1 ranking in 1974, his strongest year on tour, and held the top spot for a total of 268 weeks. 3. When it came to team competition, King helped lead the United States to 11 victories, four of which she was the captain. **Stats for active players are current as of November 2021. Until the 1980s, very few top players attended the tournament due to Australias remote location, low prize money and prestige, and schedule, which fell around the holidays. The greatest tennis player of all time has to be none other than Roger Federer. Despite the challenge, here is my list of the 10 greatest male tennis players of the Open Era1968 to present. 5 ranking. J.J. Wolf was a force to be reckoned with for the Buckeyes. He finished his collegiate career ranked No. 15 Best Tennis Players of All Time. 3. You have entered an incorrect email address! Roger Federers most significant rivalries in his career are Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Margaret Court retired in 1977 and earned a spot in the International Tennis Hall of fame in 1979. Ramanathan Krishnan. He still walked away from the sport with three Grand Slam titles, and recently made a comeback to continue playing the game he loves. He is currently ranked No. Monica Seles returned to the French Open a year later after a solid start to the season and captured her first Grand Slam victory defeating world No. Despite his success, he had a unique relationship with the slams. Furthermore, Federer has notched 1,251 match wins with a winning rate of 81.98%. 1, which she held for 325 weeks, only surpassed by Martina Navratilova and Stefi Graf. Goulds takeaway: You never say never, but there is no way a team will ever do what this team did. But something happened in the last 20 years. He is a three-time Olympic gold medalist (2016, 2020, 2020), three-time . In some cases, this may be true, but as weve discovered, it becomes somewhat nuanced and isnt always cut and dry. For of the French Open titles were back to back from 1978 1981. Highest Ranking. List of ATP number 1 ranked doubles tennis players. And he won the singles at the 63 US Nationals at Forest Hills. Not surprisingly, the 78 team had some feisty moments. USC was led by Steve Johnson, who won 72 straight matches, was ranked No. 1 ranking for the first time and held it for a total of 286 weeks throughout his career. Thai-Son Kwiatkowski | University of Virginia. 5 player Peter Rennert would reach No. As a result, many players who are considered the greatest of all time didnt have an opportunity to compete at the Olympics, which is noteworthy when evaluating a players rank. Unfortunately, he had a relatively short prime, as injuries cut his career short compared to the others. Since leaving Fort Worth, Norrie has reached as high as No. 18 Basilashvili. Players with most weeks at number one in the ATP rankings all-time 1973-2022; WTA women's tennis ranking 2023; Longest winning streaks in professional tennis from 1990-2022; . 15. However, Evert posted a handful of impressive results as early as 1970 while competing as a junior, including a win over world No. After Giron made his debut at the 2014 US Open, he did not play another tour-level match until qualifying for 2018 Los Cabos. USC, 1967-1968 She can establish herself as a powerful server and pro athlete in the field of tennis. 10. 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. He . He was an American tennis player who won a total of 77 career titles in his playing years. A Terrible Splendor by Marshall Jon Fisher. 1 ranking for 67 consecutive weeks, which is quite an achievement. In 2002, he turned professional at the age of 15, and he quickly began posting results. 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%. 37 in the world. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. He was part of the winning team in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1992, and 1992. Hes another guy who had an outstanding doubles career, but his singles alone made him a Hall of Famer. 120. -Search for former college tennis stars on the men's professional tour. Its just humanly impossible., 9. 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. 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. 1 in the singles and doubles Oracle ITA Rankings. Ralston was the best American player of the early 60s and led the US to 63 Davis Cup glory. Each of the 14 left a legacy at their school and in the greater scope of college tennis. 17 in singles and No. Stockton edged Gottfried to win the singles championship. Stanford, 1978 John McEnroe, Matt Mitchell, Bill Maze, Peter Rennert, Lloyd Bourne. New posts New profile . Despite that, she did manage to win a singles gold medal at the Athens Summer Olympics. Stefen Edenberg (born 19 January 1966) is a former Swedish world number 1 tennis player in singles and . One of the most dominating seasons ever. Over the course of four seasons, Johnson was named an ITA All-American seven times. 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. He was first ranked No. Others claim that John whos often said to be the seventh-best player ever was the most talented college player of all time. 5. "Playing college tennis, no, but going to university after tennis, yes, that was always the plan," Dabrowski said. Tennis. Three Grand Slam titles and 33 career titles only tell part of the story of Arthur Ashe. Impressively, Evert was also the runner-up at 16 Grand Slams. 2 at USC. Now decades after his passing, he still remains one of the biggest faces for the fight against AIDS. When I was a young kid and teenager, he was incredible at learning how I learn and making me the . However, out of all the finals he reached, he only won eight Grand Slams. During the summer, Venus also claimed her first and only singles gold medal at the Olympics in Sydney. He has six Grand Slam titles in the Open Era, with an additional six before. 1; 2; First Prev 2 of 2 Go to page. John McEnroe is another of the greatest male tennis players of all time. Although she was young, she delivered solid performances and made deep runs at several tournaments. Trinitys No. USC, 2011-2013. Sampras is well known for his rivalry with fellow American Andre Agassi, and it was unique because of Sampras dominant serve and Agassis return. Serena is not just force when playing individually. 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. Skip to primary navigation; . In addition to her first Grand Slam title, she also claimed the worlds No. Against Federer, Nadal has an impressive 24-16 record. Despite that success, he found the majority of his dominance on hard courts. Then again, insanity has never stopped us before. 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. He was named an ITA Singles All-American all three years. 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. He used his size and athleticism to get to the net, and that helped him win six Grand Slams. Toward the end of 2003, Henin managed to find her way to the world No. Stanford's chest-bumping identical twins and all-time men's doubles champs Bob and Mike Bryan rank just behind McEnroe. 8. Some of the most famous players under his tutelage include Ken McGregor . 1 ranking for longer than any other player in history at 345 weeks and currently has 85 titles to his name. Ivan Lendl. His performances in 2015 and 2021 were equally impressive on many levels, both years earning three Grand Slam titles. 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. He finished with 11 Grand Slams, and was the first to dominate the French Open and Wimbledon in the Open Era. Top 100 College Football Players Of All Time Quiz - By forrestsancomb. Where does your favorite college tennis teams and players rank across the country and the world? The Serbian greatest tennis player Novak Djokovic is ranked 2nd in the list of greatest tennis players of all time. 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. In 1967, she played at the Australian Open, her first Grand Slam event. 101 after qualifying at Cincinnati. Potential student-athletes must meet minimum standards or benchmarks for acceptance into their particular school, with GPA, SAT scores, ACT scores taken into account. She holds three Gold medals in doubles with her sister Venus and earned a singles gold at the 2012 London Olympics. Born on March 7, 1960, in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia, Ivan Lendl had an impressive career that began in 1978 when he turned pro. Overall, Nadal has 88 titles to his name, with an astounding 62 of those coming on clay. In 1998, she won her first WTA tournament, which she followed up with a few additional titles that year. He is one of three men to end each of the last 10 years ranked in the top 20 and with 30+ wins. Can you imagine Federer and Nadal on the same college team? -See which former college tennis student-athletes are in the women's professional tour. However, he impressed once again, winning another calendar-year Grand Slam in 1969. Just making it into the top 25 is Lleyton Hewitt. Your Membership Expires in $(daysToExpire) days! However, we removed a lot of nuances when we broke the two out and therefore decided to rank men separately from women. Despite the wound healing relatively quickly, the attack took its toll on Seles, who didnt return to the tour until 1995, resulting in her missing ten Grand Slam events during that time. Just like last year, Daevenia can again call herself the best Dutch college tennis player this year. Venus Williams (Born: June 17, 1980) Venus Williams is an American professional tennis player. Wolf turned professional a little over a year ago in July of 2019. As a senior, Isner led the Bulldogs to a perfect 32-0 record and the programs fifth NCAA Team Championship. Join the conversation with other members of the community. From ITA Player to Watch to ITA All-American in singles, Tennys anchored his name in the Volunteer history books. After Margaret Court, who is the greatest female tennis player of all time with 64 Grand Slam titles (24 in singles, 19 in doubles and 21 in mixed doubles), the second greatest female tennis player of all time is Martina Navratilova, who has 59 Grand Slam titles (18 in singles, 31 in doubles, and 10 in mixed doubles). Pasarell did the same in 66. top 50 players 2023; 7. Vernon Gholston, the powerhouse defensive end, easily claims the title. Team Player - 5. He made a huge statement winning a pair of titles at the French Open and Australian Open for his career. He was a strong all-around player who could dominate in doubles as well. Below youll find our selection, along with some data points that highlight why these female tennis players deserve to make our list. No American has won a Grand Slam singles title in men's tennis since 2003, when Andre Agassi won the French Open to complete a career Grand Slam and Andy Roddick won his lone . She also appeared in five finals, where her opponent defeated her. Rafa by Rafael Nadal, John Carlin. Rankings. Erase the USA (No Outlines) 3. Without a doubt, shes one of the greatest female tennis players ever. As the game started to evolve, Stephen Edberg still heavily relied on the serve and volley. Heres the beauty of college tennis a supremely individual sport becomes a wonderful team endeavor. However, with such great emphasis placed on Grand Slams when considering the greatest players of all time, its worthy of reference and consideration. His first biggest win of his career came in 2012 as he defeated Jurgen Melzer in five sets. Moving on to the list comes the 15 best tennis players of all time with three bonus ones. A. andfor Legend. 3 in men's singles tennis by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Theres no doubt that Gustavo Kuerten deserves mention on this list, but he is a specialist for the most part. 1. A bit of a late bloomer, Wimbledon has been his only weak Grand Slam of his career. 1 Margaret Court in a small clay court tournament held in Charlotte, NC. In 1988, Sampras turned pro at 16 years old, and not long after, in 1990, he claimed his first Grand Slam title at the US Open, defeating Andre Agassi in straight sets. In total, Goolagong won 86 titles, with 68 of them coming in the Open Era. He has won 15 ATP Tour titles. In addition to her gold medal in the 1988 Olympics, she earned a bronze in doubles that year. The number 1 in our best table tennis players list is a Chinese player, Ma Long. 1 Stefi Graf. Thats why some people will put him third. For years they were at the heart of the US Davis Cup team. 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. Then again, insanity has never stopped us before. 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. In the so-called open era of tennis, which began in 1968, players from 20 different nations won a Grand Slam title. These character traits, when combined, will produce exceptional, top-tier results, as evidenced by the accomplishments of the coaches and their tennis programs. I have actually included 11 players here with two greats tied for the 10th position. Novak Djokovic has won 19 singles Grand Slams and was ranked world number 1 in 2011. Shes also the second oldest woman behind Serena Williams to have held this position. Net Worth. Furthermore, and appeared in the finals of nearly every one of these events except the Wembly Pro in 1963 and won all three events in 1967 a professional Grand Slam. 1 player in the world. 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. A linchpin in the Cavaliers three straight NCAA Team Championships. 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. Yet if you lose a top player, all can be lost. Bill Dwyre noted, They came from places that tennis does not. UCLA, 1970-1971 Jimmy Connors, Jeff Borowiak, Haroon Rahim. Vernon Gholston - 6'3, 260 lbs. The USA tops the list with 52 victories, more than twice as many as the next best country - Sweden.. 2. The official rankings page for college tennis including teams, singles and doubles. 1 in doubles. Your Admin status expires in$(daysToExpire) days! Track & Field (O) - Men . Norrie finished his collegiate career ranked No. ranking, but despite her success, she only held that post for two weeks throughout her career. 8 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 4 Australian, 2 French, 2 US Open. Norrie received a scholarship from Texas Christian University and played tennis for the Horned Frogs from 2014 to 2017, becoming the top-ranked college player in the nation. 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. And as fabulous as USCs singles lineup was, their doubles teams with Bill Bond, Tom Edlefson and Ramsey Earnhart were even stronger. Outside of singles, Serena has had a successful career in doubles, primarily competing with her sister. 1 Roger Federer Roger Federer (born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss former professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No. Looking back on the history of Grand Slam events, the Australian Open is a bit of an outlier. In the heart of the Depression, a hard-working Paris, Texas boy earned a bicycle from the Saturday Evening Post. Just making it into the top 25 is Lleyton Hewitt. They promptly lost, but the team went 24-0 and won the national championship, and Mac won the singles. Of course, Rafael Nadals career isnt over yet, and at 35 years old, he still has plenty of time to improve upon his standing as the best player of all-time against Roger Federer if he chooses to continue to compete for a few years. 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. Another area where its challenging to compare players is how heavily to weigh individual stats. He made his ATP Tour debut reaching the quarterfinals at 2020 Delray Beach. For example, which of the following hypothetical players is better: Theres no doubt the Grand Slam events are the most prestigious and challenging for a player to win. He would then win another Wimbledon title in 2016. Grand Slams Won: 2. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Our writers made the case for Djokovic, Pete Sampras, Rafael Nadal, Bjorn Borg and Roger Federer. He only won five Grand Slams, but thats because he was playing right during the start of the Open Era. The 2020 US Open will be Kwiatkowskis first tour-level event since the resumption of the ATP Tour. Jimmy Connors. Your email address will not be published. Archie Griffin #3. Since turning pro, Anderson has won six titles and reached the finals of both Wimbledon and the US Open. The game has changed so much throughout the years, making it virtually impossible to make direct comparisons. Photo Credit: @Wimbledon. Once told he was too clumsy to be a Davis Cup ball boy, Stan went on to win seven Davis Cups. It doesnt make accomplishments from years past less impressive, relevant, or important, but its a factor that we should weigh when making comparisons. However, she didnt officially turn pro until 1975, when she was runner up at the Australian Open and French Open. In 2011, he was selected as a member of the USTA Summer Collegiate Team along with his teammate Rhyne Williams. 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. In 2019, Koepfer made his Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon. Writer Frank Deford suggested Toleys fellow coaches might well consider scheduling a separate tournament of their own at that asylum in Hartford., 2. Home Bracket Singles Bracket Doubles Bracket. The result earned her a total of 129 titles, 67 that were during the Open Era. Now let's look at how many weeks each player has been rated the No. He became world No. Born on September 26, 1981, Serena Williams is an American tennis player who plays right-handed with a two-handed backhand and is one of the most prominent players of all time. UCLA, 1965-1966 Charlie Pasarell, Arthur Ashe, Ian Crookenden. This question a few years ago was Federer and Federer only, but now he has company. The US Open will be his first tour-level event since resumption of the ATP Tour. 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. Grass. 6 in Lance Tingay's amateur rankings. Born on December 21, 1954, Chris Evert is an American tennis player who competed from 1972 1989. Heading into the US Open, Isner is ranked No. However, dig a little deeper, and its surprisingly nuanced, brimming with subjectivity and emotion. Similarly, is it more impressive that a player wins a Grand Slam at the age of 16 or 35? Chris Evert was once known for 1,309 appearances, a record number. For as much as people talk about the Big Three or Big Four of this current era, Stan Wawrinka deserves mentioning as well. At the end of his collegiate career, Koepfer held the singles season winning percentage record and was second in career singles wins and career overall wins. Steve Johnsons collegiate career is the stuff of legends. Throughout his entire career, Djokovic has had 85 career titles. 368. Find the Countries of Europe - No Outlines Minefield. Evert is the only female tennis player to have won seven titles at the French Open. 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. Tennis Channel/USTA College Tennis Top 25. 41 after winning the Auckland title. 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. Popular German former tennis player Boris Becker is ranked number ten on the list of the greatest tennis players in history. 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. The Australian reached #1 at a very young age, and his overall career success started younger than most players in general. Now, hes on tour and will play in the US Open this week. Sharing the all-time Grand Slam men's singles titles record is Roger Federer, from Switzerland. 7. Thread starter Clemson_tennis; Start date May 28, 2012; Prev. 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.