game allowed him to excel on all different surfaces. Ranked 128 in singles, Bradley has achieved so much success while on tour. However, it wasnt until 2001 that her ranking began to skyrocket due to her consistent performance. From talent pools to court surfaces, gear, the physicality of the sport, advances in medicine, and even the stress and pressure players face, its constantly changing from one decade to the next. Its worth noting she also competed during a period where many players didnt compete as often in the Australian Open. However, as far as Grand Slam titles go, his record-tying 20 include one at the Australian Open, two at Wimbledon, and four at the US Open. In the 1970s, Lavers dominance in Grand Slam events diminished due to his commitments with the National Tennis League and World Champion Tennis tours, where he remained dominant. In 1999, Andre Agassi became the fifth man to win all four Grand Slam titles in a single year and the second in the Open Era. The 2020 US Open will be Kwiatkowskis first tour-level event since the resumption of the ATP Tour. However, it wasnt until 1992 that he earned his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, playing Goran Ivanievi in a tough five-set match. 15 Best Tennis Players of All Time. Roger Federer retires: Ranking 10 greatest tennis players of all time Perhaps most notably, tennis was heavily divided up until the Open Era, which began in 1968. Where does your favorite college tennis teams and players rank across the country and the world? 1 for the first time, and she was able to maintain that position for a total of 221 weeks throughout her career. Djokovic: 10. Before finishing his career as a Buckeye, Wolf won the schools first ITA Mens All-American Singles Championship and was named an ITA All-American in singles. Trinity, 1972 In 1974, Navratilova played on tour and won her first title at the age of 17. Ramanathan Krishnan (born 11 April 1937) is a retired tennis player from India who was among the world's leading players in the 1950s and 1960s. And college tennis has changed so drastically that it's insane to try to come up with an all-time collegiate top 10. Although its easy to get wrapped up in the accomplishments of current players, most will likely be impressed by what they learn and gain a deeper appreciation for the sport as a whole and the players that helped shape it. Everyone else, I believe, would benefit greatly from . With that said, not all professional tennis players compete in doubles, or if they do, it takes a back seat to singles for a few reasons. Despite his success, he had a unique relationship with the slams. So let's get started! Theres no doubt that Gustavo Kuerten deserves mention on this list, but he is a specialist for the most part. Born on August 12, 1971, Pete Sampras is an American tennis player who was considered by many to be the best tennis player of all time at his retirement. 1 ranking for the first time, a position she held briefly throughout her career for a total of eleven weeks. Top Tennis Players Ever. Heading into the 2020 US Open, he ranks No. In recent years, he has won many big titles back to back, surpassing the track record of other great players like Waldner. After Giron made his debut at the 2014 US Open, he did not play another tour-level match until qualifying for 2018 Los Cabos. 1. At age 25, Norrie is entering his prime, and has reached a career-high ranking of 41 in the world. 10 Most famous Tennis players of all time - Sportskeeda Quinn Meinerz. Bob won the singles championship yet he was only their No. Furthermore, not all titles are equal. Despite the challenge, here is my list of the 10 greatest male tennis players of the Open Era1968 to present. USC was led by Steve Johnson, who won 72 straight matches, was ranked No. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. She followed up those results with an excellent 2007, where she won the French Open for the third consecutive year and the US Open. Born on June 3, 1986, in Mallorca, Spain, Rafael Nadal has consistently delivered some of the most impressive results the sport has ever seen and is one of the most successful teenage players in history. However, the divide makes it particularly tough to compare player accomplishments. Wolf turned professional a little over a year ago in July of 2019. 1 and helped the US win the 63 Davis Cup. In 1975, Chris Evert reached the world No. Steffi is right-handed with a one-handed backhand and our pick for the greatest female tennis player ever. 15 Best Colleges for Tennis Scholarships in 2021 - Online Schools Center Throughout his career, Nadals most significant rivalries have come against the only two players I rank above him for the greatest male tennis players of all time. She was one of the best female tennis players when she won 18 Grand Slam titles and 157 other titles during her playing career. talent. The US Open will be Jungs first tour-level event since the resumption of the ATP Tour. Theyre both remarkable and critical to the health and ecosystem of the sport as a whole. Despite that success, he found the majority of his dominance on hard courts. In his short career, Bjorn Borg was able to accomplish a lot. ITA. Unfortunately, he had a relatively short prime, as injuries cut his career short compared to the others. One thing is for sure, these types of lists will continue to change as new players emerge. Our writers made the case for Djokovic, Pete Sampras, Rafael Nadal, Bjorn Borg and Roger Federer. He is one of the few players to achieve the career Golden Slam, meaning that he won all four Grand Slams and Olympic gold. Beyond his success in singles, its also worth noting his accomplishments in doubles, where he had 78 titles, an 87.7% win record, and ranked No. In his final season, he was named the Big 12 Player of the Year another first for the program. His highest career ranking is No. Thats certainly not something to diminish, but everyone is going to evaluate that lopsided performance differently. The team won two titles, in 70 (sans Jimbo) and in 71. Although people attempt to remove personality from consideration when narrowing their list of the best tennis players, its often a factor, especially when considering narrowly matched players like the Big 3. In 2003, Federer claimed his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, one of 20 and a record he shares with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. 1 in the world in 1983, and he held that post for a total of 270 weeks throughout his career. He is also one of only two players to achieve a career Golden Slam winning all four majors and a Gold Medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Serenas first title came in early 1999, and later that year, she also claimed her maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open. Join the conversation with other members of the community. Of course, we had to make the cutoff somewhere, so here are a few additional men worth noting. 7. 25 Greatest Tennis Players of All Time - Dad Racket Bjrns impressive career started early at the age of 15 when he represented his country in the 1972 Davis Cup, but he didnt officially turn pro until 1973. Despite that, he managed to win 72 of his 198 titles in the Open Era past the age of 30. After going 21-1 at the No. Over the span of his collegiate career, Anderson was named an ITA Singles All-American three times and an ITA Doubles All-American twice. Visit the following rankings sites to find out. No.1 in 1991. I have followed Joe to his company JXS Tennis Academy at Babson College and I love it. Menu. The left-hander could spin the ball anywhere, and had put-away volleys that were unseen at the time. If not for Federer, he likely would have won a few more trophies along the way. 3 in singles and collected three Slam doubles championships, they went 36-0 and won the NCAAs for the only time in school history. UCLAs 76 team featured Brian Teacher, Peter Fleming, Ferdi Taygan and John Austin. Although her career has slowed, Venus Williams competes in a limited number of tournaments on the WTA tour and has not yet made it clear when she intends to retire. Heres the beauty of college tennis a supremely individual sport becomes a wonderful team endeavor. In 2019, Koepfer made his Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon. Thats why some people will put him third. In 1971, Goolagong managed to reach the world No. In July of 2011, Djokovic became world No. For all those reasons, this is a justifiable choice. The deep team included Jeff Austin, two Argentinian Davis Cup players, two Kreisses Mike and Bob and two Cornells Ron and Steve. He was an American tennis player who won a total of 77 career titles in his playing years. Rodrigues Finishes as NCAA Singles Runner-Up. Many will argue that of the top players, head-to-head performance should carry significant weight. But in 72, Trinity enticed USC to come to San Antonio for a dual match, dubbed the Super Bowl of Tennis.