Legends in the History of Tennis
Tennis' current greats are hoping to either keep serve or climb up the rankings. We're counting down the top ten tennis players of all time.
10. Billie Jean King
The 10th spot is reserved for a king well, Billie Jean King. Not only did she help elevate the women's game, but she left a lasting mark on the game itself. Her play totaled 39 grand slam titles including 12 as an individual in her prolific career.
9. Chris Evert
It didn't take much effort to find a spot for Chris Evert on this list and she comes in at number nine. Evert has 18 grand slam singles titles to her name and was the year-end number-one ranked player every year except 1979 from 74-81. So she is certainly worthy of a top 10 ranking here.
8. Rod Laver
Number eight still holds a record, as Rod Laver was ranked number one in nine different years, which still stands as the all-time mark. The Australian was clearly at the top of the tennis world both right before and after the beginning of the Open era.
7. Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras comes in at number seven. Sampras won 14 slam singles titles at the time, a record for men that included being the youngest ever man to win the U.S open as he defeated his rival Andre Agassi to claim a championship before even turning the age of 20. He won the U.S Open again in 2002, his fifth again over Agassi.
6. Martina Navratilova
Martina Navratilova was the best singles, doubles, and mixed doubles player in history. It's easy to understand why, given that Navratilova amassed a stunning total of 59 major titles over her famous career.
5. Steffi Graf
Steffi Graf comes in at number five but she had quite a run at number one. The German-born player was atop the world for a record 377 weeks and won 22 grand slam singles titles before she was done competing. So her presence was necessary to make this list complete.
4. Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is no joke on the court as he currently occupies the top spot in the world rankings, a place where he has spent a record total number of weeks. As he continues to battle it out with his peers, he may wind up moving up if one were to appear on this list at some point soon.
3. Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal comes in at number three. He's part of tennis's big three as he is part of a three-way tie for the all-time record when it comes to grand slam men's singles titles. Nadal's mastery of clay is his one advantage over his contemporaries as he has excelled on that surface like no other. Complete with a French Open win in 2020 his 13th, which is a record for any tournament.
2. Roger Federer
Though our number two may be nearing the end of his career, it's been an illustrious one for Roger Federer. It appears Federer won't be able to hold off Nadal and Djokovic for long but for now, he occupies this spot since he maintains a tie for all-time grand slam titles and holds the mark for consecutive weeks at number one not to mention our number one tennis player ever dubbed him a genius and the greatest.
1. Serena Williams
If you're familiar with greatness then the number 23 fits the bill and Serena has captured just that many grand slam singles title, the most by any player in the Open era, that's to go with a litany of other accomplishments including four Olympic gold medals all in all what she's done throughout her storied career is enough to crown Serena the GOAT.
Those are the top 10 tennis players ever. Agree or disagree? Comment below.
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