Top 20 Tennis Players of All Time

Duration: 1953-1983

Grand Slams: 12

Career Titles: 110

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Also known as the best player before the Open Era, Roy was the ring-leader of the significant tournaments, winning 12 titles and a record for 33 years before the 21st Century.

Emerson, who grew up on a dairy farm in Queensland, milked the cows every morning, making his wrist and forearm ready for the court. He won a total of 28 titles in singles and doubles and retired at 47, which is not common in today’s tennis world. He now resides in California with his beloved wife of more than five decades, Joy Emerson.

Duration: 1983-1996

Grand Slams: 6

Career Titles: 41

Prize Money: $20 Million

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Edberg is a Sweden-born player who is among a few to be ever ranked as number one in the world both in singles and doubles simultaneously. His excellence as serve-and-volley on the backhand led him to six significant dollars championships and three more titles in doubles.

He first hit the courts at seven, and a decade later, he became the first and only player to win a junior singles Grand Slam in 1983. Stefan has been married to Annette Jhort Olsen since 1992.

Duration: 1981-1996

Grand Slams: 7

Career Titles: 40

Prize Money: $8 Million

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Sweden-born Mats showed his talent at the 1982 French Open when he was only 17 years old and the youngest player to ever win a Grand Slam title. He was a true competitor to Bjorn Borg which was inevitable. The Swedish player has been married to Sonya Wilander since 1987.

Over his career, Mats has won 7 Grand Slam singles titles. He won three at the French Open, three at the Australian Open, and one at the U.S. Open, ranking him as the number one player in the world during 1988-1989.

Duration: 1991-2002

Grand Slams: 2

Career Titles: 11

Prize Money: $11 Million

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Known for becoming the first non-American to win at Flushing Meadows since Stefan Edberg, Rafter held the number 1 position in the world after winning the U.S. Open titles back-to-back in 1997 and 1998. The Aussie player won 11 singles and ten double titles at the Wimbledon Gentlemen Singles finals in 2000 and 2001.

Patrick played in the Australian Davis Cup, leading the team to the World Group Semi-finals in 1999, in which Australia won the cup. Rafter was also named Australian of the Year in 2002 and admitted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2001. He has been married to Lara Feltham since 2004.

Duration: 2002-present

Grand Slams: 3

Career Titles: 16

Prize Money: $35 Million

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The 37-years-old one-handed backhand slammer Stan Wawrinka became the semi-finalist at the U.S. Open in 2013. The Swiss Tennis player defeated three of the top 10 players at the 2014 Australian Open, capturing his first Grand Slam title. He followed up on his Grand Slam title again by winning Roland Garros in 2015 and earned his third at the U.S. Open in 2016.

Being under the shadow of his compatriot Roger Federer, winning 3 Grand Slam titles in this era is a great victory to hold on to. Wawrinka has continuously been one of the most competitive players around the globe for over a decade now, and it is always exciting to watch him play.

Duration: 2005-present

Grand Slams: 3

Career Titles: 46

Prize Money: $62 Million

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Murray, listed as the world’s number one for half a year during 2016-2017, has been a competitive opponent, winning 3 Grand Slams in his name.

It is not an easy task to make a big name when legends like Federer and Nadal are playing against him, but he has shown consistent and positive energy at his games for years. Murray married Kim Sears on 11th April 2005 and has three children.

Duration: 1969-1992

Grand Slams: 4

Career Titles: 62

Prize Money: $5 Million

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The Argentinean player was one of the best players during his era in the 70s and 80s. Guillermo holds many records, but his winning streak of 46 matches was a hit in 1977, including the history for most singles, and he won in a single season with 16 ATP titles.

Vilas was ranked 24th on the top 40 in 2005 TENNIS Magazine and was pictured on the cover with a story titled, “Guillermo Vilas: How He’s Found A Tennis Life.”. Guillermo married Phiangphathu Khumueang in 2005 and currently resides in Monaco.

Duration: 1988-2000

Grand Slams: 4

Career Titles: 23

Prize Money: $14 Million

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Jim won four major, two Australian Open, and two French Open in his twelve years, assisting him to the world’s number one for 58 straight weeks in 1992. He first won the reputable Orange Bowl at 16 under the eye of his coach, Nick Bollettieri.

He still holds the record for reaching the singles finals of all four major titles when he was 22. Jim married Susanna Lingman in 2010, and in the same year, he was named captain of the United States Davis Cup team.

Duration: 1967-1981

Grand Slams: 6

Career Titles: 68

Prize Money: $1 Million

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John, the winner of 17 doubles and seven singles titles, has engraved his name on the tennis world since the 70s, ranking number one in both doubles and singles. The Sydney-born player served as President of the Association of Tennis Professionals in 1977 and 1978. He was assigned to The Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985, which then elevated to “Legend of Australian Sport” in 2014.

Taking some of his moves to new heights, Volleying, Serving and Hard Driving Forehand were his accurate weapons at a game, landing a profile picture on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1974. He has been married to Angelika Pfannenburg since 1966.

Duration: 1950-1980

Grand Slams: 8

Career Titles: 147

Prize Money: $1.5 Million

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Rosewall was the world’s top player for 25 straight years, winning the Australian Open at 38. He became the oldest major tournament winner at age 37 by defeating Mal Anderson at the 1972 Australian Open.

He was still winning Grand Slams deep into his 30s, among which he won 3 of the titles after his 35th birthday, which is very impressive today. Among all the Grand Slams, he won 8 for the singles event. Ken was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1975 and held the Australian Living Treasure title. He married Wilma Mclver in 1956, but she died in 2020.

Duration: 1978-1994

Grand Slams: 8

Career Titles: 94

Prize Money: $21 Million

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Fans have often named Ivan a steely and mechanical player, but he was a focused and highly talented athlete. In an interview, Lendl said, “My mission is not for personal satisfaction; it’s not to try to make anyone happy. My mission is to win.” And he did.

The Czech-American tennis player had chronic back problems which blazed up too high, leading to retiring at age 34. He became Andy Murray’s coach in 2011, helping him to win two significant victories. Ivan was ranked as Top Ten in the TENNIS Magazine. He is married to his wife of 33 years, Samantha Frankel.

Duration: 1972-1996

Grand Slams: 8

Career Titles: 94 

Prize Money: $8.5 Million

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Jimmy is often considered one of the greatest players of all time, who once won three Grand Slams in a single calendar year. He won five U.S. Open, two Wimbledon Singles, and one at the Australia Open. He was ranked number 1 from 1974 to 1978 and had a record for most weeks of being the world’s number 1 with 268 weeks.

Sports Illustrated placed him on its cover with the headline, “The People’s Choice.” Connors married Playboy model Patti McGuire in 1979 and resides in Santa Barbara. California.

Duration: 1978-1994

Grand Slams: 8

Career Titles: 155

Prize Money: $12.5 Million

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With unique gameplay and neutral-powered serve, John was considered the Pablo Picasso of tennis because people often called him an artist. He said, “The greatest compliment I ever got was when people called me an artist. I understand that solo aspect of being an artist, when you’re in there yourself, trying to do something great.”

McEnroe’s volleying touch is considered the best tennis has ever seen, and with his rapid reflexes and supernatural court sense, he knew when and where to place the ball. The tennis legend is married to rock singer Patty Smyth with whom he lives on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

Duration: 1986

Grand Slams: 8

Career Titles: 60

Prize Money: $30 Million

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Andre revived the energy and excitement of tennis in the late 80s with his groundstrokes and serve returns. He was a total dominator on the hard courts, winning 46 of his 60 career titles. TENNIS Magazine featured just the back side of him on the cover, giving a headline, “Andre Agassi: Turning Heads.” He has won 4 Australian Open, 2 U.S. Open, 1 French Open, and 1 Wimbledon. Andre was also an Olympic Gold Medallist in 1996.

Apart from his career, he is involved in community work. He opened the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, a tuition-free public charter school till grade 12, with his wife, former tennis legend Steffi Graf.

Duration: 1973-1983

Grand Slams: 11

Career Titles: 94

Prize Money: $3.5 Million

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Bjorn was the youngest player to win a Grand Slam title in his era in the French Open in 1974 at age 17. He has set a record of winning Grand Slam titles before 25. Known as the “Ice Man” for his frosty temperature on the court, he never let his opponent get a hint of what was his next move.

In 1975, The Bjorn Borg Story was published, and Borg’s autobiography was also written by Eugene Scott named My Life and Game in 1980. He resides in an apartment in Norrmalm, central Stockholm, with his wife, Patricia Ostfeld.

Duration: 1962-1979

Grand Slams: 11

Career Titles: 184

Prize Money: $1.5 Million

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Ranked at the world’s number 1 for seven straight years, Rod has the most career titles of 200 than anyone. Laver once won a Grand Slam as an amateur in 1962 and 10 more as a pro.

Also known as “The Rocket,” Laver did not overpower his rival but defeated them with agility and speed with impressive skills that had no weakness. Laver was married to Mary Laver Benson in 1996, but Mary died in 2012 at 84.

Duration: 1988-2002

Grand Slams: 14

Career Titles: 64

Prize Money: $43 Million

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Sampras was a dominant opponent in the 90s and was considered amongst the greatest players of all time during his retirement. Although he lacked to win any French title, he got 5 U.S. Open, 7 Wimbledon, and 2 Australian Open which was rare during the 90s.

Sports Illustrated featured him on the 1997 cover with the headline, “An American Classic.” Pete married American actress Bridgette Wilson in 2000 and currently resides in Lake Sherwood, California.

Duration: 1998-present

Grand Slams: 20

Career Titles: 102 

Prize Money: $129 Million

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For many years Roger Federer was named the greatest with his 310 consecutive weeks of ranking as the world’s number one. Although many young players are finding a way to surpass him, he can still compete at full throttle at age 40.

With Nadal and Novak as the opponent, it is impossible to declare the king until they have finished their careers. Roger has been married to former player Miroslava Federer since 2009 and is the parent of four children.

Duration: 2003-present

Grand Slams: 21

Career Titles: 88

Prize Money: $158 Million

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One of the most renowned players of all time, Novak has the potential to win more titles in the future time. After 373 weeks of being ranked number one, he is just a little behind, jumping off ahead of Nadal.

He did not play in the Australian Open due to his vaccination status, and the U.S. Open is still a question mark for what will happen in the tennis world. He started dating Jelena Djokovic in 2005 and tied the knot in 2014.

Duration: 2001-present

Grand Slams: 22

Career Titles: 92

Prize Money: $131 Million

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With just 1 title ahead, Rafael Nadal still stands on top of all the tennis players around the globe. “The King of Clay,” Rafael is the best player to step onto a clay court. Nadal dominates the tennis world with his adequate left-handed Serving and Slicing with both backhand and forehand. Nadal married his long-time beau Maria Francisca in 2019.

So these are the list of the top 20 players of all time. Some might argue with the numbering we have done but let us see who holds the cup in the future Grand Slams, which might change the position of these players.