Many argue that of the top players, head-to-head performance should carry significant weight. Answer: I wouldnt say Lleyton Hewitt is top 20. He retired at the early age of 26 in 1984 and likely could have achieved significantly more if willing to continue competing. After all, if someone comes up with their list of the best tennis players of all time, they might consider the whole player beyond their talents on the court. (considering that in 1950 it was much more difficult to maintain a high level of fitness). Many of these top players even choose to skip these tournaments prior to the Grand Slam tournaments as they prefer to rest or simply practice with their coach or practice partners. Connors was banned from playing in the French Open in 1974 due to his association with World Team Tennis, and this prevented him from a possible Grand Slam sweep. When you compare players from different eras, then you cant say GS titles alone are enough to make someone GOAT. Ivan Lendl (Czech Republic) Ivan Lendl of Czechoslovakia reacts during the men's singles semi final on day twelve of the 1991 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 25, 1991. Grass is only one surface. Im not interested in your criteria for GOAT or your opinion of who is leading the race. He has come back from wrist injuries before but this knee injury will be the big test. 6. It also showed that the hungry herd of next generation contenders had arrived. If it makes you happy, leave and name whoever you want as your so called current and future GOAT for all the criteria you have mentioned. She holds seven titles at the Australian Open, three at the French Open, seven at Wimbledon, and six at the US Open. She narrowly missed that feat before the Open Era in 1965, only losing in the French Open finals. Although it would be a few years before her next Grand Slam title in 2002, Serena claimed 23 throughout her career. During that time period it was clear that Roger Federer was considered the greatest of all-time. Your disgraceful, disgusting and completely inaccurate accusations of cheating is utter nonsense! I watched Ken Rosewall play during the latter part of his career and at the time probably did not realize the greatness I was watching. Jan-Ove Waldner is a Swedish former table tennis player. However, he wouldnt play his first ATP tour event until 2004 and claimed his first ATP title in 2006. Question: Why isn't Borris Becker on the list of greatest men's tennis players? Create a free account and explore my latest videos below, Before diving into the many nuances of ranking the best players of all time, lets clarify what I mean by best.. Navratilova was WTA world No. But something happened along the way, and by the time he finished his 20-year career, I was not only a fan but I had also come to respect him as a great player and spokesman for the game. Question: How would you rate Lleyton Hewitt? Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe werent universally liked, but I was a massive fan of John McEnroes game, regardless of his behaviour. 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. Grand Slam singles titles will be the deciding factor of the GOAT after all 3 players have retired. When there are significant gaps in achievements from one player to the next, its easier for people to agree on which player is the best. I grew up playing tennis in the 1970s, which was a great time for the sport of tennis. Theres no right or wrong answer, but its worthy of consideration and, in some cases, can add significant weight to a players ranking as the best of all time. Throughout her career, she won 43 titles with a record of 525-115 for a winning rate of 82%. THE END. I believe that Ivan Lendl actually said it the best when he mentioned in an interview in May this year that Rod Laver is currently the best of the pre mens Open era but he also said that until all 3 of Djokovic, Federer and Nadal have retired, whoever ends up with the most Grand Slam singles titles is the greatest player of all time. This action is unlawful because the players once ready can serve whenever they want unless there is an emergency. 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 Rafael Nadal has only matched. 1GS title = 13 weeks !!! And also during the time Nadal was experiencing greater struggles with injuries. She turned pro in 1959 and first competed in the US Open at 15, and although her opponent eliminated her in the first round, she showed great promise. Example: Rafa Nadal has 10% more GS than Nole and at the same time Nole has 33% more weeks as a world No 1 than Rafa. Maria . 1 ranking for the first time, a position she held briefly throughout her career for eleven weeks. Finally, how convincing a defeat over a player throughout their head-to-head meetups might be worth considering. Federer is not the best. She was also highly accomplished in doubles, with 16 womens and 11 mixed doubles Grand Slam titles. That said, let's take a look at the top 10 best tennis players of all time. How fortunate for us that we get to see two of the greatest players of all-time play. Perhaps at another point, Ill consider the group as a whole. By Anefo / Croes, R.C. All I have been saying is I want Nadal to end up winning more Grand Slam titles than Federer. Yet, Federer still loses the majority of the big matches to Djokovic and Nadal for most of his career. In 1971, Goolagong reached the worlds No. He claimed three Grand Slams and five ATP Masters titles with significant wins against his two biggest rivals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. He has won 8 Wimbledon Championships, 6 Australian Open titles, 5 US Open titles, and 1 French Open Championship. The Davis Cup hasnt had that many top players playing consistently each year and its now best of 3 sets. #1. Additionally, he holds the record for more wins at 1,274 than any other player in the Open Era. Does it make him a better player for staying injury-free all those years, enabling him to participate in more tournaments and giving him extra opportunities to win? Its challenging enough to reach reasonable conclusions on the best players without mixing the ATP and WTA tours. He won the calendar Grand Slam twice. 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. I also don't care if I'm the only person with has this opinion. Perhaps at some point, I will re-evaluate? Shed only lose one more match the entire year to Navratilova, going an astounding 75-2 for the year. Rene Lacoste goes way back, but he has an impressive resume, and who hasnt owned one of his trademark crocodile shirts at some point. The tennis GOAT Mr. Federer may retire soon, but his legacy is sealed. He was briefly ranked number 1 in the world in 1998, but he failed to win a Grand Slam championship and has only 18 career titles to his resume. Home > Opinion > 10+ Best Tennis Players of All Time, Improve your game alongside our community of tennis players. Both Nadal and Djokovic are ACHIEVERS only. Clearly more comfortable on hard courts and grass, how do we decide one's place when they dominate on one surface and struggle on another? Novak Djokovic is on top of the tennis world. 1 ranking, and she earned this spot for 260 weeks throughout her career. Rod Laver is the Greatest Tennis Player of All Time. He only lost one set on his way to securing Grand Slam title number 22. Likewise, Monica Seles could easily have ended up with more Grand Slam singles titles than Graf, had Seles not been stabbed. There is no such thing as a GOAT. Evert is the only female tennis player who won seven titles at the French Open. No one dominated tennis more during the mid-1970s than Jimmy Connors. 1973.10.15. Here is some information that will help you sound like an Arthur Ashe aficionado the next time you get talking tennis. Rao Srinivas, you forgot to mention the quality of opposition Federer had in the first 5 years of his career, compared to the quality of opposition Nadal and Djokovic had when they started their careers, which was far tougher. Like many players in his time, Bjrn only played the Australian Open once during his career, which potentially limited his Grand Slam count. With the likes of Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Chris Evert, and others, there were plenty of personalities to fuel the rivalries that took place on and off the court. Question: Where does Lew Hoad rank among the best tennis players of all-time? He also won eight Grand Slams, all majors except the French Open, and holds a joint record with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic for the most runner-up appearances at Grand Slam events totaling 11. Believe me, they are not discussing who is or who will end up being the GOAT, who is number 1, who has won the most ATP tournaments, who has played tennis the longest, etc. HHfan, you cannot be serious! We have seen Nadal and Djokovic being cheaters; that is a fact, the records are right there. Born on March 7, 1960, in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia, Ivan Lendl had an impressive career that began in 1978 when he turned pro. Your logic is pathetic! Ivan Lendl. Anyone who says otherwise is talking complete nonsense! Another area where comparing players is challenging is how heavily to weigh individual stats. 2) Bjorn Borg retired very early - it was his decision, not injury. The quiet and stoic Czech with the big serve was the most dominant player of the 1980s. I strongly believe you can only go by who ends up with the most Grand Slam singles titles after all 3 have retired. The big 3 in Djokovic, Nadal and Federer have never won the Grand Slam, 4 Grand Slam titles in the 1 calendar year. Despite his success, he had a unique relationship with the slams. Borg dominated Wimbledon, winning the title five consecutive years from 1976 to 1980. Serena also had a successful career in doubles, primarily competing with her sister. 10. In both men's and women's tennis, we have household names like Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Serena Williams. No other female tennis player has won eight. From 2004 to 2007, Federer asserted significant dominance winning 11 of the 15 Grand Slam events. The fact that Nadal has won only 1 less Grand Slam singles title than Federer in 20 less Grand Slam singles tournaments is a magnificent achievement by Nadal. 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. Underneath was a highly competitive athlete who hated to lose, and he sometimes let his emotions get the best of him. The committee believes that individuals like yourself are entitled to their opinion like anyone else but Federer has been asked his opinion and more importantly, he accepts the behaviour of both Nadal and Djokovic. Likewise, Nadal excels on clay so he would have a distinct advantage when playing on this surface. Congratulations Mickey Donev. If ever there was a fairy tale story about tennis this would surely be the script. While he has indicated that he will return in 2024 for once last season, we will have to wait to see if he can recover and recapture his form. In the 1970s, Lavers dominance in Grand Slam events diminished due to his commitments with the National Tennis League and World Champion Tennis tours, where he remained dominant. If the above points are not addressed, then you can only go by the number of Grand Slam singles titles won by each player after they have all stopped competing in Grand Slam singles tournaments because unfortunately injuries are part of the game and Federer has been the least injury prone of the 3 for their careers. There will be another. The highest ranked players who earn the most can afford to have multiple coaches, fitness experts, cooks, etc. 10. As a Nadal fan, I couldn't care less about the 1 number ranking, who has been number 1 for the most number of weeks, even if Nadal was that person, to be perfectly honest. As both players are still competing for things could certainly change, but for that to happen, I think Nadal needs to prove his head-to-head dominance on hard/fast surfaces. 2022 was a tumultuous year for Djokovic. Gonzalo, dont worry about character. Nadal is only one Grand Slam title behind Federer, and has played in less than 20 Grand Slam tournaments than Federer and has had to miss many more Grand Slam tournaments than Federer. Sorry for my English. Question: Why is your top 10 missing Pancho Gonzalez on the list? We believe that Rod Lavers achievement of winning the The Grand Slam Twice, four calendar Grand Slam titles in the one year will never be equalled, let alone overtaken. However, it wasnt until 2000 that Venus would capture her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, one of seven total five at Wimbledon and two at the US Open. If you take clay court matches out of the mix, Federer has the advantage of 13-10 in head-to-head matches. As fans, many of us have our favorite players we appreciate for their style of play, how they present themselves, their off-court demeanor, and a variety of additional criteria. Likewise Federer. 1 ranking for longer than any other player in history at 381 weeks and currently has 93 titles. I only saw him play at the end of his career, but after reviewing his record, I do think it would be appropriate to include him. The Security Guards at future tennis matches between the pair will be more vigilant. What any one says will be irrelevant compared to the actual proof, the history. What shouldnt be allowed Gonzalo is the excessive one sided cheering for all of Federers matches. I would argue that Federer would not have won as many Grand Slam singles titles as he did, had both Djokovic and Nadal started their careers at the same time.

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