Tennis is one of the world’s most beloved sports. And fans of it often wonder about who the best tennis players of all time are. Well, look no further as we run down the 10 players who took to the court and played at a level that easily places them among the greatest to ever compete in the game.
1. Novak Djokovic – 24 major titles
While there have been some truly special athletes who competed in tennis, none have been a force of nature like Novak Djokovic. In an era with Federer and Nadal, the Serbian superstar overcame his legendary contemporaries to tally 24 major titles and counting. Pete Sampras is one of the greats to ever play the game. But his impressive 14 titles seem like child’s play to the next level trophy case of Djokovic.
2. Roger Federer – 20 major titles
Switzerland found its first global sports star with Roger Federer. He was the player who bridged the gap between the Sampras and Djokovic eras. And was the face of the sport for much of his iconic career. His 20 major titles are among the top three all-time. And if not for the second-to-none brilliance of Djokovic, Federer would be viewed as the best tennis player of all time.
3. Rafael Nadal – 22 major titles
The 2000s ushered in a new era for tennis with the rise of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal. The Spanish star gave the sports-loving nation its first tennis superstar. And he is the second-winningest player in history with 22 major titles. The only thing that drops him behind Federer and Djokovic on our list of the best tennis players of all time is that 14 of his 22 titles all came at the French Open. Where he was often a god among men.
4. Pete Sampras – 14 major titles
When it comes to tennis in the United States, Pete Sampras is an icon. And the player all young male prospects aspire to be. While powerful serves are commonplace in the sport now, Sampras was the first player to take that facet of the game to new levels and absolutely push opponents around with it.
The Americans’ 14 titles held the record through the early 2000s. And he was seen as the men’s tennis GOAT until the recent renaissance in the sport saw a trio of superstars surpass his record.
5. Bjorn Borg – 11 major titles
The athletic level in the sport took a major leap forward during the 1970s due to the excellence of players like Lendl, McEnroe, and Connors. But none were better in that era than the tennis rock star that was Bjorn Borg. The native of Sweden was downright filthy for years at a time and was an absolute monster at the French Open and Wimbledon. With sports media amid a new boom during his era, Borg became one of the sport’s most notable mainstream stars.
6. Roy Emerson – 12 major titles
During the 1960s, tennis saw an Australian invasion as the Aussies didn’t come to take part. They came to take over. And outside of Rod Laver, none was better than Roy Emerson. His record of 12 major titles stood for 33 years, and he is the only player ever to win a Grand Slam as both a singles and doubles player. He is also among the eight tennis legends to earn a career Grand Slam.
7. Rod Laver – 11 major titles
During the 1960s, two players stood above the rest as true icons of their era. One is the next addition on our list, and the other is Rod Laver. During his run in the sport, he is believed to have one 200 tournaments. And held on to the No. 1 ranking for an absurd seven years. Tennis was not the global powerhouse it is today, so despite winning an impressive 11 major titles, the Aussie is believed to have earned just over $1 million during his Hall-of-Fame career.
8. Andre Agassi – 8 major titles
For many tennis fans over the last 40 years, Andre Agassi is often the person named when asked who their favorite player is. While he had trouble overcoming the dominance of Pete Sampras during his career, he was one of the most beloved players of his ear. And had one of the greatest return games the sport has ever seen.
While he wasn’t the best player during his era, he still tallied an impressive eight major titles for his career.
9. Bill Tilden – 10 major titles
Bill Tilden was the man who set the standard when he was the first American to win at Wimbledon in 1920. He would go on to dominate the All England Lawn for the next two years. It was just three of the 10 titles he would win during his pioneering career. He played in an era where metrics and stats were not a thing, but he is rumored to still have the second-fastest serve in tennis history.
10. Ivan Lendl – 8 major titles
The 1980s had quite a few legendary players who landed on our list of the best tennis players of all time. The next in our top 10 is the player who put the Czech Republic on the tennis map, none other than Ivan Lendl. During the 80s, he won seven major titles and scored victories over many of the best players of the era. Furthermore, he was quite dominant at times as he held onto the world’s number-one spot for multiple years during his prime.