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. Top Men's Tennis Programs. Tennis. 2. Winning Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces can be a huge challenge. Just a couple of decades ago, many labeled Pete Sampras as the greatest tennis player of all time. Borg won 11 Grand Slam titles, six at the French Open and five at Wimbledon. However, we removed a lot of nuances when we broke the two out and therefore decided to rank men separately from women. Shes placed particular emphasis on Grand Slam events as she attempts to tie Margaret Court for the most Grand Slams of any player in history. The Outsider by Jimmy Connors. As a senior he got it right he beat Fred Stolle to win Wimbledon without dropping a set. In his short career, Bjorn Borg was able to accomplish a lot. During that year, she also managed to help Belgium win the Fed Cup. Tennys Sandgren | University of Tennessee. As fans, many of us have our favorite players we appreciate for their style of play, how they present themselves, their off-court demeanor, and a variety of additional criteria. John McEnroe is another of the greatest male tennis players of all time. Stanford, 1973-1974 When she was 9, she moved with her family (including fellow tennis great and sister Venus) to Florida. 10. 1. In 1967, she played at the Australian Open, her first Grand Slam event. 24) Ralph Sampson (Virginia) College Averages: 16.9 points, 1.2 assists, 11.4 rebounds. As a senior, Isner led the Bulldogs to a perfect 32-0 record and the programs fifth NCAA Team Championship. And college tennis has changed so drastically that its insane to try to come up with an all-time collegiate top 10. In addition to the NCAA national championships his senior year, Kwiatkowski helped Virginia to the ITA National Team Indoor Championship. Another area where its challenging to compare players is how heavily to weigh individual stats. 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. Table of Contents show. Impressively, Evert was also the runner-up at 16 Grand Slams. Throughout his career, Nadals most significant rivalries have come against the only two players I rank above him for the greatest male tennis players of all time. 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. Required fields are marked *. Video History Championship Info. Popular German former tennis player Boris Becker is ranked number ten on the list of the greatest tennis players in history. 1 ranking and, to date, has held that position for 319 weeks. 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. The official rankings page for college tennis including teams, singles and doubles. Surprisingly, McEnroe was born in 1959 in West Germany with his parents stationed in the country because of his fathers role with the United States Air Force. During those years, he claimed eight titles at three of the biggest professional tournaments, the US Pro, French Pro, and Wembley Pro. Amazingly, at UCLA, Jimbo often played No. Although its a challenging exercise to rank the best tennis players of all time, male or female, its a fun process that wed encourage fans to consider and dig into to develop their opinions. better than all others in quality or value. Losing 11 drops him a bit, but he was still a complete player nobody wanted to face in his prime. Ivan Lendl. During the summer, Venus also claimed her first and only singles gold medal at the Olympics in Sydney. 1 for the first time, and she was able to maintain that position for a total of 221 weeks throughout her career. Proponents of college note that the game has become much more physical in recent years due to advances in racket technology, and, as a result, the average age of the top 100 players is around 27 . Stanford, 1978 John McEnroe, Matt Mitchell, Bill Maze, Peter Rennert, Lloyd Bourne. Unique to Agassi, he missed out on some golden opportunities to increase his slam count, choosing to skip the Australian Open for six years from 1986 to 1994 and Wimbledon for 62 years from 1988 to 1990. But something happened in the last 20 years. 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. John McEnroe. College Tennis Talk . In that case, Federer may have won significantly more titles because he gave up so many to both of these players. UCLA, 1971 Serena Williams. However, he also amassed the single best winning record for a single season going 62-7 for an absurd win percent of 89.9%. Also explosive were the results: They were NCAA champions. Bjrn Borg resides in Monte Carlo, Monaco, but was born in Sweden on June 6, 1956. In 65, even without Pasarell, the Bruins broke USCs three-year stranglehold on the championships. 15. Regardless of your stance, the weight of specific stats or accomplishments will undoubtedly influence the ranking of players. Some might think this pick is a bit controversial, but its hard to argue with the statistics. Born on October 18, 1956, in Czechoslovakia, Martina Navratilova also competed as a US citizen after receiving her citizenship in 1981. However, as it stands now, I think Federer is more deserving of this spot. Three Grand Slam titles and 33 career titles only tell part of the story of Arthur Ashe. In the Olympics, Roger Federer has a silver and gold medal. Shes also the second oldest woman behind Serena Williams to have held this position. 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. 1 ranking for the first time, a position she held briefly throughout her career for a total of eleven weeks. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. He closed out his career with USC on a 72 match win streak. As if her success on the singles court wasnt impressive enough, Court was also highly accomplished in doubles with 19 womens doubles Grand Slam titles and 21 mixed doubles titles. Top 10 Greatest Men's Tennis Players of All Time: 10. He has proven his talent for over 20 years and is still competing at the very highest level. While still at USC, he managed to win three doubles Grand Slams and reach two other Slam finals. 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. A great doubles player on top of singles, hes one of the most well-rounded players of his era. Now, hes on tour and will play in the US Open this week. -These polls use voters to determine the best 25 men's and women's teams in Division I. Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Rankings. Federer turned pro in 1998, and it didnt take long before his career began to pick up steam. In the three years that followed, Seles was dominant, winning six of the eight Grand Slam events in 1991 and 1992. View the full college tennis rankings below and favorite to save your list of top mens tennis colleges. USC, 1962-1964 One might argue these experiences give extra weight to their already impressive accomplishments. She held that position for a record 377 weeks during her career, with 186 consecutive weeks, a record she shares with Serena Williams. Caroline Wozniacki. Despite that, she did compete in a professional tournament that year but didnt perform well. Home > Opinion > 10+ Best Tennis Players of All Time, Improve your game alongside our community of tennis players. Similarly, all of his Wimbledon titles were consecutive from 1976 -1980. 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. 41 after winning the Auckland title. 10. Perhaps most notably, tennis was heavily divided up until the Open Era, which began in 1968. He had some mild success on other surfaces, but clay courts are where he made his name. Born on June 3, 1986, in Mallorca, Spain, Rafael Nadal has consistently delivered some of the most impressive results the sport has ever seen and is one of the most successful teenage players in history. It wasnt that the professionals werent as talented, far from it. In 1980, he became world No. He was named an ITA Singles All-American all three years. 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. After Giron made his debut at the 2014 US Open, he did not play another tour-level match until qualifying for 2018 Los Cabos. Born on June 17, 1980, in California, Venus Williams is an American tennis player whos achieved considerable success in her long career on the WTA tour. He finished his collegiate career ranked No. Regardless, shes well deserving of the title as one of the best female tennis players of all time. When he first burst on the scene in the 1970s, that playing style was very much ahead of his time. 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. 3. Depending on a players ranking, that extra cash can be crucial. For example, some will believe its more impressive for a player to dominate across various surfaces and add that to the argument for why one player is better than another. Although its tough to imagine a player who will eclipse the big three on the mens side or the top players on the womens, one thing is for sure it will happen. He was twice a semifinalist at Wimbledon in 1960 and 1961, reaching as high as World No. Begin typing to search, use arrow keys to navigate, Enter to select. He and Lutz won five Slam titles. 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. Forty of his 44 career tournament wins all came on dirt. This question a few years ago was Federer and Federer only, but now he has company. Just making it into the top 25 is Lleyton Hewitt. Wolf started his career with OSU as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and ended it as the Big Ten Player of the Year. 21 in the world. Without a doubt, Kings most successful years were from 1966 to 1975. Some players have significantly longer careers than others. However, there are players who make winning Grand Slams a habit and win numerous titles at prestigious events. He was also a great doubles player, holding the #1 ranking in the world in singles and doubles at one point in his career. Off of clay, his main rivals are superior. Instead, these tournaments only allowed amateurs to play, and these players didnt receive prize money. Meinerz is a more recent addition to the NFL, having signed for the Denver Broncos in 2021.The guard is 6 foot 3 inches tall and 320 lbs. We have compiled this list of 10 best tennis players of all time. Photo Credit: @Wimbledon. Despite his success, he had a unique relationship with the slams. Outside of singles, Serena has had a successful career in doubles, primarily competing with her sister. She played a limited schedule for the following two years but accumulated a few solid wins, including her first top 20 victory in 1995. Another perhaps less visible or challenging factor to consider, especially when looking back at players in history, is a deep understanding of the adversity or difficulties a player had to overcome during their career. He was part of the winning team in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1992, and 1992. He finished with 14 Grand Slams and 64 career titles, and he was nearly impossible to beat on grass courts and very fast hard courts. In 2006, Henin was everywhere, making it to the finals of every Grand Slam tournament but only coming up with a win at the French Open. During the four years Dominik Koepfer spent at Tulane, he set records and recorded firsts for the Green Wave. In 1999, Venus saw quite a bit of additional success, which would push her year-end ranking to No. He goes into the event ranked No. That same year she also claimed the US Open title. 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. He also has the most variety of Grand Slam titles, winning at least two at every major championship. In 61, sophomore Chuck McKinley reached the Wimbledon final, where he lost to Rod Laver. Goulds takeaway: You never say never, but there is no way a team will ever do what this team did. You have entered an incorrect email address! Throughout the years, there have been many great tennis players who have made a name for themselves. In 1962, Margaret Court achieved a career-high ranking of world No. Andre Agassi turned pro in 1986 at the age of 16 and, in two short years, rocketed to a ranking of world No. 1. This week we have been analysing the best male players of the past 50 years. Barry Sanders #5. Andy Lloyd was a Forest Hills quarterfinalist and Butch Newman lost only one dual match in his collegiate career. Honorable mention also to UGAs 1985 team whose #1 and #2 played the singles final. Steve Johnsons collegiate career is the stuff of legends. Grass. I won't repeat it but answer the implicit question- it doesn't matter. BTW: Whitlinger beat Hagey to claim the singles crown, and would coach Stanford for a decade. She played her final singles match in 1983 at the Australian Open. Jeremy on May 15, 2020: 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. He holds the joint-record for the most grand slams in history and has consistently dominated the court since he turned pro in 1998. In the fall of his senior season, Isner won the ITA All-American Doubles Championships and the ITA National Indoor Doubles Championships. Perez-Somarriba Named ITA National Player of the Year. 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. 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. He finished with 11 Grand Slams, and was the first to dominate the French Open and Wimbledon in the Open Era. Nakashima turned pro ranked No. All Rights Reserved. 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. Perhaps at another point, well consider the group as a whole. Djokovic: 10. However, in 1924, the Olympics dropped tennis due to disagreements between the International Olympic Committee and International Lawn Tennis Federation. Not surprisingly, the 78 team had some feisty moments. top 50 players 2023; Furthermore, the surface can play a huge role in a players success against another. He used his size and athleticism to get to the net, and that helped him win six Grand Slams. 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. The Australian finished his career with five Grand Slams, but is often overlooked by some of the greater players from his country. Federer first claimed the world No. Of course, the point isnt to diminish the value of any players success at the tournament. He became the first African-American to win a Grand Slam title on the mens side, and his activism off of the court makes him a legend. -The ITA lists the top teams and players in the country at all levels of college tennis. I am a former college tennis player that competed on a highly successful, top-10 Division I team at the University of Minnesota. 6. Its worth noting she also competed during a period where many players didnt compete as often in the Australian Open. 1 for the first time, which became one of the most dominant seasons of any player in history. Shed claim four additional titles at the Australian Open and another her final at Wimbledon again in 1980. 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. 9. Sampras would claim five total US Open titles, two Australian Open titles, and seven Wimbledon titles for a total of 13 Grand Slam victories. Plus John Isners Georgia Bulldogs, Kevin Andersons Illini and recent Virginia Cavalier teams all earned A+s. $15 million. That year, Laver claimed the Wimbledon title. 2023 by Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). No.1 in 1991. 5 ranking. 220. 1 player for the first time after defeating his rival Roger Federer to take his first Wimbledon title, and since then has held that position for 209 weeks throughout his career. The number 1 in our best table tennis players list is a Chinese player, Ma Long. Djokovic has also eclipsed the rapidly fading Nadal as the active player with the best chance to eclipse Federer for best ever, even if he has far to go in the major title tally (12 to Federer's 17). Ten years ago . References. USC, 1967-1968 In a 23 year career spanning four decades, the Swiss has spent a combined 310 weeks at world no.1 and holds the longest streak at world no 1. in Open Era history, having topped the ATP rankings for a four and a half year period (237 weeks) from 2004 to . Please try logging back in or call customer support at 1-800-990-8782 for assistance. He is certainly the best player ever on clay court, as his 14 French Open titles are likely never to be touched. ***Title totals include pre and post Open Era where relevant. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the essential meaning of best as: By definition, the word best is subjective. As reigning NCAA Singles champion, he made a tour-level debut at the 2010 US Open as a wildcard. 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. 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. Trinity, 1962-1965 Chuck McKinley, Cliff Buchholz, Frank Froehling. During his career, John McEnroe was also highly successful at the Davis Cup, where he helped revive the United States. The greatest Australian mens tennis player ever now has an arena named after him in Melbourne. However, it wasnt until 1974 that Borg captured his first French Open title at the age of 18. Heres the beauty of college tennis a supremely individual sport becomes a wonderful team endeavor. That was only his sophomore year. He was named the ITA National Player of the Year and an ITA Singles All-American for the second consecutive year. 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, 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. In honor of the US Open kicking off today, we are highlighting their legendary collegiate careers that prepared them for this moment. ITA. Never again would such a tiny school achieve so much. . Overall, Lendl earned 94 titles and is currently the third most in the Open Era behind Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer. In the so-called open era of tennis, which began in 1968, players from 20 different nations won a Grand Slam title. However, despite significant success over the next few years, King didnt win her first Grand Slam title until 1966 at Wimbledon. If youre looking through the mens singles draw for the 2020 US Open, you might come across some former collegiate mens players 14 to be exact. But it is far from the only thing on coaches' minds as . Ranked 128 in singles, Bradley has achieved so much success while on tour. Rafa by Rafael Nadal, John Carlin. 1. In addition to his deep runs in the individual NCAA Championships, Anderson led the Illini to the finals of the team competition in 2007. 1 ranking in February 2004 and has held that ranking for a total of 310 weeks 237 of which were consecutive weeks where he was virtually unbeatable. 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. 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. During the tennis boom, nobody was bigger, and he had rivalries with Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, and Ivan Lendl at some point. And collegian Arthur would go on to become an icon. <br><br>After completing my Master's degree at Minnesota, I . Although she was young, she delivered solid performances and made deep runs at several tournaments. A list that gives the top 10 tennis players of all time! Toward the end of 1982, Graf turned pro, and she played her first full season the following year at the surprisingly young age of 13.

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