Like many players in his time, Bjrn only played the Australian Open once during his career, which potentially limited his Grand Slam count. 10. Just making it into the top 25 is Lleyton Hewitt. This week we have been analysing the best male players of the past 50 years. He was most recently in the Australian Open quarterfinals. Vote for the best, vote down any players you don't think deserve a spot up top and of course, feel free to rerank this list however you want. He has proven his talent for over 20 years and is still competing at the very highest level. 1, which she held for 325 weeks, only surpassed by Martina Navratilova and Stefi Graf. Perhaps at another point, well consider the group as a whole. USC, 1962-1964 Dennis Ralston, Rafael Osuna, Bill Bond, Tom Edlefsen, Ramsey Earnhart, Chuck Rombeau. Both Sandy Mayer, who weeks later reached the Wimbledon semis and would rise to No. Three collegians with St. Louis connections made their mark on college tennis Chuck McKinley, Arthur Ashe and a feisty fellow named Jimmy Connors. Born: April 29, 1970, in Las Vegas, Nevada; Net worth: $145 Million Throughout her career, King ended up with a 695-155 record for a win rate of 81.76%. First, he only played the Australian open twice throughout his entire career. In addition to his deep runs in the individual NCAA Championships, Anderson led the Illini to the finals of the team competition in 2007. When considering the best tennis players of all time, its tempting to rank male and female tennis players right alongside each other. During the summer, Venus also claimed her first and only singles gold medal at the Olympics in Sydney. Grand Slams Won: 2. He had some mild success on other surfaces, but clay courts are where he made his name. Norrie received a scholarship from Texas Christian University and played tennis for the Horned Frogs from 2014 to 2017, becoming the top-ranked college player in the nation. Born in Serbia on May 22, 1987, Novak Djokovic is currently my pick for the best mens tennis player of all time. 2. In college at Ohio State, Gholston bench pressed a team-high 455 pounds and squatted 405 pounds for twenty reps. 10 - Jimmy Connors. 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. College Tennis Talk . Andre Agassi is the only other player to accomplish this feat. Interestingly, McEnroes only collegiate loss came in a match at Trinity against his former U.S. Open doubles partner, Larry Gottfried. To be clear, we dont perceive one tour as better or worse than the other. Although many people would agree on the data, qualities, or attributes that make one player better than others, theres ultimately personal opinion injected. As a perfect example, hes made five finals at the Australian Open, but never hoisted the final trophy. NCSA analyzed over 880 four-year colleges with mens college tennis programs across four division levels (D1, D2, D3 and NAIA) to develop a list of the Best Mens Tennis Colleges for Student-Athletes. Swiss player Roger Federer, the greatest player of all time is easily justifiable. A lot has changed in the sport, but its hard to argue that he doesnt deserve at least a little bit of consideration near the top. 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. ***Title totals include pre and post Open Era where relevant. He was the schools first champion since 2000. You have entered an incorrect email address! When Boris Becker was on grass or indoor carpet courts, it was nearly impossible to beat him. . However, with such great emphasis placed on Grand Slams when considering the greatest players of all time, its worthy of reference and consideration. 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. Below youll find our selection, along with some data points that highlight why these female tennis players deserve to make our list. 1. 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. This is where he could get a good look at every single return, and dictate points even as the returner. 1, and she held that position for 178 weeks throughout her career. She was also highly accomplished in doubles with 16 womens and 11 mixed doubles Grand Slam titles. Pasarell did the same in 66. However, it wasnt until 1992 that he earned his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, playing Goran Ivanievi in a tough five-set match. George Toleys 62-64 USC teams werent exactly that. She holds three Gold medals in doubles with her sister Venus and earned a singles gold at the 2012 London Olympics. She followed up those results with an excellent 2007, where she won the French Open for the third consecutive year and the US Open. Theres only a handful of players who have done that, and Mats Wilander is one of them. 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. Cameron Norrie | Texas Christian University. However, as you get deeper into the rankings, narrowing down candidates becomes a bit more challenging. That same year she also claimed the US Open title. He was twice a semifinalist at Wimbledon in 1960 and 1961, reaching as high as World No. Steffi is right-handed with a one-handed backhand and our pick for the greatest female tennis player ever. Sampras is well known for his rivalry with fellow American Andre Agassi, and it was unique because of Sampras dominant serve and Agassis return. Since then, Court racked up more Grand Slam titles than any player in history male or female. From 2004 to 2007, Federer asserted significant dominance winning 11 of the 15 Grand Slam events during this period. Then, in 1992 at the Barcelona Summer Olympics, she claimed silver in singles. As of now, he shares his record Grand Slam titles with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. This question a few years ago was Federer and Federer only, but now he has company. During that match he didnt drop a set. Rodrigues Finishes as NCAA Singles Runner-Up. In total, Sampras claimed 64 titles, 762 wins, and had a 77.4% win record. In the fall of his senior season, Isner won the ITA All-American Doubles Championships and the ITA National Indoor Doubles Championships. He only won five Grand Slams, but thats because he was playing right during the start of the Open Era. A great doubles player on top of singles, hes one of the most well-rounded players of his era. For that reason, thats why the big three are held in such high regard because they so consistently dominated the game, with very few players ever breaking through to win big titles during their time on tour. Combine that with his dominance as world No. However, in 1924, the Olympics dropped tennis due to disagreements between the International Olympic Committee and International Lawn Tennis Federation. 1 ranking for the first time, which he retained for 109 weeks throughout his career. List of male doubles tennis players. In total, she holds the most overall Grand Slam titles of any player at 64. In the heart of the Depression, a hard-working Paris, Texas boy earned a bicycle from the Saturday Evening Post. So let's get started! Not a lot of people talk about him currently, but he was as tough a player as any in his prime. Throughout his entire career, Djokovic has had 85 career titles. If most of a players head-to-head matches against Rafa fall on clay, he will likely have a losing record overall against him. In 1975, Chris Evert reached the world No. Against Federer, Nadal has an impressive 24-16 record. 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. He finished his collegiate career ranked No. 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. Born on December 2, 1973, in Florida, Monica Seles represented Yugoslavia early in her career and the United States she became a US citizen in 1994. Over the span of his collegiate career, Anderson was named an ITA Singles All-American three times and an ITA Doubles All-American twice. Highest Ranking. Moving on to the list comes the 15 best tennis players of all time with three bonus ones. 6. 1 ranking, which she held for 117 weeks throughout her career. Furthermore, in the coming years, I believe Djokovic will only further cement his position here. Home to the US Open Grand Slam Tournament, New York City had long needed a vibrant tennis academy where kids could train. Born November 22, 1943, in America, Billie Jean King has had a tremendous impact on the sport during and after her retirement. Shop official NCAA team and championship gear . Here are a few of the factors that present challenges when drawing comparisons. He was named the ITA National Player of the Year and an ITA Singles All-American for the second consecutive year. 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. However, it wasnt until 1974 that Borg captured his first French Open title at the age of 18. Still, the teams best singles players roommates Dennis Ralston and Rafael Osuna played each other in the US Nationals for three straight years and together won the 60 Wimbledon doubles crown. ITA Mens All-American Singles Championship, US Open Singles Draw Features Six Former Women Collegiate Athletes, Coach Masterclass The ITA & Coach Governance, College Tennis In the Community: Teams Give Back In The Month of February, The Power of Community Davidson Kozlowski [Coaches Podcast], Division I Mens Collegiate Tennis Rankings sponsored by Tennis-Point February 28. He was named the ITA Player of the Year in his final two seasons. 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. 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. Photo Credit: @Wimbledon. 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) Chris Evert was born in 1954; she is an American professional tennis player. 2 reviews of JXS Tennis Academy "Joe at JSX Tennis Academy has been my tennis instructor since the early 1990's when we started at the Dedham Health and Athletic Time. 8. Video History Championship Info. 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. In his short career, Bjorn Borg was able to accomplish a lot. New posts Search forums. 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). Federer owns 15 more titles, over 100 extra weeks as world No. -These polls use voters to determine the best 25 men's and women's teams in Division I. Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Rankings. Some rules are different, i.e., on-court coaching is allowed on the WTA tour outside of the Grand Slam events. Vernon Gholston, the powerhouse defensive end, easily claims the title. Hes very close, and having 20 Grand Slams to his name will keep his name in the discussion for quite a while. 8 - Andre Agassi. 2. Bjrn Borg resides in Monte Carlo, Monaco, but was born in Sweden on June 6, 1956. 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. Roger Federer. By the time he was 21 years old, he already had a U.S. Open and Wimbledon title to his name. Shed claim four additional titles at the Australian Open and another her final at Wimbledon again in 1980. Now it's time for . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for visiting my site. Roger Federers most significant rivalries in his career are Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Compared to last year, her UTR has even improved considerably, well done Daevenia! He was named the ACC Freshman of the Year becoming only the 6th Cavalier to earn the honor in the programs history. Girons national championship made him the 11th Bruin to win the NCAA Singles title. Isner left Athens holding the school records for career singles, career doubles, and career combined wins. Some, such as prize money and whether they were left or right-handed, are there for fun. McDonald was named an ITA All-American in singles for three straight years. Toward the end of 2003, Henin managed to find her way to the world No. Opening Round Complete at the 2023 ITA Division III Womens Indoor 2023 Division III Womens National Team Indoor Championship: Dates, Locations, Streaming, College Tennis In the Community: Teams Give Back In The Month Anthony Montero Named ITA Director of Officiating and General Counsel, Berry College Head Mens and Womens Tennis Coach, John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA) at SPORTIME Immediate Tennis Professional/Coach Openings. To come to our conclusions and rank the best female tennis players of all time, we performed an in-depth analysis of the games most accomplished female athletes. UCLAs 76 team featured Brian Teacher, Peter Fleming, Ferdi Taygan and John Austin. 1; 2; First Prev 2 of 2 Go to page. Goulds takeaway: You never say never, but there is no way a team will ever do what this team did. 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. Koepfer also became the first Tulane player to be ranked No. Rafa by Rafael Nadal, John Carlin. He is a three-time Olympic gold medalist (2016, 2020, 2020), three-time . Outside of singles, Navratilova has one of the most impressive doubles careers in history. He played college tennis for the University of Southern California (USC) and won the NCAA singles . And college tennis has changed so drastically that its insane to try to come up with an all-time collegiate top 10. USC, 1962-1964 In addition to his Grand Slam count, he has a convincing lead in our rankings over Jimmy Connors because he had a head-to-head record of 22-13 over Connors, which gives him a clear edge. 7. Despite that success, he found the majority of his dominance on hard courts. Trinity, 1962-1965 Chuck McKinley, Cliff Buchholz, Frank Froehling. He won the 1995 French Open, but he dominated in plenty of tournaments on clay courts as well. As a senior he got it right he beat Fred Stolle to win Wimbledon without dropping a set. Serena is not just force when playing individually. 3. 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. USC was led by Steve Johnson, who won 72 straight matches, was ranked No. Djokovic: 10. Potential student-athletes must meet minimum standards or benchmarks for acceptance into their particular school, with GPA, SAT scores, ACT scores taken into account. 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. Furthermore, Federer has notched 1,251 match wins with a winning rate of 81.98%. Norrie holds the mens singles title at the inaugural Oracle ITA Masters. 3. Frazier Tommy #4. He broke the top 100 following a run to the Lyon semifinals in 2018. 18 Basilashvili. 5/21/2021. 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. Pistol Pete never had clay-court success, which is what will ultimately keep him out of the top spot. After going 21-1 at the No. These days, the Olympics hold quite a bit of significance related to a players overall success and perception. Djokovic turned pro in 2003. 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 the NCSA recruiting network, general academic rankings by U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges, IPEDS graduation rates and IPEDS average cost after aid. Despite the challenge, here is my list of the 10 greatest male tennis players of the Open Era1968 to present. 1 ranking and, to date, has held that position for 319 weeks. However, against Djokovic, he trails slightly by 28-30. Novak Djokovic has held the No. M Men W Women. In 1980, he became world No. Leaving his mark on the college tennis landscape in 2010, Bradley Klahn etched his name in Stanford mens tennis history when he captured the 2010 NCAA Singles Championship. The team they beat Earnhart and Bond were also Trojans. Somewhat surprisingly, tennis didnt make it back into the Olympics until 1988, 64 years later. Nadal: 8. USC, 1962-1964 - Dennis Ralston, Rafael Osuna, Bill Bond, Tom Edlefsen, Ramsey Earnhart, Chuck Rombeau. He has won 15 ATP Tour titles. A helpful place to start when considering who might make a list of the best players of all time are the challenges we face making comparisons. The greatest tennis player of all time has to be none other than Roger Federer. And as fabulous as USCs singles lineup was, their doubles teams with Bill Bond, Tom Edlefson and Ramsey Earnhart were even stronger. However, he wouldnt play his first ATP tour event until 2004, and hed claim his first ATP title in 2006. Bjrn also won 66 titles. He still walked away from the sport with three Grand Slam titles, and recently made a comeback to continue playing the game he loves. 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. 1 for the first time, a position he held for a total of 170 weeks throughout his career. Overall, his list of accomplishments is beyond impressive, and for years, it looked as if no one would ever come close to matching his success on the court. The team won two titles, in 70 (sans Jimbo) and in 71. 5. And college tennis has changed so drastically that it's insane to try to come up with an all-time collegiate top 10. Looking back on the history of Grand Slam events, the Australian Open is a bit of an outlier. 1 Roger Federer Roger Federer (born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss former professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No. 1. Ken Rosewall. Our writers made the case for Djokovic, Pete Sampras, Rafael Nadal, Bjorn Borg and Roger Federer. My name is Gavin and I've played tennis for more than 30 years and love to share my knowledge about the sport. By the time he was 21 years old, he already had a U.S. Open and Wimbledon title to his name. In their 34 meetings, his record was 14-20. Some of the most famous players under his tutelage include Ken McGregor . 3 behind Jeff Borowiak, who would become No. 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. Of course, Rafael Nadals career isnt over yet, and at 35 years old, he still has plenty of time to improve upon his standing as the best player of all-time against Roger Federer if he chooses to continue to compete for a few years. Whether you agree with it or not as a criterion, its frequently woven into arguments of whos the best. 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. Heres the beauty of college tennis a supremely individual sport becomes a wonderful team endeavor. Losing 11 drops him a bit, but he was still a complete player nobody wanted to face in his prime. 10. Another area where its challenging to compare players is how heavily to weigh individual stats. -The ITF is a key ranking in the junior and professional levels. Brandon Nakashima | University of Virginia. Johnson anchored the Trojans to four consecutive NCAA Team Championships and collected two NCAA Singles Championships for himself. 2. Where does your favorite college tennis teams and players rank across the country and the world? 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. A few years later, in 1995, he achieved the world No. Henin saw success immediately on the WTA tour, winning her first tour event as a wildcard at the Belgian Open in Antwerp. Thread starter Clemson_tennis; Start date May 28, 2012; Prev. Although she was young, she delivered solid performances and made deep runs at several tournaments. Required fields are marked *. 3 in singles and collected three Slam doubles championships, they went 36-0 and won the NCAAs for the only time in school history. 1 player in the world. Rankings. 6/22/2021. At the time, the Cardinal (who would go on to win the NCAAs that year) were ranked #1, Trinity #2. With that said, there is still time for Nadal, and I do believe if his body can hold up, he can overtake Federer. Read our weekly recap of the 5 most interesting things we dig up in tennis. Women's Tennis. However, she was denied the opportunity by the WTA due to age restrictions. 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. One thing is for sure, these types of lists will continue to change as new players emerge. Home > Opinion > 10+ Best Tennis Players of All Time, Improve your game alongside our community of tennis players. Seles claimed her final Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in 1996 and was a successful player until 2003, although her official retirement didnt come until 2008. Regardless, working through the data and thinking through the logic behind how one might rank players is a fun exercise. He came back from two sets down to beat him 36, 26, 64, 75, 75. 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 1977, Borg reached the world No. Venus turned pro at the early age of 14 in 1994 when she played her first WTA tournament. The following year the pair fell just short of repeating their doubles title falling to Middle Tennessee State duo Marco Born and Andreas Siljestrm. 5 ranking. He led his nation to its only Davis Cup final. Heading into the 2020 US Open, he ranks No. Heading into the US Open, Isner is ranked No. 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. John McEnroe was perhaps the sweetest recruiting plum in college history. USC, 2011-2013. 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. However, should we value player Bs three additional Grand Slam titles over player As 125 extra titles in total? Yea, if a tennis player is not in the top 50 by 18 they'll never make it. The argument is that no single player controls the outcome of a given doubles match, let alone a teams performance throughout an entire tournament. Awards: 3x National College Player of the Year, 3x ACC Player of the Year, ACC Rookie of the Year, 3x . Even though he never won Wimbledon, he did win the Australian Open when it was on the grass. Outside of singles, Serena has had a successful career in doubles, primarily competing with her sister. Trinity, 1972 Dick Stockton, Brian Gottfried, Bob McKinley. Hes been as consistent as any player in tennis history, and even as he approaches 40 years old, he still is a Grand Slam threat. Furthermore, she helped the United States win eight Fed Cup titles, including six consecutive from 1977-1982. Please try logging back in or call customer support at 1-800-990-8782 for assistance. Jimmy Connors. In 1971, Goolagong managed to reach the world No. Conversely, some players like Roger Federer manage to go injury-free for the better part of their careers. 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 singles tennis is the more popular discipline, playing doubles still carries significant weight and requires a unique skill set that many fans believe distinguishes one player from the next. 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. Moreover, the Dutch is in place #59 of the best college tennis players of the moment, her highest ranking ever. 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. If not for Federer, he likely would have won a few more trophies along the way. 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. 8 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 4 Australian, 2 French, 2 US Open. Despite his success, he had a unique relationship with the slams. 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. 1 through 4 and gladly made sacrifices for a team that went 28-0 and scored 26 shutouts. Her Grand Slam titles include 11 at the Australian Open, five at the French Open, three at Wimbledon, and five at the US Open totaling 24. The result earned her a total of 129 titles, 67 that were during the Open Era. Serena Williams is one of the greatest Tennis players of all time, male or female. They were just nails, from top to bottom. 1. <br><br>After completing my Master's degree at Minnesota, I . 1 ranking for the first time and held it for a total of 286 weeks throughout his career. Stanford, 1973-1974 In 65, even without Pasarell, the Bruins broke USCs three-year stranglehold on the championships.