Alright been busy with Zoom meetings & bouncing around the city but I don’t want to belabor this.
Greatest Men’s Tennis players
First off, everyone that was drafted is tennis royalty, International Hall of Fame Members (or will be shortly), and worthy of inclusion on any list of all-time greats. Somebody has to bring up the rear and it’s a subjective process.
My criteria were dominance in their own era, level of competition, and legacy to the game. I only considered Singles play with a heavy emphasis on major championships. Davis Cup play was taken into consideration; doubles/mixed doubles, not so much.
I have a great appreciation and respect for the history of the game. In any sport, but especially golf & tennis, I never view it through the prism of “well today’s athletes, training methods, and equipment are the best ever, so no way so-and-so could be a top level player.” It’s impossible to compare eras, and I think what is most fair is to think mainly about how they did against their peers.
Pa’lante
Tier 4
16. (1 point) Arthur Ashe 3 GS, 3 Davis Cups
This is like giving myself a punch in the gut. I love Arthur, one of the classiest athletes of all time, in any sport. TO THIS DAY we haven’t had another person of color win a Grand Slam except Yannick Noah (French). Ashe won the 1968 US Open while still serving in the Army, the 1970 Australian Open, and 1975 at Wimbledon - the first and only black male to win those 3 GS events. He won 51 tournaments in the Open era, 33 ATP and 76 events overall. He was ranked #1 in 1968 & again in 1975 (though in the ATP computer rankings his apex was #2 in 1976.)
His mentor and sponsor as a youth was Dr Robert Johnson, the same man who guided Althea Gibson. He spent his last year of high school in St Louis because he wasn’t allowed to compete in segregated Richmond. While at UCLA he sought out Pancho Gonzales as a practice partner, whom he considered his idol.
After winning the NCAAs (singles & doubles) and twice losing the finals of the Australian Open to Emerson, he broke through by winning the first Open era US Open. To keep his Davis Cup eligibility he declined the $14,000 first prize money, instead receiving $20 for daily expenses. He was allowed to compete at Forest Hills - and avoid a tour of duty in Vietnam - because his brother took his place & served a second tour in county. The US won the Davis Cup the next five years and Ashe won 10/22 tournaments in his best season, going 72-10, 87.8%.
In 1970 Ashe became the first non-Australian to win down under since 1959, albeit against a weak field. He lost the 1971 final to Ken Roswell and suffered a devastating defeat to Ilie Nāstase at the 1972 US Open; he was up a break and had a break point to go up 4-1 in the 5th set. In 1975 he defeated Connors at the first All American final at Wimbledon in 1975. Strange match - Ashe was president of the ATP and Connors was suing the ATP for $10M and finals opponent for $5M (he later dropped the suit.) He was ATP Player of the Year for 1975.
1975 (97-18, 84.3%) was only the third time Ashe win 80.0% or more of his matches; in 1970 he was 52-12, 81.3%. In his 12 season Open era ATP career he went 658-207, 76.1%. His overall record was 818-260, 75.9%. Notable H2H: Rosewell 5-13, Laver 2-12, Borg 7-8.
In 2005, TENNIS Magazine put him in 30th place in their list of the 40 Greatest Players of the TENNIS Era (1965-2005.) Jack Kramer ranked him among the 21 greatest. The main stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center was named in his honor when it opened in 1997.
Ashe had quadruple bypass heart surgery in December 1979, and a second heart surgery in 1983. In 1988 he was diagnosed with HIV, traced to a blood transfusion five years earlier. He and his wife wanted to keep his illness private to protect their daughter but in 1992 he was forced to public disclose because of a pending USA Today article. He spent the final year of his life as an advocate to raise awareness of the disease & safe sex practices.
Arthur Ashe was a civil rights champion his entire life, being arrested at several public protests, helped drive the South Africa apartheid narrative, and conducted himself in an uncommonly dignified manner. If we were ranking these athletes as humans he might be the 1.1 pick in the draft. They put a statue of him on Monument Avenue in his hometown of Richmond, VA - a place traditionally reserved for statues of key figures of the Confederacy. Great American hero, fondly remembered by all.
15. (2 points) Roy Emerson 12 Grand Slams 8 Davis Cups
I don’t blame anyone who might be thinking this is at best a typo and at worst a travesty. 12 GS, isn’t this guy in the top ten of a lot of lists? Not so much anymore, but he used to be. But sadly, he simply didn’t often beat the best players of his era. When the Open era began, he did poorly against his peers. I tried to overlook that and give him credit for being a great amateur, but I just don’t think he’s a better player than anyone ranked in front of him.
1325-380 (77.7%), 110 career titles. In the Open era, 445-199 (69.0%) with 18 titles; highest ranking #12. Played on 8 Davis Cup winners between 1959 and 1967. Revered, legendary sports figure in Australia. 6 (5 consecutive) Australian Opens, 2 French Opens, back to back Wimbledon’s, 2 US Opens. Last GS was 1967.
Beat Laver in the Australian and US Nationals in 1961. Lost 3 finals to Laver the following year when Rod won his first Grand Slam. After Laver turned pro, Emerson won 10 majors over the next 5 years.
ATP record: 178-111, 61.6%. Notable H2H as a pro: Ashe 1-11, Laver 1-14, Rosewell 1-5, Smith 1-4. NOTE: as an amateur he won 2 GS finals each VS Laver and Ashe.
16 GS doubles titles. Kramer: “Emerson was the best doubles player of all the moderns, very possibly the best forehand player of all time. He was so quick he could cover everything. He had the perfect doubles shots, a backhand that dipped over the net and came in at the server’s feet as he moved to net.”
• He is the only male player in history to win a career Grand Slam in singles and doubles.
• He is one of only eight male players in history to record a career Grand Slam.
• He was the first male player to win each major title at least twice in a career.
• 28 combined singles and doubles major titles is a record in men's tennis
Unfortunately my rankings don’t take doubles accomplishments into account.
14. (3 points) Andy Murray 3 GS, 2 Gold Medals, 1 Davis Cup
The first UK man to win a grand slam event since Fred Perry in 1936, and the Scotland lad was a force in leading Great Britain to their first Davis Cup in 79 years, going 11-0 (max 8 singles, tying with McEnroe & Wilander.) Though much of Murray’s career will likely remain overshadowed by playing in an era with the three greatest players of all time, he eventually rose to #1 and has had a great career. Twice led the tour in wins (6 in 2009, 9 in 2016), ATP Player of the Year on 2016, for a long time considered the fourth member of the Big Four.
Big serve (130 mph) but inconsistent. Excellent return game, often preferred passive construction of points off long volleys.
Has a record 5 runner up finishes at the Australian. Tied with Lendl for the most GS finals lost before winning (4.) One of three men to lose all four GS events (Lendl, Federer.) Overall he has 1 US Open, 2 Wimbledon titles and 8 GS runner up trophies. Five times finished the year #4, once each #3, #2, and #1.
Match record: 673–196, 77.4% in Grand Slam and ATP Tour main draw matches, plus Davis Cup. He was 78-9, 90.1% in 2016, with four more seasons of 81% or better. His 46 tournament titles ranks 14th in the Open era.
Versus the Big 3, Andy has gone 11-14 v Federer (1-5 GS), 7-17 v Nadal (2-7 GS), and 11-25 v Djokovic (2-6 GS), and Joker has won 13 out of 16 since the 2013 Wimbledon final.
13. (4 points) Don Budge 6 GS & 4 Pro Slams
Tennis royalty. Won his Grand Slam events consecutively. Career record of 569-278 (67.1%) with 43 titles - including 14 consecutively. First to win the Grand Slam (1938), beat the great Ellsworth Vines before 17,712 at Madison Square Garden in his pro debut. Winning record against all the great pre-war pros: Vines, Tilden, Riggs, Perry. 6’1”, 160, shock of red hair, on the cover of Wheaties, Look, and Life. Powerful serve and forehand, and the most devastating backhand of the first half century. After repeating the Wimbledon and the US Open, added US Pro (1940, 1942), Wembley Pro (1939), and French Pro (1939.)
Tilden won the 1950 AP poll in a landslide for best player of the first half century, but he himself said Budge had a more complete game.
From a 1988 LA Times article on Budge:
Jack Kramer, a former world champion himself who still rates in the top four or five, was asked for an analysis.
“If everybody is 25 years old today, I can’t see anybody beating Budge,” said Kramer, who has made a closer study of his sport than probably any athlete. “Whenever you played him . . . he made us all change our game.
“The great tennis champions have been alike in many ways. They all had speed, heart and stamina under pressure. The difference is simply that Budge had the most equipment--the most complete offense, the most complete defense.”
Ellsworth Vines, also a former champion, is one who leans toward Tilden, whom Vines lists with Budge in his top two. But Gene Mako, Budge’s former Davis Cup doubles partner, is among the many who pick Budge in what will always be a futile if stimulating exercise--comparing champions of different eras.
Bad luck the war broke out at his peak. He lived a happy, quiet life in the Poconos until age 84, emerging for speaking engagements, clinics and annual appearances at GS finals.
12. (5 points) Boris Becker 6 GS 2 Davis Cups
49 titles, 715-225, 76.1%, top six 11 times 1985-96 (2nd -3, twice each #3, #4, #5, #6), back to back Davis Cups 88-89, Germany’s first ever.. Notable H2H: Edberg 25-10, Lendl 10-11. Did poorly against a younger Agassi (4-10) and Sampras (7-12), 8-2 VS aging McEnroe and 7-3 Wilander.
3 Wimbledon titles, 2 Australian, 1 US Open. In 15 years at Wimbledon he reached 7 Finals, compiling a 71-12, 85.5%. Won his first GS at 17, the only unseeded player to win Wimbledon. 1989 ATP Player of the Year when he added his first US Open by beating Lendl in the Final, two months after an epic 5-set semifinal at Wimbledon. He won his third Wimbledon by beating Edberg in straight sets. He beat Jim Currier in the 1991 US Open final, and won his last major at the 1996 Australian, taking out Michael Chang.
Great serve and volley player, known for headlong stabs at the net, in later years he tried to develop into a baseliner with varying success. Never won on clay, though he did reach the SF at Roland Garros thrice. Always a threat on fast surfaces. Led a turbulent life away from the court, he seemed distracted at 22 but bounced back to have several more good seasons.
Das Wunderkind seemed to be in continuous decline after his explosion onto the world stage, but he was a consistent force for more than a decade. His celebrity in Germany was immense.
Lifetime Davis Cup Singles record: 46-3. His 22 match winning streak is second only to Borg.
Tennis magazine ranked Becker the 11th best male player of the period 1965–2005.
11. (6 points) Ken Rosewall 8 GS, 15 Pro Slams, 4 Davis Cups
133 Titles in a 28 year career (1951-78); missed 45 Grand Slams at the peak of his career (57-67) but dominated Pro tennis 1961-67.
Career doubles GS, never won Wimbledon Singles but lost in the a finals 1954, 1956, 1970, and 1974. 19-3 (14 straight) in Davis Cup Singles, was on the winning team in 1953, 1955, 1956, and 1973. 4 Australian titles (1953, 1955, 1971, 1972), 2 French (1953 & 1968), 2 US Opens (1956 & 1970.) First player to win an Open era GS without dropping a set (1971 AO.)
8/8 in French Pro finals, including 7 straight (1960-66), 5/8 at the Wembley Pro (4 straight 1960-63), 2-1 at the US Pro (1963 & 1965.) Win the Pro Grand Slam in 1963.
Pancho Gonzales dominated Rosewall 1957-60, winning 70-30 in circuit tours and 90-41 overall. Afterward Rosewall was #1 or co-#1 for the next 7 years, and beat him 31-19. In the Open era Rosewell led 14-8, making the final tally in Pancho’s favor, 117-86. In finals, it was the Aussie 8-7. In Pro Slams, 3-2.
“Even with my tremendous service advantage I can only just edge him out on grass or wood. On clay courts, where my service advantage is neutralised, he has the advantage over me.” Pancho said admiringly: “If he had my service no one would touch him.”
Laver turned pro after winning the calendar year Grand Slam, and the greatest rivalry tennis had ever known was born. They played H2H 130 times in 5-1/2 years before the Open era began. Their match record was 65-65, but in the early years it was 38-13 for Rosewall. In the Open era (1968-77) Laver, 4 years younger, held the edge 24-10. In Finals, it was Laver 36-20; Pro Slams, Rosewall 6-5; GS Finals, 1-1.
His longevity of competing at the highest level is unprecedented. He won 26 Amateur events 1951-56, 64 Pro events 1957-67. He played 7 Pro Tours 1957-64 besides Jack Kramer’s circuit and finished first each time. Won 43 Open era tournaments even though he was 33 when it began. 83.41% in Grand Slam match play, 88.89% at the French. His Wimbledon match percentage is 81.0% despite never winning in 11 attempts. He lost two GS Finals at 40, and at age 43 and 44 he was a semifinalist and quarter finalist at the Australian.
Not a powerful player, accurate but soft serve, he had great coverage, ran very fast and anticipated where his opponents would hit the ball. Known for his great one-handed backhand. Nicknamed “Muscles” because he didn’t have any. His wife of 63 years died on April 27 of this year. Now 85, he is a living treasure in his homeland.