Back in the day, tennis was considered a sport reserved for the privileged. But today, the sport has gone mainstream and has millions of fans across the globe. As such, one can easily find a major tennis tournament going on every now and then.
Just like all other sports, tennis has seen several great players who’ve garnered immense success and a huge fan following. Here’s a list of the best tennis players of all time.
Rafael Nadal
It goes without saying that Rafael Nadal is one of the best players the game of tennis has ever seen. Hailing from Majorca, Spain, Nadal rose to prominence when he reached the world no. 2 ranking in his teens.
A physical machine, Nadal won his first French Open title in the mid-2000s. By 2008, Nadal was able to get four French Open titles to his name. This was also the year when he won a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
In his long career spanning over two decades, Nadal has won 92 different titles. Also, he holds the record for having the most number of Grand Slam titles – 22 in total. Besides, Rafael is one of the only two players who have managed to complete the Career Golden Slam. As such, it’s no wonder that Nadal’s matches have always attracted great odds in the world of sports betting.
Roger Federer
There was a time when one could easily pick Roger Federer as the greatest player in tennis history. He had no contender for the top spot for several years, but it was in the year 2022 when his achievement was finally surpassed. But still, Roger remains one of the best players in tennis history.
In his 24-year career, Federer spent a total of 310 weeks at the world no. 1 spot. He has won a whopping 103 singles titles, including 20 Grand Slams and 6 ATP Tour Finals. In 2017, Roger managed to get his 8th Wimbledon title. Furthermore, he holds the record for having the most US Open titles.
Novak Djokovic
Born in Belgrade, Serbia, Novak Djokovic is one of the few tennis players who’ve surpassed almost every previous achievement in tennis history. As of now, Djokovic has spent a total of 373 weeks on the world’s no.1 spot. As for his title wins, the Serbian star has 91 career titles to his name. Having won 21 Grand Slam titles, Novak is widely regarded as the second-best Grand Slam player in tennis history.
While Novak has garnered success in almost every season, 2021 was his best season as he won three major titles that year. They include the Australian Open, French Open and the coveted Wimbledon title. With no signs of slowing down, Novak Djokovic is likely to emerge as the best all-time Grand Slam player in the near future.
Rod Laver
It’s hard to assess how Rod Laver would’ve performed against today’s tennis stars like Federer and Djokovic. But given his staggering records, we can assume that he would’ve fared well. Regarded as the best all-time tennis player by many fans and players, Laver holds the record for having the most titles in the game’s history. In his decades-long career, he won a whopping 198 titles. Along with having 6 doubles Grand Slam titles and 5 Davis Cup titles, the Aussie has 5 Grand Slam singles to his name.
Having won all four majors in the late 1960s, Laver remains the only player to get the Calendar Grand Slam in the Open Era. If he wasn’t precluded from the Grand Slam tournaments in the mid-1960s, we’re sure that Laver would’ve surpassed many more records.
Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras is widely regarded as the most successful tennis player on the 1990s. And rightly so. Along with spending a whopping 286 weeks at the top-ranking position, Sampras held the year-end no.1 spot for six consecutive years.
A dominant figure on the grass court, Sampras clinched 7 Wimbledon titles in his career. He was also excellent on the hard courts, with two Australian Open and five US Open titles to his name. Sampras ended his career in the early 2000s after winning the US Open title. In total, Sampras has 64 singles titles to his name.
Summing Up
For some tennis fans, it’s Roger Federer who’s the greatest tennis player of all time. For others, it’s Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal whom they consider the best. While choosing the best tennis player may be difficult, we can be certain that these top three players have redefined the sport over the years.
For tennis fans who enjoy betting on the game, we’ve got a variety of tennis betting markets to choose from. Also, you can find some of the most competitive odds with us. If you’re someone who’s just getting started, our guide on how to calculate sports odds can help you learn the basics of tennis odds.