10. In the fall of his senior season, Isner won the ITA All-American Doubles Championships and the ITA National Indoor Doubles Championships. He became the first player from South America to ever win a Grand Slam event on the mens side. It doesnt make accomplishments from years past less impressive, relevant, or important, but its a factor that we should weigh when making comparisons. From ITA Player to Watch to ITA All-American in singles, Tennys anchored his name in the Volunteer history books. In total, she would win 12 Grand Slam titles, including one at the Australian Open, one at the French Open, six at Wimbledon, and four at the US Open. -Search for former college tennis stars on the men's professional tour. 17 in singles and No. Although its tough to imagine a player who will eclipse the big three on the mens side or the top players on the womens, one thing is for sure it will happen. Titles can be any combination of singles and doubles, so the combined total is the default sorting of the lists.The current top-level events are on the ATP Tour for men and the WTA Tour for women. Everyone else, I believe, would benefit greatly from . During his career, John McEnroe was also highly successful at the Davis Cup, where he helped revive the United States. Career titles: 42. He will be seeking his first tour-level win at the Open. The beauty of Andre Agassis game allowed him to excel on all different surfaces. Share your location for a more tailored experience. He still walked away from the sport with three Grand Slam titles, and recently made a comeback to continue playing the game he loves. 7 in the world, and the injured Pat Dupre, who reached the 79 Wimbledon semis, were out. In some cases, this may be true, but as weve discovered, it becomes somewhat nuanced and isnt always cut and dry. He captured his first professional singles title at the Godfrey Futures by taking the day over Rudy Siwy. Throughout their careers, the two played 34 times, and Sampras won 20 of those matches. The team they beat Earnhart and Bond were also Trojans. Evert won two titles at Wimbledon, seven at the French Open, three at Wimbledon, and six at the US Open. Given enough time, another player will come along that does what many now believe to be impossible. For example, Bjrn Borg played professional tennis for roughly ten years, while Jimmy Connors played for more than double that at 24 years. 6. Men and women dont compete against each other in singles. After qualifying at ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati, Wolf reached a career high ranking of 143. 2 reviews of JXS Tennis Academy "Joe at JSX Tennis Academy has been my tennis instructor since the early 1990's when we started at the Dedham Health and Athletic Time. 1 in the world, but was only No. Tennis Strategy by Grant Grinnell. During that match he didnt drop a set. In the Olympics, Roger Federer has a silver and gold medal. Pasarell did the same in 66. Book. UCLA, 1970-1971 Jimmy Connors, Jeff Borowiak, Haroon Rahim. For example, if player A competes later in their career against player B, whos younger, and most of their matches happen toward the end of player As career, player B arguably has a significant advantage. 5 Point Friday His Grand Slam titles include seven at the Australian Open, one at the French Open, eight at Wimbledon, and give at the US Open. As a result, looking back at players like Bjrn Borg, who has a thoroughly impressive resume, only played the tournament once in 1974 as a 17-year-old, which gave him limited opportunities to further add to his Grand Slam count of 11. Vernon Gholston - 6'3, 260 lbs. In 1993, Sampras reached the world No. Home to the US Open Grand Slam Tournament, New York City had long needed a vibrant tennis academy where kids could train. When it comes to the best female tennis player of all time, many consider the case to be closed due to the sheer dominance of Serena Williams in recent years. NCSA analyzed over 880 four-year colleges with mens college tennis programs across four division levels (D1, D2, D3 and NAIA) to develop a list of the Best Mens Tennis Colleges for Student-Athletes. Billie Jean King is an icon in the tennis world, dominating her field for almost a decade as she won an astonishing 129 titles which included 12 Grand Slams. He didnt have as long of a prime and some of the others on this list, but he could beat anyone in a single match. Rafa by Rafael Nadal, John Carlin. The following year was one of her most impressive, winning all four Grand Slam events and a gold medal in singles at the Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. 2023 by Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). In 2012 he won the silver in London, and in 2008 he won the Gold in Beijing. Highest Ranking. 8, and the considerable Brian Gottfried, ,who rose to No. If youve never considered whos deserving as the greatest player of all time, we hope our list at least serves as a helpful starting point, including some of the things worth keeping in mind when making your list. He retired at the early age of 26 in 1984 and likely could have achieved significantly more if willing to continue competing. 1 ranking for the first time, a position he held for a total of 101 weeks during his career. The Top Ten. A Terrible Splendor by Marshall Jon Fisher. For all those reasons, this is a justifiable choice. For 12 years the collegiate championships had been Prime Time for LA either USC or UCLA won. #5 Waves Clash with Top-Ranked North Carolina in NCAA Semifinals. The Bruin was named an ITA All-American in singles and doubles. He might not be the most complete player of his era, but he was a matchup nightmare for all the greats when he squared off against them. Its up to any individual to determine how they perceive these factors when ranking the greatest players of all time. Ten years ago . For example, as black athletes, Serena and Venus Williams overcame unprecedented challenges growing up to break into tennis. Once told he was too clumsy to be a Davis Cup ball boy, Stan went on to win seven Davis Cups. The US Open will be Jungs first tour-level event since the resumption of the ATP Tour. Then, in 1992 at the Barcelona Summer Olympics, she claimed silver in singles. His success started in the 1980s with numerous titles and his first Grand Slam victory over John McEnroe at the French Open, a year McEnroe was virtually untouchable. 7. Hes only reached the quarterfinals twice, and has never been beyond that. Just making it into the top 25 is Lleyton Hewitt. 15. 1 through 4 and gladly made sacrifices for a team that went 28-0 and scored 26 shutouts. 10. Table of Contents show. One of the most dominating seasons ever. Ken Rosewall. List of the best men's tennis players from 2000s, listed by popularity with photos of the players when available. Three collegians with St. Louis connections made their mark on college tennis Chuck McKinley, Arthur Ashe and a feisty fellow named Jimmy Connors. Her professional career started around the age of 16, and throughout her career, she achieved impressive results, perhaps most notably including her seven Grand Slam titles. In the 1970s, Lavers dominance in Grand Slam events diminished due to his commitments with the National Tennis League and World Champion Tennis tours, where he remained dominant. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the essential meaning of best as: By definition, the word best is subjective. Keep reading for a list of the 10 best American female tennis players of all time. NCSA Power Rankings are based on proprietary analysis of NCSA Favorites data obtained from the college search activity of the over 3 million student-athletes on the NCSA recruiting network, general academic rankings by U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges, IPEDS graduation rates and IPEDS average cost after aid. In March 1991, Seles replaced Stefi Graf as world No. Not a lot of people talk about him currently, but he was as tough a player as any in his prime. For example, which of the following hypothetical players is better: Theres no doubt the Grand Slam events are the most prestigious and challenging for a player to win. However, it wasnt until 2000 when Venus would capture her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, one of seven total five at Wimbledon and two at the US Open. Despite his record against Nadal, I give Federer the edge in my list of the all-time best tennis players for a few reasons. McDonald was named an ITA All-American in singles for three straight years. Amazingly, at UCLA, Jimbo often played No. Longevity is another factor to consider. She holds three Gold medals in doubles with her sister Venus and earned a singles gold at the 2012 London Olympics. Hed just won the French Open mixed doubles with Mary Carillo, reached the Wimbledon semis, and dazzled during the summer of 77. In 73, Stanford was on the cusp of greatness. Federer: 11. USC, 1967-1968 Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MIT, University of California - Los Angeles - UCLA, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo, 2002-2023 NCSA College Recruiting All Rights Reserved. As a perfect example, hes made five finals at the Australian Open, but never hoisted the final trophy. Here are D1baseball.com's picks for the best college baseball players of the 64-Team/Super Regional Era. It wasnt until 2004 that hed win his first singles ATP title. Before retiring in 2020, this talented, beautiful Danish tennis player became the first Scandinavian woman to win big prize money and hold her No. Born in Serbia on May 22, 1987, Novak Djokovic is currently my pick for the best mens tennis player of all time. Andre Agassi is the only other player to accomplish this feat. She also won the Australian Open to start 1993 before a deranged fan stabbed her in April. When evaluating the best tennis players ever, some people believe its necessary to consider a players ability to compete in doubles because its an essential discipline that the sport has to offer. 5. List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players. Shes also the second oldest woman behind Serena Williams to have held this position. The number 1 in our best table tennis players list is a Chinese player, Ma Long. 3. Jimmy Connors reached the world No. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. In 1998, she didnt earn any titles, but she saw plenty of success, including a top 20 ranking. Lutz won the NCAA singles in 67, but lost the 68 final to Smith. 3 in men's singles tennis by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Connors won the singles in 71. 1, and she held that position for 178 weeks throughout her career. Of course, the point isnt to diminish the value of any players success at the tournament. Furthermore, not all titles are equal. In addition to her results in singles, Chris Evert also achieved success in doubles with three Grand Slam titles. The Americans have fallen off the map. Steve Johnson | University of Southern California. Like Evert, Navratilova won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, including three at the Australian Open, two at the French Open, nine at Wimbledon, and four at the US Open. In this article, well share our selection of the greatest players of all time, but well also discuss the challenges when ranking and why theyre important to keep in mind.