Mac and Bill Maze were the best doubles team in the country. Smith, the Leaning Tower of Pasadena, went on to win Wimbledon and the US Open and become No. Goldstein reached No. 1 in the Oracle ITA Singles Rankings. But something happened in the last 20 years. Help us better understand the makeup of our tennis community. TOP 10 MEN'S COLLEGE TEAMS OF ALL TIME - Inside Tennis 368. 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. In 2012 he won the silver in London, and in 2008 he won the Gold in Beijing. Its relatively easy to identify who deserves to be near the top of the list for the best male tennis players of all time. 30+ Best 2000s Men's Tennis Players | Top 00s Male Tennis Players - Ranker And he won the singles at the 63 US Nationals at Forest Hills. The King of Clay is thought of by some as the greatest tennis player of all time. As a senior he got it right he beat Fred Stolle to win Wimbledon without dropping a set. Heading into the 2020 US Open, McDonald is ranked No. That was only his sophomore year. Amazingly, at UCLA, Jimbo often played No. He and Lutz won five Slam titles. In 2002, he turned professional at the age of 15, and he quickly began posting results. 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. 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. In his prime, Andy Murray was every bit as good as any of the Big Three tennis players. Where would Serena Williams rank in male rankings? - Quora Yet if you lose a top player, all can be lost. Between 2004-2008 he was number one for a . However, while tennis is now an active sport in the Summer Olympics, it wasnt always that way. Stanford, 1973-1974 Sandy Mayer, Pat DuPre, Jim Delaney, John Whitlinger. As challenging as it is to make a list of the best female tennis players of all time, there has to be a cutoff, despite many other players significant achievements. To that end, here are a few additional women that didnt make the top ten, but we felt worth mentioning. UCLAs 76 team featured Brian Teacher, Peter Fleming, Ferdi Taygan and John Austin. In 1968, the Open Era began, which allowed professional players to compete in Grand Slam events. She also had an impressive career record of 704-165, winning 81% of her matches. 1 in the singles and doubles Oracle ITA Rankings. 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 . The winner of three Wimbledon championships, he finished his career with six Grand Slams overall. She holds three Gold medals in doubles with her sister Venus and earned a singles gold at the 2012 London Olympics. 2 at USC. The big reason why thats the case is that Rafael Nadal won them all during his prime. She appeared in the semi-finals at the French Open and competed against Venus Williams in the finals of Wimbledon. 2023 by Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). 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. 5 ranking. Dad Racket was created exclusively as a one-stop resource to answer all your tennis questions. Definitely. The greatest male tennis player of all time is Roger Federer. Wolf turned professional a little over a year ago in July of 2019. 2. 6. Shop official NCAA team and championship gear . After all, if someone is coming up with their list of the best tennis players of all time, they might want to consider the whole player beyond their talents on the court. But in 72, Trinity enticed USC to come to San Antonio for a dual match, dubbed the Super Bowl of Tennis. In the three years that followed, Seles was dominant, winning six of the eight Grand Slam events in 1991 and 1992. 1 in the world in 1983, and he held that post for a total of 270 weeks throughout his career. Rankings. He finished his collegiate career ranked No. 10 - Jimmy Connors. -Search for former college tennis stars on the men's professional tour. In doing so, Djokovic is only one of three players to have achieved a double career Grand Slam along with Roy Emerson and Rod Laver. He was named the ITA Player of the Year in his final two seasons. Hes very close, and having 20 Grand Slams to his name will keep his name in the discussion for quite a while. 10+ Best Tennis Players of All Time | Men & Women + Stats 2. However, her first Grand Slam victory came a few years later at the French Open in 1971, which she quickly followed up with a win at Wimbledon as well. He led his nation to its only Davis Cup final. 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. The greatest tennis player of all time has to be none other than Roger Federer. Compared to last year, her UTR has even improved considerably, well done Daevenia! When she was 9, she moved with her family (including fellow tennis great and sister Venus) to Florida. Federer is the player that has the most Grand Slam titles in the world (20) and is second behind Djokovic in most weeks spent at the world No.1 spot. 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. When it came to team competition, King helped lead the United States to 11 victories, four of which she was the captain. The Best Tennis Players Of All Time - The Tennis Trend Since turning pro, Anderson has won six titles and reached the finals of both Wimbledon and the US Open. He is certainly the best player ever on clay court, as his 14 French Open titles are likely never to be touched. 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. The list of his accomplishments in tennis goes on and on. He won it in 1974 and reached the finals in 1975, so he certainly missed out on some golden opportunities. Djokovic: 10. List of the best men's tennis players from 2000s, listed by popularity with photos of the players when available. 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. However, adversity comes in all shapes and sizes. A few years later, in 1995, he achieved the world No. The Outsider by Jimmy Connors. 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. 1, and has a more diverse record for Grand Slam events, while Nadals success heavily skews toward clay. Somewhat surprisingly, tennis didnt make it back into the Olympics until 1988, 64 years later. Your Admin status expires in$(daysToExpire) days! Without a doubt, Kings most successful years were from 1966 to 1975. Tennis Channel/USTA College Tennis Top 25. 21 in the world. Born on August 8, 1981, in Switzerland, Roger Federer is one of the most dominant players in the history of our sport with a massive number of impressive stats that will cement him as one of the greatest players of all time. Longevity is another factor to consider. 11 - Boris Becker. Furthermore, he was never able to win the US Open despite four appearances in the finals. She also appeared in five finals, where her opponent defeated her. Some might think this pick is a bit controversial, but its hard to argue with the statistics. USC, 1967-1968 He won 8 Grand Slam titles, an Olympic gold medal, spent 101 weeks as the world number one, and received over $31 million in . He started playing professional tennis in 1998 and was dominating the sport after defeating Andre Agassi at the US Open in 2005. . When I was a young kid and teenager, he was incredible at learning how I learn and making me the . 57 after reaching the third round in Barcelona in 2019. John McEnroe was perhaps the sweetest recruiting plum in college history. Beyond her success in singles, Venus achieved stellar results in doubles with fourteen Grand Slam titles and three gold medals. Her professional career started around the age of 16, and throughout her career, she achieved impressive results, perhaps most notably including her seven Grand Slam titles. He earned his Olympic gold medal in 1996 in Atlanta, GA. Agassi also was a solid contributor at the Davis Cup and helped lead the United States to three titles in 1990, 1992, and 1995. Johnson has finished the past six seasons ranked in the Top 100. She also made it to 11 other Grand Slam finals, where her opponent defeated her. 24) Ralph Sampson (Virginia) College Averages: 16.9 points, 1.2 assists, 11.4 rebounds. A few years later, in 1978, Navratilova won her first singles Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, defeating Chris Evert. She also won the Australian Open to start 1993 before a deranged fan stabbed her in April. Born on October 18, 1956, in Czechoslovakia, Martina Navratilova also competed as a US citizen after receiving her citizenship in 1981. In honor of the US Open kicking off today, we are highlighting their legendary collegiate careers that prepared them for this moment. Nadal: 8. HONORABLE MENTIONS: Over the years there have been many fantastic teams. After qualifying at ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati, Wolf reached a career high ranking of 143. Just a couple of decades ago, many labeled Pete Sampras as the greatest tennis player of all time. She played her final singles match in 1983 at the Australian Open. These character traits, when combined, will produce exceptional, top-tier results, as evidenced by the accomplishments of the coaches and their tennis programs. 75.9%. 7. Our writers made the case for Djokovic, Pete Sampras, Rafael Nadal, Bjorn Borg and Roger Federer. At the time, the Cardinal (who would go on to win the NCAAs that year) were ranked #1, Trinity #2. 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. The 2020 US Open will be Kwiatkowskis first tour-level event since the resumption of the ATP Tour. In total, Goolagong won 86 titles, with 68 of them coming in the Open Era. He was the greatest clay-court player of all time until Rafael Nadal hit the scene, but it was his all-around game that caught attention from the very beginning. However, there are players who make winning Grand Slams a habit and win numerous titles at prestigious events. Serena Williams. Winning Ugly by Brad Gilbert, Steve Jamison. Both Sandy Mayer, who weeks later reached the Wimbledon semis and would rise to No. Stefanos Tsitsipas Tennis Racket What Does He Use? Caroline Wozniacki. In this article, well share our selection of the greatest players of all time, but well also discuss the challenges when ranking and why theyre important to keep in mind. Tennys Sandgren | University of Tennessee. For starters here are our top ten men's teams. 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. He is currently ranked No. He was a strong all-around player who could dominate in doubles as well. Although he competed at the French Open and Wimbledon in 1977, McEnroe officially turned pro in 1978. 10. Although many people would agree on the data, qualities, or attributes that make one player better than others, theres ultimately personal opinion injected. In 1966, King became the world No. Connors also holds eight Grand Slam titles, with one at the Australian Open, two at Wimbledon, and record-tying five at the US Open. UCLA, 1971 Top 10 Greatest Tennis Players (Male) of All Time - Sports Virsa He liked to play from the baseline and go for big shots, even when most of tennis was still serving and volleying. Ranked 128 in singles, Bradley has achieved so much success while on tour. 120 of the Best Tennis Books | Hand-picked Favorites Similarly, all of his Wimbledon titles were consecutive from 1976 -1980. 6. 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. ITA. 1. Players learning on the side through WTA University 10 Most famous Tennis players of all time - Sportskeeda When Boris Becker was on grass or indoor carpet courts, it was nearly impossible to beat him. -Discover the USTA's ratings in all divisions. When he first burst on the scene in the 1970s, that playing style was very much ahead of his time. He was the schools first champion since 2000. He broke the top 100 following a run to the Lyon semifinals in 2018. 1 ranking, and she earned this spot for a total of 260 weeks throughout her career. 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. She turned pro in 1959 and first competed in the US Open at the age of 15, and although her opponent eliminated her in the first round, she showed great promise. 15 Best College Players Of All Time | 2022 Ranking - Kiiky Nadal is perhaps one of the most interesting players to analyze regarding his performance on clay 13 of his 20 grand slam titles are on this surface, and 62 of his total 88 titles on clay. Some players have significantly longer careers than others. Men's Tennis Rankings - Tennis - ESPN He also has the most variety of Grand Slam titles, winning at least two at every major championship. These unique accomplishments certainly add weight to a players bid for consideration as one of the best players. Trinity, 1962-1965 Chuck McKinley, Cliff Buchholz, Frank Froehling. Bob Bryan won the singles championship over Goldstein. 3. She was also highly accomplished in doubles with 16 womens and 11 mixed doubles Grand Slam titles. In 1999, Venus saw quite a bit of additional success, which would push her year-end ranking to No. He has a 16-24 record against Nadal and an 18-20 record against Djokovic. Its just a matter of what is weighed most importantly in tennis. 6. There are really no holes in Federers game, other than having just one French Open title. 101 after qualifying at Cincinnati. These days, the Australian Open is a staple and a guaranteed stop for every player who qualifies. 17 in singles and No. However, at this stage in his career, Djokovic is particularly unique in that he continues to dominate and remain healthy, which means hes only going to extend his results and further cement his position as the greatest player ever to live. Active Career: 1983 - 1996. Then, in 1992 at the Barcelona Summer Olympics, she claimed silver in singles. As a result, many players who are considered the greatest of all time didnt have an opportunity to compete at the Olympics, which is noteworthy when evaluating a players rank. 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). Despite that, she did compete in a professional tournament that year but didnt perform well. 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. 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. 6 in Lance Tingay's amateur rankings. I created a custom vibration dampener thats compatible with all racquets and string patterns. Looking back on the history of Grand Slam events, the Australian Open is a bit of an outlier. Although she was young, she delivered solid performances and made deep runs at several tournaments. And college tennis has changed so drastically that its insane to try to come up with an all-time collegiate top 10. Rankings. Fourteen Former Men's Collegiate Players in US Open Singles Draw Do we believe player A holding the number one ranking for 20 more weeks is more valuable than player Bs five additional titles? Gould gave him space, and still says Mac was one of the most supportive team players hes ever had. During the 13 years that she won at least one Grand Slam event, she was absent from the event seven times. Earning the title as the most jacked football player is not an easy job. For 18 of 19 years Trinity University, with just 1,800 students, was ranked in the top four. College Tennis is for Losers - Dave Mullins - Tennis Recruiting 25 Greatest Tennis Players of All Time - Dad Racket 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. . The result earned her a total of 129 titles, 67 that were during the Open Era. 5. 1 ranking, which she held for 117 weeks throughout her career. A three-time All-American and one of . Nakashima only spent one season with the Cavaliers before turning pro, but he made the most of his time. Home Bracket Singles Bracket Doubles Bracket. For of the French Open titles were back to back from 1978 1981. 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. Your Safe Play Approval Expires in $(daysToExpire) days! Graf became the worlds No. Their loaded roster also included 77 collegiate champ Matt Mitchell. She holds an astounding 177 career titles, including 31 Grand Slam victories. Stefen Edenberg (born 19 January 1966) is a former Swedish world number 1 tennis player in singles and . Stanford, 1973-1974 Best Tennis Players Of All Time - Our Top10 List In 2022 - Tennis Hunters Serena Williams is one of the greatest Tennis players of all time, male or female. 1 player in the world. The following year the pair fell just short of repeating their doubles title falling to Middle Tennessee State duo Marco Born and Andreas Siljestrm. 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). Kwiatkowski capped off a legendary collegiate career by winning the NCAA Singles Championships his senior year the fourth singles title in program history. McDonald was named an ITA All-American in singles for three straight years. For example, suppose Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic never showed up in tennis. Top 10 Greatest Tennis Players (Male) of All Time 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. The Americans have fallen off the map. For a guy who is so well known for his outbursts on and off the court, some forget just how good he was. 1, which she held for 325 weeks, only surpassed by Martina Navratilova and Stefi Graf. Tennis players with most titles in the Open Era - Wikipedia Combine that with his dominance as world No. Some, such as prize money and whether they were left or right-handed, are there for fun. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for visiting my site. His highest career ranking is No. It wasnt that the professionals werent as talented, far from it. In 1967, she played at the Australian Open, her first Grand Slam event. Trinity, 1972 A Terrible Splendor by Marshall Jon Fisher. Indeed, the Buckeyes are just as attractive to aspiring college . 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. Many would say that this is the year Novak Djokovic finally took over as the greatest tennis player of all time. 1 and 2 in singles and doubles, and won back-to-back singles titles in 11 and 12. Djokovic is younger than the players #2 and #3 players on the list, and the most likely to add Grand Slams to his rsum. 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. Potential student-athletes must meet minimum standards or benchmarks for acceptance into their particular school, with GPA, SAT scores, ACT scores taken into account. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. 3. Tennis Strategy by Grant Grinnell. Hed add a record-tying 20 Grand Slam titles to his name with tremendous success at all of the tournaments, including nine at the Australian Open, two at the French Open, six at Wimbledon, and three at the US Open. John McEnroe Tennis Academy at SPORTIME Randall's Island. 1; 2; First Prev 2 of 2 Go to page. Of course the level of tennis is the other major factor. That statistic would show how consistently the . The official rankings page for college tennis including teams, singles and doubles. 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. 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. He came back from two sets down to beat him 36, 26, 64, 75, 75. Total prize money: $ 20,630,941. He will be seeking his first tour-level win at the Open. Best Men's Tennis Players of All Time - Ranker 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. He has won 15 ATP Tour titles. Thai-Son Kwiatkowski | University of Virginia. Join the conversation with other members of the community. Top 10 tennis coaches of all time - Sportskeeda After going 21-1 at the No. Writer Frank Deford suggested Toleys fellow coaches might well consider scheduling a separate tournament of their own at that asylum in Hartford., 2. The Australian finished his career with five Grand Slams, but is often overlooked by some of the greater players from his country. 269. In 2006, Kevin Anderson and Ryan Rowe became only the third Illinois duo to capture the NCAA Doubles Championship. He was named the ITA National Player of the Year and an ITA Singles All-American for the second consecutive year. Nakashima turned pro ranked No. The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey. In July of 2002, Serena first hit the world No. Andy Lloyd was a Forest Hills quarterfinalist and Butch Newman lost only one dual match in his collegiate career. Your Membership Expires in $(daysToExpire) days! Most can only . Against Federer, Nadal has an impressive 24-16 record. Vernon Gholston, the powerhouse defensive end, easily claims the title.