The Top 10 Men’s Tennis Players Of All Time

Such a sport of history. Tennis is one of those games that can really bring out the “oohs” and “ahhs” from a crowd and we’ve compiled a list of the 10 greatest men’s singles players of all time. It’s nearly impossible to compare tennis plays from different eras in an apples-to-apples type of way. We are judging each player by their individual accomplishments, including how they ranked (in this case dominated) in their respective times as well as their overall contribution to the sport of tennis.

John McEnroe

Country: United States
Professional Career Length: 15
Career Prize Money: $12,547,797 ($28,996,452 with inflation)
Career Titles: 105
Grand Slams: 7

Johnny Mac is known for a bunch of things, but mostly for his awesome game. He’s also known for his… temper in an era before instant replay. He and Jimmy Connors had a significant role in changing what was once known as a pretty stuffy game and showed a side of character. Johnny’s game was incredibly fast and he had a knack for making clutch shots.

Andre Agassi

Country: United States
Professional Career Length: 20
Career Prize Money: $31,152,975 ($55,256,757 with inflation)
Career Titles: 61
Grand Slams: 8

A true fan favorite, Andre Agassi was a force in the 1990s where he dazzled crowds with his return game and hair due. Agassi was one of the few legends to have true longevity in his career before the modern age of enhanced medicine. Avoiding major injuries, he was able to play (successfully) into his early 30s – a time when most players were at a steep decline.

Ivan Lendl

Country: Czechoslovakia
Professional Career Length: 16
Career Prize Money: $21,262,417 ($49,134,892 with inflation)
Career Titles: 144
Grand Slams: 8

Lendl was an impressive shot maker who dominated the 1980s with his big serve.

Jimmy Connors

Country: United States
Professional Career Length: 24
Career Prize Money: $8,641,040 ($33,009,421 with inflation)
Career Titles: 147
Grand Slams: 8

We think Jimmy was the best tennis player in the 1970s – hosting 99-4 record (including 3 grand slam titles) in 1974. He racked up just short of 150 titles in 24 years, making him the 2nd winningest male player to date and the current record holder for ATP titles with 101. He absolutely dominated the US Open during his reign and was the start of the first truly great era of competitive men’s tennis.

Bjorn Borg

Country: Sweden
Professional Career Length: 10
Career Prize Money: $3,655,751 ($16,931,524 with inflation)
Career Titles: 101
Grand Slams: 11

Bjorn Borg was nothing short of a beast on the court, especially on clay. He finished 6th on our list, only because he retired at such a young age and as a result, couldn’t compile the career numbers of his competition. Like a rockstar, he quit while he was ahead. There’s something to be said about a man that won 101 titles including 11 grand slams in just 10 years. Granted, he played through his peak and his numbers likely would have diminished with age, but that doesn’t take anything away from his tremendous accomplishments. He was the undisputed king of clay court tennis before Rafael Nadal bursted upon the scene.

Rod Laver

Country: Australia
Professional Career Length: 18
Career Prize Money: $1,565,413 ($11,213,516 with inflation)
Career Titles: 200
Grand Slams: 11

The original king of the court, Rod Laver still holds the men’s and women’s record for 200 career titles. He maintained a world number one ranking for seven straight years, which just demonstrated pure dominance. Laver began his winning ways from a young age, starting with his first grand slam in 1962 (as an amateur).

Pete Sampras

Country: United States
Professional Career Length: 15
Career Prize Money: $43,280,489 ($70,871,166 with inflation)
Career Titles: 64
Grand Slams: 14

Before being dethroned in the last 10 years, Pete Sampras was regarded as the best tennis player of all time. Sampras was dominant on hard surface and grass, making him a force for three of the four majors. His one weakness was clay, where he struggled and even though he had the record for grand slams (at the time) he never won at Roland Garros.

Novak Djokovic

Country: Serbia
Professional Career Length: 15 (and counting)
Career Prize Money: $119,110,890 (and counting)
Career Titles: 71 (and counting)
Grand Slams: 14 (and counting)

Novak Djokovic, or “The Djoker” is one of the best all-around tennis players of all time. With such a powerful return, he gives every competitor a run for their money. In addition to his return, Djokovic excels in his physical fitness, including his flexibility and endurance. Depending on his ability to stay healthy, Novak certainly has a chance to approach the all-time majors record. His recent return in late 2018 is giving him a promising look, so the end of his career should be very interesting.

Rafael Nadal

Country: Spain
Professional Career Length: 17 (and counting)
Career Prize Money: $100,564,598 (and counting)
Career Titles: 79 (and counting)
Grand Slams: 17 (and counting)

The new undisputed best clay court tennis player is none other than Rafael Nadal. The left-handed shot maker has been plagued with injuries and has still managed to accrue 17 majors with a record-breaking 11 at the French Open. Some consider Nadal to be the best of all time, but the argument will only be settled when his career is finished.

Roger Federer

Country: Switzerland
Professional Career Length: 20 (and counting)
Career Prize Money: $116,974,122 (and counting)
Career Titles: 98 (and counting)
Grand Slams: 20 (and counting)

What can we say about Roger Federer? His 20 grand slam titles and 237 consecutive weeks as world number one help him plead his case. His unbelievable consistency and ability to avoid major injuries (until his knees at the age of 35) have helped him win 98 career titles. Even at the age of 37 (which is insane for tennis), Federer is competing at the highest of levels, maintaining an astounding world ranking of three.

Federer is considered the best grass court player and the best overall player with the stats and accomplishments to back it up.