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. There are really no holes in Federers game, other than having just one French Open title. Additionally, he holds the record for more wins at 1,274 than any other player in the Open Era. He was an American tennis player who won a total of 77 career titles in his playing years. The number 1 in our best table tennis players list is a Chinese player, Ma Long. If most of a players head-to-head matches against Rafa fall on clay, he will likely have a losing record overall against him. She turned pro in 1959 and first competed in the US Open at the age of 15, and although her opponent eliminated her in the first round, she showed great promise. He still walked away from the sport with three Grand Slam titles, and recently made a comeback to continue playing the game he loves. Men and women dont compete against each other in singles. Rod Lavers career is unique because of his success and crossover from amateur to professional and subsequent success during the Open Era. List of male doubles tennis players. In 2002, Venus ascended to the world No. Of course, we had to make the cutoff somewhere, so here are a few additional men worth noting. 1. Stanford, 1998 Against Federer, Nadal has an impressive 24-16 record. 1 ranking for the first time, which he retained for 109 weeks throughout his career. Jung was awarded the prestigious ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award his junior season for his outstanding play and leadership. The Top Ten. In 1977, Borg reached the world No. 1. ranking, but despite her success, she only held that post for two weeks throughout her career. For that reason, thats why the big three are held in such high regard because they so consistently dominated the game, with very few players ever breaking through to win big titles during their time on tour. ***Title totals include pre and post Open Era where relevant. 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. However, while tennis is now an active sport in the Summer Olympics, it wasnt always that way. 8. Despite that, she did compete in a professional tournament that year but didnt perform well. Unfortunately, he had a relatively short prime, as injuries cut his career short compared to the others. These character traits, when combined, will produce exceptional, top-tier results, as evidenced by the accomplishments of the coaches and their tennis programs. Learn with comprehensive resources to help you improve your game. In 2008, Nadal became the worlds No. Federer is the player that has the most Grand Slam titles in the world (20) and is second behind Djokovic in most weeks spent at the world No.1 spot. However, it wasnt until 1974 that Borg captured his first French Open title at the age of 18. If not for Federer, he likely would have won a few more trophies along the way. The following year was one of her most impressive, winning all four Grand Slam events and a gold medal in singles at the Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Federer turned pro in 1998, and it didnt take long before his career began to pick up steam. The last comment and 13 other comment(s) need to be approved. 6. Stanford's chest-bumping identical twins and all-time men's doubles champs Bob and Mike Bryan rank just behind McEnroe. Popular Quizzes Today. Throughout her career, she held that ranking for a total of 332 weeks, second only to Stefi Graf. 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. Their No. Wolf turned professional a little over a year ago in July of 2019. He has six Grand Slam titles in the Open Era, with an additional six before. Hottest Female Athletes. However, when narrowing it down to the best of the best, here are the top 10 best tennis players of all time. She was also highly accomplished in doubles with 16 womens and 11 mixed doubles Grand Slam titles. Overall, his list of accomplishments is beyond impressive, and for years, it looked as if no one would ever come close to matching his success on the court. 2. Stanford, 1978 Yea, if a tennis player is not in the top 50 by 18 they'll never make it. These unique accomplishments certainly add weight to a players bid for consideration as one of the best players. When there are significant gaps in achievements from one player to the next, its easier for people to agree on which player is the best. Johnson reached No. . 1 for 270 total weeks through his career. Serena Williams. That year, Laver claimed the Wimbledon title. UCLA,1971 . Court holds the record for the most singles titles at 192. Access available rankings data at ITA. They were just nails, from top to bottom. Not a lot of people talk about him currently, but he was as tough a player as any in his prime. They were so good that when, in an Arizona windstorm, they lost their one doubles point of the year, the usually benign Gould let er rip. 1 and 2 in singles and doubles, and won back-to-back singles titles in 11 and 12. The team won two titles, in 70 (sans Jimbo) and in 71. 1 for the first time, a position he held for a total of 170 weeks throughout his career. USC, 1967-1968 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. After all, if someone is coming up with their list of the best tennis players of all time, they might want to consider the whole player beyond their talents on the court. Cameron Norrie | Texas Christian University. Can you imagine Federer and Nadal on the same college team? 21 in the world. Passion - 6. His Grand Slam titles include seven at the Australian Open, one at the French Open, eight at Wimbledon, and give at the US Open. The year after, John McEnroe earned his first Grand Slam title at the US Open in 1979, which he defended for the following two years in 1980 and 1981. The King of Clay is thought of by some as the greatest tennis player of all time. In 72, four of the eight quarterfinalists Stockton, Gottfried, McKinley and Paul Gerken were Trinitonians. Net Worth. 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. As the game started to evolve, Stephen Edberg still heavily relied on the serve and volley. In July of 2011, Djokovic became world No. . Theres no doubt that Gustavo Kuerten deserves mention on this list, but he is a specialist for the most part. Begin typing to search, use arrow keys to navigate, Enter to select. As a senior he got it right he beat Fred Stolle to win Wimbledon without dropping a set. Australian Rod Laver was born on August 3, 1938, and players and fans widely regard him as one of the greatest players of all time. Barry Sanders #5. In 1956, Laver started to pursue a career in tennis as an amateur and quickly established himself as a junior before winning his first Grand Slam singles title in 1960 at the Australian Championships, now the Australian Open. Despite his record against Nadal, I give Federer the edge in my list of the all-time best tennis players for a few reasons. They promptly lost, but the team went 24-0 and won the national championship, and Mac won the singles. UCLA, 1971 Her breakout year was in 1997, when she made it deep into a few tournaments, including the finals of the US Open, where she lost to Martina Hingis. Andre Agassi is one of the best tennis players of all time, capturing the hearts of fans with his flamboyance, fierce competitiveness, and pure. *Please note that not all the stats included above are relevant for consideration as the best player ever. 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. His first biggest win of his career came in 2012 as he defeated Jurgen Melzer in five sets. 2, Frank Froehling, who was ranked No. 1 ranking, and she earned this spot for a total of 260 weeks throughout her career. Regardless, shes well deserving of the title as one of the best female tennis players of all time. Please try logging back in or call customer support at 1-800-990-8782 for assistance. 17 in singles and No. Top 100 College Football Players Of All Time Quiz - By forrestsancomb. Girons national championship made him the 11th Bruin to win the NCAA Singles title. As fans, many of us have our favorite players we appreciate for their style of play, how they present themselves, their off-court demeanor, and a variety of additional criteria. I have followed Joe to his company JXS Tennis Academy at Babson College and I love it. Throughout her career, King ended up with a 695-155 record for a win rate of 81.76%. I won't repeat it but answer the implicit question- it doesn't matter. There was USCs 58 squad, led by Perus Modesto Junior College transfer Alex Olmedo, who won the NCAA singles and doubles and led the US to the Davis Cup title. Even though he never won Wimbledon, he did win the Australian Open when it was on the grass. Bjrn also won 66 titles. 1 in the singles and doubles Oracle ITA Rankings. Hes another casualty of the Roger Federer era, constantly going up against him and other greats during any deep runs in tournaments. Smith, the Leaning Tower of Pasadena, went on to win Wimbledon and the US Open and become No. Djokovic turned pro in 2003. The big reason why thats the case is that Rafael Nadal won them all during his prime. Toley said he could put together a third team that would win this thing 50 percent of the time. In one match they beat UCLA, with Arthur Ashe and Charlie Pasarell, 9-0. Top Tennis Players Ever. However, only 62 of these occurred in the Open Era, so she doesnt have the achievement during this period. 1. 1 Margaret Court in a small clay court tournament held in Charlotte, NC. Hottest Female Soccer Players. He became the first player from South America to ever win a Grand Slam event on the mens side. The team had no dominant singles player. Federer owns 15 more titles, over 100 extra weeks as world No. Without a doubt, shes one of the greatest female tennis players ever. -See which former college tennis student-athletes are in the women's professional tour. Every generation produced great tennis stars, dating all the way back to the 1890s. 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. Advantage: Federer. Giron reached a career high ranking of No. Do we believe player A holding the number one ranking for 20 more weeks is more valuable than player Bs five additional titles? Top ten ranked male tennis players. Off of clay, his main rivals are superior. Your Membership Expires in $(daysToExpire) days!