9. In honor of the US Open kicking off today, we are highlighting their legendary collegiate careers that prepared them for this moment. Borg won 11 Grand Slam titles, six at the French Open and five at Wimbledon. Roger Federer. Stanford, 1998 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. Born on June 1, 1982, Justine Henin is a Belgium tennis player who turned pro in 1999 at 17. Where does your favorite college tennis teams and players rank across the country and the world? Furthermore, not all titles are equal. Throughout their careers, the two played 34 times, and Sampras won 20 of those matches. 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. ranking, but despite her success, she only held that post for two weeks throughout her career. Not surprisingly, the 78 team had some feisty moments. Birthplace: Chennai, India. However, it wasnt until 2000 when Venus would capture her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, one of seven total five at Wimbledon and two at the US Open. However, he was also banned or chose to skip out on the French Open from 1974 1978 due to his World Team Tennis association. 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. These days, the Olympics hold quite a bit of significance related to a players overall success and perception. The left-hander could spin the ball anywhere, and had put-away volleys that were unseen at the time. He will be seeking his first tour-level win at the Open. Grass. UCLA,1971 However, as you get deeper into the rankings, narrowing down candidates becomes a bit more challenging. The greatest male tennis player of all time is Roger Federer. Indeed, the Buckeyes are just as attractive to aspiring college . But it is far from the only thing on coaches' minds as . Although he competed at the French Open and Wimbledon in 1977, McEnroe officially turned pro in 1978. Top Tennis Players Ever. The Australian reached #1 at a very young age, and his overall career success started younger than most players in general. I have actually included 11 players here with two greats tied for the 10th position. Off of clay, his main rivals are superior. 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. Top 100 College Football Players Of All Time Quiz - By forrestsancomb. 5 Point Friday In total, Nadal has claimed an unprecedented 13 French Open titles. 10. Smith, the Leaning Tower of Pasadena, went on to win Wimbledon and the US Open and become No. He made the decision to turn pro in December of 2019. He won the 1995 French Open, but he dominated in plenty of tournaments on clay courts as well. Between 2004-2008 he was number one for a . King returned the following year and made it to the third round. 3 in the world and was the only player to win NCAA singles and doubles titles back to back. Roger Federer. Hes another casualty of the Roger Federer era, constantly going up against him and other greats during any deep runs in tournaments. However, the divide makes it particularly tough to compare player accomplishments. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Ma Long. No problemo. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. No other female tennis player has won eight. 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. Steffi is right-handed with a one-handed backhand and our pick for the greatest female tennis player ever. 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%. He goes into the event ranked No. WTA Tour-WTA Homepage-See which former college tennis student-athletes are in the women's professional . Another factor that often arises when selecting the best players of all time is the depth of field or how many elite players were competing during any highly successful players time on tour. Steffi Graf is the only player in history, male or female, to achieve this feat in a calendar year. 1; 2; First Prev 2 of 2 Go to page. During that year, she also managed to help Belgium win the Fed Cup. British standout Cameron Norrie set numerous records during the three years he played for the Horned Frogs. Popular Quizzes Today. Australian Rod Laver was born on August 3, 1938, and players and fans widely regard him as one of the greatest players of all time. 3. Awards: 3x National College Player of the Year, 3x ACC Player of the Year, ACC Rookie of the Year, 3x . In his final season with the Bruins, McDonald won not only the NCAA Singles Championships, but also the NCAA Doubles Championships with Martin Redlicki. Despite that, she did compete in a professional tournament that year but didnt perform well. Against Federer, Nadal has an impressive 24-16 record. A list that gives the top 10 tennis players of all time! He . 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. New posts Search forums. Thats why some people will put him third. In 2008, Nadal became the worlds No. Longevity is another factor to consider. In 1966, King became the world No. She also won the Australian Open to start 1993 before a deranged fan stabbed her in April. better than all others in quality or value. 1 in the singles and doubles Oracle ITA Rankings. Each is worth considering when ranking players. Agassi was well known for his rivalry against all-time great Pete Sampras. 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. Regardless of your stance, the weight of specific stats or accomplishments will undoubtedly influence the ranking of players. He still walked away from the sport with three Grand Slam titles, and recently made a comeback to continue playing the game he loves. Beyond her success in singles, Venus achieved stellar results in doubles with fourteen Grand Slam titles and three gold medals. Home > Opinion > 10+ Best Tennis Players of All Time, Improve your game alongside our community of tennis players. Georgia tennis and John Isner go hand in hand. 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. Winning only one Grand Slam title might not be impressive to the average person, but Andy Roddick had the challenge of coming up through the ranks at the same time as Roger Federer. Throughout her career, King ended up with a 695-155 record for a win rate of 81.76%. Kwiatkowski capped off a legendary collegiate career by winning the NCAA Singles Championships his senior year the fourth singles title in program history. 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. In the heart of the Depression, a hard-working Paris, Texas boy earned a bicycle from the Saturday Evening Post. 1 ranking, which she held for 117 weeks throughout her career. 124. However, out of all the finals he reached, he only won eight Grand Slams. Weeks at number 1: 72. I created a custom vibration dampener thats compatible with all racquets and string patterns. 75.9%. In four years at Pitt, the smooth runner, named in a 2016 ESPN coaches' poll as the 10th-best college player of all time, dodged and weaved his way to a then-record 6,082 career rushing yards. 21. Frazier Tommy #4. This fact was significant because these were arguably his peak years, winning five of his eight Grand Slam titles during this time and denying him the opportunity to complete a Grand Slam that year when he won all other majors. 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. 5. Pasarell was a superb player, a powerful political force, and, as the desert prince who created the Indian Wells tournament, a game changer. Ashe won the singles, and then the doubles with Ian Crookenden. Although her career has slowed, Venus Williams competes in a limited number of tournaments on the WTA tour and has not yet made it clear when she intends to retire. Highest Ranking. John McEnroe is another of the greatest male tennis players of all time. He is currently ranked No. However, it wasnt until 1992 that he earned his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, playing Goran Ivanievi in a tough five-set match. To be clear, we dont perceive one tour as better or worse than the other. However, there are players who make winning Grand Slams a habit and win numerous titles at prestigious events. So let's get started! Billie Jean King is an icon in the tennis world, dominating her field for almost a decade as she won an astonishing 129 titles which included 12 Grand Slams. In their 34 meetings, his record was 14-20. 11 - Boris Becker. Tennis Strategy by Grant Grinnell. You have entered an incorrect email address! The Ohio State University. McDonald was named an ITA All-American in singles for three straight years. BTW: Whitlinger beat Hagey to claim the singles crown, and would coach Stanford for a decade. And college tennis has changed so drastically that its insane to try to come up with an all-time collegiate top 10. After going 21-1 at the No. 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. Of course, we had to make the cutoff somewhere, so here are a few additional men worth noting. Passion - 6. These character traits, when combined, will produce exceptional, top-tier results, as evidenced by the accomplishments of the coaches and their tennis programs. The US Open will be his first tour-level event since resumption of the ATP Tour. Henin saw success immediately on the WTA tour, winning her first tour event as a wildcard at the Belgian Open in Antwerp.