Tennis is one of the oldest competitive sports. Over the years, there have been numerous male and female tennis champions who achieved amazing feats and enjoyed long periods of dominance. Consequently, it is extremely difficult to single out one particular player as the greatest tennis player of all time (for men and for women). In this article, I will offer my list of the greatest tennis players ever. The list includes multiple candidates. I’ll let you decide who is most deserving.
1. Greatest men’s tennis players
If greatness is measured by amazing achievements, Rod Laver would be considered as the best male tennis player of all time. He achieved something in the Open Era that has not yet been replicated; Laver won all four grand slams in a single calendar year, and in point of fact accomplished it twice. Considering how difficult it is for a player to even win four different grand slams in one’s career, what Rod Laver was able to accomplish is astonishing and puts him among the greatest tennis players ever.
If greatness is measured by enduring excellence, Pete Sampras would be a prime candidate for the all-time position. Sampras was the top ranked player for a record 286 weeks, and he managed to achieve this remarkable feat against very tough competitions–namely Andre Agassi, Boris Becker, Jim Courier, Stefan Edberg, Michael Chang, and Leyton Hewitt. Even if Pete is not the greatest male tennis player of all time, he is most certainly the greatest server ever. I don’t think anyone would challenge this.
If greatness is measured by dominance, Roger Federer would definitely take the title of the greatest male tennis player ever. Federer won the most number of grand slams, held the record for consecutive weeks at number one, and has played in a record 21 grand slam finals. The great Swiss player also holds the most enviable record-the most tennis records held. Statistics sometimes don’t tell the whole story. In the case of Roger Federer, they do. Federer is without question the greatest tennis champion.
Honorable Mentions: Björn Borg, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl.
2. Greatest women’s tennis players
Steffi Graf was probably the most accomplished women’s player in tennis history. Graf’s reign as the top ranked player was simply remarkable. She was the world’s number one player for 377 weeks (the highest total for both men and women) and ended the year with the top ranking for a record 8 times. The great German champion also won 107 single titles including a whooping 22 grand slams-one short of the all-time record. Steffi Graf was also a versatile player who dominated all four court surfaces; she won 7 Wimbledon titles (grass), 6 French Open titles (clay), and 9 grand slams on hard courts.
If the previous information was still not enough to convince you that she is one of the greatest tennis player ever, here is something that will surely convince you. Graf was the only tennis player (male or female) to have ever won a calendar-year Golden Slam (4 grand slams plus an Olympic gold). No woman since Graf has even come close to winning a calendar-year slam.
Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert were the two most unfortunate tennis players in history. The tennis legends played against each other in record 60 finals. During the same period, Chris Evert was the number one player for 260 weeks; Navratilova was the top ranked player for the remaining 330 weeks. One could argue that either player would have easily been the greatest tennis player ever in the absence of the other player. It is quite a misfortune that two of the all-time best players played in the same era. But for fans of tennis, the rivalry was a great blessing as it had produced some of the most entertaining and incredible tennis.
A discussion of the greatest female tennis players is not complete without a mentioning of the great Margaret Court. The Australian champion won a record 23 grand slams (women’s singles) including 11 Australian Open titles. She was the first woman in the open era to win the calendar-year slam. Additionally, Court also won the mixed doubles slam. Margaret Court was probably the greatest all-round player having won 62 grand slams (singles, doubles, and mixed doubles) in total.
Honorable Mentions: Serena Williams, Justine Henin, Martina Hingis
