The 26 Best Retired Tennis Players is a compilation of the best tennis players of all time. Although they are now retired, their achievements still make people feel admired.
1. Roger Federer (SUI)
Roger Federer is the Swiss master strategist who came close to achieving Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slams and Federer did it in half the time. His combination of power and shot-making ability has dazzled crowds around the world for years.
He is still a fierce competitor to Rafael Nadal. Nadal has beaten Federer on clay, while Federer still dominates on grass and hard courts in terms of wins. If Federer can stay healthy, he could hit Connors’ mark for career titles. This is also an indispensable name in The 26 Best Retired Tennis Players.
2. Patrick Rafter (AUS)
Rafter could very well be the ultimate true serve and volley Grand Slam champion. Despite competing in a short career, Aussie won consecutive US Open titles in 1997 and 1998. Rafter also finished second at Wimbledon twice, once to Pete Sampras.
He also won 10 doubles titles, winning the Australian Open with doubles legend Jonas Bjorkman in 1999. He was elected to the Australian Open Hall of Fame on Australia Day 2008.
3. Andy Roddick (USA)
Roddick is an outstanding tennis player loved by many. He played short his point and holds the ATP World Record for the fastest serve, at a ridiculous 155 mph. He won his first and only Grand Slam title to date, defeating Juan Carlos Ferrero in consecutive sets at the 2003 US Open.
Roddick has also reached three other Grand Slam finals (two at Wimbledon). , once at Flushing Meadows) but lost every time to Roger Federer. He is currently engaged to model Brooklyn Decker.
4. Yevgeny Kafelnikov (RUS)
Kafelnikov has a very special mark on his record. He was the last man to win singles and doubles titles at a Grand Slam event (French Open 1996). He teamed up with Daniel Vacek and beat Guy Forget/Jakob Hlasek’s team for the doubles title, then went on to beat Michael Stich for the singles title.
He also competed at the 1999 Australian Open. The Sochi heavyweight has also won four Grand Slam doubles titles in his career and an Olympic gold medal in singles at the Sydney Olympics this year. 2000. This is also the next name in The 26 Best Retired Tennis Players.
5. Manuel Orantes (ESP)
Orantes has a unique knack for excelling at minor tournaments, but failing at Grand Slams. However, his only Grand Slam win was a very impressive one, to say the least, he beat Jimmy Connors of America at the 1975 US Open. He also did it in straight sets.
Orantes also gave Bjorn Borg an excellent match at Roland Garros in 1974, where he won the first two sets before collapsing. He also teamed up with Jose Higueras in 1978 to reach the French Open final in doubles.
6. Thomas Muster (AUT)
Thomas Muster was named the tennis icon in the 1990s, his only Grand Slam coming at the 1995 French Open, where he beat Michael Chang. Although he never won the event again, he won nearly all of the ATP titles in his career on clay. Nampa has won 40 of his 44 tournament wins on the sand.
The skinny Austrian tennis player rose to world No. 1 in the early stages of 1996, but he did not hold it for long. He won the title he probably never wanted in 1990 when he was awarded the ATP’s “Returning Player of the Year”.
7. Michael Chang (USA)
The little guy Michael Chang, despite his modest height, was famous when he was young. He won countless titles as a teenager, but none is more famous than his Grand Slam victory at the 1989 French Open. 17-year-old Chang faced the world No. three-time champion Ivan Lendl, and won the epic five-set match that lasted over four hours.
Chang has never been number 1 in the world and he has never won another Grand Slam since winning in 1989. He has finished 2nd 3 times. Chang is still considered one of the best defenders in history, thanks to his speed and ability to recover quickly.
8. Ilie Nastase (ROM)
Nastase has won Grand Slam titles by any means possible. He has two wins in singles, three wins in doubles, and two more wins in mixed doubles. His most impressive win was against Arthur Ashe at the 1972 US Open, where it took the Romanian five sets and nearly five hours to complete the deal.
The versatile Nastase has also won ATP awards on every surface. He is possibly one of the best carpet players in history, as he won every carpet tournament he participated in during the 1970s.
9. Gustavo Kuerten (BRA)
Guga Kuerten is the best Brazilian player to ever play this game. He is a clay professional who won all three of his Grand Slam titles at the French Open, in 1997, 2000, and 2001. Despite never making it past the quarterfinals in any event.
In any other Grand Slam event, Guga is practically still automatic at Roland Garros. The majority of Kuerten’s ATP titles have been on clay, although he has had some mixed hard-court championships. He also hit doubles towards the end of his career, teaming up with fellow Brazilian Fernando Meligeni to win five ATP titles.
10. John Newcombe (AUS)
Newcombe had a very productive career as a singles player, winning multiple titles at the US Open, Australian Open, and Wimbledon. His special match was his win over Ken Rosewall at Wimbledon in 1970. Newcombe may, however, be most famous for his ATP record of 12 Grand Slam titles in doubles, many featuring Australian teammate Tony Roche.
11. Jim Courier (USA)
Courier began his career successfully, defeating fellow young star Andre Agassi in five sets at the French Open. He went on to win four Grand Slam titles, two at Roland Garros and two more in Melbourne. Courier has faced his arch nemesis, Stefan Edberg, three times in Grand Slam finals, winning two of them.
He spent 58 weeks at No. 1 and despite a good run on all surfaces, the majority of his tournament wins came on hard courts. Courier founded the non-profit “Courier’s Kids” to help children play tennis after he retired.
12. Guillermo Vilas (ARG)
Vilas was a southbound basketball player in an era when players used to serve and volley. He became the first South American male player to win a Grand Slam, defeating Brian Gottfried at Roland Garros. He has won 4 Grand Slams. Vilas holds two impressive ATP records.
First, he was on a 46-game winning streak on all fronts in 1977 that still hasn’t come down. Second, he won the most titles in a single season, also in 1977, with 16 ATP Tour championships.
13. Arthur Ashe (USA)
Ashe is not only a leader on the court for the development of American tennis but also an activist for social issues. Ashe has won every Grand Slam except the French Open. He defeated fellow American Jimmy Connors in 1975 at Wimbledon to win the final title.
He had a rivalry with Roy Emerson before the Open Era in the early 1960s. He was the first African-American to win a Grand Slam, and he was also a major activist in the worldwide fight against AIDS. gender. Arthur Ashe is also the next name in The 26 Best Retired Tennis Players.
14. Boris Becker (GER)
Boris Becker has accomplished everything a tennis player can achieve. He has won six Grand Slam titles in his career (three at Wimbledon), won an Olympic Gold medal in Barcelona, and led the West German Davis Cup team to a dramatic victory over the United States in 1989, where he defeated Andre Agassi in five brutal sets.
Becker won an unprecedented 26 titles on the indoor carpet during his career, which remains a record to this day. Oddly enough, given the tremendous power of a singles player, he was more successful in the first doubles event, despite never having won a Grand Slam doubles event.
15. Stefan Edberg (SWE)
Swedish player Stefan Edberg is also very good at serving and catching the ball. He is one of the few players to have been ranked number 1 in the world at the same time in singles and doubles. Edberg has won every Grand Slam twice except for the French Open, in which he reached the final and lost to Michael Chang.
England were fierce rivals with Boris Becker, they met at Wimbledon three years in a row (1988-90). Edberg took two of those crowns. He also won two doubles crowns with fellow Swede and giants Anders Jarryd.
16. Rafael Nadal (ESP)
Nadal has assembled an extraordinary amount of work, despite his relatively young age. He’s won Grand Slams on every surface and put himself in the top tier to become only the second man in Open Era history to win all four Grand Slams in a single year.
Although Nadal calls the red clay court at Roland Garro’s home, he has certainly broadened his horizons. His rivalry with Roger Federer could turn out to be the greatest match of all time.
17. Mats Wilander (SWE)
Mats Wilander is the exclusive company because he can say he has won a Grand Slam on all three courts (the other two being Rafael Nadal and Jimmy Connors). Although he never won Wimbledon, his grass title came at the Australian Open when it was still played on grass.
The versatile player also won a Grand Slam in doubles and reached the final two more times. He was at his peak playing on clay, where he won the French Open three times, defeating Guillermo Vilas in the first and Ivan Lendl in the second.
18. Ivan Lendl (CZE)
Ivan Lendl, despite having won eight Grand Slams in his career, may be better known for another statistic. He competed in 19 ATP-record Grand Slam finals and made the list at least one out of 11 consecutive years. He helped usher in the Power Era of tennis, using heavy forehands from the baseline.
He has won every Grand Slam except Wimbledon, despite reaching the final two years in a row. The lovable loser from the Czech Republic ranks second all-time in the Open Era in career titles.
19. Ken Rosewall (AUS)
Ken Rosewall has been in the World Top 20 for 25 consecutive years and even won the Australian Open at the age of 38. Rosewall is small in stature, plays with constant agility, and has a never-ending motive. Although Rosewall won the majority of his tournaments before the Open Era, he still won Grand Slams deep in his 30s, where he won three of them after his 35th birthday. me. Talk about impressions.
20. John McEnroe (USA)
Although John McEnroe was one of the finest players to ever play, he will be best remembered for his Hall of Fame convictions on the field. He has a stiff rivalry with any player who will give him a decent match (mostly Borg, Connors, and Lendl). Although McEnroe has never won the French or Australian Open, he has made up for it at Wimbledon and the US Open.
His most famous match would undoubtedly be the 1980 Wimbledon final against Bjorn Borg, a match in which Borg ended with an 8-6 victory in the fifth set.
21. Jimmy Connors (USA)
Jimbo Connors is one of the best to ever play tennis and he wasn’t even seriously contested for the best American player in the Open Era. Connors has won a career-record 109 ATP titles and has added eight Grand Slam friendlies. He could dominate any surface at any time and spent a total of 268 mundane weeks at world number 1.
Connors also wrestled for a time with Ilie Nastase, where the duo won two Grand Slams (Wimbledon & US Open). Jimbo also holds the uncanny record of being the only man to win the US Open on three different surfaces.
22. Pete Sampras (USA)
Tennis player Pete Sampras will always be remembered for his seven Wimbledon singles titles. Sampras has no weakness in his game and can use any weapon at any time. His serve can win points. His forehand is deadly.
And his net game is unmatched. The 14 Grand Slams of his career are still an Open Era record. His only weakness is probably his complete inability to win on clay. He reached the semi-finals of Roland Garros only once in his career and never went further. He’s an early performer with an 84% win rate at Grand Slams.
23. Andre Agassi (USA)
Wonder Boy, Andre Agassi isn’t all that bad, anyway. He is the only male tennis player to complete the Golden Slam in his career (all 4 Grand Slam tournaments and 1 Olympic gold). Dubbed by many of the top players who have faced Agassi as the best return player in history, he has insane hand-eye coordination.
He is truly a dominant force on hard courts, winning 46 of his 60 career titles on concrete, but he hasn’t faltered on other surfaces. The only grass-court tournament he won was called Wimbledon. He is married to former WTA star Steffi Graf.
24. Bjorn Borg (SWE)
Borg is a multi-talented player who can transfer his game to any surface. He has won the French Open and Wimbledon titles three times in a row. Rafael Nadal has done it only once. England currently holds the record for most French Open titles, with six, but that record could fall short.
Borg made the game feel like a walk in the park. In a game that was slowly moving away from dexterity, he used his racket like a magic wand to return everything in sight. Though for a guy who can’t be second, that’s where he stands here.
25. Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)
Lleyton Hewitt is the name in The 26 Best Retired Tennis Players. This is also considered an Australian tennis player who can reach the world’s No. 1 position faster than anyone else. At the age of 20, Hewitt became the best in the world.
He beat Pete Sampras at the US Open to win his first Grand Slam title, then went on to win at Wimbledon. Hewitt also won the 2000 US Open doubles final, with Belarussian Max Mirnyi as his teammate. He has been an exceptional hard-court player throughout his career and is often regarded as one of the outstanding defenders in the game.
26. Rod Laver (AUS)
Finally the best player of all time. Laver is the only man in Open Era history to complete a Grand Slam in a calendar year, where he won all four titles in 1969. It is also the final name in The 26 Best Retired Tennis Players. The tennis player from Rockhampton, Australia, has done unprecedented things with a racket.
He has revolutionized the way the game is played. He is credited with 198 singles titles (most before the Open Era), but his absolute dominance over the entire field is unprecedented excellence. Laver also showed off his doubles skills in a partnership with Roy Emerson, where the two have both won in Melbourne and Wimbledon. He also has a stadium named after him.
Hopefully the article The 26 Best Retired Tennis Players will provide you with useful information.
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