Tennis is considered to be the sport of gentleman. It has great tradition in the country of its birthplace, England. The Grand Slams held in Australia, at Rolland Garros in France, Wimbledon in England, and in the USA, are some of the most important events in the sporting year calendar. The greatest tennis players of all time have managed to win all these tournaments, but there also were exceptional players who were only good on specific surfaces. Duels like the one we have today between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, are the salt and pepper of tennis, and they always draw in big crowds. So, here is my list of the greatest tennis players of all time:

1.        Ilie Nastase: One of the most charismatic but also one of the greatest tennis players of all time. He is one of only five players to win more than 100 ATP tournaments, 57 in singles and 45 in doubles. He also is the first winner of the French Open who didn’t drop a set during the tournament. He won both the French and US Open, and was runner-up two times at Wimbledon. The best Romanian player of all time led the national team alongside Ion Tiriac in three Davis Cup finals, all lost against the USA. He was ranked number one in the ATP rating in 1973 and 1974, but he is most well known for his antics. He is one of the most talented players of this sport, and he frequently hit the ball from between his legs, or other very difficult shots that excited the crowds. He also was very vocal against unfavorable decisions from the referee and he lost no occasion to make jokes on the court, making him loved by most tennis fans.

2.        Roger Federer: He is widely considered the best all around player in history and one of the greatest tennis players of all time. He has won all the Grand Slam titles, being only one of the seven men to do so, and he holds the record for the longest period holding the number one seat in the ATP ranking, for 237 consecutive weeks. He also holds the record for most Grand Slam wins, summing up 16, and the record for his five consecutive wins at Wimbledon. He is considered to be a very exact player, rarely loosing his cool, and having an exceptional forehand. He plays for most of the time on the baseline, but he is comfortable as well coming up to the net, playing one of the best volleys of modern times.

3.        Pete Sampras: At the year of his retirement in 2002 he was considered the greatest tennis player in history, winning a than record 14 Grand Slams, and 5 times the Final Tour, which was the tour that ended every year in which only the top eight players of that year are invited to participate. He also holds the record for most wins at Wimbledon and at the US Open, with 7, respectively 5 wins. He is best known for his very offensive style of playing. He would often serve and volley, and wouldn’t hesitate to attack at the net with every opportunity. He would usually be very aggressive even from the baseline, trying to put his opponent in difficulty in order to attack at the net. His greatest asset was his serve, on which he could rely in critical situations, aces getting him out of most tricky situations. His second serve was almost as good as his first and this was the secret weapon he used to win lots of points, even with aces, which is very rare in tennis for a second serve. He also managed to execute a perfect running forehand, but had a small weakness on his backhand, which many opponents would try to speculate.

4.        Andre Agassi: He has created one of the biggest rivalries in the history of tennis with his compatriot Pete Sampras. Their matches were incredibly spectacular, with Agassi being the more technical player, and Sampras the stronger, and aggressive attacker. He won only eight Grand Slam titles, but he managed to beat Sampras in one aspect, winning the French Open, something that Sampras as never able to do. His very charismatic personality as well as his great talent, makes him one of the greatest tennis players of all time.  

In my opinion, these are the greatest tennis players of all time. Of course this is very subjective, because some of my criteria’s weren’t only about how they played the sport, but also about how they influenced and changed it. Nastase didn’t win that many Grand Slams, but his unique style of playing is forever embedded in the minds f tennis fans everywhere. So is Sampras incredible serves, Federer’s precision, and Agassi’s determination.

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