But something happened in the last 20 years. 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. Roger Federer. I have followed Joe to his company JXS Tennis Academy at Babson College and I love it. John McEnroe Tennis Academy at SPORTIME Randall's Island. Stefi Graf retired from professional tennis in 1999 and earned her spot in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004. 7. However, only 62 of these occurred in the Open Era, so she doesnt have the achievement during this period. During his career, John McEnroe was also highly successful at the Davis Cup, where he helped revive the United States. The left-hander could spin the ball anywhere, and had put-away volleys that were unseen at the time. In 2006, Kevin Anderson and Ryan Rowe became only the third Illinois duo to capture the NCAA Doubles Championship. Jung was awarded the prestigious ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award his junior season for his outstanding play and leadership. Grand Slams Won: 2. 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. Pistol Pete never had clay-court success, which is what will ultimately keep him out of the top spot. Depending on a players ranking, that extra cash can be crucial. After qualifying at ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati, Wolf reached a career high ranking of 143. Like many players in his time, Bjrn only played the Australian Open once during his career, which potentially limited his Grand Slam count. 21. In 1967, she played at the Australian Open, her first Grand Slam event. As a result, what one player could accomplish playing tennis in the 1950s is fundamentally different from the 2000s. Not surprisingly, the 78 team had some feisty moments. Goldstein reached No. Our writers made the case for Djokovic, Pete Sampras, Rafael Nadal, Bjorn Borg and Roger Federer. 9 - John McEnroe. During the NCAA team tournament, he won all three of his singles matches and all four of his doubles matches. Finally, how convincing of a defeat over a player throughout their head-to-head meetups might be worth considering. *Please note that not all the stats included above are relevant for consideration as the best player ever. Hes a winner of three Grand Slam titles, and has shown that he can beat the best of the best when it matters most. As the game started to evolve, Stephen Edberg still heavily relied on the serve and volley. In-depth Resources For a guy who is so well known for his outbursts on and off the court, some forget just how good he was. From nagging or debilitating injuries to bad luck or loss of loved ones at crucial moments in a players career, these difficulties are significant and, at the very least, are worth considering when selecting players. Mental toughness, confidence, and a positive attitude were also mentioned several times in the responses. While still at USC, he managed to win three doubles Grand Slams and reach two other Slam finals. . Steffi is right-handed with a one-handed backhand and our pick for the greatest female tennis player ever. Frazier Tommy #4. 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. 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. He has proven his talent for over 20 years and is still competing at the very highest level. The list of accomplishments during his college career isnt short for Tennys Sandgren. Djokovic turned pro in 2003. Yet if you lose a top player, all can be lost. He played for UW-Whitewater and was the highest-drafted football player in college history, having been selected 98 th overall in the third round of 2021 NFL drafts. Here are a few of the factors that present challenges when drawing comparisons. In 1968, the Open Era began, which allowed professional players to compete in Grand Slam events. 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. Brandon Nakashima | University of Virginia. 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. However, throughout his career, Sampras got the best of him. He became world No. When she was 9, she moved with her family (including fellow tennis great and sister Venus) to Florida. For starters here are our top ten mens teams. Despite that success, he found the majority of his dominance on hard courts. In their 34 meetings, his record was 14-20. 1 for 270 total weeks through his career. By the time he was 21 years old, he already had a U.S. Open and Wimbledon title to his name. 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. 2023 by Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). In 2003, Henin claimed her first Grand Slam title at the French Open, making her the first Belgian ever to win a Grand Slam. Marcos Girons debut at the US Open came in 2014 when he earned a wild card into the Grand Slam after winning the NCAA Singles Championships. 1 Margaret Court in a small clay court tournament held in Charlotte, NC. 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. Despite that, she did manage to win a singles gold medal at the Athens Summer Olympics. Beyond her success in singles, Venus achieved stellar results in doubles with fourteen Grand Slam titles and three gold medals. Now, hes on tour and will play in the US Open this week. He will be seeking his first tour-level win at the Open. 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. 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. From 2004 to 2007, Federer asserted significant dominance winning 11 of the 15 Grand Slam events during this period. Top Men's Tennis Programs. With that in mind, its common that fans heavily debate the topic of the best male and female tennis players of all time, and our list of the best players will likely differ from others, which is part of the fun. With that said, his achievements are thoroughly impressive, especially considering the short timeline of his career. He won a total of 16 Davis Cup titles in his 22 year spell as coach of the Australian Davis Cup Team between 1939 to 1967. Although identifying the challenges doesnt remove subjectivity, it allows us to keep those factors in mind and ensures we weigh them accordingly when establishing a ranking. She also won the Australian Open to start 1993 before a deranged fan stabbed her in April. He has six Grand Slam titles in the Open Era, with an additional six before. NCSA analyzed over 880 four-year colleges with mens college tennis programs across four division levels (D1, D2, D3 and NAIA) to develop a list of the Best Mens Tennis Colleges for Student-Athletes. I won't repeat it but answer the implicit question- it doesn't matter. Top ten ranked male tennis players (1912-1972) It wasnt that the professionals werent as talented, far from it. British standout Cameron Norrie set numerous records during the three years he played for the Horned Frogs. For as much as people talk about the Big Three or Big Four of this current era, Stan Wawrinka deserves mentioning as well. 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. UCLAs Arthur Ashe and Charlie Pasarell were the most impactful roomies in tennis history. Tennys Sandgren | University of Tennessee. Nadal: 8. 1. 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. Ralston was the best American player of the early 60s and led the US to 63 Davis Cup glory. -See which former college tennis student-athletes are in the women's professional tour. She has won 23 Grand Slam Titles, 73 career titles, and is by far the best player active today. Not surprisingly, Stanfords Dick Gould, who was said to reload rather than recruit, managed to get him to drop by the Farm for one historic season. USC, 1962-1964 - Dennis Ralston, Rafael Osuna, Bill Bond, Tom Edlefsen, Ramsey Earnhart, Chuck Rombeau. 1 in the singles and doubles Oracle ITA Rankings. Just a couple of decades ago, many labeled Pete Sampras as the greatest tennis player of all time. The US Open will be his first tour-level event since resumption of the ATP Tour. Most can only . 1. He didnt have as long of a prime and some of the others on this list, but he could beat anyone in a single match. He has won 15 ATP Tour titles. Norrie holds the mens singles title at the inaugural Oracle ITA Masters. 5 ranking. 220. Three Grand Slam titles and 33 career titles only tell part of the story of Arthur Ashe. Stanford, 1998 In July of 2002, Serena first hit the world No. Andre Agassi. Despite that, she did compete in a professional tournament that year but didnt perform well. ***Title totals include pre and post Open Era where relevant. Goolagong was also proficient in doubles with six Grand Slam victories and helped her country win three Fed Cup titles in 1971, 1973, and 1974. List of the best men's tennis players from 2000s, listed by popularity with photos of the players when available. Ashe won the singles, and then the doubles with Ian Crookenden. In the fall of his senior season, Isner won the ITA All-American Doubles Championships and the ITA National Indoor Doubles Championships. Now let's look at how many weeks each player has been rated the No. 10. Joe is the best Tennis Pro I've ever had. Henin would claim seven Grand Slam titles, one at the Australian Open, four at the French Open, and two at the US Open. He won 8 Grand Slam titles, an Olympic gold medal, spent 101 weeks as the world number one, and received over $31 million in . In 2004, Henin won the Australian Open, but an infection kept her off the court for much of the year. "Playing college tennis, no, but going to university after tennis, yes, that was always the plan," Dabrowski said. 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. Newsflash: The Bryans became the best doubles team in history. M Men W Women. Tennis Strategy by Grant Grinnell. Georgia tennis and John Isner go hand in hand. Bjrn Borg resides in Monte Carlo, Monaco, but was born in Sweden on June 6, 1956. Serena didnt return to compete again on the professional tour until 1997 when she was 16, and although it was slow going to start the year, she defeated two top 10 players in November. They lost maybe two singles matches all year and a doubles point. Mike Bryan added, What we did in the 97-98 season will never be done again. 4. John McEnroe was perhaps the sweetest recruiting plum in college history. Birthplace: Chennai, India. Just making it into the top 25 is Lleyton Hewitt. Read Also: Top 15 Best College Tennis Teams Ever 2022 Ranking. Cressys senior season was outstanding. Off of clay, his main rivals are superior. In 1974, Navratilova played on tour and won her first title at the age of 17. Greatest Tennis Players of All Time. As challenging as it is to make a list of the best female tennis players of all time, there has to be a cutoff, despite many other players significant achievements. Thai-Son Kwiatkowski | University of Virginia. Born in Belleville, IL, in 1952, Jimmy Connors is an American tennis player who turned pro in 1972 at the age of 20. 75.9%. Book. 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. UCLA,1971 In 2008, Nadal became the worlds No. Chris Evert was once known for 1,309 appearances, a record number. He . Serenas first title came in early 1999, and later that year, she also claimed her maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open. 24) Ralph Sampson (Virginia) College Averages: 16.9 points, 1.2 assists, 11.4 rebounds. 3. 10. These unique accomplishments certainly add weight to a players bid for consideration as one of the best players. However, as you get deeper into the rankings, narrowing down candidates becomes a bit more challenging. 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. Pasarell did the same in 66. 1 ranking for longer than any other player in history at 345 weeks and currently has 85 titles to his name. Help us better understand the makeup of our tennis community. 7. List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players. 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 his entire career, Djokovic has had 85 career titles. Nakashima turned pro ranked No. Thats why some people will put him third. 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. A year later, in 1987, Stefi Graf won her first Grand Slam tournament at the French Open, defeating Martina Navratilova, another top player and world No. 3. The big reason why thats the case is that Rafael Nadal won them all during his prime. Of course the level of tennis is the other major factor. Although Stefi didnt play doubles frequently, she has a womens Grand Slam to her name, which she earned in 1988 alongside Gabriela Sabatini. Thats certainly not something to diminish, but everyone is going to evaluate that lopsided performance differently. 8, and the considerable Brian Gottfried, ,who rose to No. 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. Its relatively easy to identify who deserves to be near the top of the list for the best male tennis players of all time. Stockton edged Gottfried to win the singles championship. Vernon Gholston, the powerhouse defensive end, easily claims the title. 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%. 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. The number 1 in our best table tennis players list is a Chinese player, Ma Long. Some players have significantly longer careers than others. Required fields are marked *. First, he only played the Australian open twice throughout his entire career. Visit the following rankings sites to find out. Stefen Edberg. He was most recently in the Australian Open quarterfinals. Connors' career spanned an incredible 24 years and saw him win 147 career titles including 8 Grand Slam titles. Its just humanly impossible., 9. He had some mild success on other surfaces, but clay courts are where he made his name. Furthermore, in the coming years, I believe Djokovic will only further cement his position here. 1; 2; First Prev 2 of 2 Go to page. The following year the pair fell just short of repeating their doubles title falling to Middle Tennessee State duo Marco Born and Andreas Siljestrm. Born in Serbia on May 22, 1987, Novak Djokovic is currently my pick for the best mens tennis player of all time. 1 ranking for the first time, which he retained for 109 weeks throughout his career. Djokovic: 10. They were just nails, from top to bottom. Tennis Channel/USTA College Tennis Top 25. He is one of the few players to achieve the career Golden Slam, meaning that he won all four Grand Slams and Olympic gold.