Best Tennis Players of All Time: Tennis is a popular sport that is played in the world. Many great tennis players have graced the sport for years. But some owned the game and are rightfully regarded as the best players to have played the game of tennis.
In this article, we will be looking at the list of the top 10 tennis players (men) of all time.
Keep reading.
Top 10 Greatest Men's Tennis Players of All Time – Complete List
Here is a list of the best tennis players (men) of all time.
| Rank | Player | Country | No. of Grand Slams Won |
| 1 | Novak Djokovic | Serbia | 24 |
| 2 | Rafael Nadal | Spain | 22 |
| 3 | Roger Federer | Switzerland | 20 |
| 4 | Pete Sampras | USA | 14 |
| 5 | Björn Borg | Sweden | 11 |
| 6 | Rod Laver | Australia | 11 |
| 7 | John McEnroe | USA | 7 |
| 8 | Jimmy Connors | USA | 8 |
| 9 | Ivan Lendl | Czechoslovakia | 8 |
| 10 | Ken Rosewall | Australia | 8 |
Top 10 Tennis Players (Men) of All Time
The list is compiled using the records of players who have played tennis since its inception. It includes players who played before and after the Open Era. Here’s the list.
10. Ken Rosewall
The name of Ken Rosewall should always be there in any list prepared for the best male tennis players, he was the first star of tennis and had a glittering career where he won 133 career titles overall which included 8 Grand Slams and 15 Majors.
The records speak for themselves. He was also the first champion of a tournament held in the Open Era.
He was from Australia and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1980.
9. Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl is regarded as one of the greats of tennis as he played in an era where two other greats John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors played along with him. The way he dominated the top of the rankings during that era for 270 weeks says a lot about his ability.
He has won a total of 144 career titles which included 8 grand slam titles during his 16-year-old professional career that started in 1978 and lasted till 1994.
8. Jimmy Connors
Jimmy Connors was one of the greats of the games. He belonged to the era when the other greats of the game like John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg were playing. He holds the world record for winning 109 singles titles in the Open Era and ranking no.1 for a consecutive period of 160 weeks.
This record was broken by Roger Federer in the year 2007.
7. John McEnroe
John McEnroe is another of the greatest male tennis players of all time. He was an American tennis player who won a total of 77 career titles in his playing years. He was known for his playing skills as well as his temperament.
He has the highest number of titles in the Open Era, combining both singles and doubles; he has won 155 titles.
6. Rod Laver
Rod Laver was an Australian tennis player who is regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time; he has won a total of 11 Grand Slam titles and 8 Pro Titles. He is the only player to win a Grand Slam in the Open Era.
Rod Laver has won a total of 198 career titles, out of which 72 are won in the Open Era.
5. Bjorn Borg
One of the greats of the game of tennis who didn’t play for a long time but had a glorious career in his short term was Bjorn Borg, who played professional tennis for a period of 10 years from 1973 to 1983. He was known for his rivalry with John McEnroe.
The match played between Borg and McEnroe in the finals of Wimbledon 1980 is considered an all-time classic in the history of tennis.
He has won a total of 66 career titles, which included 11 Grand Slam titles.
4. Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras was one of the most prolific tennis players in the history of tennis. He was the first person in the Open Era to win 14 Grand Slams, which was a record till his retirement in 2003, a record that stood for 7 years till it was broken by Roger Federer in 2009.
Due to his precise and powerful serve, Pete Sampras was known as Pistol Pete during his playing days.
Sampras has won 64 singles titles during his career, which included 14 Grand Slams. He held the world record for being No. 1 for 286 weeks, which was the best at that time, till it was bettered by Roger Federer and then Novak Djokovic, respectively.
3. Roger Federer
The greatest of all tennis players list is incomplete without the mention of Roger Federer, who is an artist of the game of tennis. He is also known for his elegant style of play that was more based on precision and class rather than the pure muscle style of play by Rafael Nadal.
Federer has won 20 Grand Slam titles and an overall 103 titles in his playing career, which is the second highest after Jimmy Connors.
He was one player who was equally adept on all courts, with the most success coming from the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
Roger Federer bid farewell to his glorious tennis career in September 2022 after losing the final match of his career in the Laver Cup.
If there's one thing you watch today, make it this.#LaverCup | @rogerfederer pic.twitter.com/Ks9JqEeR6B
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 23, 2022
2. Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal is one of the best tennis players in the world. He has won 22 Grand Slams, the most by any male player in the Open Era. He has won an overall 92 titles till now in his career and will be winning some more in days to come.
He is considered the best clay court player in the world, as he has won an astounding 14 of his 22 Grand Slams while playing on clay courts.
Nadal has won the French Open (played on clay court) 14 times, which is a record in itself.
1. Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is an all-time great tennis player and is one among the trio of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic who are known for their rivalry.
Djokovic has won 24 Grand Slams, which is the most by any player in the Open Era, and holds the record for the most number of weeks as No. 1. Djokovic has held the rank of No. 1 for 373 weeks, which is the highest by any player in the Open Era.
Notable Mentions
Andre Agassi
One other player who is missed from this list is Andre Agassi. He has won a total of 8 Grand Slams in his career and is the only player to do a Career Super Slam (win a Grand Slam, an Olympic gold medal and a year-end championship in the same year).
He retired in 2006 after playing for 16 years and won a total of 60 titles in his playing career that included 8 Grand Slam titles.
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