The 5 Greatest Male Tennis Players of All-Time
The Top 5 Greatest Male Tennis Players in History
Many incredible male tennis players have graced the finest courts across the world - but who are the top 5 greatest tennis players in history?
Read on to find out - including all the latest facts, figures and stats about these male tennis legends.
One of the greatest tennis players of all-time, Novak Djokovic
When Novak Djokovic defeated Casper Ruud at Roland Garros, he made it to the top of the men’s singles major tree with 23.
The Serb said: “I don't want to say that I am the greatest because I feel it's disrespectful towards all the great champions in different eras of our sport that was played in a completely different way.”
Let’s call it for the diplomatic Novak.
While Margaret Court topped our list of the top 5 greatest female tennis players of all-time - who is the GOAT when it comes to men’s tennis? Read on to find out!
5. Pete Sampras
14 Slams and four runner-ups
Seven Wimbledon titles
Five US Opens and two Australian Opens
In the modern era, no list of the top-five players can be complete without Pete Sampras.
His whispering death efficiency was created from a sublime set of hand skills and a backhand to die for.
During his period of dominance in the 90s, there was still room for the serve-and-volley tactic that he took to SW19. Seven Wimbledon titles are a testament to that.
However, as racket technology advanced and baseliners became more prevalent, Sampras could still beat some of the best exponents of that art.
His fifth US Open and final Grand Slam success was against Andre Agassi, the player he defeated to collect his first big one at Flushing Meadows as a teenager.
Sampras retired at 32 and averaged a Slam a year during his playing career.
Who would have known that 14 Slams would look so modest in terms of titles with the Big Three? The American had different parameters in terms of playing time and era.
He also set the bar to show that multiple titles could be a possibility for a player who could do battle on all surfaces. The Bullet never reached a French Open final but did secure two Australian Opens.
4. Rod Laver
11 Slams and six runner-ups
Four Wimbledon titles
Three Australian Opens, two French Opens and two US Opens
Djokovic hinted that players from other eras should not be ignored - and Rod Laver is the player the Serb probably had in mind.
The left-handed Queenslander was world number one between 1964-1970, and from 1962-64 he collected an incredible total of 47 titles. He won on all surfaces, too.
Laver was victorious in 11 major singles finals and 20 Slams overall. He is the only player in history to win two Calendar Grand Slams in the Open era.
When he turned professional, the Rocket was banned from competing in the majors for five years until the Open Era began in 1968.
Sadly, there’s not a lot of evidence of Laver’s glory days on videotape, but there are enough living legends to tell us what they saw on the other side of the net.
3. Roger Federer
20 Slams and 11 runner-ups
Eight Wimbledon titles
Six Australian Opens, five US Opens and one French Open
Roger Federer was the most aesthetic player to grace all courts.
His play was a timeless montage of foot movement and quick hands, possessing the balance of a spirit level from another dimension. It shouldn’t be possible to look so chill after a rally.
The Swiss collected eight Wimbledon trophies, where he truly dominated until the king of clay, Rafa Nadal, began to work it out after three consecutive finals against Federer from 2006 to 2008.
A five-year drought between 2012 and 2017 cost RF the chance to reach the gold podium of GOAT in numbers, before he finally picked that elusive 18th major, a sixth Australian Open title, against Nadal in a magnificent match.
Federer also achieved five US Opens and that single, special French Open in 2009. He also holds the joint record of six ATP Finals titles.
2. Rafa Nadal
22 Slams and eight runner-ups
Two Wimbledon titles
14 French Opens, four US Opens and two Australian Opens
Rafa Nadal has recently announced his intention to retire at the end of 2024.
The 36-year-old has been fighting against a disorder of the left ankle since he was a teenager, which makes his collection of trophies all the more sensational.
His brute force and will to win have been most evident at Roland Garros, where over 60% of Nadal’s major titles have come. He has a 100% success rate in Paris.
El Nino’s only fallow period was in 2011 during Novak Djokovic’s first period of domination over tennis - and over Rafa Nadal.
Three consecutive losses to the Serb in finals that year culminated in that incredible Australian Open, quite possibly the most epic tennis match in physicality.
Nadal has also enjoyed four US Opens and two Wimbledons. His second win at Melbourne came 13 years after his first, as he somehow clawed it back from two sets down to defeat Daniil Medvedev.
Nadal’s dominance on clay is incredible, but with ‘only’ eight majors outside of that, there are doubts about whether he is the greatest.
1. Novak Djokovic
23 Slams and 11 runner-ups
Seven Wimbledon titles
10 Australian Opens, three French Opens and three US Opens
Despite his modesty after claiming the record-breaking 23rd, Djokovic has taken the game to new levels of consistency.
The 36-year-old broke Steffi Graf's 377-week record for most time spent at number one in 2023.
He is the man that made Federer human at Wimbledon, beating the Swiss in the 2014, 2015 and 2019 finals.
When he overcame the Fed Express in the latter, Djokovic was inferior on every single stroke metric bar the scoreline. That takes resilience made of titanium!
The Serb has won the Australian Open no less than 10 times and has managed to play some of his best points when the chips are down or when the physical stresses are at their most potent.
The Serbian is the only player to have won all four majors three times.
He dominates the head-to-head with his two biggest rivals. Crucially, Djokovic has a favourable record of 27 wins to 23 against Federer and has only lost to him once in a major final in 2007.
He leads against Nadal 30-29 with four wins apiece in Grand Slam finals.
He holds the joint record of six ATP Finals titles alongside the retired Swiss.
The Verdict: Who is the Greatest Male Tennis Player of All-Time?
Pete Sampras made his feelings clear two years ago about Novak Djokovic:
“I do think what Novak's done over the past 10 years, winning the majors, being consistent, finishing number one for seven years, to me it's a clear sign that he is the greatest of all-time.”
Very few can argue with that from one great to another.
Djokovic controls the court and dismisses opponents with a game that remains as calm and calibrated as his focus. His mental and physical resilience is second to none.
Have we missed anyone off our list? Who is your favourite male tennis player? Tell us in the comments!
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