I have lots of hobbies, sport and the competition has for sure a big part in it. Tennis is the gentlemen sport but on the field the athlete these days especially, we can say they are fighters, mentally and physically on a level never seen before.
Because it is difficult to compare players of different eras in any sport due to technology changes and higher fitness standards, selecting a greatest player ever can be a difficult and very subjective task.
This is (in my opinion) Top 10 GOAT List
John McEnroe
-71 career titles
-7 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 3 Wimbledon, 4 US Open
What do we do about Johnny Mac?
Well, for starters we include the loud Jonhny on our list of all-time greats. When it came to hard courts, fast surfaces, and creative shot-making, there may have been no one better.
Andre Agassi
-60 career titles
-8 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 4 Australian, 1 French, 2 US Open, 1 Wimbledon
Who can forget the young long-haired Andre Agassi when he first arrived on the tennis scene?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. With those killer ground strokes and returns of serve, no top-10 list would be complete without Andre Agassi.
Off the court, Agassi has proven to be a champion as well. There may be no athlete out there who does more for their community than Agassi.
Jimmy Connors
-Career prize money: $8,641,040
-109 career titles
-8 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 1 Australian, 2 Wimbledon, 5 US Open
No one dominated tennis more during the mid-1970s than Jimmy Connors. In 1974 alone, Connors had a staggering 99-4 record and won the three Grand Slam tournaments that he entered. 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. Despite peaking in the 1970s, Connors had a long and impressive tennis career, retiring in 1996. Connors still holds the record for ATP tour titles with 109. Love this guy :)
Ivan Lendl
-Career prize money: $21,262,417
-94 career titles
-8 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 2 Australian, 3 French, 3 US Open
The quiet and stoic Czech with the big serve was the most dominant player of the 1980s. Lendl wore down his opponents with his powerful ground strokes, topspin forehand and incredible level of conditioning. He was the world’s top-ranked player for four years and held the number one ranking in the world for 270 weeks, a record in that day.
Bjorn Borg
-Career prize money: $3,655,751
-64 career titles
-11 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 6 French, 5 Wimbledon
With ice water in his veins, the quiet Borg dominated tennis in the late 1970s and had some memorable matches with the likes of John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors. Borg dominated Wimbledon, winning the title five consecutive years from 1976 to 1980.
Despite his relatively brief career (he retired in 1983 at the age of 26), Borg won 11 Grand Slam titles, all at Wimbledon and the French Open. Borg was the first player of the modern era to win more than 10 majors. In my book Bjorn Borg could have been a top five all-time had he continued to play and not retired while seemingly in the prime of his career.
Rod Laver
-Career prize money: $1,565,413
-200 career titles
-11 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 3 Australian, 2 French, 2 US Open, 4 Wimbledon
It’s difficult to assess how Rod Laver would have fared against the players of today, but I suspect the redheaded Aussie would have done just fine. It’s hard to argue with the record. He was ranked number one in the world for seven straight years (1964 – 1970) and has more career titles (200) than anyone in the history of the game.
He is the only player to have twice won the Grand Slam, doing it once as an amateur in 1962 and again as a pro in 1969. If Laver was not excluded from the Grand Slam tournaments during a five-year period in the mid-1960s, who knows how many he would have won. During this time period, the pre-open era, the Grand Slam tournaments were for amateurs only. The “open era” in tennis did not begin until 1968, when professionals were finally allowed to compete in the Grand Slam events.
Given that Laver was ranked number one in the world during this five-year period, it’s likely he would have won many more Grand Slam titles.
Pete Sampras
-Career prize money: $43,280,489
-64 career titles
-14 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 2 Australian, 7 Wimbledon, 5 US Open
Pete's place in tennis history is difficult to judge as he only won three of the four Grand Slam events over the course of his career. 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. When Pete retired in 2002, he was considered to be the best player of all-time although some would dispute this. He was number one in the world rankings for six consecutive years and his 14 Grand Slam titles was a record at the time. But, without a French Open title, or even a final, how do we decide where he belongs in the list of best ever.
Rafael Nadal
-Career prize money: $85,920,132
-73 career titles
-15 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 1 Australian, 10 French, 2 US Open, 2 Wimbledon
Were it not for the recurring tendinitis in his knees and wrist injuries Rafael Nadal may well have a few more Grand Slam titles to his already impressive resume. At 31 years of age, the fiery Spaniard, known as Rafa and “The King of Clay,” already has 15 Grand Slam titles and certainly has the potential to catch Roger Federer. Rafael is regarded as the greatest clay court player of all-time. His record 10th French Open title (2017) certainly makes it difficult to imagine anyone being better on clay.
His completely dominating performance in winning the 2017 French Open make it very clear that Rafa is the best player in the world at the moment. While it is difficult to draw comparisons of players from different generations I think Nadal has proven that he deserves to be considered among the best to ever grace the courts.
Novak Djokovic
-Career prize money: $106,188,878
-66 career titles
-12 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 6 Australian, 3 Wimbledon, 2 US Open, 1 French Open
Placing Novak Djokovic on this list was an easy decision, but where to place him was not. At 29 years of age and in the prime of his career, Djokovic has the potential to win many more Grand Slam titles. By the time his career is finished, he could very well find himself among the top few players of all-time. But, in the highly competitive world of tennis, he could also succumb to injury and miss out on some of his best years, so the jury is still out on his place in tennis history. Based on his body of work to date he has certainly made the case that he is deserving of a top 3 all-time. With his 2016 French Open title Djokovic become the eight man to secure a career Grand Slam. His stunning loss at Wimbledon to Sam Querrey ended his Grand Slam winning streak at four and 2017 did not start well for Novak with his stunning second round loss at the Australian Open. He needs to bounce back in a big way going forward in 2017 to convince his fans that his time at the top has not come to en end.
With twleve Grand Slam titles now secured, including the 2016 Australian Open and French Open, and at just 29 years of age, Novak deserves to be elevated to the number 2 and one parameter is in my opinion crucial.
Head2head has Djokovic a positive score against all his big rivals.
It’s hard not to select Roger Federer as the greatest of all time. His record 18 Grand Slam titles speak for themselves, and even at the age of 35, he is still winning and competing at the highest levels. His 302 weeks ranked as number one in the world is an open-era record. From 2004 to 2008, Federer went 237 consecutive weeks being ranked number one in the world, a record that may never be surpassed(however in a weak era).
Even though younger players are now finding a way to beat Roger, his consistently high level of play over his almost 19-year career is a testament to his conditioning and ability.
Hope you enjoyed my list.
What would you change?
