It is very hard to compare the players of distinct eras in any sport due to different fitness standards, technological changes, and advancements in all aspects of life (from medicine to transportation).
Players heal much faster in present times and they can spend many more hours on the court than half a decade ago for example.
The distinction between past and present is particularly notable in tennis. You must have seen the images and videos of the world’s elite players playing with tiny (compared to the nowadays ones) wooden rackets.
It is impossible to measure their level and compare it to the levels of the stars that have come later and those that are still playing.
You must have also heard of an “Open Era” expression used frequently in tennis. The phrase directly separates the tennis played with wooden rackets in the past from one modern time (from 1968 onwards).
Nowadays, we have enough tools and data to draw parallels between several generations of tennis stars.
Of course, even with all the statistics available, people are still debating the popular “GOAT” (Greatest of All Time) race. We’ve recently seen Roger Federer saying farewell to professional sport at the Rod Laver Cup in 2022.
Although he has fewer Grand Slam titles than Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, many tennis aficionados consider him the greatest player of all time.
So, the fans can’t even agree on the list of the best players of the same era, let alone compare the biggest stars of each.
This is why the “GOAT” lists will always be debatable and subjective. We will, however, try and make a realistic one, based purely on the numbers and statistics. At the end of the day, the titles and the wins are all that matter in this sport, right?
Stay tuned and enjoy the list of the Top 10 male tennis players of all time prepared by Mark Wighan, tennis expert at Betting Picks 4 You.
10 – Ken Rosewall
Although several other tennis icons could have also made the list, we decided to go with Ken Rosewall who spent his playing career both pre and post-Open Era. He has earned a place in this prestigious list by winning 133 titles in his wealthy career, eight of which were the Grand Slams.
Since Ken is an Aussie, it is no surprise that half of his Grand Slams were won in Australia. Rosewall was also a champion at French Open and US Open, twice each.
9 – Jimmy Connors
Next up is Jimmy Connors who was dominant in the 1970s. He had a staggering campaign in 1974 with a record of 99 wins and only 4 defeats, winning three Grand Slams in the process.
He would have likely won the French Open as well that year but the connection to the World Team Tennis has banned him from playing in Paris. Jimmy has won 5 US Opens, 2 Wimbledons, and 1 Australian Open and he entered the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1998.
8 – Ivan Lendl
While Connors dominated the 1970s, the next decade belonged fully to Ivan Lendl, the big-serving Czech. His main characteristics were powerful groundstrokes, big serve, and hard-to-catch topspin forehand.
Lendl spent 270 weeks as the World No 1 and he has won eight Grand Slam trophies in his career, including three French Open and US Open titles along the way.
7 – Bjorn Borg
Bjorn Borg became the first player in the Modern Era with a double-digit number of Grand Slam titles, having won six French Open and five Wimbledon silverwares.
The blonde Swede did not talk much outside of the court, but on it, he was unstoppable, especially in the second half of the 1970s. We all remember his huge rivalries with Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe. We can only wonder whether his records would have ever been broken had he not retired at the age of 26.
6 – Roy Emerson
Roy Emerson is the only man ever to have completed a career Grand Slam in both singles and doubles.
He has won each major at least once in both singles and doubles and, as such, he will always be remembered as one of the greatest to have ever played the game. Roy Emerson won 6 Australian Open titles and 12 Grand Slams in total in singles.
5 – Rod Laver
Many argue that Rod Laver would have dominated the world’s tennis in the present era as well. What we can say is that he has won as many as 200 career titles, 11 of which were Grand Slams.
Rod has completed a double career slam winning each major at least twice. We also have to mention that he was excluded from Grand Slam tournaments for five years during the mid-1960s. We can only wonder what would have happened had he played all these.
4 – Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras was a tennis icon without a doubt. Many question his place even among the top 10 of all time but we just have to put him this high because of his impressive 14 slams.
Yes, he has never won the French Open title but his 7 Wimbledon and 5 US Open trophies are beyond impressive. At the time when he retired in 2002, he was considered the best tennis player of all time, and that’s enough for us to put him in fourth place on this list.
3 – Roger Federer
We have now come to the best era in the history of the sport, the era of three phenomenal players who had the misfortune (or luck) to be born around the same time as the other two.
Roger Federer is still considered the greatest player of all time by many people although no statistical parameter can prove it. The legendary Swiss said goodbye to tennis at the Laver Cup in 2022.
If nothing, he will always be remembered as the man who played tennis most beautifully. His 20 Grand Slam trophies, including 8 Wimbledon silverwares are also quite impressive you must reckon.
2 – Novak Djokovic
The final two spots are reserved for the only two active players on this list. Novak Djokovic already has plenty of stats on his side but he is one Grand Slam win shy of Rafael Nadal.
If Novak managed to surpass the Spaniard, he will undoubtedly be the greatest male tennis player of all time. Novak had several super-dominant seasons, but we must particularly mention 2021 when he won three Grand Slam titles, including the French Open trophy after beating Nadal in the semifinal.
1 – Rafael Nadal
While many question his abilities on other surfaces, Rafael Nadal (a.k.a the King of Clay) has managed to win trophies outside of Paris, proving the doubters wrong. Rafa has a whopping 22 Grand Slam trophies.
He has won the French Open 14 times, breaking all possible records in terms of a single major successes. He is at the top of our list of the greatest tennis players of all time thanks to his 22 Grand Slams.
If he stays ahead of Novak in this category, it is very hard to argue against the “Bull from Mallorca”.