The Best Tennis Player Of All-Time

The best tennis player of all time is a topic of constant debate among tennis experts and fans. But, is the greatest tennis player a man or a woman? Looking among the most successful tennis players, I realize that both men and women have had great players who have dominated the rankings and won numerous titles throughout their careers. Without listing all the players, we will name those who have been at the top for the longest time.

Ladies First

Among the women, we find figures as dominant as among the men. Here we can find players like Margaret Court of Australia, who has as many major titles as Novak Djokovic himself, with 24, in addition to 19 doubles titles and another 19 in mixed doubles.

Next up is the great Serena Williams of the United States, with 23 majors and 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, which she played with her sister Venus. Steffi Graf of Germany finished with 22 singles titles. Her consistency has allowed her to remain at No. 1 for a record 377 weeks. That is more than any other player.

The Men’s List

First, we have Djokovic of Serbia, who has won 24 singles titles and collected 87 titles in nearly two decades on the court. Djokovic was virtually unbeatable in his prime. He dominated year after year. Ken Rosewall of Australia, with 23 singles titles, long ranked No. 1, played in the 1950s and 1970s. He was the first player in the Open Grand Slam era not to lose a set.

Rafael Nadal of Spain, with 22 major titles, has more than half of his titles credited to his dominance on clay. With 14 titles at Roland Garros, Nadal accumulated 92 titles over two decades. He is the only player to have won four French Opens without losing a set. Roger Federer of Switzerland, with 20 major titles, long enjoyed being named the greatest of all time.

Is the Best Tennis Player Male Or Female?

I would hate to end this article by assuming who would win between the best male player and the best female player. Sometimes, time does not allow us to make those comparisons in real life. Watching the best in their prime against each other might answer our questions, but sometimes the most successful players are already retired, or their best time has passed. It would also be naive to say that a woman can’t beat a man in tennis.

Still, for me, the most important thing is to appreciate that both men and women, each in their category, have allowed us to enjoy significant figures who have left their mark on time and have their names engraved in the history books of this beautiful sport.