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. With that said, not all professional tennis players compete in doubles, or if they do, it takes a back seat to singles for a few reasons. When there are significant gaps in achievements from one player to the next, its easier for people to agree on which player is the best. She appeared in the semi-finals at the French Open and competed against Venus Williams in the finals of Wimbledon. Your email address will not be published. Another area where its challenging to compare players is how heavily to weigh individual stats. Whether you agree with it or not as a criterion, its frequently woven into arguments of whos the best. Hed just won the French Open mixed doubles with Mary Carillo, reached the Wimbledon semis, and dazzled during the summer of 77. He also has the most variety of Grand Slam titles, winning at least two at every major championship. Active Career: 1983 - 1996. In 1999, Venus saw quite a bit of additional success, which would push her year-end ranking to No. 1 for the first time, which became one of the most dominant seasons of any player in history. A linchpin in the Cavaliers three straight NCAA Team Championships. 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. He is currently ranked No. 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. 1. Bob won the singles championship yet he was only their No. Wolf turned professional a little over a year ago in July of 2019. Henin would claim seven Grand Slam titles, one at the Australian Open, four at the French Open, and two at the US Open. 17 in singles and No. He held a 15-4 singles record and a perfect 26-0 doubles record. In the three years that followed, Seles was dominant, winning six of the eight Grand Slam events in 1991 and 1992. Trinity turned tenniss California dream into a nightmare. During the four years Dominik Koepfer spent at Tulane, he set records and recorded firsts for the Green Wave. 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. As the game started to evolve, Stephen Edberg still heavily relied on the serve and volley. The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) is the governing body of college tennis, overseeing mens and womens varsity tennis at all levels NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community College. 10 - Jimmy Connors. Book. Andy Lloyd was a Forest Hills quarterfinalist and Butch Newman lost only one dual match in his collegiate career. Unfortunately, that would be the only two career Grand Slams for him. Before retiring in 2020, this talented, beautiful Danish tennis player became the first Scandinavian woman to win big prize money and hold her No. He was named the ITA National Player of the Year and an ITA Singles All-American for the second consecutive year. Then again, insanity has never stopped us before. Forums. I hope you enjoy the resources. Impressively, Evert was also the runner-up at 16 Grand Slams. Djokovic also leads in Masters titles, and has the greatest finals win percentage. 8, and the considerable Brian Gottfried, ,who rose to No. A. andfor Legend. 1. Billie Jean King. 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. 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. However, when narrowing it down to the best of the best, here are the top 10 best tennis players of all time. Outside of singles, Serena has had a successful career in doubles, primarily competing with her sister. Hes very close, and having 20 Grand Slams to his name will keep his name in the discussion for quite a while. We have compiled this list of 10 best tennis players of all time. UCLA, 1970-1971 Jimmy Connors, Jeff Borowiak, Haroon Rahim. 8. He goes into the event ranked No. Its relatively easy to identify who deserves to be near the top of the list for the best male tennis players of all time. She holds seven titles at the Australian Open, three at the French Open, seven at Wimbledon, and six at the US Open. In addition to his deep runs in the individual NCAA Championships, Anderson led the Illini to the finals of the team competition in 2007. Serena Williams career continues, but injuries have hampered her success and the frequency that she competes. She can establish herself as a powerful server and pro athlete in the field of tennis. He and Lutz won five Slam titles. The big reason why thats the case is that Rafael Nadal won them all during his prime. However, he also amassed the single best winning record for a single season going 62-7 for an absurd win percent of 89.9%. A Wimbledon finalist while at USC, he was ranked as high as No. Brandon Nakashima | University of Virginia. 5. 10. Tennis. Born on October 18, 1956, in Czechoslovakia, Martina Navratilova also competed as a US citizen after receiving her citizenship in 1981. 1 Margaret Court in a small clay court tournament held in Charlotte, NC. 2023 by Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). After qualifying at ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati, Wolf reached a career high ranking of 143. That same year she also claimed the US Open title. In 1896, the inaugural Olympics took place, and tennis was an official sport. ranking, but despite her success, she only held that post for two weeks throughout her career. British standout Cameron Norrie set numerous records during the three years he played for the Horned Frogs. Hailed as the player who changed the way professionals approached their diet, Ivan Lendl had a fruitful decade at the top which saw him collect at least one major per year between 1981 - 1991, winning 8 grand slams in total. 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. Honorable mention also to UGAs 1985 team whose #1 and #2 played the singles final. UCLA, 1965-1966 Charlie Pasarell, Arthur Ashe, Ian Crookenden. She played her final singles match in 1983 at the Australian Open. Despite that, she did manage to win a singles gold medal at the Athens Summer Olympics. His determination keeps him in any match. World number 1 ranked male tennis players. One of the greatest servers of all time, theres no telling what he could be able to do with modern technology to improve his game even more. Federer owns 15 more titles, over 100 extra weeks as world No. However, he never managed to win the French Open, where his best result was a semi-final appearance in 1996. He has proven his talent for over 20 years and is still competing at the very highest level. Top Men's Tennis Programs. For of the French Open titles were back to back from 1978 1981. Stanford's chest-bumping identical twins and all-time men's doubles champs Bob and Mike Bryan rank just behind McEnroe. Henin saw success immediately on the WTA tour, winning her first tour event as a wildcard at the Belgian Open in Antwerp. John McEnroe was perhaps the sweetest recruiting plum in college history. Career titles: 42. Caroline Wozniacki. Without a doubt, Kings most successful years were from 1966 to 1975. Read our weekly recap of the 5 most interesting things we dig up in tennis. But something happened in the last 20 years. She also won the Australian Open to start 1993 before a deranged fan stabbed her in April. He has proven his talent for over 20 years and is still competing at the very highest level. Finally, how convincing of a defeat over a player throughout their head-to-head meetups might be worth considering. 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. She played a limited schedule for the following two years but accumulated a few solid wins, including her first top 20 victory in 1995. There are tennis fans who sometimes forget just how dominant Jim Courier was during his prime. The team they beat Earnhart and Bond were also Trojans. Visit the following rankings sites to find out. From ITA Player to Watch to ITA All-American in singles, Tennys anchored his name in the Volunteer history books. Lutz won the NCAA singles in 67, but lost the 68 final to Smith. The second-best Rafael in tennis history was ranked No. During his career, John McEnroe was also highly successful at the Davis Cup, where he helped revive the United States. Throughout her career, King ended up with a 695-155 record for a win rate of 81.76%. 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. 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. In 2002, Venus ascended to the world No. Matches featured in this video: Daniel Cuk. Koepfer broke into the Top 100 after his US Open run he was one of six former collegiate players who finished inside the Top 100 in 2019. 7. Sharing the all-time Grand Slam men's singles titles record is Roger Federer, from Switzerland. Top 100 College Football Players Of All Time Quiz - By forrestsancomb. Yea, if a tennis player is not in the top 50 by 18 they'll never make it. In 1993, Sampras reached the world No. Earning the title as the most jacked football player is not an easy job. During the summer, Venus also claimed her first and only singles gold medal at the Olympics in Sydney. Gould gave him space, and still says Mac was one of the most supportive team players hes ever had. He finished his collegiate career ranked No. Shes also the second oldest woman behind Serena Williams to have held this position. For more information on the NCSA Power Rankings, visit our press kit or email us. Three Grand Slam titles and 33 career titles only tell part of the story of Arthur Ashe. The 2020 US Open will be Kwiatkowskis first tour-level event since the resumption of the ATP Tour. Beyond his success in singles, its also worth noting his accomplishments in doubles, where he had 78 titles, an 87.7% win record, and ranked No. Born on July 31, 1951, Evonne Goolagong is an Australian tennis player whose results in the 1970s at the start of the Open Era have earned her recognition as one of the best to play the sport. Stanford, 1973-1974 3 player. 3 in the world and was the only player to win NCAA singles and doubles titles back to back. Ivan Lendl. Rodrigues Finishes as NCAA Singles Runner-Up. (Skip to the end of the article to view our top 10 list if you have want to save time). 41 after winning the Auckland title. I have followed Joe to his company JXS Tennis Academy at Babson College and I love it. He has won 15 ATP Tour titles. Unfortunately, he had a relatively short prime, as injuries cut his career short compared to the others. He was named the ACC Freshman of the Year becoming only the 6th Cavalier to earn the honor in the programs history. The year after, John McEnroe earned his first Grand Slam title at the US Open in 1979, which he defended for the following two years in 1980 and 1981. He started playing professional tennis in 1998 and was dominating the sport after defeating Andre Agassi at the US Open in 2005. Theres no doubt that Gustavo Kuerten deserves mention on this list, but he is a specialist for the most part. 1 ranking, which she held for 117 weeks throughout her career. For example, as black athletes, Serena and Venus Williams overcame unprecedented challenges growing up to break into tennis. Between 2004-2008 he was number one for a . Video History Championship Info. When evaluating the best tennis players ever, some people believe its necessary to consider a players ability to compete in doubles because its an essential discipline that the sport has to offer. Novak Djokovic has held the No. However, in 2005, he earned his first Grand Slam singles title, winning the French Open to wrap up a dominant clay-court season and becoming one of only two male players to win the French Open on his first attempt. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. However, it wasnt until 1992 that he earned his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, playing Goran Ivanievi in a tough five-set match. 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. The left-hander from the United States finished his career with seven Grand Slams, and he became an icon in the sport fairly early on. Before there was the King of Clay in Rafael Nadal, Thomas Muster held the distinction in the 1990s. Hes another casualty of the Roger Federer era, constantly going up against him and other greats during any deep runs in tournaments. Roger Federer. 1 ranking and, to date, has held that position for 319 weeks. However, he impressed once again, winning another calendar-year Grand Slam in 1969. 9 - John McEnroe. 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. 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. UCLA, 1971 Once told he was too clumsy to be a Davis Cup ball boy, Stan went on to win seven Davis Cups. The Ohio State Buckeyes men's and women's varsity teams are among the best in the NCAA, too. -The ITF is a key ranking in the junior and professional levels. For starters, many players compete in doubles for the extra prize money. Laver had the distinction of the greatest tennis player of all time at one point, but the way tennis changed from a playing and business perspective hurt him. 1. Georgia tennis and John Isner go hand in hand. 6. Goldstein reached No. -These polls use voters to determine the best 25 men's and women's teams in Division I. Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Rankings-Rankings Homepage-The ITA lists the top teams and players in the country at all levels of college tennis. He led his nation to its only Davis Cup final. Johnson anchored the Trojans to four consecutive NCAA Team Championships and collected two NCAA Singles Championships for himself. Overall, Nadal has 88 titles to his name, with an astounding 62 of those coming on clay. 6 in the world, beat Roy Emerson to reach the 63 US Nationals final, where he lost to Osuna. He played college tennis for the University of Southern California (USC) and won the NCAA singles . Photo Credit: @Wimbledon. One might argue these experiences give extra weight to their already impressive accomplishments. Toward the end of 2003, Henin managed to find her way to the world No. 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. 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. Every generation produced great tennis stars, dating all the way back to the 1890s. Serena Jameka Williams was born on September 26, 1981 in Saginaw, Michigan. However, she remained competitive through her later years, even becoming the oldest player on the WTA tour to win a title at 39. On the ATP Tour, Tennys has achieved a career-high of No. He is certainly the best player ever on clay court, as his 14 French Open titles are likely never to be touched. Both Sandy Mayer, who weeks later reached the Wimbledon semis and would rise to No. Jan 9, 2013 . I am a former college tennis player that competed on a highly successful, top-10 Division I team at the University of Minnesota. She narrowly missed that feat before the Open Era in 1965, only losing in the French Open finals. 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. Over the course of four seasons, Johnson was named an ITA All-American seven times. Stefi Graf retired from professional tennis in 1999 and earned her spot in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004. Bill Dwyre noted, They came from places that tennis does not. King returned the following year and made it to the third round. During his junior, and final, season in Columbus, Wolf posted a singles record of 35-2 which included an undefeated 11-0 record in conference play. 11 - Boris Becker. However, as it stands now, I think Federer is more deserving of this spot. 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. But in 72, Trinity enticed USC to come to San Antonio for a dual match, dubbed the Super Bowl of Tennis. He reached the finals of Wimbledon after a marathon semifinals match against John Isner that lasted six hours and 36 minutes the second longest match in Grand Slam history. And college tennis has changed so drastically that its insane to try to come up with an all-time collegiate top 10. 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 total, Nadal has claimed an unprecedented 13 French Open titles. My name is Gavin and I've played tennis for more than 30 years and love to share my knowledge about the sport. Conversely, some players like Roger Federer manage to go injury-free for the better part of their careers. Regardless of your stance, the weight of specific stats or accomplishments will undoubtedly influence the ranking of players. For example, suppose Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic never showed up in tennis. Grand Slams Won: 2. Top 10 Greatest Men's Tennis Players of All Time: 10. 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. His first biggest win of his career came in 2012 as he defeated Jurgen Melzer in five sets. In total, she holds the most overall Grand Slam titles of any player at 64. However, dig a little deeper, and its surprisingly nuanced, brimming with subjectivity and emotion. Here are a few of the factors that present challenges when drawing comparisons. 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. During the NCAA team tournament, he won all three of his singles matches and all four of his doubles matches. Shed claim four additional titles at the Australian Open and another her final at Wimbledon again in 1980. The list of accomplishments during his college career isnt short for Tennys Sandgren. 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. Furthermore, she helped the United States win eight Fed Cup titles, including six consecutive from 1977-1982. Isner left Athens holding the school records for career singles, career doubles, and career combined wins. We dont believe there is a right or wrong answer, but we think its worthy of consideration and, in some cases, can add significant weight to a players ranking as the best of all time. Top Tennis Players Ever. Net Worth. Hottest Female Soccer Players. In 2008, Nadal became the worlds No. 5. Titles can be any combination of singles and doubles, so the combined total is the default sorting of the lists.The current top-level events are on the ATP Tour for men and the WTA Tour for women. Losing 11 drops him a bit, but he was still a complete player nobody wanted to face in his prime. 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 . 5 Point Friday On the other hand, others dont believe that while a players performance in doubles is interesting, it shouldnt have a bearing on a players consideration for the greatest of all time. In his final season with the Bruins, Maxime Cressy alongside Keegan Smith brought home the 14th NCAA Doubles title in UCLA history. He was known . That year, Laver claimed the Wimbledon title. BTW: Whitlinger beat Hagey to claim the singles crown, and would coach Stanford for a decade. In total, Goolagong won 86 titles, with 68 of them coming in the Open Era. She was so successful across multiple disciplines that she swept Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles, and mix doubles at the same tournament five times, referred to as the Triple Crown in tennis. During her career, Seles won 53 titles and ended with a winning record of 595-122. She followed up those results with an excellent 2007, where she won the French Open for the third consecutive year and the US Open. 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. In the so-called open era of tennis, which began in 1968, players from 20 different nations won a Grand Slam title. When it comes to the Olympics, Serena is also highly accomplished. Although it would be a few years before her next Grand Slam title in 2002, Serena has claimed 23 throughout her ongoing career. 6. Heading into the 2020 US Open, he ranks No. 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. He closed out his career with USC on a 72 match win streak. 2. 9. 7. 10. Osuna was recruited to USC out of obscurity and remains the best Mexican player ever. 63 heading into the US Open. 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. All Rights Reserved. No.1 in 1991. Andre Agassi. . 1. List of the best men's tennis players from 2000s, listed by popularity with photos of the players when available. Answer (1 of 21): A lot of people have answered some technical aspects. McEnroe earned himself 7 Grand Slam titles four at the US Open and three at Wimbledon. He liked to play from the baseline and go for big shots, even when most of tennis was still serving and volleying. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for visiting my site. Sampras is well known for his rivalry with fellow American Andre Agassi, and it was unique because of Sampras dominant serve and Agassis return. Winning Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces can be a huge challenge. 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. 41. Roger Federer. Norrie finished his collegiate career ranked No. In 1986, she won her first tournament defeating Chris Evert, one of the most dominant players at the time. However, while tennis is now an active sport in the Summer Olympics, it wasnt always that way. Ashe won the singles, and then the doubles with Ian Crookenden. The Art of Doubles by Pat Blaskower. 124. In his final season, he was named the Big 12 Player of the Year another first for the program. 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. Led by Dick Stockton, who became world No. Learn with comprehensive resources to help you improve your game. He is one of the few players to achieve the career Golden Slam, meaning that he won all four Grand Slams and Olympic gold. 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. USC, 1962-1964 Dennis Ralston, Rafael Osuna, Bill Bond, Tom Edlefsen, Ramsey Earnhart, Chuck Rombeau. Hes another guy who had an outstanding doubles career, but his singles alone made him a Hall of Famer. As a result, its common for competitive singles players to pull back on doubles as they achieve more success because the money isnt as crucial, and there is a desire to conserve energy, protect their health, and improve their longevity.
best college tennis players of all time