In this weekend also, I am still on Tennis. One thing ,I think most tennis lovers will agree is that we are currently witnessing three of the greatest ever in Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic . Now if someone wants to write about 10 greatest players of the open era of tennis (post 1968), then in my opinion these are 10 players, actually, there are 11 players as 10th position is tied between two players.
10 Ken Rosewall (Australia)
Career Titles 133, Grand Slam singles titles 8–4 Australian, 2 French, 2 US Open
With a long career that included both the pre and post Open Era, Ken Rosewall certainly deserves a place among the all-time greats of tennis. His eight Grand Slam titles combined with 15 Major Championships undoubtedly qualify Rosewall a place in tennis immortality. With a career that started in the early 1950s and ended with his retirement in 1980, the quick and agile Aussie was renowned for his backhand and crisp and accurate volleying. His last Grand Slam title came at the 1972 Australian Open at the age of 37, which is still a record for the oldest Grand Slam winner.
10 Andre Agassi (USA)
Career Titles 61, Grand Slam Singles titles 8— 4 Australian, 1 French, 2 US Open, 1 Wimbledon.
Who can forget the young brash, long haired player when he first arrived on the tennis scene in the late 1980s. Something happened along the way, and by the time he finished his 20 year career, people became his fan and also came to respect him as a great player and spokesperson for the game. With those killer groundstrokes and returns of serve, he deserves to be in the top 10.
9 John McEnroe (USA)
Career titles 105, Grand Slam Singles titles 7— 3 Wimbledon, 4 US open
When came to hard courts, fast surfaces, and creative shot making, there may have been no one better.
His fiery attitude and occasional bad-boy behavior made tennis fans either hate him or love him. Underneath was a highly competitive athlete who hated to lose, and he sometimes let his emotions get the best of him.
Who can forget his epic battles with rival Jimmy Connors and his five-set loss to Bjorn Borg in the 1980 Wimbledon final, one of the greatest matches in Wimbledon history?
8 Jimmy Connors (USA)
Career titles 147, Grand Slam Singles titles 8— 1 Australian, 2 Wimbledon, 5 US Open.
No one dominated tennis more during the mid-1970s than Jimmy Connors. In 1974 alone, Connors had a staggering 99-4 record and won the three Grand Slam tournaments that he entered. Connors was banned from playing in the French Open in 1974 due to his association with World Team Tennis, and this prevented him from a possible Grand Slam sweep. Despite peaking in the 1970s, Connors had a long and impressive tennis career, retiring in 1996. Connors still holds the record for ATP tour titles with 109.
7 Ivan Lendl (USA)
Career titles 144, Grand Slam Singles title 8—2 Australian, 3 French, 3 US Open.
The quiet and stoic Czech (later became USA citizen) with the big serve was the most dominant player of the 1980s. Lendl wore down his opponents with his powerful groundstrokes, topspin forehand, and an incredible level of conditioning. He was the world’s top-ranked player for four years, and he held the number one ranking in the world for 270 weeks, a record in that day. In contrast to many of his more outspoken peers, Lendl was known for letting his game do his talking.
6 Bjorn Borg (Sweden)
Career titles 101, Grand Slam Singles titles 11—6 French, 5 Wimbledon
The long-haired, blonde Swede with the killer ground game? With ice water in his veins, the quiet Borg dominated tennis in the late 1970s, and he had some memorable matches with the likes of John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors. Borg dominated Wimbledon, winning the title five consecutive years from 1976 to 1980. Despite his relatively brief career (he retired in 1983 at the age of 26), Borg won 11 Grand Slam titles, all at Wimbledon and the French Open. Borg was the first player of the modern era to win more than 10 majors. Bjorn Borg could have been a top five all-time had he continued to play and not retired while seemingly in the prime of his career.
5 Pete Sampras (USA)
Career Titles 64, Grand Slam Singles titles- 14— 2 Australian,7 Wimbledon,5 US Open
Sampras’ place in tennis history is difficult to judge as he only won three of the four Grand Slam events over the course of his career. Clearly more comfortable on hard courts and grass, how do we decide one’s place when they dominate on one surface and struggle on another? When Pete retired in 2002, he was considered to be the best player of all time, although some would dispute this. He was number one in the world rankings for six consecutive years, and his 14 Grand Slam titles were a record at the time. Who can forget his epic battles with Andre Agassi that made the 1990s a great decade for tennis? Pete went out on top when he won the 2002 US Open, his last Grand Slam tournament. But without a French Open title or even a final, how do we decide where he belongs in the list of best ever? But still, he comes in at the number five spot.
4 Rod Laver (Australia)
Career Titles 200. Grand Slam Singles titles 11— # Australian, 2 French, 4 US Open, 4 Wimbledon.
It’s difficult to assess how Rod Laver would have fared against the players of today, but the redheaded Aussie would have done just fine. It’s hard to argue with the “Rockets” record. He was ranked number one in the world for seven straight years (1964 – 1970), and he has more career titles (200) than anyone in the history of the game. He is the only player to have twice won the Grand Slam, doing it once as an amateur in 1962 and again as a pro in 1969. If Laver was not excluded from the Grand Slam tournaments during a five-year period in the mid-1960s, who knows how many he would have won. During this time period, the pre-open era, the Grand Slam tournaments were for amateurs only. The “open era” in tennis did not begin until 1968, when professionals were finally allowed to compete in the Grand Slam events. Given that Laver was ranked number one in the world during this five-year period, it’s likely he would have won many more Grand Slam.
3 Rafael Nadal (Spain)
Career titles 88. Grand Slam Singles titles 20— 13 French, 4 US Open, 2 Wimbledon, 1 Australian Open. 2008 Olympic Gold medal.
Were it not for the recurring tendinitis in his knees and wrist injuries, he may well have a few more Grand Slam titles to his already impressive resume. At 35 years of age, the fiery Spaniard, known as Rafa and “The King of Clay,” has 20 Grand Slam titles, and he certainly has the potential to pass Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Rafael is regarded as the greatest clay-court player of all time, although fans of Bjorn Borg may dispute this claim. His record 13th French Open title in 2020, in dominating fashion, certainly makes it difficult to imagine anyone being better on clay.
2 Roger Federer (Switzerland)
Career Titles 103, Grand Slam Singles titles-20—-6 Australian, 1 French, 8 Wimbledon, 5 US Open.
For many years it was easy to select Roger Federer as the greatest of all time. His 20 Grand Slam titles and 310 weeks ranked as number one speaks for themselves, and even at the age of 40, he is still winning and competing at the highest levels. From 2004 to 2008, Federer went 237 consecutive weeks being ranked number one in the world, a record that may never be surpassed. Even though younger players are now finding a way to beat him, his consistently high level of play over his 20-year career is a testament to his conditioning and ability. Injuries sidelined Roger for 2020 and a good portion of 2021 season. People are waiting anxiously .watching his return in 2022.
1 Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
Career titles 85, Grand Slam Singles titles 20—-9 Australian, 2 French Open, 6 Wimbledon, 3 US Open.
At 34 years of age and in the late prime years of his career, Djokovic is clearly the best player in the world at the moment, and he has the potential to win more Grand Slam titles. With 20 Grand Slam titles already under his belt and being tied with Nadal and Federer, he certainly has the potential to surpass them. And with a record 344 weeks and counting ranked as number one, it’s hard not to give Djokovic serious consideration as the greatest of all time. Now whether Nadal & Federer can recover from injuries to once again contend at the uppermost levels, will have to wait till 2022 season..
With his record of winning major titles on all the surfaces, and his advantage in head to head matches against Federer and Nadal, Djokovic is ahead in race for winning more grand slams. Who knows he may become and earn the title of GREATEST OF ALL TIME (GOAT), as age is in his favour. At this stage, he seems to be better placed as compared to the other two.
Hope you like this information.
Waiting. For your views on this blog.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
24th December 2021
R. N. Mungale.
Good blog. Lot of information.