Conversely, some players like Roger Federer manage to go injury-free for the better part of their careers. Venus turned pro at the early age of 14 in 1994 when she played her first WTA tournament. If youve never considered whos deserving as the greatest player of all time, we hope our list at least serves as a helpful starting point, including some of the things worth keeping in mind when making your list. One of the most dominating seasons ever. Harvard's second-place finish is driven by the Danish-born Caroline Wozniacki, who became the first Scandinavian woman to rank as the top player in the world, a title she held for 71 weeks between 2010 and 2011. He won it in 1974 and reached the finals in 1975, so he certainly missed out on some golden opportunities. In 1980, he became world No. However, it wasnt until 1974 that Borg captured his first French Open title at the age of 18. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for visiting my site. Mental toughness, confidence, and a positive attitude were also mentioned several times in the responses. Djokovic turned pro in 2003. During those years, he claimed eight titles at three of the biggest professional tournaments, the US Pro, French Pro, and Wembley Pro. Ashe won the singles, and then the doubles with Ian Crookenden. Active Career: 1983 - 1996. 1 ranking in February 2004 and has held that ranking for a total of 310 weeks 237 of which were consecutive weeks where he was virtually unbeatable. For a guy who is so well known for his outbursts on and off the court, some forget just how good he was. For all those reasons, this is a justifiable choice. A linchpin in the Cavaliers three straight NCAA Team Championships. Moving on to the list comes the 15 best tennis players of all time with three bonus ones. Graf became the worlds No. When it came to team competition, King helped lead the United States to 11 victories, four of which she was the captain. I won't repeat it but answer the implicit question- it doesn't matter. 41. In honor of the US Open kicking off today, we are highlighting their legendary collegiate careers that prepared them for this moment. In 61, sophomore Chuck McKinley reached the Wimbledon final, where he lost to Rod Laver. 7. However, at this stage in his career, Djokovic is particularly unique in that he continues to dominate and remain healthy, which means hes only going to extend his results and further cement his position as the greatest player ever to live. Another area that highlights Chris Everts thoroughly impressive career is her record of 1309-146, for a 90% win rate the second-highest of all-time behind Margaret Court, but the highest during the Open Era. In 1974, Navratilova played on tour and won her first title at the age of 17. Where does your favorite college tennis teams and players rank across the country and the world? -The ITF is a key ranking in the junior and professional levels. Born November 22, 1943, in America, Billie Jean King has had a tremendous impact on the sport during and after her retirement. NCSA analyzed over 880 four-year colleges with men's college tennis programs across four division levels (D1, D2, D3 and NAIA) to develop a list of the Best Men's Tennis Colleges for Student-Athletes.. NCSA Power Rankings are based on proprietary analysis of NCSA Favorites data obtained from the college search activity of the over 3 million student-athletes on . He has 98 career titles and 20 Grand Slam Singles Title including 8 Wimbledon, 6 Australian Open, 5 US Open, and . She holds seven titles at the Australian Open, three at the French Open, seven at Wimbledon, and six at the US Open. The following year the pair fell just short of repeating their doubles title falling to Middle Tennessee State duo Marco Born and Andreas Siljestrm. During her career, Seles won 53 titles and ended with a winning record of 595-122. **Stats for active players are current as of November 2021. He made history winning his second Grand Slam title in 2013, as he broke the long cold streak for British tennis players at Wimbledon. Does it make him a better player for staying injury-free all those years, which enabled him to miss a tournament rarely and give him more opportunities to win? The men's tennis team has won 12 Big Ten Championships and has made eight All-Americans, 23 NCAA singles appearances, and 11 NCAA doubles appearances. 1 ranking and, to date, has held that position for 319 weeks. She was also highly accomplished in doubles with 16 womens and 11 mixed doubles Grand Slam titles. Born on June 14, 2969, Steffi Graf is a German tennis player. When considering the best tennis players of all time, its tempting to rank male and female tennis players right alongside each other. One of the most challenging elements to establishing a list of the best players of all time is that all of the most accomplished players didnt play tennis or compete at the same time. Unique to Agassi, he missed out on some golden opportunities to increase his slam count, choosing to skip the Australian Open for six years from 1986 to 1994 and Wimbledon for 62 years from 1988 to 1990. However, as you get deeper into the rankings, narrowing down candidates becomes a bit more challenging. (Skip to the end of the article to view our top 10 list if you have want to save time). For years they were at the heart of the US Davis Cup team. A list that gives the top 10 tennis players of all time! 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. 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. In 1984, he had a stellar year with his only finals appearance at the French Open and titles at Wimbledon and the US Open. For example, if one player has a winning record against a player with straight-set victories is more compelling than a player who has a winning record where every match was highly competitive and could have gone either way. Perhaps this is a bit low for some, but its very hard to compare eras that are so far apart. 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. Throughout her career, she won 43 titles and had a career record of 525-115 for a winning rate of 82%. If we dont dig deeper to understand the quality of titles, we may undervalue a players achievements because a win at a 1000 level is significantly more impressive than a 250. And as fabulous as USCs singles lineup was, their doubles teams with Bill Bond, Tom Edlefson and Ramsey Earnhart were even stronger. However, it wasnt until 1992 that he earned his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, playing Goran Ivanievi in a tough five-set match. Longevity is another factor to consider. The Art of Doubles by Pat Blaskower. His determination keeps him in any match. In their 34 meetings, his record was 14-20. In a 23 year career spanning four decades, the Swiss has spent a combined 310 weeks at world no.1 and holds the longest streak at world no 1. in Open Era history, having topped the ATP rankings for a four and a half year period (237 weeks) from 2004 to . In 72, four of the eight quarterfinalists Stockton, Gottfried, McKinley and Paul Gerken were Trinitonians. Giron reached a career high ranking of No. Federer owns 15 more titles, over 100 extra weeks as world No. The Australian reached #1 at a very young age, and his overall career success started younger than most players in general. Go. 2 reviews of JXS Tennis Academy "Joe at JSX Tennis Academy has been my tennis instructor since the early 1990's when we started at the Dedham Health and Athletic Time. Team Player - 5. Connors also holds eight Grand Slam titles, with one at the Australian Open, two at Wimbledon, and record-tying five at the US Open. She also appeared in five finals, where her opponent defeated her. Djokovic also leads in Masters titles, and has the greatest finals win percentage. Born on October 18, 1956, in Czechoslovakia, Martina Navratilova also competed as a US citizen after receiving her citizenship in 1981. 1 player in the world. In July of 2011, Djokovic became world No. In 1974, Chris Evert claimed her first Grand Slam victories at the Fench Open and Wimbledon, which sparked a 13-year string where she won at least one Grand Slam event for a total of 18, which no other player has accomplished since. Winning only one Grand Slam title might not be impressive to the average person, but Andy Roddick had the challenge of coming up through the ranks at the same time as Roger Federer. Read Also: Top 15 Best College Tennis Teams Ever 2022 Ranking. Johnson reached No. The King of Clay is thought of by some as the greatest tennis player of all time. Throughout his entire career, Djokovic has had 85 career titles. Bob won the singles championship yet he was only their No. Here are the ten best tennis players of all time. Before this year, professional tennis players who played tennis for money werent allowed to compete in many of the biggest tennis tournaments, including the Grand Slam events. He was known . Pasarell did the same in 66. She also made it to 11 other Grand Slam finals, where her opponent defeated her. Billie Jean King. Over the span of his collegiate career, Anderson was named an ITA Singles All-American three times and an ITA Doubles All-American twice. College Tennis Talk . The list of accomplishments during his college career isnt short for Tennys Sandgren. There are tennis fans who sometimes forget just how dominant Jim Courier was during his prime. But it is far from the only thing on coaches' minds as . In total, Goolagong won 86 titles, with 68 of them coming in the Open Era. He is a three-time Olympic gold medalist (2016, 2020, 2020), three-time . He won the 1995 French Open, but he dominated in plenty of tournaments on clay courts as well. 1 ranking, which she held for 117 weeks throughout her career. Novak Djokovic has won 19 singles Grand Slams and was ranked world number 1 in 2011. However, while tennis is now an active sport in the Summer Olympics, it wasnt always that way. However, it wasnt until 2000 when Venus would capture her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, one of seven total five at Wimbledon and two at the US Open. When he first burst on the scene in the 1970s, that playing style was very much ahead of his time. May she call herself the best player on the team. Serena Williams is one of the greatest Tennis players of all time, male or female. Trinitys No. However, he never managed to win the French Open, where his best result was a semi-final appearance in 1996. Fourteen Former Mens Collegiate Players in US Open Singles Draw. Sampras would claim five total US Open titles, two Australian Open titles, and seven Wimbledon titles for a total of 13 Grand Slam victories. We won 25 matches 7-0 and the other three matches were 6-1., That team was a dream to coach, added Gould. The official rankings page for college tennis including teams, singles and doubles. 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. However, this list is based more on how players fared against the competition, as well as their overall play. Writer Frank Deford suggested Toleys fellow coaches might well consider scheduling a separate tournament of their own at that asylum in Hartford., 2. Jason Jung spent four years playing for the University of Michigan where he finished ranked fourth in career doubles wins and third for most doubles wins by a freshman. With that in mind, let's take a sneak peak at the top 25 South American players of all time! However, adversity comes in all shapes and sizes. 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 currently sits at No. 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. The greatest tennis player of all time has to be none other than Roger Federer. I hope you enjoy the resources. Newsflash: The Bryans became the best doubles team in history. However, only 62 of these occurred in the Open Era, so she doesnt have the achievement during this period. Greatest college players of all time. Despite that, he managed to win 72 of his 198 titles in the Open Era past the age of 30. Playing from the baseline at a time when many were not, the left-hander found a way to play against the best in the world and win consistently. She holds the fifth-most career titles of any woman in the Open Era at 73 and has a record 855-152 in matches for a win rate of 84.9%. Begin typing to search, use arrow keys to navigate, Enter to select. Home to the US Open Grand Slam Tournament, New York City had long needed a vibrant tennis academy where kids could train. Steffi Graf is the only player in history, male or female, to achieve this feat in a calendar year. Of course, we had to make the cutoff somewhere, so here are a few additional men worth noting. 1 through 4 and gladly made sacrifices for a team that went 28-0 and scored 26 shutouts. 1 ranking for longer than any other player in history at 345 weeks and currently has 85 titles to his name. Join the conversation with other members of the community. In March 1991, Seles replaced Stefi Graf as world No. Swiss player Roger Federer, the greatest player of all time is easily justifiable. 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) Chris Evert was born in 1954; she is an American professional tennis player. Furthermore, in the coming years, I believe Djokovic will only further cement his position here. Hes another casualty of the Roger Federer era, constantly going up against him and other greats during any deep runs in tournaments. 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. 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. Led by Dick Stockton, who became world No. From ITA Player to Watch to ITA All-American in singles, Tennys anchored his name in the Volunteer history books. He was the greatest clay-court player of all time until Rafael Nadal hit the scene, but it was his all-around game that caught attention from the very beginning. Beyond her success in singles, Venus achieved stellar results in doubles with fourteen Grand Slam titles and three gold medals. However, throughout his career, Sampras got the best of him. Some of the most famous players under his tutelage include Ken McGregor . Rodrigues Finishes as NCAA Singles Runner-Up. 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. Although she was young, she delivered solid performances and made deep runs at several tournaments. The Ohio State University. For starters, many players compete in doubles for the extra prize money. Another area where its challenging to compare players is how heavily to weigh individual stats. When it comes to the best female tennis player of all time, many consider the case to be closed due to the sheer dominance of Serena Williams in recent years. Unfortunately, he had a relatively short prime, as injuries cut his career short compared to the others. With that said, his achievements are thoroughly impressive, especially considering the short timeline of his career. Court holds the record for the most singles titles at 192. Thats certainly not something to diminish, but everyone is going to evaluate that lopsided performance differently. After qualifying at ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati, Wolf reached a career high ranking of 143. Smith, the Leaning Tower of Pasadena, went on to win Wimbledon and the US Open and become No. 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. Its up to any individual to determine how they perceive these factors when ranking the greatest players of all time. Joe is the best Tennis Pro I've ever had. A lot has changed in the sport, but its hard to argue that he doesnt deserve at least a little bit of consideration near the top. In a period where Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe dominated the men's game, the Czech native managed . 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. Although there a virtually an endless list of data points one can use to compare these players, weve highlighted a handful of criteria that we believe help showcase why these titans of our sport made our list. 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. However, he impressed once again, winning another calendar-year Grand Slam in 1969. I created a custom vibration dampener thats compatible with all racquets and string patterns. Its just humanly impossible., 9. A three-time All-American and one of . Shop official NCAA team and championship gear . His two Grand Slam titles in singles only tell part of the story, as he was able to pick up five more in some form of doubles. Its challenging enough to reach reasonable conclusions on the best players without mixing the ATP and WTA tour. The number 1 in our best table tennis players list is a Chinese player, Ma Long. However, with such great emphasis placed on Grand Slams when considering the greatest players of all time, its worthy of reference and consideration. For example, suppose Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic never showed up in tennis. . 1. Born on December 2, 1973, in Florida, Monica Seles represented Yugoslavia early in her career and the United States she became a US citizen in 1994. Djokovic is younger than the players #2 and #3 players on the list, and the most likely to add Grand Slams to his rsum. 3. They won back-to-back NCAA doubles titles and were part of a four-year run in which USC won the NCAAs from 66 to 69. Contact Us - Privacy Policy - Affiliate Disclaimer. Before finishing his career as a Buckeye, Wolf won the school's first ITA Men's All-American Singles Championship and was named an ITA All-American in singles. Serena is not just force when playing individually. Looking back on the history of Grand Slam events, the Australian Open is a bit of an outlier. However, should we value player Bs three additional Grand Slam titles over player As 125 extra titles in total? Osuna was recruited to USC out of obscurity and remains the best Mexican player ever. In July of 2002, Serena first hit the world No. First, the age and timing of head-to-head matchups can significantly influence the eventual record between two players. Most can only . 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. In team competition, Serena helped the United States to a win in 1999 at the Fed Cup. In total, Sampras claimed 64 titles, 762 wins, and had a 77.4% win record. During the summer, Venus also claimed her first and only singles gold medal at the Olympics in Sydney. 41 after winning the Auckland title. For most coaches, the recruiting process begins with academics. She can establish herself as a powerful server and pro athlete in the field of tennis. In 1896, the inaugural Olympics took place, and tennis was an official sport. Although many people would agree on the data, qualities, or attributes that make one player better than others, theres ultimately personal opinion injected. During his long 24 year career, the most of any male player in our top ten list, he had many accomplishments, but one of his most significant is his 109 titles, the most in the Open Era. 10. 8 - Andre Agassi. 7) all stepped up at USCs new tennis center to take Stanfords first title, in what would become a dynastic run of 17 championships. The longevity of Jimmy Connors career has boosted him a bit, but its hard to put him any higher than this. In addition to his Grand Slam count, he has a convincing lead in our rankings over Jimmy Connors because he had a head-to-head record of 22-13 over Connors, which gives him a clear edge. Although he competed at the French Open and Wimbledon in 1977, McEnroe officially turned pro in 1978. With the average age of tennis players at the top of the professional game increasing each year - the world's top three are aged 33, 32 and 38 respectively - there is no longer a sense of . The result earned her a total of 129 titles, 67 that were during the Open Era. Johnson has finished the past six seasons ranked in the Top 100. Combine that with his dominance as world No. He would then win another Wimbledon title in 2016. 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. 2. However, her first Grand Slam victory came a few years later at the French Open in 1971, which she quickly followed up with a win at Wimbledon as well. John McEnroe is another of the greatest male tennis players of all time. UCLA, 1970-1971 Jimmy Connors, Jeff Borowiak, Haroon Rahim. He became the first mens player to sweep the NCAA individual titles in 15 years. Three Grand Slam titles and 33 career titles only tell part of the story of Arthur Ashe. Top 10 Greatest Men's Tennis Players of All Time: 10. Goldstein reached No. You have entered an incorrect email address! -Search for former college tennis stars on the men's professional tour. First, he only played the Australian open twice throughout his entire career. That was only his sophomore year. 1 ranking for the first time, a position she held briefly throughout her career for a total of eleven weeks. Answer (1 of 21): A lot of people have answered some technical aspects. 20 in the world, and Pakistani Haroon Rahim. Throughout her career, King ended up with a 695-155 record for a win rate of 81.76%. However, winning a Grand Slam in 2014, 2015, and 2016 put him in the top 25. As if her success on the singles court wasnt impressive enough, Court was also highly accomplished in doubles with 19 womens doubles Grand Slam titles and 21 mixed doubles titles. 101 after qualifying at Cincinnati. Billie Jean King is an icon in the tennis world, dominating her field for almost a decade as she won an astonishing 129 titles which included 12 Grand Slams. Like Evert, Navratilova won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, including three at the Australian Open, two at the French Open, nine at Wimbledon, and four at the US Open. 1 the most ever. Serenas first title came in early 1999, and later that year, she also claimed her maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open. 21 in the world. Henin would claim seven Grand Slam titles, one at the Australian Open, four at the French Open, and two at the US Open. Wolf turned professional a little over a year ago in July of 2019. Born: April 29, 1970, in Las Vegas, Nevada; Net worth: $145 Million Every generation produced great tennis stars, dating all the way back to the 1890s. Steve Johnson | University of Southern California. 3 in the world and was the only player to win NCAA singles and doubles titles back to back. 368. Some might think this pick is a bit controversial, but its hard to argue with the statistics. Although singles tennis is the more popular discipline, playing doubles still carries significant weight and requires a unique skill set that many fans believe distinguishes one player from the next. Unfortunately, that would be the only two career Grand Slams for him. 220. Born in Belleville, IL, in 1952, Jimmy Connors is an American tennis player who turned pro in 1972 at the age of 20. In addition to his Grand Slam success, Federer has claimed 103 ATP titles, the most ever behind Jimmy Connors in the Open Era. Despite the challenge, here is my list of the 10 greatest male tennis players of the Open Era1968 to present. Lastly, if a player is consistently engaging in competitive matches and sometimes beating players in the top 300 (in tournament play, not practice) in the ATP or WTA rankings, then they may be ready physically, mentally and technically to play professional tennis on a full time basis. Hes very close, and having 20 Grand Slams to his name will keep his name in the discussion for quite a while. Much like Lendl, he sometimes gets overlooked for just how many finals he made without winning the title. 163 which is a career record. 24) Ralph Sampson (Virginia) College Averages: 16.9 points, 1.2 assists, 11.4 rebounds. Ivan Lendl. Despite that, she did manage to win a singles gold medal at the Athens Summer Olympics. He had some mild success on other surfaces, but clay courts are where he made his name. Both Sandy Mayer, who weeks later reached the Wimbledon semis and would rise to No. Off of clay, his main rivals are superior. 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. He will be seeking his first tour-level win at the Open. During the NCAA team tournament, he won all three of his singles matches and all four of his doubles matches. In this article, well share our selection of the greatest players of all time, but well also discuss the challenges when ranking and why theyre important to keep in mind. When she was 9, she moved with her family (including fellow tennis great and sister Venus) to Florida. He made a huge statement winning a pair of titles at the French Open and Australian Open for his career. Against Federer, Nadal has an impressive 24-16 record. Your Admin status expires in$(daysToExpire) days! Brandon Nakashima | University of Virginia. John McEnroe was perhaps the sweetest recruiting plum in college history. In his final season with the Bruins, McDonald won not only the NCAA Singles Championships, but also the NCAA Doubles Championships with Martin Redlicki. Furthermore, he was never able to win the US Open despite four appearances in the finals. Ken Rosewall. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. In 2003, Henin claimed her first Grand Slam title at the French Open, making her the first Belgian ever to win a Grand Slam. If not for Federer, he likely would have won a few more trophies along the way. Furthermore, she contested 14 Grand Slam finals, where she was the runner-up. Hes a winner of three Grand Slam titles, and has shown that he can beat the best of the best when it matters most. 6. 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.