Top 10 Greatest Tennis Players of All Time

WatchMojo

From powerful serves to graceful volleys, join us as we celebrate the legends who shaped tennis history! Our selection showcases players who dominated courts worldwide, broke countless records, and left an indelible mark on the sport. From Grand Slam victories to Olympic gold medals, these champions defined excellence.

Transcript

00:00There's no one who plays the bigger matches better than Rafa.

00:03Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the 10 greatest tennis players throughout history,

00:08based on performance, statistics, and overall legacy.

00:11But in women's tennis right now, there's just Steffi, Steffi, and Steffi.

00:17Number 10, Billie Jean King.

00:19Throughout the history of tennis, one name comes up over and over again, Billie Jean King.

00:25Hailing from Long Beach, Billie Jean King is one of the most historic tennis players in history,

00:29not only for her stats, but for what she represented for the sport.

00:32King was a queen on the court, winning 39 major titles.

00:35That included six Wimbledon wins throughout the 60s and 70s and 27 doubles titles,

00:40making her one of the first players to consistently dominate in both fields.

00:43When we shook hands, put our arms around each other, he said, I underestimated you.

00:50And I went, oh, where's my dad?

00:53But perhaps her most lasting legacy is being a trailblazer for women's rights in sports,

00:57winning the 1973 Battle of the Sexes, creating the WTA,

01:01and fighting for equal prize money for women in tennis.

01:03Her name has since been given to the complex that hosts the U.S. Open,

01:07a testament to her legacy in the sport.

01:09Just a tough spin lob away from Shea Stadium in Flushing Meadows, New York,

01:14stands the new home of the U.S. Open, the National Tennis Center.

01:18On the site of the 1964 World's Fair, the world's best players gathered to decide an international event.

01:27Number 9, Pete Sampras.

01:29We knew something good was brewing when Pete Sampras won the U.S. Open in 1990.

01:32Grand slam, holy...

01:34Stop, Pete!

01:37Having turned 19 less than a month before, he became and still is the youngest winner in the tournament's long history.

01:49And speaking of records, at the time of his retirement in 2002,

01:51Sampras' 14 Grand Slam wins was the all-time record.

01:54He can't how long it is, because he has rewritten the record books as arguably the greatest champion of all time.

02:05Sampras was the name in the 1990s, being ranked world number one throughout a good chunk of the decade,

02:10and winning 12 majors, including six and seven years at Wimbledon.

02:13And with one of the most dominant serves in all of tennis, Sampras earned himself the nickname Pistol Pete,

02:18a testament to his remarkable, and often unbeatable, power.

02:2040 low, ace number 12.

02:29100 just looks paralyzed back there.

02:31Number 8, Serena Williams.

02:35Game set and championship, Williams, 6'4", 7'6".

02:42Even people who don't follow tennis know the name Serena Williams.

02:45She was a pop culture icon in the 2000s,

02:47a result of her on-court dominance, cultural and social impact,

02:49and frequent appearances in celebrity media.

02:52Williams has some unparalleled career achievements,

02:54like 23 Grand Slam singles titles and four Olympic gold medals,

02:57between both singles and doubles.

02:59So, a moment in history, it is Venus and Serena in a Grand Slam final,

03:04maybe for the final time tonight.

03:07In fact, Williams is the recipient of the rare and coveted career Golden Slam,

03:10which is when a player wins all four major Grand Slams and the Olympic gold medal.

03:14Williams did that in both singles and doubles,

03:16the only player in history to have done so.

03:17With one of the greatest serves in the sport, aggressive baseline play,

03:21and unmatched athleticism, Williams revolutionized women's tennis.

03:24Serena smashes Steffi's record.

03:27It's number 23.

03:30An iconic number.

03:32And like Michael Jordan, she's in rare air.

03:37The sisters embrace.

03:39They share a moment.

03:42What a special moment.

03:44Number 7, Rod Laver.

03:46And Rod Laver has won it.

03:49He's the slammer for the Grand Slam,

03:52and it's undoubtedly the finest achievement in the history of this game.

03:55Like Billie Jean King, Rod Laver has a stadium named after him.

03:58The Rod Laver Arena, home of the Australian Open.

04:00Laver was simply unbeatable in the 1960s,

04:03completing two, yes two, calendar Grand Slams.

04:05This is when a player wins all four majors,

04:07the Australian, French, and U.S. Opens, plus Wimbledon,

04:10in a single calendar year.

04:11Most players never accomplish this.

04:12Laver did it twice in the same decade, in 1962 and again in 1969.

04:17Since I was a kid, my uncle told me about Rod Laver is one of the greatest of the history,

04:26if not the greatest.

04:26He also holds the most singles titles in tennis history with 200,

04:30accomplished between his amateur and professional careers.

04:33He had a complete game, with a powerful left-handed forehand, supreme athleticism,

04:37and incredible mental fortitude, and he could compete on all different styles of court.

04:40In 1962 and 1969, when he won all four Grand Slam titles in a year,

04:47defeat never equal to this day,

04:49Rod this year was invited to crown the present champions

04:52at the Australian, the French, and the U.S. Open.

04:59She was difficult to play against because she had such long arms.

05:03We called her the arm, because she's got a short-waisted and long arms.

05:07They didn't call me the arm for no reason.

05:09The achievements of Margaret Court are almost divine,

05:12and with the name Court, you almost have to believe in divine intervention.

05:15Court won a total of 64 major titles throughout her career, including 24 in singles.

05:19In fact, she had completed her career Grand Slam by the time she was just 21,

05:23after winning Wimbledon in 1963.

05:25But wait, it gets better.

05:26You see, Court also managed the extremely rare,

05:28almost unheard of accomplishment of winning two boxed sets.

05:31A boxed set is when a player wins all four Grand Slams in each of the three disciplines,

05:35singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.

05:37Only three players in history have done this.

05:39Court is the only player to have done it twice.

05:40What is your most overriding memory, would you say, of your greatest achievements in tennis?

05:47Probably the year I won the Grand Slam, because the four all in the one year is very hard.

05:53Very hard? It's almost impossible.

05:56It's a miracle.

05:58Fedra hasn't done it.

05:59No, that's not.

06:00Number five, Martina Navratilova.

06:02No one in history has rode Wimbledon like Martina.

06:04There was one name that dominated women's tennis in the 1980s, Martina Navratilova.

06:09She won 18 singles Grand Slams throughout her career, with all but three occurring in the 80s.

06:14During that time, Navratilova reached nine consecutive Wimbledon finals and won six straight

06:18between 1982 and 1987.

06:20In fact, her nine Wimbledon wins is a record for any player, both male and female.

06:24No one, before or since, has matched Martina's dominance at Wimbledon.

06:29My rival, my friend.

06:32And in 1983, Navratilova had a startling winning percentage of 99%, losing just one of her 87 matches.

06:39Oh, and she's one of the three players to achieve the aforementioned box set.

06:43Navratilova's aggressive serve and volley game served her well, and she continued playing

06:47the sport well into middle age, winning the US Open mixed doubles title in 2006 at the age

06:51of 49.

06:52Did you know that you have a special one as well?

06:54Yes.

06:54With your name on it.

06:56And this obviously, in memory or in marking the 40th anniversary of your first win here.

07:01Yes.

07:02Where's it got the things?

07:03There.

07:04That's what I'm looking for.

07:04There they are.

07:05Yeah, look at how many.

07:06Yeah, I brought you sketchy.

07:07Number 4.

07:08Rafael Nadal

07:09Hola a todos.

07:11Estoy aquí para comunicaros que me retiro del tenis profesional.

07:15This Spanish player retired in 2024, ending one of the most remarkable tennis careers in history.

07:20Nadal maintained top-tier performance for nearly two decades, his competitive fire never extinguishing.

07:25Known as a fantastic return player with an unbelievable forehand, Nadal powered his

07:29way to 22 Grand Slam singles titles and is the only player in history to win at least

07:33one Grand Slam in a calendar year for 10 consecutive years.

07:36The sport can only be grateful that an icon such as Nadal played a part for so long.

07:42Most of those wins came on clay, on which Nadal was virtually unbeatable.

07:45He was victorious in over 90% of his clay matches, won 81 consecutive matches on the

07:50surface, and took home 14 French Open titles.

07:53No other player has won even half as many at one major.

07:56And at the end of his 60th match in Longaos, the 13th team, Rafael Nadal.

08:03Number 3.

08:04Steffi Graf

08:05It's that powerful forehand that has helped Steffi Graf become an international superstar.

08:11There's no question the 22-time Grand Slam champion still has an aura on court.

08:17This German woman was born to play tennis.

08:19In 1983, she played in the French Open at just 13, making her the youngest player at the

08:23time to compete in a major.

08:25In 1988, she won the coveted Golden Slam, making her the only player to have done so in

08:29the same calendar year.

08:30She's also the only tennis player in history, either male or female, to achieve a quadruple

08:34career Grand Slam.

08:35Steffi Graf won all of the Grand Slam tournaments multiple times.

08:39In 1988, she even won all four in the same year, plus the Olympic gold.

08:44She's the only woman in history to complete a Golden Slam.

08:48And then there's the fact that she set the records for most year-end number one finishes,

08:52eight, and most weeks spent as number one, 377.

08:55And many other esteemed players, including Billie Jean King and Serena Williams, have called

08:58her the goat.

08:59So yeah, Steffi Graf was pretty good.

09:01You know, these things I don't realize till some people tell me that.

09:05So you're not obsessed with the statistics and the records?

09:08No, not at all.

09:08Number two, Roger Federer.

09:10I wanted to ask you, isn't it really a goat, right?

09:14Not always, but most of the time.

09:16So there is a thing with my stock.

09:18So why do they call you the goat?

09:25Simply watching Roger Federer play was a thing of beauty.

09:28It was like ballet, with his grace, fluidity, and precision earning widespread acclaim,

09:32and making him a model of technical brilliance.

09:34Of course, he has the career achievements to show for it.

09:36Federer took home 20 major titles, including eight at Wimbledon.

09:39He also spent a record 237 consecutive weeks at number one throughout the 2000s, showcasing

10:00an extended period of dominance.

10:02And speaking of extended dominance, Federer remained competitive well into his late 30s,

10:06winning his final Grand Slam in 2018 at the age of 36, a rarity in any sport, let alone

10:11one as physically demanding as tennis.

10:12And with exceptional sportsmanship, there is simply no reason not to like Mr. Federer.

10:16He has done it!

10:19He has done it!

10:20A sensational six for Federer down under!

10:26He took the scenic route, but he's got there in the end.

10:29A winner against Cilic!

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10:45Number 1.

10:48Novak Djokovic

10:49Not only champion of Australia for a tap time, but he is the best player on the planet again.

10:58We mean, is there a record that Novak Djokovic doesn't have?

11:02Most year-end number ones, eight.

11:03Most weeks spent as number one, 428.

11:06Most Grand Slam wins, 24.

11:08Most Masters 1000 titles, 40.

11:10Speaking of, he's the only player in history to win all nine Masters 1000 tournaments.

11:14And he's done it twice.

11:15History is made in Cincinnati.

11:20Novak Djokovic becomes the first man in singles to capture all nine Masters 1000 titles.

11:30Anyway, most ATP finals wins, seven.

11:33He set the rankings points record with 16,950.

11:37He's earned the most prized money of any tennis player with nearly $187 million.

11:41And just to cap it off, in 2024, he won the Olympic gold medal, making him the only tennis

11:46player in history to win every big title, the four Grand Slams, the nine Masters 1000s, the ATP finals, and the Olympic gold medal.

11:53Pride, joy, huge relief because I mean, I've been blessed to achieve many great things in our sport.

12:02And that was probably the only big achievement that was missing.

12:04Is there a historic player we forgot to include?

12:07Let us know in the comments below.

12:08One man ruled Wimbledon for nearly a decade.

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