Top 10 Best Male Tennis Players of All Time

The Top Ten
1 Roger Federer Roger Federer (born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss former professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No. 3 in men's singles tennis by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He has won 20 Grand Slam singles titles, the most in history for a male tennis player. He has held the world No... read more

At the moment, Roger Federer is the most accomplished male tennis player ever, although it's impossible to really say he's the most talented. You could easily make the argument that Rafael Nadal is actually better on that count, since Nadal has a clear advantage over Federer in terms of head-to-head, especially in the Slams. The day may also come when Nadal could surpass Federer's impressive mark of 17 Grand Slams.

I'm giving the nod to Federer partly because he dominated tennis so thoroughly and convincingly for about a five-year stretch, a feat that will be nearly impossible to replicate. You might say the competition was a little inferior during most of his tennis prime, but you can only play what's out there. No tennis player was that dominant for such an extended stretch of time.

In his prime, Federer was a machine. His greatest strength, among the many you could name, were his groundstrokes. He could hit the ball at such an angle with tremendous power that made it nearly impossible for his opponent to stay in the point, especially the longer it went on. But perhaps one of the toughest parts about Federer was that he was almost invulnerable. He almost never beat himself with silly mistakes and unforced errors. Nothing less than your A game was required to even give you a shot at beating him.

Perhaps best of all, Federer has been a class act in both victory and defeat, on and off the court. He has been a model of sportsmanship that is hard to come by in today's world of sports, especially considering the sad stories with today's athletes almost every time you turn on your TV set.

Hats off to you, Fed. Truly one of the greats in all of sports, not just tennis.

2 Rafael Nadal Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player, currently world No. 1 in men's singles tennis by the Association of Tennis Professionals.

Rafa may not be the best, but he is still my favorite tennis player. Just the way he fights on every single point like his life depends on it is inspiring. He doesn't end the points quickly, takes his time, and makes the opponent suffer. Nadal is at both a physical and mental peak that is absolutely jaw-dropping. Break point? Set point? No problem. He saves them with what is arguably the most badass forehand in tennis history.

Nadal makes us live his matches with him. His celebrations, injuries, pains, reliefs, we fight with him all the time. And he has incredible sportsmanship in every situation, win or lose, with great respect for his opponents.

3 Novak Djokovic Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No.1 in men's singles tennis by the Association of Tennis Professionals.

I love Novak. He has been my favorite tennis player for the last 10 years. I have watched every single big match he's played, dedicating hours upon hours to studying his play, memorizing his stats, and waking up at crazy hours of the night to see him play in slams or Masters 1000s. This man has been my hero. But, in my opinion, he is not the third-best player of all time. Yet. He could certainly be on his way, but the likes of Laver and Sampras have him beat, with Borg having as good of a peak as him and Lendl and Connors obviously having better longevity.

Still, Djokovic is an amazing player and competitor, and he has proven himself to be one of the all-time greats. He is still in his peak, dominating the game.

4 Pete Sampras

This is the only person I ever enjoyed watching play tennis when I was a kid. It was almost unreal how he never seemed to break a sweat and just kept on winning for what I think is the longest record so far. Sampras vs. Agassi matches were the most epic. None of the current crop of players even comes close!

When Pete's game was on, he didn't need groundstrokes to beat his opponents. What about those running forehands, overhead smashes, and crisp volleys. Phew... That underrated backhand... Just look at some of his backhand winners against Becker, Agassi, etc. You will realize that Pete had no weakness. A TRUE PHENOM.

5 Bjorn Borg

His competition was fierce, as he played several men on this list and usually trumped them. I don't see the current players struggling with the likes of guys like Connors, McEnroe, and Lendl. Nadal is already physically shot at 22. And Borg did it all with a wooden racket.

It only really makes sense to compare players from the same era. Technique, tactics, equipment, rules, and training all move on. Whilst acknowledging that Federer's record is unmatched, Borg was easily the greatest player of his generation.

6 Ivan Lendl

One of the hardest-working tennis players. Most others just made it on talent, but Ivan worked his butt off.

7 Jimmy Connors

I loved to see him play. We don't have players of his caliber today. He had a personality that appealed to the public, and he backed it up with the results of his games.

Jimmy Connors was my favorite male tennis player ever. He had a class and style about him that no one else had. I miss watching him because it was always exciting.

He had asthma and still set records, even though he was not a tall player.

8 John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe Jr. is a retired American tennis player, often considered among the greatest in the history of the sport.

People said he complained about calls a bit. But the thing is, he was right most of the time. He had game and provided some great tennis battles over the years.

9 Andy Murray

Pure excellence. Amazing wherever he is on the court. Has one of the best backhands ever. Everybody stops and stands still when he's on court.

One of the greatest ever British sportsmen, hopefully more to come from this fantastic athlete.

Now that I've given him that vote, he better win a Grand Slam!

10 Boris Becker Boris Franz Becker is a German former world No. 1 professional tennis player. He was successful from the start of his career, winning the first of his six major singles titles at age 17.

No one, except perhaps Bjorn Borg, could play better. He was a champion for such a long time.

One of the best, should be in the top 5.

The Contenders
11 Rod Laver

No doubt, as has been said before, but 2 Grand Slams, bookends to the dramatic changes in tennis, mark the beginning of the Open Era. His longevity matches Federer's - and was achieved at a time without the science, the technology, and the private jets. Think of the greats he played against: Hoad, Rosewall, Gonzales, Emerson, and he defeated Ashe, Connors, and Borg. And I believe he was the effective number 1 for most of the decade, if not all from 1960 to 1970.

Two Grand Slams... Interrupted by 6 years. Laver would have won at least 4 Grand Slams in his career. It is embarrassing to see him rated 13! I agree with Federer and Nadal, who both have stated Laver is without peer in tennis history.

12 Andy Roddick

Andy is so much hotter than Federer and Novak. I'm so disappointed!

13 Andre Agassi

I lost all hope in this list when I saw Andre Agassi ranked behind the likes of Gael Monfils.

14 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
15 Stanislas Wawrinka
16 David Ferrer
17 Gael Monfils Gaël Sébastien Monfils is a French professional tennis player. He reached a career-high ATP world No. 6 singles ranking on November 7, 2016.

One of the most fun to watch tennis athletes. I mean, who is doing all the crazy shots? Just love his style.

One of the most entertaining players to watch, with amazing and powerful shots!

Very determined! He is not worried about losing. Just plays his best.

18 Tommy Haas

Most underrated tennis player ever.

19 Tomas Berdych

He is consistently knocked out in the quarterfinals, but that's not a bad thing.

20 Juan Martín del Potro

Juan Martín is a brilliant, flamboyant player, towering over all his opponents. Get well, Juan Martín. You are missed at Wimbledon.

Consistency is what he needs. He'll be a great player.

21 Pancho Gonzales
22 Lleyton Hewitt

Most talented player I ever watched... very unfortunate with health. I'll never forget his teenage win over Agassi, and that epic victory in 2003 vs. Federer, where Fed was serving for the match in the 3rd set... incredible fighter... I still believe he could reach another Grand Slam final! Come on!

23 Goran Ivanisevic
24 Tim Henman
25 Nick Kyrgios Nicholas Hilmy "Nick" Kyrgios is an Australian professional tennis player who is currently ranked world no. 30 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals. He is currently the highest-ranked Australian in the ATP rankings.
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