Tennis-Greatest Players in History

Early Professional Players

In the early days of professional tennis, players like Don Budge and Bobby Riggs dominated. Budge was one of the top American players in the 1930s and 1940s, winning two Wimbledon singles titles and five U.S. championships. Riggs, who was often called "the father of modern tennis," won six Grand Slam singles titles in 1939 and 1946.

In the late 1800s, tennis was a game that only the privileged could play. It started to become more popular in the first half of the 20th century, but it didn’t start to grow in popularity until after World War II.

The game became more globalized in this period and players from Europe and North America were playing against one another.

Jimmy Connors is one of the most successful male player of all time is Jimmy Connors. He won five Grand Slam singles titles (three US Opens, two Wimbledons) and four US Open doubles titles. He was ranked world number 1 for 160 weeks in 1974-1975 and for a total of 268 weeks during his career.

Margaret Smith Court The most successful female player ever is Margaret Smith Court who won 24 Grand Slam singles titles (11 Australian Opens, eight Wimbledons, three US Opens). She was ranked world number 1 for 186 consecutive weeks from

1970-1973 and 199 out of 208 weeks during her career. She also won 11 Wimbledon doubles titles and 10 Australian Open women's doubles titles.

Of course, there were many more great players in this era, but these two stand out among the best in history.

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic is one of the best tennis players in history, and he’s still playing. Djokovic was ranked the number one player in the world four times, and has won 20 Grand Slam singles titles. He holds the record for most men's singles majors won with three or more sets lost or two hours of play since 1990.

Djokovic’s career-high ranking was world number 1 on six occasions and he has also won nine Australian Open titles, three Wimbledon titles, one US Open title, and three ATP World Tour Finals titles. Djokovic also holds a record of being undefeated on grass courts for 20 matches consecutively.

Djokovic’s game is built around his powerful forehand but surprisingly he relies on his backhand to win points rather than his forehand.

His backhand is considered to be one of the best in history by many experts and commentators alike.

Rafael Nadal- Greatest Player of All Time

In the Open Era, one tennis player stands above the rest: RafaelNadal. Nadal is a 21-time Grand Slam champion, a two-time Olympic Gold medalist, and has compiled an incredible record over his career that is second to none. He's been ranked #1 for 154 weeks in his career. Between 2005 and 2010, Nadal won 22 consecutive clay court tournaments. And as if he needed any more accolades, he also holds the record for most French Open Men’s Singles titles with 11 wins.

Throughout his career, Nadal has faced Roger Federer on many occasions - 31 times to be exact. In those matches, Rafa has come out on top 20 times - a statistic that speaks volumes about his dominance and skill level.

While there are many great players in history (like the Williams sisters), no one else has been able to maintain such a high level of play for so long.

That's why Rafael Nadal is widely considered to be the greatest player of all time.

Roger Federer

Roger Federer is a Swiss tennis player who currently ranks as No. 2 in the world. He has won 20 Grand Slam singles titles, which includes an all-time record of 17 majors. He’s been ranked as high as No. 1 in the world for an unprecedented 237 consecutive weeks and 5 years in total.

He’s also won four Olympic medals and is widely regarded as one of the best players to ever play the sport.

Conclusion

Tennis is a sport with very high-level technical requirements. It demands flexibility, speed, power, and stamina. And it doesn’t take much of a player to be a tennis pro. You don’t have to be tall or strong or fast - you just need to have an aptitude for the game and be able to focus on your technique. But which players are the best in history?

There are so many incredible players that it could be difficult for beginners to know where to start.