Isner left Athens holding the school records for career singles, career doubles, and career combined wins. Stefi Graf retired from professional tennis in 1999 and earned her spot in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004. Goulds takeaway: You never say never, but there is no way a team will ever do what this team did. Earning the title as the most jacked football player is not an easy job. Newsflash: The Bryans became the best doubles team in history. List of the best men's tennis players from 2000s, listed by popularity with photos of the players when available. Sampras would claim five total US Open titles, two Australian Open titles, and seven Wimbledon titles for a total of 13 Grand Slam victories. However, he impressed once again, winning another calendar-year Grand Slam in 1969. Learn with comprehensive resources to help you improve your game. He spent the most weeks at number one in the world, and has finished as the year-end #1 seven times. HONORABLE MENTIONS: Over the years there have been many fantastic teams. Connors also holds eight Grand Slam titles, with one at the Australian Open, two at Wimbledon, and record-tying five at the US Open. He and Lutz won five Slam titles. However, as it stands now, I think Federer is more deserving of this spot. 1. He won 8 Grand Slam titles, an Olympic gold medal, spent 101 weeks as the world number one, and received over $31 million in . Top 10 Greatest Men's Tennis Players of All Time: 10. Furthermore, Federer has six year-end championship titles to his name, while Nadal has none. Serena was ready to play at the professional level when she was 14 in 1995. Outside of singles, Navratilova has one of the most impressive doubles careers in history. 3. Throughout the years, there have been many great tennis players who have made a name for themselves. Ten years ago . 1. Mental toughness, confidence, and a positive attitude were also mentioned several times in the responses. Depending on a players ranking, that extra cash can be crucial. Rankings. Team Player - 5. 1. I have actually included 11 players here with two greats tied for the 10th position. To that end, here are a few additional women that didnt make the top ten, but we felt worth mentioning. As a perfect example, hes made five finals at the Australian Open, but never hoisted the final trophy. 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? 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%. Connors won the singles in 71. Trinity, 1972 Dick Stockton, Brian Gottfried, Bob McKinley. Hes very close, and having 20 Grand Slams to his name will keep his name in the discussion for quite a while. He has won 15 ATP Tour titles. You could even take it a step further and evaluate the perceived level of competition present at the tournaments where a player won or how convincingly they defeated their opponents during matches. 5. BTW: Whitlinger beat Hagey to claim the singles crown, and would coach Stanford for a decade. Begin typing to search, use arrow keys to navigate, Enter to select. Answer (1 of 21): A lot of people have answered some technical aspects. Court holds the record for the most singles titles at 192. 4. In team competition, Serena helped the United States to a win in 1999 at the Fed Cup. Although its tough to imagine a player who will eclipse the big three on the mens side or the top players on the womens, one thing is for sure it will happen. She played her final singles match in 1983 at the Australian Open. 2. His Grand Slam titles include seven at the Australian Open, one at the French Open, eight at Wimbledon, and give at the US Open. Born on March 7, 1960, in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia, Ivan Lendl had an impressive career that began in 1978 when he turned pro. At the time, the Cardinal (who would go on to win the NCAAs that year) were ranked #1, Trinity #2. From 2004 to 2007, Federer asserted significant dominance winning 11 of the 15 Grand Slam events during this period. Then, in 1992 at the Barcelona Summer Olympics, she claimed silver in singles. But it is far from the only thing on coaches' minds as . 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 . Seles started her tennis career early at the age of 14 in 1988, but she officially turned pro the following year, where she won her first title and reached the semi-finals of the French Open, her first Grand Slam tournament. Forty of his 44 career tournament wins all came on dirt. Every generation produced great tennis stars, dating all the way back to the 1890s. After advancing to the 2018 Wimbledon finals, Anderson reached a career-high No. 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. He also won ten Grand Slams evenly spread out among each tournament and holds a joint record with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic for the most runner-up appearances at Grand Slam events totaling 11. -Search for former college tennis stars on the men's professional tour. 1, which she held for 325 weeks, only surpassed by Martina Navratilova and Stefi Graf. 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. As a result, looking back at players like Bjrn Borg, who has a thoroughly impressive resume, only played the tournament once in 1974 as a 17-year-old, which gave him limited opportunities to further add to his Grand Slam count of 11. He finished with 11 Grand Slams, and was the first to dominate the French Open and Wimbledon in the Open Era. Find the Countries of Europe - No Outlines Minefield. These days, the Olympics hold quite a bit of significance related to a players overall success and perception. In the process, you learn a lot about our sport, especially if youre younger and didnt have the opportunity to witness players who are now retired or, in some cases, no longer living. Furthermore, she contested 14 Grand Slam finals, where she was the runner-up. Steffi is right-handed with a one-handed backhand and our pick for the greatest female tennis player ever. Another factor that often arises when selecting the best players of all time is the depth of field or how many elite players were competing during any highly successful players time on tour. However, dig a little deeper, and its surprisingly nuanced, brimming with subjectivity and emotion. Wolf turned professional a little over a year ago in July of 2019. Furthermore, she helped the United States win eight Fed Cup titles, including six consecutive from 1977-1982. 3 in the world and was the only player to win NCAA singles and doubles titles back to back. Stanford, 1973-1974 Sandy Mayer, Pat DuPre, Jim Delaney, John Whitlinger. -Discover the USTA's ratings in all divisions. 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. It wasnt until 2004 that hed win his first singles ATP title. In 1971, Goolagong managed to reach the world No. Nadals career started early. 1. Grand Slam events are best of five for men and best of three for women and are usually regarded as highly significant when ranking players. UCLAs 76 team featured Brian Teacher, Peter Fleming, Ferdi Taygan and John Austin. No.1 in 1991. In March 1991, Seles replaced Stefi Graf as world No. A Terrible Splendor by Marshall Jon Fisher. 120. Billie Jean King. However, he wouldnt play his first ATP tour event until 2004, and hed claim his first ATP title in 2006. For 12 years the collegiate championships had been Prime Time for LA either USC or UCLA won. Opening Round Complete at the 2023 ITA Division III Womens Indoor 2023 Division III Womens National Team Indoor Championship: Dates, Locations, Streaming, College Tennis In the Community: Teams Give Back In The Month Anthony Montero Named ITA Director of Officiating and General Counsel, Berry College Head Mens and Womens Tennis Coach, John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA) at SPORTIME Immediate Tennis Professional/Coach Openings. Cressy will make his tour-level singles debut at the 2020 US Open. After going 21-1 at the No. For example, if player A competes later in their career against player B, whos younger, and most of their matches happen toward the end of player As career, player B arguably has a significant advantage. Nadal: 8. I created a custom vibration dampener thats compatible with all racquets and string patterns. We won 25 matches 7-0 and the other three matches were 6-1., That team was a dream to coach, added Gould. Since turning pro, Anderson has won six titles and reached the finals of both Wimbledon and the US Open. John McEnroe is another of the greatest male tennis players of all time. He made a huge statement winning a pair of titles at the French Open and Australian Open for his career. So let's get started! He started playing professional tennis in 1998 and was dominating the sport after defeating Andre Agassi at the US Open in 2005. Just like last year, Daevenia can again call herself the best Dutch college tennis player this year. References. Honorable mention also to UGAs 1985 team whose #1 and #2 played the singles final. He holds the joint-record for the most grand slams in history and has consistently dominated the court since he turned pro in 1998. In 1998, she won her first WTA tournament, which she followed up with a few additional titles that year. 7) all stepped up at USCs new tennis center to take Stanfords first title, in what would become a dynastic run of 17 championships. Its hard to imagine that Rosewall would dominate in todays game standing only 57 tall and under 150 pounds, but he made it work during his prime. Smith, the Leaning Tower of Pasadena, went on to win Wimbledon and the US Open and become No. Given enough time, another player will come along that does what many now believe to be impossible. During the tennis boom, nobody was bigger, and he had rivalries with Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, and Ivan Lendl at some point. However, despite significant success over the next few years, King didnt win her first Grand Slam title until 1966 at Wimbledon. Highest Ranking. He is certainly the best player ever on clay court, as his 14 French Open titles are likely never to be touched. Leaving his mark on the college tennis landscape in 2010, Bradley Klahn etched his name in Stanford mens tennis history when he captured the 2010 NCAA Singles Championship. 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. Cameron Norrie | Texas Christian University. Of course the level of tennis is the other major factor. Regarding her match singles win percentage, Court stands alone, holding the best record at 91.69% through her career and 91.17% during the Open Era. 1 ranking, and she earned this spot for a total of 260 weeks throughout her career. ***Title totals include pre and post Open Era where relevant. Perhaps this is a bit low for some, but its very hard to compare eras that are so far apart. For example, some will believe its more impressive for a player to dominate across various surfaces and add that to the argument for why one player is better than another. He finished his career with four Grand Slams, but he might most be remembered for his 16 ATP tour championships in one season in 1977. Serena Williams is one of the greatest Tennis players of all time, male or female. World number 1 ranked male tennis players. 37 in the world. Unfortunately, he had a relatively short prime, as injuries cut his career short compared to the others. This article lists the tennis players who have won the most tour-level professional tournament titles since the Open Era began in 1968. For of the French Open titles were back to back from 1978 1981. The following year the pair fell just short of repeating their doubles title falling to Middle Tennessee State duo Marco Born and Andreas Siljestrm. She appeared in the semi-finals at the French Open and competed against Venus Williams in the finals of Wimbledon. 1 ranking for the first time in 1968. When it came to team competition, King helped lead the United States to 11 victories, four of which she was the captain. Two years later, in 2008, Djokovic claimed his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Stanford, 1998 For example, suppose Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic never showed up in tennis. Brandon Nakashima | University of Virginia. As a senior, Isner led the Bulldogs to a perfect 32-0 record and the programs fifth NCAA Team Championship. 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. Hopefully, the combination helps explain why we ranked players as we did while providing a jumping-off point for future debate. Bjrn also won 66 titles. Moving on to the list comes the 15 best tennis players of all time with three bonus ones. Any list of outstanding male tennis players should include names like Roger Federer, John McEnroe, Rafael Nadal and Bjrn Borgas these guys are easily the top tennis players. 6. 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. That is until the big three came along. Others claim that John whos often said to be the seventh-best player ever was the most talented college player of all time. In 1998, she didnt earn any titles, but she saw plenty of success, including a top 20 ranking. This fact was significant because these were arguably his peak years, winning five of his eight Grand Slam titles during this time and denying him the opportunity to complete a Grand Slam that year when he won all other majors. Steve Johnsons collegiate career is the stuff of legends. Once told he was too clumsy to be a Davis Cup ball boy, Stan went on to win seven Davis Cups. College Tennis Talk . However, our analysis suggests a bit of a different story, with her results overshadowing the past performance of other female tennis players who may deserve the title. Kwiatkowski capped off a legendary collegiate career by winning the NCAA Singles Championships his senior year the fourth singles title in program history. Gould gave him space, and still says Mac was one of the most supportive team players hes ever had. Pasarell did the same in 66. She holds seven titles at the Australian Open, three at the French Open, seven at Wimbledon, and six at the US Open. 2 at USC. Combine that with his dominance as world No. Where does your favorite college tennis teams and players rank across the country and the world? During the 13 years that she won at least one Grand Slam event, she was absent from the event seven times. George Toleys 62-64 USC teams werent exactly that. A Wimbledon finalist while at USC, he was ranked as high as No. Here are the ten best tennis players of all time. Serena Williams. Grass. He was twice a semifinalist at Wimbledon in 1960 and 1961, reaching as high as World No. Graf earned 22 Grand Slam titles throughout her career, including four at the Australian Open, six at the French Open, seven at Wimbledon, and five at the US Open. 10. I have followed Joe to his company JXS Tennis Academy at Babson College and I love it. 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. Bob Bryan won the singles championship over Goldstein. The Australian finished his career with five Grand Slams, but is often overlooked by some of the greater players from his country. 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. Contact Us - Privacy Policy - Affiliate Disclaimer. The team won two titles, in 70 (sans Jimbo) and in 71. For as much as people talk about the Big Three or Big Four of this current era, Stan Wawrinka deserves mentioning as well. 8. UCLA, 1965-1966 Although many people would agree on the data, qualities, or attributes that make one player better than others, theres ultimately personal opinion injected. Your Membership Expires in $(daysToExpire) days! It was the most selfless team Ive hadIt was probably the best team in recent history. The top four players would alternate playing No. 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. Tennis Channel/USTA College Tennis Top 25. The number 1 in our best table tennis players list is a Chinese player, Ma Long. For such a small school to have two of your all-time top ten teams shows what an incredible job Clarence Mabry and later Bob McKinley did with limited resources. During the summer, Venus also claimed her first and only singles gold medal at the Olympics in Sydney. Born: April 29, 1970, in Las Vegas, Nevada; Net worth: $145 Million Regardless, shes well deserving of the title as one of the best female tennis players of all time. Its up to any individual to determine how they perceive these factors when ranking the greatest players of all time. Norrie finished his collegiate career ranked No. In July of 2011, Djokovic became world No. Djokovic also leads in Masters titles, and has the greatest finals win percentage. 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. When considering the best tennis players of all time, its tempting to rank male and female tennis players right alongside each other. In July of 2002, Serena first hit the world No. In 2002, Venus ascended to the world No. 57 after reaching the third round in Barcelona in 2019. Roger Federer. 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. Dad Racket was created exclusively as a one-stop resource to answer all your tennis questions. Over the span of his collegiate career, Anderson was named an ITA Singles All-American three times and an ITA Doubles All-American twice. #5 Waves Clash with Top-Ranked North Carolina in NCAA Semifinals. He finished his collegiate career ranked No. 1 and helped the US win the 63 Davis Cup. Despite that, she did compete in a professional tournament that year but didnt perform well. Giron reached a career high ranking of No. List of ATP number 1 ranked doubles tennis players. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Thai-Son Kwiatkowski | University of Virginia. Archie Griffin #3. Steffi Graf is the only player in history, male or female, to achieve this feat in a calendar year. Her most notable record related to Grand Slam titles was her 1970 performance, where she won all four Grand Slam events in the calendar year. He had some mild success on other surfaces, but clay courts are where he made his name. 1. 1, and has a more diverse record for Grand Slam events, while Nadals success heavily skews toward clay. Evert is the only female tennis player to have won seven titles at the French Open. In 1896, the inaugural Olympics took place, and tennis was an official sport. 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. 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. She also won a bronze medal at the Summer Olympics in Syndey, Australia. Here is our review of the best college players of all time 2023 rankings; #1. You have entered an incorrect email address! Somewhat surprisingly, tennis didnt make it back into the Olympics until 1988, 64 years later. 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. Hottest Female Athletes. In total, Goolagong won 86 titles, with 68 of them coming in the Open Era. Serena Williams career continues, but injuries have hampered her success and the frequency that she competes. As a result, what one player could accomplish playing tennis in the 1950s is fundamentally different from the 2000s. 9. Andre Agassi turned pro in 1986 at the age of 16 and, in two short years, rocketed to a ranking of world No. Peter Smiths Trojans won four straight NCAA team titles. Matches featured in this video: Daniel Cuk. 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. After significant analysis and deep consideration of the most accomplished players in tennis, heres our list of the ten greatest male tennis players of all time. He captured his first professional singles title at the Godfrey Futures by taking the day over Rudy Siwy. Without a doubt, shes one of the greatest female tennis players ever. To date, hes the only player to achieve that feat twice in his career, and only five players on the mens and womens side have won a calendar Grand Slam. Vernon Gholston - 6'3, 260 lbs. . In 1960, at the age of 18, Court began playing professional tennis and quickly enjoyed success, including her first major title at the Australian Open, then named the Australian Championships. 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. His dominance at an older age shows just what he was possible of if he came along a little bit later. He made his ATP Tour debut reaching the quarterfinals at 2020 Delray Beach. 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. Shed only lose one more match the entire year to Navratilova, going an astounding 75-2 for the year. In his final season, he was named the Big 12 Player of the Year another first for the program. 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. He currently sits ranked No. A great doubles player on top of singles, hes one of the most well-rounded players of his era. 1. And college tennis has changed so drastically that it's insane to try to come up with an all-time collegiate top 10.