5 player Peter Rennert would reach No. 6. Similarly, is it more impressive that a player wins a Grand Slam at the age of 16 or 35? 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. His dominance at an older age shows just what he was possible of if he came along a little bit later. Stanford, 1973-1974 Kwiatkowski capped off a legendary collegiate career by winning the NCAA Singles Championships his senior year the fourth singles title in program history. There was USCs 58 squad, led by Perus Modesto Junior College transfer Alex Olmedo, who won the NCAA singles and doubles and led the US to the Davis Cup title. 8, and the considerable Brian Gottfried, ,who rose to No. USC was led by Steve Johnson, who won 72 straight matches, was ranked No. 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. In 1971, Goolagong managed to reach the world No. Andy Lloyd was a Forest Hills quarterfinalist and Butch Newman lost only one dual match in his collegiate career. 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 Bruin was named an ITA All-American in singles and doubles. With that in mind, let's take a sneak peak at the top 25 South American players of all time! -The ITA lists the top teams and players in the country at all levels of college tennis. During that year, she also managed to help Belgium win the Fed Cup. In July of 2011, Djokovic became world No. She also won a bronze medal at the Summer Olympics in Syndey, Australia. When I was a young kid and teenager, he was incredible at learning how I learn and making me the . Some, such as prize money and whether they were left or right-handed, are there for fun. 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. Dad Racket was created exclusively as a one-stop resource to answer all your tennis questions. In 72, four of the eight quarterfinalists Stockton, Gottfried, McKinley and Paul Gerken were Trinitonians. Stefanos Tsitsipas Tennis Racket What Does He Use? Djokovic turned pro in 2003. 15 Best Colleges for Tennis Scholarships in 2021 - Online Schools Center Mental toughness, confidence, and a positive attitude were also mentioned several times in the responses. As a senior, Isner led the Bulldogs to a perfect 32-0 record and the programs fifth NCAA Team Championship. In the process, you learn a lot about our sport, especially if youre younger and didnt have the opportunity to witness players who are now retired or, in some cases, no longer living. Since leaving Fort Worth, Norrie has reached as high as No. Best College Football Players of All Time, Ranked - 247Sports That statistic would show how consistently the . Roger Federer retires: Ranking 10 greatest tennis players of all time 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. That year, Laver claimed the Wimbledon title. He closed out his career with USC on a 72 match win streak. Nakashima turned pro ranked No. For example, if one player has a winning record against a player with straight-set victories is more compelling than a player who has a winning record where every match was highly competitive and could have gone either way. However, as far as Grand Slam titles go, his record-tying 20 include one at the Australian Open, two at Wimbledon, and four at the US Open. Somewhat surprisingly, tennis didnt make it back into the Olympics until 1988, 64 years later. Another area where its challenging to compare players is how heavily to weigh individual stats. 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. King returned the following year and made it to the third round. He started playing professional tennis in 1998 and was dominating the sport after defeating Andre Agassi at the US Open in 2005. He has six Grand Slam titles in the Open Era, with an additional six before. In his short career, Bjorn Borg was able to accomplish a lot. 6. Some might think this pick is a bit controversial, but its hard to argue with the statistics. Of course, the point isnt to diminish the value of any players success at the tournament. 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. Throughout the years, there have been many great tennis players who have made a name for themselves. While still at USC, he managed to win three doubles Grand Slams and reach two other Slam finals. The argument is that no single player controls the outcome of a given doubles match, let alone a teams performance throughout an entire tournament. However, against Djokovic, he trails slightly by 28-30. From 2004 to 2007, Federer asserted significant dominance winning 11 of the 15 Grand Slam events during this period. 24) Ralph Sampson (Virginia) College Averages: 16.9 points, 1.2 assists, 11.4 rebounds. With that in mind, its common that fans heavily debate the topic of the best male and female tennis players of all time, and our list of the best players will likely differ from others, which is part of the fun. 1 in the world, but was only No. Sharing the all-time Grand Slam men's singles titles record is Roger Federer, from Switzerland. 1. 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. 163 which is a career record. 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. Top 10 Greatest Tennis Players (Male) of All Time When considering the best tennis players of all time, its tempting to rank male and female tennis players right alongside each other. She holds seven titles at the Australian Open, three at the French Open, seven at Wimbledon, and six at the US Open. Top Tennis Players Ever. College Tennis Rankings 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. His performances in 2015 and 2021 were equally impressive on many levels, both years earning three Grand Slam titles. However, Evert posted a handful of impressive results as early as 1970 while competing as a junior, including a win over world No. However, he wouldnt play his first ATP tour event until 2004, and hed claim his first ATP title in 2006. These days, the Olympics hold quite a bit of significance related to a players overall success and perception. Like Rod Laver, Ken Rosewell came along when the Open Era was just beginning. Vernon Gholston, the powerhouse defensive end, easily claims the title. This question a few years ago was Federer and Federer only, but now he has company. He only won five Grand Slams, but thats because he was playing right during the start of the Open Era. In 1999, Venus saw quite a bit of additional success, which would push her year-end ranking to No. Norrie finished his collegiate career ranked 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. If most of a players head-to-head matches against Rafa fall on clay, he will likely have a losing record overall against him. Born November 22, 1943, in America, Billie Jean King has had a tremendous impact on the sport during and after her retirement. 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. 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 . Toley said he could put together a third team that would win this thing 50 percent of the time. In one match they beat UCLA, with Arthur Ashe and Charlie Pasarell, 9-0. Born in Belleville, IL, in 1952, Jimmy Connors is an American tennis player who turned pro in 1972 at the age of 20. In his final season with the Bruins, McDonald won not only the NCAA Singles Championships, but also the NCAA Doubles Championships with Martin Redlicki. She can establish herself as a powerful server and pro athlete in the field of tennis. Top 10 Greatest Men's Tennis Players of All Time: 10. Jimmy Connors reached the world No. In March 1991, Seles replaced Stefi Graf as world No. However, he never managed to win the French Open, where his best result was a semi-final appearance in 1996. Menu. In 73, Stanford was on the cusp of greatness. Trinity, 1972 Dick Stockton, Brian Gottfried, Bob McKinley. 15 Best Tennis Players of All Time. In addition to his Grand Slam success, Federer has claimed 103 ATP titles, the most ever behind Jimmy Connors in the Open Era. Shed only lose one more match the entire year to Navratilova, going an astounding 75-2 for the year. Find the Countries of Europe - No Outlines Minefield. He goes into the event ranked No. Husband to Steffi Graf, a shoo-in for one of the top spots in the best female tennis players of all time, Agassi comes in at number 8 on the tennisbros.com's list. 9. A three-time All-American and one of . Although many people would agree on the data, qualities, or attributes that make one player better than others, theres ultimately personal opinion injected. Here are a few of the factors that present challenges when drawing comparisons. 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. A year later, in 1987, Stefi Graf won her first Grand Slam tournament at the French Open, defeating Martina Navratilova, another top player and world No. Caroline Wozniacki. Stefi Graf retired from professional tennis in 1999 and earned her spot in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004. However, he decided to turn professional to start 1963, which meant he couldnt compete in any Grand Slam Events through 1967. 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. During his long 24 year career, the most of any male player in our top ten list, he had many accomplishments, but one of his most significant is his 109 titles, the most in the Open Era. 10 Hottest Female Tennis Players (2023 Updated) - Total Shape 101 after qualifying at Cincinnati.