With Novak Djokovic clinching his 24th Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open and leaving Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer in his rearview mirror, he’s once again broken another tennis record and consolidated his position as perhaps the best male tennis player of all time. That said, the ultimate debate of who the greatest tennis player in history continues to be a common talking topic amongst tennis fans. So, to give you our take on it, we’ve put together a list of the best male tennis players of all time!
Honourable Mentions
Despite not making the top 10 on our list, these fantastic tennis players certainly deserve honourable mentions for their achievements in the world of tennis:
- Fred Perry (winner of 10 majors including two Pro Slams and 8 Grand Slam titles, winning the Wimbledon Championships three years in a row).
- Ken Rosewall (winner of 23 majors including 8 Grand Slam titles in the Open Era and 15 Pro Slam titles pre 1968).
- Arthur Ashe (winner of 3 Grand Slam singles titles and 2 Grand Slam doubles titles).
- Stefan Edberg (winner of 6 Grand Slam singles titles and one of three male players to reach the world no.1 ranking in both singles and doubles, a record shared with John McEnroe and Stan Smith).
- Mats Wilander (winner of 7 Grand Slam titles and one of three men to win two slam titles on all three surfaces, alongside Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic).
- Boris Becker (winner of 6 Grand Slam singles titles, winning his first major at Wimbledon in 1986 at the age of 17 and becoming the first unseeded player to win the title).
The Best Male Tennis Players of All Time
10. Andre Agassi
Part of what is considered the golden age of American tennis, Andre Agassi was one of the stand out tennis players of the 90s. Over the course of a 20-year career, he picked up an impressive 60 singles titles including eight Grand Slam titles (4 Australian Open, 2 US Open, 1 French Open & 1 Wimbledon). Agassi became the first player to win a Grand Slam singles title and all three playing surfaces and is the only male player to achieve the Career Super Slam by winning all four Grand Slams, the year-end championships and an Olympic Gold medal.
After retiring, Andre published his autobiography Open: An Autobiography which made it to no. 1 on the New York Times Best Seller list and is considered one of the best tennis books ever written.
9. John McEnroe
Perhaps best known for his “You cannot be serious!” Wimbledon meltdown and other antics on court, John McEnroe was one of the best tennis players of the 80s. Making his debut in the world of tennis in 1977 as an 18 year old amateur, he picked up his first Grand Slam title at the French Open Mixed Doubles and recorded the best performance by a qualifier at a Grand Slam after an incredible run to the Wimbledon Semifinals. In 1978 he led Stanford University to an NCAA championship and won the NCAA singles title, before turning pro later that year and winning another five titles.
He went on to win a total of 77 singles titles and 78 doubles titles, including 7 Grand Slam singles titles (4 US Open & 3 Wimbledon) & 10 Grand Slam doubles titles, as well as winning the Davis Cup five teams representing the United States. He is one of only three players in the Open Era to achieve the world no. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles (Stefan Edberg & Stan Smith are the other two), and even holds the record for the best match record in a season winning 96.5% of his matches (82 wins, 3 defeats) in 1984.
McEnroe also published his autobiography, adequately titled “Serious”, in 2003 which also became a best selling book.
8. Ivan Lendl
A junior world no. 1 before turning pro in 1978, Ivan Lendl also played a major role in tennis in the 80s. Over a 22 year career, he clinched a staggering 94 singles titles including eight Grand Slam titles (3 French Open, 3 US Open and 2 Australian Open), placing him at 3rd on the all time titles leaderboard in the Open Era (behind none other than Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer). Lendl also held the world no. 1 ranking for a total of 270 weeks and remains the only male player to win over 90% of matches in five separate years.
Since retiring, he’s found success in coaching, after helping Andy Murray to three Grand Slam titles including Wimbledon glory back in 2013.
7. Jimmy Connors
Dominating tennis in the late 70s, Jimmy Connors held the world no.1 ranking for a consecutive 160 weeks from 1974 to 1977 and topped the ATP ranking for a total of 268 weeks throughout his 24 year career. In 1974, he became the second player in the Open Era to win three Grand Slams in a calendar year, though was denied entry to the French Open due to his association with World Team Tennis. He went on to win eight Grand Slam singles titles (5 US Open, 2 Wimbledon and 1 Australian Open) and two doubles Grand Slam titles.
Connors still holds the ATP record for most titles (109), most matches played (1557) and most matches won (1274) in the Open Era.
6. Bjorn Borg
A teenage sensation, Bjorn Borg’s career in pro tennis started at the age of 15 representing Sweden in the Davis Cup in 1972. In 1974, just two weeks after his 18th birthday, he won his first Grand Slam title and became the youngest-ever male French Open champion at the time. The Swede would go on to form some of the best rivalries in tennis, battling Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe for a spot at the top of the game in the late 1970s. Unfortunately, the constant pressure led him to retire from tennis at the age of 26.
Over the course of his relatively short career, Borg spent a total of 109 weeks at world no.1 and won 11 Grand Slam titles (6 French Open and 5 Wimbledon). His dominance on the clay and grass courts saw him win four consecutive French Open titles and five consecutive Wimbledon titles (a record shared with Roger Federer).
5. Pete Sampras
Considered the most successful player of the 90s, Pete Sampras held the top ranking position for a total 286 weeks and achieved a year-end no.1 ranking for six consecutive years between 1993 and 1998.
His dominance on the grass courts was unrivalled and saw him clinch seven Wimbledon titles, a record later surpassed by Roger Federer. He also excelled on hard courts, picking up two Australian Open titles and a joint record five US Open titles (shared with Jimmy Connors & Roger Federer). He sealed his pro career by winning the 2002 US Open title after defeating long-term rival Andre Agassi in the final. At the time of his retirement, Sampras had a won a total of 64 singles titles including a then-record 14 Grand Slams in total.
4. Rod Laver
Adored by fans and players alike, Rod Laver is considered by many as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. In a career that started pre Open Era, Laver holds the record for most titles in tennis history, having won a breathtaking 198 titles including 6 Grand Slam titles pre 1968 and 5 Grand Slam titles during the Open Era. Laver also has 6 doubles Grand Slam titles and 5 Davis Cup titles to his name and holds the record as the only player to win ten or more titles in seven consecutive seasons (1964-1970).
To this day, he remains the only male player to achieve the Calendar Grand Slam in the Open Era, winning all four majors in 1969.
3. Rafael Nadal
2. Roger Federer
Without a doubt one of the greatest tennis players to ever grace the court, Roger Federer’s style is unrivalled. In a 23 year career spanning four decades, the Swiss spent a combined 310 weeks at world no.1 and holds the longest streak at world no 1. in Open Era history, having topped the ATP rankings for a four and a half year period (237 weeks) from 2004 to 2008. His dominance in the 2000s saw him make 18 of 19 major finals between 2005 and 2010. He won three of four Grand Slam titles in 2004, 2006 and 2007, eventually completing his Career Golden Slam in 2009 after winning the French Open.
He has won a staggering 103 singles titles, the second most in the Open Era behind Jimmy Connors, including a record 20 Grand Slams (alongside Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic) and a record six ATP Tour Finals titles. In 2017 he won a record eighth Wimbledon title and also shares the record for most US Open Titles (5) with Pete Sampras and Jimmy Connors.
Federer is also a fan favourite, having won the ATP Fan’s Player of the Year award 19 years in a row between 2003 and 2020 and the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award a record five times. There is no doubt that Roger Federer has earned his place in the history books as one of the greatest athletes of all time.
1. Novak Djokovic
Arguably the best tennis player of all time, Novak Djokovic has broken almost every record in the history books. At the time of writing, Djokovic has held the top ranking spot for a record total of 428 weeks and continues to challenge at the very top of the game. In his 21 years on the pro tour, he has won a total of 98 singles titles including an incredible 24 Grand Slam titles surpassing Nadal in the all-time most grand slams record and looks likely to win another major title. He has a record ten Australian Open titles to his name, as well as seven Wimbledon titles, four US Open and three French Open titles. He’s also the first and only player to complete the Career Golden Masters, winning all nine of the Masters 1000 titles at least once and in fact holds the record for most Masters titles having won 40 so far.
In 2015-2016 he won the non-calendar Grand Slam and held all four Slams at the same time. In 2020, he won his second French Open title by dethroning Nadal and became the only player in the Open Era to complete the Career Grand Slam twice. Playing some of the best tennis of his career in 2023 and showing no signs of stopping, Novak Djokovic looks the likely candidate to go down in the history books as the greatest tennis player to ever grace the court.
While the debate around who should hold the top position on this list continues, it’s difficult to argue against Novak Djokovic’s stats and records. What we can say for certain though is that the dominance of the “Big Three” at the top of the game has redefined the sport in recent decades. We’re likely enjoying some of the best years in tennis history.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our list of the greatest male tennis players of all time, though be sure to let us know in the comments if you agree or would argue someone else should have made the list. And be sure to check our list of the greatest female tennis players of all time too!
