While football, rugby, and cricket often seem like the world’s most followed sports, tennis boasts millions of passionate fans, alongside some of the greatest athletes of the modern world. These are players that dedicated their entire lives to the game, and are often involved in some of the best sporting moments in history. With that in mind, these are the best men’s tennis players that have ever lived.
Rod Laver
Rod Laver was a prominent tennis player that held the world number one rank for a total of seven years in a row, which is a feat even by today’s standards. He is also the only tennis player to have won the Grand Slam twice, once as an amateur and again as a professional in 1969.
Many believe that if the player had not been excluded from the Grand Slam events during the mid 1960s, he would have gone on to win many more. The Open era in tennis did not begin until the start of the 1970s, meaning that it’s next to impossible to compare Laver to many of today’s accomplished tennis players.
Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal is considered by many to be one of the world’s greatest tennis players, and it’s been speculated that if he did not suffer from tendonitis in his knees, he could have gone on to be the best of all time.
By the time he turned 33, the Spaniard had 19 Grand Slams under his belt, and is one of Roger Federer’s most competent opponents. Nadal is considered the best clay court player in recent history, although many say that Bjorn Borg is the rightful owner of that title. Regardless, Nadal has continued to stun fans of tennis with his fast-paced gaming and incredible skill on the court, and much like a Overwatch bets, it remains a gamble as to where the player will go in the future.
Novak Djokovic
When Novak Djokobic turned 32, he was already well into his career, and had a massive number of wins to his name, with many believing that he still has the potential to become the player with the most Grand Slam titles.
At the moment, he has a total of 17, just two shy of Nadal, and with his recent games it appears that he’s getting better with age. But Djokovic is also prone to injury, and it remains to be seen as to whether he will be able to dethrone Federer in the coming years.
Roger Federer
Without a doubt, Roger Federer currently reigns supreme as the best athlete that the tennis world has ever seen. Winning a total of 20 Grand Slam titles by the age of 38, Federer stands out even among the most well accomplished of his peers.
He went 310 weeks ranked as the number one player in the world, which is a feat that many feel will never be surpassed. Even if newer players eventually take his throne, the fact that he remained the world’s best for a total of two decades is testament to his unparalleled skills on the courts.