He currently sits at No. List of male doubles tennis players. Stefen Edberg. Does it make him a better player for staying injury-free all those years, which enabled him to miss a tournament rarely and give him more opportunities to win? In the heart of the Depression, a hard-working Paris, Texas boy earned a bicycle from the Saturday Evening Post. Access available rankings data at ITA. In 2003, Henin claimed her first Grand Slam title at the French Open, making her the first Belgian ever to win a Grand Slam. 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. 1. Margaret Court retired in 1977 and earned a spot in the International Tennis Hall of fame in 1979. 1. For example, if player A competes later in their career against player B, whos younger, and most of their matches happen toward the end of player As career, player B arguably has a significant advantage. But they faced off in a dicey semi against each other in the NCAA championships and then had to play doubles together. The team had no dominant singles player. A few years later, in 1978, Navratilova won her first singles Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, defeating Chris Evert. In March 1991, Seles replaced Stefi Graf as world No. He . In 1962, Margaret Court achieved a career-high ranking of world No. In recent years, he has won many big titles back to back, surpassing the track record of other great players like Waldner. During that match he didnt drop a set. Like Rod Laver, Ken Rosewell came along when the Open Era was just beginning. In 2002, Venus ascended to the world No. He was first ranked No. Stockton edged Gottfried to win the singles championship. 2. Whether you agree with it or not as a criterion, its frequently woven into arguments of whos the best. 1952 Modesto Junior College Team, they beat Stanford , CAl, USF, they had Jerry DeWitts, Whitney Reed, Ralph Freund , Fritz Earle, Coach Fred Earle, DeWitts 22nd in the U.S, Whitney Reed 15th in U.S., also Stan Canter on team , 6th in junior singles in Eastern U.S., some rankings actually went up.Big Seven Champs. 1 through 4 and gladly made sacrifices for a team that went 28-0 and scored 26 shutouts. Two years later, in 2008, Djokovic claimed his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. -The ITA lists the top teams and players in the country at all levels of college tennis. The following year was one of her most impressive, winning all four Grand Slam events and a gold medal in singles at the Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. #5 Waves Clash with Top-Ranked North Carolina in NCAA Semifinals. Getting to Grand Slams finals was never an issue for Ivan Lendl. Then, in 1992 at the Barcelona Summer Olympics, she claimed silver in singles. And college tennis has changed so drastically that it's insane to try to come up with an all-time collegiate top 10. Can you imagine Federer and Nadal on the same college team? 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. Although Djokovic has the same number of Grand Slam titles as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, his wins are the most diverse across the events showing that he can perform well in all conditions and on all surfaces. Wolf turned professional a little over a year ago in July of 2019. His success started in the 1980s with numerous titles and his first Grand Slam victory over John McEnroe at the French Open, a year McEnroe was virtually untouchable. 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. Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MIT, University of California - Los Angeles - UCLA, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo, 2002-2023 NCSA College Recruiting All Rights Reserved. His highest career ranking is No. You could even take it a step further and evaluate the perceived level of competition present at the tournaments where a player won or how convincingly they defeated their opponents during matches. Team Player - 5. Unfortunately, he had a relatively short prime, as injuries cut his career short compared to the others. We have compiled this list of 10 best tennis players of all time. In their 34 meetings, his record was 14-20. After qualifying at ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati, Wolf reached a career high ranking of 143. Your Admin status expires in$(daysToExpire) days! In 2002, he turned professional at the age of 15, and he quickly began posting results. Steve Johnson | University of Southern California. However, he also amassed the single best winning record for a single season going 62-7 for an absurd win percent of 89.9%. 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. He was named the ITA National Player of the Year and an ITA Singles All-American for the second consecutive year. 1 player in the world. Trinity, 1962-1965 Forty of his 44 career tournament wins all came on dirt. However, when narrowing it down to the best of the best, here are the top 10 best tennis players of all time. During the summer, Venus also claimed her first and only singles gold medal at the Olympics in Sydney. 10 - Jimmy Connors. Regardless, shes well deserving of the title as one of the best female tennis players of all time. 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. There are really no holes in Federers game, other than having just one French Open title. Definitely. *Please note that not all the stats included above are relevant for consideration as the best player ever. 10. 8 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 4 Australian, 2 French, 2 US Open. 5 ranking. HONORABLE MENTIONS: Over the years there have been many fantastic teams. In 1977, Borg reached the world No. Combine that with his dominance as world No. Although Stefi didnt play doubles frequently, she has a womens Grand Slam to her name, which she earned in 1988 alongside Gabriela Sabatini. Stanford, 1978 By the time he was 21 years old, he already had a U.S. Open and Wimbledon title to his name. Vernon Gholston, the powerhouse defensive end, easily claims the title. And collegian Arthur would go on to become an icon. Its up to any individual to determine how they perceive these factors when ranking the greatest players of all time. -Discover the USTA's ratings in all divisions. 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. Shed claim four additional titles at the Australian Open and another her final at Wimbledon again in 1980. Somewhat surprisingly, tennis didnt make it back into the Olympics until 1988, 64 years later. Ma Long. She is the only player in history to win nine titles at Wimbledon. He finished his career with eight Grand Slams and 109 titles, and he helped shape the modern game with his style of play. Throughout his entire career, Djokovic has had 85 career titles. Before the Bryans, the Woodies, and Mac and Fleming, there was Stan Smith and Stanford transfer Bob Lutz. Throughout her career, King ended up with a 695-155 record for a win rate of 81.76%. 1 Roger Federer Roger Federer (born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss former professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No. Lastly, if a player is consistently engaging in competitive matches and sometimes beating players in the top 300 (in tournament play, not practice) in the ATP or WTA rankings, then they may be ready physically, mentally and technically to play professional tennis on a full time basis. Born on March 7, 1960, in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia, Ivan Lendl had an impressive career that began in 1978 when he turned pro. Shed only lose one more match the entire year to Navratilova, going an astounding 75-2 for the year. Perhaps at another point, well consider the group as a whole. Chris Evert was once known for 1,309 appearances, a record number. His dominance at an older age shows just what he was possible of if he came along a little bit later. Its just humanly impossible., 9. Read our weekly recap of the 5 most interesting things we dig up in tennis. He held a 15-4 singles record and a perfect 26-0 doubles record. 6 in the world, beat Roy Emerson to reach the 63 US Nationals final, where he lost to Osuna. Also explosive were the results: They were NCAA champions. Depending on a players ranking, that extra cash can be crucial. 7. Trying to figure out the 25 greatest tennis players of all time can seem like a daunting task for a lot of people out there. Its challenging enough to reach reasonable conclusions on the best players without mixing the ATP and WTA tour. King returned the following year and made it to the third round. He claimed three Grand Slams and five ATP Masters titles with significant wins against his two biggest rivals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. USC, 2011-2013. They almost won the 72 NCAAs. In 1999, Venus saw quite a bit of additional success, which would push her year-end ranking to No. Visit the following rankings sites to find out. The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey. Her breakout year was in 1997, when she made it deep into a few tournaments, including the finals of the US Open, where she lost to Martina Hingis. 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. I am a former college tennis player that competed on a highly successful, top-10 Division I team at the University of Minnesota. At the time, the Cardinal (who would go on to win the NCAAs that year) were ranked #1, Trinity #2. She played a limited schedule for the following two years but accumulated a few solid wins, including her first top 20 victory in 1995. His performances in 2015 and 2021 were equally impressive on many levels, both years earning three Grand Slam titles. However, in 1924, the Olympics dropped tennis due to disagreements between the International Olympic Committee and International Lawn Tennis Federation. He was known . 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 . He led his nation to its only Davis Cup final. Find the US States - No Outlines Minefield. 124. Hes another casualty of the Roger Federer era, constantly going up against him and other greats during any deep runs in tournaments. He is certainly the best player ever on clay court, as his 14 French Open titles are likely never to be touched. For as much as people talk about the Big Three or Big Four of this current era, Stan Wawrinka deserves mentioning as well. Johnson anchored the Trojans to four consecutive NCAA Team Championships and collected two NCAA Singles Championships for himself. 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. Off of clay, his main rivals are superior. He has proven his talent for over 20 years and is still competing at the very highest level. However, it wasnt until 1974 that Borg captured his first French Open title at the age of 18. Throughout their careers, the two played 34 times, and Sampras won 20 of those matches. However, with such great emphasis placed on Grand Slams when considering the greatest players of all time, its worthy of reference and consideration. The Australian finished his career with five Grand Slams, but is often overlooked by some of the greater players from his country. Osuna was recruited to USC out of obscurity and remains the best Mexican player ever. Tennys Sandgren | University of Tennessee. Djokovic also leads in Masters titles, and has the greatest finals win percentage. 1 ranking for the first time and held it for a total of 286 weeks throughout his career. 7. When considering the best tennis players of all time, its tempting to rank male and female tennis players right alongside each other. Ten years ago . Once told he was too clumsy to be a Davis Cup ball boy, Stan went on to win seven Davis Cups. 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. Mental toughness, confidence, and a positive attitude were also mentioned several times in the responses. In 1998, she didnt earn any titles, but she saw plenty of success, including a top 20 ranking. All Rights Reserved. Then again, insanity has never stopped us before. 15 Best Tennis Players of All Time. ITA. From ITA Player to Watch to ITA All-American in singles, Tennys anchored his name in the Volunteer history books. He was a strong all-around player who could dominate in doubles as well. This week we have been analysing the best male players of the past 50 years. Fourteen Former Mens Collegiate Players in US Open Singles Draw. Top Men's Tennis Programs. 2 at USC. 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. Longevity is another factor to consider. I have followed Joe to his company JXS Tennis Academy at Babson College and I love it. Answer (1 of 21): A lot of people have answered some technical aspects. 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. Before there was the King of Clay in Rafael Nadal, Thomas Muster held the distinction in the 1990s. 1 ranking for the first time, which he retained for 109 weeks throughout his career. 41. In 1999, Andre Agassi became the fifth man to win all four Grand Slam titles in a single year and the second in the Open Era. 1. However, he was also banned or chose to skip out on the French Open from 1974 1978 due to his World Team Tennis association. She was also highly accomplished in doubles with 16 womens and 11 mixed doubles Grand Slam titles. In 1966, King became the world No. May she call herself the best player on the team. Many will argue that of the top players, head-to-head performance should carry significant weight. Regardless, working through the data and thinking through the logic behind how one might rank players is a fun exercise. He used his size and athleticism to get to the net, and that helped him win six Grand Slams. As a senior he got it right he beat Fred Stolle to win Wimbledon without dropping a set. Others claim that John whos often said to be the seventh-best player ever was the most talented college player of all time. 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. In 2011, he was selected as a member of the USTA Summer Collegiate Team along with his teammate Rhyne Williams. 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. In 1896, the inaugural Olympics took place, and tennis was an official sport. Heres the beauty of college tennis a supremely individual sport becomes a wonderful team endeavor. Ramanathan Krishnan (born 11 April 1937) is a retired tennis player from India who was among the world's leading players in the 1950s and 1960s. Matches featured in this video: Daniel Cuk. I created a custom vibration dampener thats compatible with all racquets and string patterns. Serenas first title came in early 1999, and later that year, she also claimed her maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open. For a guy who is so well known for his outbursts on and off the court, some forget just how good he was. USC was led by Steve Johnson, who won 72 straight matches, was ranked No. Do we believe player A holding the number one ranking for 20 more weeks is more valuable than player Bs five additional titles? In 61, sophomore Chuck McKinley reached the Wimbledon final, where he lost to Rod Laver. Stanford, 1973-1974 Sandy Mayer, Pat DuPre, Jim Delaney, John Whitlinger. Court holds the record for the most singles titles at 192. These unique accomplishments certainly add weight to a players bid for consideration as one of the best players. Impressively, Evert was also the runner-up at 16 Grand Slams. In that case, Federer may have won significantly more titles because he gave up so many to both of these players. Furthermore, she contested 14 Grand Slam finals, where she was the runner-up. 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. 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. Hes shown that he can play on other services as well, picking up a Grand Slam at the other three a total of eight times. In 1968, the Open Era began, which allowed professional players to compete in Grand Slam events. J.J. Wolf was a force to be reckoned with for the Buckeyes. Hes only reached the quarterfinals twice, and has never been beyond that. 7. Its perfectly fine to say that Roger Federer is the best tennis player of all time. 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. List of the best men's tennis players from 2000s, listed by popularity with photos of the players when available. 63 heading into the US Open. Our writers made the case for Djokovic, Pete Sampras, Rafael Nadal, Bjorn Borg and Roger Federer. If most of a players head-to-head matches against Rafa fall on clay, he will likely have a losing record overall against him. Nadals career started early. In honor of the US Open kicking off today, we are highlighting their legendary collegiate careers that prepared them for this moment. 1 womens tennis player in August of 1987, not long after her first Grand Slam title and final appearances in Wimbledon and the US Open. However, the divide makes it particularly tough to compare player accomplishments. Now decades after his passing, he still remains one of the biggest faces for the fight against AIDS. 1 and helped the US win the 63 Davis Cup. Nadal: 8. Smith, the Leaning Tower of Pasadena, went on to win Wimbledon and the US Open and become No. Stanford, 1998 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. Agassi was well known for his rivalry against all-time great Pete Sampras. 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. She holds 14 Grand Slam titles in doubles and two in mixed doubles. Ralston was the best American player of the early 60s and led the US to 63 Davis Cup glory. 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. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the essential meaning of best as: By definition, the word best is subjective. 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. Active Career: 1983 - 1996. Furthermore, she helped the United States win eight Fed Cup titles, including six consecutive from 1977-1982. No problemo. 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. Theres no doubt that Gustavo Kuerten deserves mention on this list, but he is a specialist for the most part. . The result earned her a total of 129 titles, 67 that were during the Open Era.
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best college tennis players of all time