He goes into the event ranked No. Women's Tennis. In addition to the NCAA national championships his senior year, Kwiatkowski helped Virginia to the ITA National Team Indoor Championship. Hes another guy who had an outstanding doubles career, but his singles alone made him a Hall of Famer. **Stats for active players are current as of November 2021. I hope you enjoy the resources. He might not be the most complete player of his era, but he was a matchup nightmare for all the greats when he squared off against them. Before there was the King of Clay in Rafael Nadal, Thomas Muster held the distinction in the 1990s. 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. Djokovic is younger than the players #2 and #3 players on the list, and the most likely to add Grand Slams to his rsum. 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. Shes also the second oldest woman behind Serena Williams to have held this position. He retired at the early age of 26 in 1984 and likely could have achieved significantly more if willing to continue competing. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. However, as those achievements narrow, its natural for individuals to introduce their opinion on various factors that should carry more weight making it more challenging for consensus. To that end, here are a few additional women that didnt make the top ten, but we felt worth mentioning. Impressively, Evert was also the runner-up at 16 Grand Slams. 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. Tennis Channel/USTA College Tennis Top 25. Barry Sanders #5. During the tennis boom, nobody was bigger, and he had rivalries with Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, and Ivan Lendl at some point. 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. 7 in the world, and the injured Pat Dupre, who reached the 79 Wimbledon semis, were out. In 1966, King became the world No. As reigning NCAA Singles champion, he made a tour-level debut at the 2010 US Open as a wildcard. Andre Agassi turned pro in 1986 at the age of 16 and, in two short years, rocketed to a ranking of world No. He made a huge statement winning a pair of titles at the French Open and Australian Open for his career. She has won 23 Grand Slam Titles, 73 career titles, and is by far the best player active today. Frazier Tommy #4. 1. Your Admin status expires in$(daysToExpire) days! We have compiled this list of 10 best tennis players of all time. Definitely. 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. One of the most dominating seasons ever. She also had an impressive career record of 704-165, winning 81% of her matches. 10. When she was 9, she moved with her family (including fellow tennis great and sister Venus) to Florida. 1 in the Oracle ITA Singles Rankings. 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. Here is our review of the best college players of all time 2023 rankings; #1. Furthermore, the surface can play a huge role in a players success against another. Borgs career was relatively short, especially compared to many other tennis players on our list. 1. Despite his success, he had a unique relationship with the slams. In 2004, Henin won the Australian Open, but an infection kept her off the court for much of the year. One of the most challenging elements to establishing a list of the best players of all time is that all of the most accomplished players didnt play tennis or compete at the same time. When it comes to the Olympics, Serena is also highly accomplished. Although theres certainly nothing wrong with the exercise, weve decided to maintain two separate lists. He was named the ITA National Player of the Year and an ITA Singles All-American for the second consecutive year. Most can only . Sin, Sorrow and the Fall of Roger Federer at Wimbledon, Life is Beautiful The Buzz From Down Under, Amanda Anisimova and the Random Cruelty of Sport, Novak Djokovic The Return of the Prodigal Son, Forget the Yips Sabalenka Rips On Laver Aryna, Knowing Novak: Behind the Curtain of the Complex, Controversial Mountain GOAT, The Not-So-Happy Slam: Pro-Putin Ferocity in Melbourne, How Ben Shelton Is Taking Tennis by Storm, Down Under Downers Iga and Coco Crash Out, Bring It On Young Americans Soar in Melbourne, Murray Hailed, Novak Heckled At The Not Always Happy Slam, Mackie McDonald Knocks Out Hobbled Rafa Nadal. The winner of three Wimbledon championships, he finished his career with six Grand Slams overall. Furthermore, she contested 14 Grand Slam finals, where she was the runner-up. However, the divide makes it particularly tough to compare player accomplishments. 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. Wolf turned professional a little over a year ago in July of 2019. After Giron made his debut at the 2014 US Open, he did not play another tour-level match until qualifying for 2018 Los Cabos. Furthermore, she tied Steffi Grafs record for 186 consecutive weeks at No. 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. 1. Peter Smiths Trojans won four straight NCAA team titles. His dominance at an older age shows just what he was possible of if he came along a little bit later. 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. 3 in the world and was the only player to win NCAA singles and doubles titles back to back. 8. The team won two titles, in 70 (sans Jimbo) and in 71. Borg won 11 Grand Slam titles, six at the French Open and five at Wimbledon. Its a crucial factor because the sport is constantly changing and evolving. He broke the top 100 following a run to the Lyon semifinals in 2018. 7. When Boris Becker was on grass or indoor carpet courts, it was nearly impossible to beat him. Federer turned pro in 1998, and it didnt take long before his career began to pick up steam. Weeks at number 1: 72. 1 ranking for the first time and held it for a total of 286 weeks throughout his career. 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. Federer first claimed the world No. Grand Slams Won: 2. 1 in doubles. Navratilova is the record holder for the most titles in the Open Era with 167 and ended her career with a 1,442-219 record for an impressive win rate of 86.8%. . In addition to his Grand Slam success, Federer has claimed 103 ATP titles, the most ever behind Jimmy Connors in the Open Era. This is where he could get a good look at every single return, and dictate points even as the returner. Right off the bat, he was seeing success and making deep runs into some of the worlds biggest tournaments, including the French Open and Wimbledon. Wed love to hear from you in the comments below. 9 - John McEnroe. However, out of all the finals he reached, he only won eight Grand Slams. Video History Championship Info. Roger Federer. In March 1991, Seles replaced Stefi Graf as world No. 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. By the time he was 21 years old, he already had a U.S. Open and Wimbledon title to his name. He was known . Ten years ago . Rod Lavers career is unique because of his success and crossover from amateur to professional and subsequent success during the Open Era. Federer: 11. "Playing college tennis, no, but going to university after tennis, yes, that was always the plan," Dabrowski said. Norrie holds the mens singles title at the inaugural Oracle ITA Masters. 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. In team competition, Serena helped the United States to a win in 1999 at the Fed Cup. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for visiting my site. Gould gave him space, and still says Mac was one of the most supportive team players hes ever had. Moreover, 9 of Novak Djokovics and 6 of Roger Federers Grand Slam titles came on this surface. From 2000 to 2009, tennis had some of the greatest men's tennis players of all time.These are some of the most talented 2000s tennis players to ever live, so if you're a fan of tennis and are aspiring to play tennis professionally then these people should be your idols. College Tennis Talk . ITA. Throughout her career, King ended up with a 695-155 record for a win rate of 81.76%. Over the course of four seasons, Johnson was named an ITA All-American seven times. And collegian Arthur would go on to become an icon. 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. 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). He held a 15-4 singles record and a perfect 26-0 doubles record. 1 Stefi Graf. Check out the Men's tennis worldwide rankings for 2023, here at ESPN.com. 6 in the world, beat Roy Emerson to reach the 63 US Nationals final, where he lost to Osuna. 1. Losing 11 drops him a bit, but he was still a complete player nobody wanted to face in his prime. The greatest tennis player of all time has to be none other than Roger Federer. Djokovic also leads in Masters titles, and has the greatest finals win percentage. He used his size and athleticism to get to the net, and that helped him win six Grand Slams. To be clear, we dont perceive one tour as better or worse than the other. The greatest Australian mens tennis player ever now has an arena named after him in Melbourne. You might find a players ability to compete at a high level for an extended period more impressive than a shorter career, even if one player in each camp ended up with nearly the same number of titles. Top 100 College Football Players Of All Time Quiz - By forrestsancomb. However, as it stands now, I think Federer is more deserving of this spot. Ashe won the singles, and then the doubles with Ian Crookenden. Like Evert, Navratilova won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, including three at the Australian Open, two at the French Open, nine at Wimbledon, and four at the US Open. King returned the following year and made it to the third round. 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. 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. Total prize money: $ 20,630,941. Our writers made the case for Djokovic, Pete Sampras, Rafael Nadal, Bjorn Borg and Roger Federer. The Ohio State University. Jung was awarded the prestigious ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award his junior season for his outstanding play and leadership. In his final season, he was named the Big 12 Player of the Year another first for the program. 5. List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players. The Americans have fallen off the map. <br><br>After completing my Master's degree at Minnesota, I . 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. 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. He came back from two sets down to beat him 36, 26, 64, 75, 75. In a period where Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe dominated the men's game, the Czech native managed . Contact Us - Privacy Policy - Affiliate Disclaimer. I have followed Joe to his company JXS Tennis Academy at Babson College and I love it. But in 72, Trinity enticed USC to come to San Antonio for a dual match, dubbed the Super Bowl of Tennis. We won 25 matches 7-0 and the other three matches were 6-1., That team was a dream to coach, added Gould. He has won 15 ATP Tour titles. Much like Lendl, he sometimes gets overlooked for just how many finals he made without winning the title. I have actually included 11 players here with two greats tied for the 10th position. Longevity is another factor to consider. And college tennis has changed so drastically that its insane to try to come up with an all-time collegiate top 10. George Toleys 62-64 USC teams werent exactly that. 2023 by Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). Regardless of your stance, the weight of specific stats or accomplishments will undoubtedly influence the ranking of players. 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. That statistic would show how consistently the . His determination keeps him in any match. He started his professional career in 2003 and soon after becoming professional, Djokovic started a journey of success that continues. Together with her sister, Venus, they have won 14 Grand Slam Doubles titles, and have been dominating the tennis . He became the first mens player to sweep the NCAA individual titles in 15 years. He is currently ranked No. UCLA, 1965-1966 Charlie Pasarell, Arthur Ashe, Ian Crookenden. The following year the pair fell just short of repeating their doubles title falling to Middle Tennessee State duo Marco Born and Andreas Siljestrm. You have entered an incorrect email address! For all those reasons, this is a justifiable choice. He was part of the winning team in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1992, and 1992. List of the best men's tennis players from 2000s, listed by popularity with photos of the players when available. One thing is for sure, these types of lists will continue to change as new players emerge. Ralston and Osuna struggled to win the NCAA doubles in five sets. 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. In his final season with the Bruins, Maxime Cressy alongside Keegan Smith brought home the 14th NCAA Doubles title in UCLA history. Yea, if a tennis player is not in the top 50 by 18 they'll never make it. UCLA, 1970-1971 Jimmy Connors, Jeff Borowiak, Haroon Rahim. As a perfect example, hes made five finals at the Australian Open, but never hoisted the final trophy. In total, Nadal has claimed an unprecedented 13 French Open titles. Of course, we had to make the cutoff somewhere, so here are a few additional men worth noting. In 61, sophomore Chuck McKinley reached the Wimbledon final, where he lost to Rod Laver.