Frazier Tommy #4. Some players have significantly longer careers than others. NCSA analyzed over 880 four-year colleges with men's college tennis programs across four division levels (D1, D2, D3 and NAIA) to develop a list of the Best Men's Tennis Colleges for Student-Athletes.. NCSA Power Rankings are based on proprietary analysis of NCSA Favorites data obtained from the college search activity of the over 3 million student-athletes on . In their 34 meetings, his record was 14-20. Newsflash: The Bryans became the best doubles team in history. Just making it into the top 25 is Lleyton Hewitt. Shop official NCAA team and championship gear . BTW: Whitlinger beat Hagey to claim the singles crown, and would coach Stanford for a decade. 1. In 2004, Henin won the Australian Open, but an infection kept her off the court for much of the year. 21 in the world. He became the first mens player to sweep the NCAA individual titles in 15 years. Another area that highlights Chris Everts thoroughly impressive career is her record of 1309-146, for a 90% win rate the second-highest of all-time behind Margaret Court, but the highest during the Open Era. Sampras is well known for his rivalry with fellow American Andre Agassi, and it was unique because of Sampras dominant serve and Agassis return. However, our analysis suggests a bit of a different story, with her results overshadowing the past performance of other female tennis players who may deserve the title. The Top Ten. -These polls use voters to determine the best 25 men's and women's teams in Division I. Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Rankings-Rankings Homepage-The ITA lists the top teams and players in the country at all levels of college tennis. He will be seeking his first tour-level win at the Open. And he won the singles at the 63 US Nationals at Forest Hills. Interestingly, McEnroes only collegiate loss came in a match at Trinity against his former U.S. Open doubles partner, Larry Gottfried. The Tour de Frances loss was tennis gain. Overall, Lendl earned 94 titles and is currently the third most in the Open Era behind Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer. Ashe won the singles, and then the doubles with Ian Crookenden. Evert is the only female tennis player to have won seven titles at the French Open. But it is far from the only thing on coaches' minds as . She also had an impressive career record of 704-165, winning 81% of her matches. Stefi Graf retired from professional tennis in 1999 and earned her spot in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004. Monica Seles returned to the French Open a year later after a solid start to the season and captured her first Grand Slam victory defeating world No. Jimmy Connors. World number 1 ranked male tennis players. Also explosive were the results: They were NCAA champions. 4. However, this list is based more on how players fared against the competition, as well as their overall play. Without a doubt, shes one of the greatest female tennis players ever. Jung was awarded the prestigious ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award his junior season for his outstanding play and leadership. The 2020 US Open will be Kwiatkowskis first tour-level event since the resumption of the ATP Tour. USC, 2009-2013 Steve Johnson, Yannick Hanfman, Robert Quiroz, Robert Farah. New posts New profile . 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). From 2004 to 2007, Federer asserted significant dominance winning 11 of the 15 Grand Slam events during this period. Table of Contents show. 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. Ken Rosewall. Heading into the US Open, Isner is ranked No. In-depth Resources She is the only player in history to win nine titles at Wimbledon. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Of course, Rafael Nadals career isnt over yet, and at 35 years old, he still has plenty of time to improve upon his standing as the best player of all-time against Roger Federer if he chooses to continue to compete for a few years. 1 player in the world. Players with most weeks at number one in the ATP rankings all-time 1973-2022; WTA women's tennis ranking 2023; Longest winning streaks in professional tennis from 1990-2022; . 1 for the first time, and she was able to maintain that position for a total of 221 weeks throughout her career. 1 for the first time, a position he held for a total of 170 weeks throughout his career. 1. A lot of guys are more than happy to jump in to this question especially in the aftermath of US Open 2018 final fiasco (and Serena's claims on sexism) on. 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. better than all others in quality or value. She played her final singles match in 1983 at the Australian Open. The winner of three Wimbledon championships, he finished his career with six Grand Slams overall. He won the 1995 French Open, but he dominated in plenty of tournaments on clay courts as well. Isner left Athens holding the school records for career singles, career doubles, and career combined wins. He became the first player from South America to ever win a Grand Slam event on the mens side. And as fabulous as USCs singles lineup was, their doubles teams with Bill Bond, Tom Edlefson and Ramsey Earnhart were even stronger. 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. Stanford's chest-bumping identical twins and all-time men's doubles champs Bob and Mike Bryan rank just behind McEnroe. Bradley was an ITA Scholar Athlete, an ITA All-American in singles and doubles, and a fierce competitor. That is until the big three came along. No problemo. As a perfect example, hes made five finals at the Australian Open, but never hoisted the final trophy. Pasarell from the heat and streets of Puerto Rico, Ashe from the segregated courts of Richmond, Virginia. Not surprisingly, they not only faced formidable foes but racism as well. Wolf started his career with OSU as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and ended it as the Big Ten Player of the Year. 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. Stefen Edberg. Although John McEnroe is perhaps best known for his outbursts on the court, his many accomplishments far outweigh his frequent sub-par behavior and speak for themselves. 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. But in 73 they didnt just lose one top player, they lost their top two. A bit of a late bloomer, Wimbledon has been his only weak Grand Slam of his career. ***Title totals include pre and post Open Era where relevant. Herschel Walker #2. 1 ranking in February 2004 and has held that ranking for a total of 310 weeks 237 of which were consecutive weeks where he was virtually unbeatable. Although Djokovic has the same number of Grand Slam titles as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, his wins are the most diverse across the events showing that he can perform well in all conditions and on all surfaces. Evert won two titles at Wimbledon, seven at the French Open, three at Wimbledon, and six at the US Open. Wolf turned professional a little over a year ago in July of 2019. Finally, how convincing of a defeat over a player throughout their head-to-head meetups might be worth considering. Like many players in his time, Bjrn only played the Australian Open once during his career, which potentially limited his Grand Slam count. As a senior, Isner led the Bulldogs to a perfect 32-0 record and the programs fifth NCAA Team Championship. He won a total of 16 Davis Cup titles in his 22 year spell as coach of the Australian Davis Cup Team between 1939 to 1967. Connors won the singles in 71. Over the course of four seasons, Johnson was named an ITA All-American seven times. Born on June 1, 1982, Justine Henin is a Belgium tennis player who turned pro in 1999 at 17. In team competition, Serena helped the United States to a win in 1999 at the Fed Cup. 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. Jimmy Connors reached the world No. 1 in the singles and doubles Oracle ITA Rankings. Not only did Mackenzie McDonald etch his name in the UCLA record books he left his mark on the NCAAs as well. Its relatively easy to identify who deserves to be near the top of the list for the best male tennis players of all time. However, out of all the finals he reached, he only won eight Grand Slams. Just a couple of decades ago, many labeled Pete Sampras as the greatest tennis player of all time. 163 which is a career record. Would have to argue that the 2007 UGA team, led by John Isner, that went 32-0, only lost 1 point in NCAAs, had the #1 singles player and #1 doubles team in the country, the US Open Jr Doubles Champs at #3 deserves to be in the Top 10. Shes also the second oldest woman behind Serena Williams to have held this position. For that reason, thats why the big three are held in such high regard because they so consistently dominated the game, with very few players ever breaking through to win big titles during their time on tour. However, in 1924, the Olympics dropped tennis due to disagreements between the International Olympic Committee and International Lawn Tennis Federation. Go. 1 ranking for the first time and held it for a total of 286 weeks throughout his career. His Grand Slam titles include seven at the Australian Open, one at the French Open, eight at Wimbledon, and give at the US Open. For example, which of the following hypothetical players is better: Theres no doubt the Grand Slam events are the most prestigious and challenging for a player to win. He finished his collegiate career ranked No. 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. Never again would such a tiny school achieve so much. 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 on March 7, 1960, in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia, Ivan Lendl had an impressive career that began in 1978 when he turned pro. 1 in the world in 1983, and he held that post for a total of 270 weeks throughout his career. Honorable mention also to UGAs 1985 team whose #1 and #2 played the singles final. 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) Chris Evert was born in 1954; she is an American professional tennis player. Active Career: 1983 - 1996. 4. For example, if youre ranking two somewhat equally successful players, then their head-to-head records is an easy way to establish whos the better player. Stanford, 1998 Bob and Mike Bryan, Ryan Wolters, Paul Goldstein, Alex Kim, At Wimbledon we asked Bradley Klahn, Whats the best college team of all time? He blurted out, Its got to be the Stanford team with the Bryans and Paul Goldstein that only lost three points all year. That statistic would show how consistently the . With that said, there is still time for Nadal, and I do believe if his body can hold up, he can overtake Federer. 6. 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. 2. Hailed as the player who changed the way professionals approached their diet, Ivan Lendl had a fruitful decade at the top which saw him collect at least one major per year between 1981 - 1991, winning 8 grand slams in total. King returned the following year and made it to the third round. 8 - Andre Agassi. 10 - Jimmy Connors. She can establish herself as a powerful server and pro athlete in the field of tennis. Rafa by Rafael Nadal, John Carlin. 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. Home > Opinion > 10+ Best Tennis Players of All Time, Improve your game alongside our community of tennis players. 1 ranking for the first time, a position he held for a total of 101 weeks during his career. 1. UCLA, 1965-1966 Charlie Pasarell, Arthur Ashe, Ian Crookenden. Top 100 College Football Players Of All Time Quiz - By forrestsancomb. 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. During that match he didnt drop a set. Although he competed at the French Open and Wimbledon in 1977, McEnroe officially turned pro in 1978. 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. 41 after winning the Auckland title. 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, 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. Popular Quizzes Today. References. As a result, looking back at players like Bjrn Borg, who has a thoroughly impressive resume, only played the tournament once in 1974 as a 17-year-old, which gave him limited opportunities to further add to his Grand Slam count of 11. No.1 in 1991. 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. Once told he was too clumsy to be a Davis Cup ball boy, Stan went on to win seven Davis Cups. Until the 1980s, very few top players attended the tournament due to Australias remote location, low prize money and prestige, and schedule, which fell around the holidays. When it came to team competition, King helped lead the United States to 11 victories, four of which she was the captain. However, winning a Grand Slam in 2014, 2015, and 2016 put him in the top 25. 2023 by Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). Book. Home to the US Open Grand Slam Tournament, New York City had long needed a vibrant tennis academy where kids could train. He made his ATP Tour debut reaching the quarterfinals at 2020 Delray Beach. He finished his career with four Grand Slams, but he might most be remembered for his 16 ATP tour championships in one season in 1977. After significant analysis and deep consideration of the most accomplished players in tennis, heres our list of the ten greatest male tennis players of all time. However, he wouldnt play his first ATP tour event until 2004, and hed claim his first ATP title in 2006. Throughout the years, there have been many great tennis players who have made a name for themselves. 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. Hes another casualty of the Roger Federer era, constantly going up against him and other greats during any deep runs in tournaments. Forty of his 44 career tournament wins all came on dirt. Beyond her success in singles, Venus achieved stellar results in doubles with fourteen Grand Slam titles and three gold medals. 6. She narrowly missed that feat before the Open Era in 1965, only losing in the French Open finals. Serena is not just force when playing individually. During his junior, and final, season in Columbus, Wolf posted a singles record of 35-2 which included an undefeated 11-0 record in conference play. However, as it stands now, I think Federer is more deserving of this spot. However, throughout his career, Sampras got the best of him. With that in mind, let's take a sneak peak at the top 25 South American players of all time! Passion - 6. 5 ranking. 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. Its hard to imagine that Rosewall would dominate in todays game standing only 57 tall and under 150 pounds, but he made it work during his prime. Moreover, the Dutch is in place #59 of the best college tennis players of the moment, her highest ranking ever. These days, the Olympics hold quite a bit of significance related to a players overall success and perception. When Boris Becker was on grass or indoor carpet courts, it was nearly impossible to beat him. He became world No. We have compiled this list of 10 best tennis players of all time. Two years later, in 2008, Djokovic claimed his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Wed love to hear from you in the comments below. Yea, if a tennis player is not in the top 50 by 18 they'll never make it. (Skip to the end of the article to view our top 10 list if you have want to save time). In his final season with the Bruins, McDonald won not only the NCAA Singles Championships, but also the NCAA Doubles Championships with Martin Redlicki. In 1966, King became the world No. Learn with comprehensive resources to help you improve your game. When it comes to the best female tennis player of all time, many consider the case to be closed due to the sheer dominance of Serena Williams in recent years. Matches featured in this video: Daniel Cuk. However, with such great emphasis placed on Grand Slams when considering the greatest players of all time, its worthy of reference and consideration. You have entered an incorrect email address! Furthermore, not all titles are equal. Now decades after his passing, he still remains one of the biggest faces for the fight against AIDS. Hottest Female Athletes. He also has the most variety of Grand Slam titles, winning at least two at every major championship. Dad Racket was created exclusively as a one-stop resource to answer all your tennis questions. He and Lutz won five Slam titles. Hes only reached the quarterfinals twice, and has never been beyond that. In the three years that followed, Seles was dominant, winning six of the eight Grand Slam events in 1991 and 1992. Roger Federer. He retired at the early age of 26 in 1984 and likely could have achieved significantly more if willing to continue competing. 1 for 270 total weeks through his career. He currently sits at No. 2, Frank Froehling, who was ranked No. He was named the ACC Freshman of the Year becoming only the 6th Cavalier to earn the honor in the programs history. 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. Its just a matter of what is weighed most importantly in tennis. Your Membership Expires in $(daysToExpire) days! "Playing college tennis, no, but going to university after tennis, yes, that was always the plan," Dabrowski said. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. In 1956, Laver started to pursue a career in tennis as an amateur and quickly established himself as a junior before winning his first Grand Slam singles title in 1960 at the Australian Championships, now the Australian Open. 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. He was named an ITA Singles All-American all three years. 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. My name is Gavin and I've played tennis for more than 30 years and love to share my knowledge about the sport. Potential student-athletes must meet minimum standards or benchmarks for acceptance into their particular school, with GPA, SAT scores, ACT scores taken into account. The big reason why thats the case is that Rafael Nadal won them all during his prime. Ma Long. His performances in 2015 and 2021 were equally impressive on many levels, both years earning three Grand Slam titles. Photo Credit: @Wimbledon. He captured his first professional singles title at the Godfrey Futures by taking the day over Rudy Siwy. Read our weekly recap of the 5 most interesting things we dig up in tennis. She holds the fifth-most career titles of any woman in the Open Era at 73 and has a record 855-152 in matches for a win rate of 84.9%. Joe is the best Tennis Pro I've ever had. Another perhaps less visible or challenging factor to consider, especially when looking back at players in history, is a deep understanding of the adversity or difficulties a player had to overcome during their career. Your email address will not be published. 1 in the Oracle ITA Singles Rankings a first for the program. Furthermore, she helped the United States win eight Fed Cup titles, including six consecutive from 1977-1982. Of course, the point isnt to diminish the value of any players success at the tournament. John McEnroe. But in 72, Trinity enticed USC to come to San Antonio for a dual match, dubbed the Super Bowl of Tennis. The Australian finished his career with five Grand Slams, but is often overlooked by some of the greater players from his country. Borgs career was relatively short, especially compared to many other tennis players on our list. Before there was the King of Clay in Rafael Nadal, Thomas Muster held the distinction in the 1990s. In honor of the US Open kicking off today, we are highlighting their legendary collegiate careers that prepared them for this moment. Another area where its challenging to compare players is how heavily to weigh individual stats. #5 Waves Clash with Top-Ranked North Carolina in NCAA Semifinals. 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. Titles can be any combination of singles and doubles, so the combined total is the default sorting of the lists.The current top-level events are on the ATP Tour for men and the WTA Tour for women. He led his nation to its only Davis Cup final. In total, Sampras claimed 64 titles, 762 wins, and had a 77.4% win record. 1, and she held that position for 178 weeks throughout her career. Thats certainly not something to diminish, but everyone is going to evaluate that lopsided performance differently. Indeed, the Buckeyes are just as attractive to aspiring college . His dominance at an older age shows just what he was possible of if he came along a little bit later. He won it in 1974 and reached the finals in 1975, so he certainly missed out on some golden opportunities. 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. Furthermore, he was never able to win the US Open despite four appearances in the finals. 220. Yet if you lose a top player, all can be lost. 1 ranking, and she earned this spot for a total of 260 weeks throughout her career. 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. He played for UW-Whitewater and was the highest-drafted football player in college history, having been selected 98 th overall in the third round of 2021 NFL drafts. Perez-Somarriba Named ITA National Player of the Year. While still at USC, he managed to win three doubles Grand Slams and reach two other Slam finals. 3 in men's singles tennis by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Henin would claim seven Grand Slam titles, one at the Australian Open, four at the French Open, and two at the US Open. The US Open will be his first tour-level event since resumption of the ATP Tour. Born on June 3, 1986, in Mallorca, Spain, Rafael Nadal has consistently delivered some of the most impressive results the sport has ever seen and is one of the most successful teenage players in history. M Men W Women. Its perfectly fine to say that Roger Federer is the best tennis player of all time. 5/28/2021. Throughout their careers, the two played 34 times, and Sampras won 20 of those matches. He finished with 11 Grand Slams, and was the first to dominate the French Open and Wimbledon in the Open Era. Unfortunately, that would be the only two career Grand Slams for him. John McEnroe was perhaps the sweetest recruiting plum in college history. List of ATP number 1 ranked doubles tennis players. 1 in the world, but was only No. 1 Roger Federer Roger Federer (born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss former professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No. Born: April 29, 1970, in Las Vegas, Nevada; Net worth: $145 Million The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey. Between 2004-2008 he was number one for a . 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. Losing 11 drops him a bit, but he was still a complete player nobody wanted to face in his prime. Men and women dont compete against each other in singles. If not for Federer, he likely would have won a few more trophies along the way.