Tennis flourished in the 1970s, especially in the United States, and started to shift from being a sport for the affluent to being more of a mainstream sport. The rivalries that occurred on and off the court were fueled by characters like Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Chris Evert, and others. Many outstanding players have come and gone since then. Because of technological advancements and greater physical standards, it can be challenging to compare athletes from different eras in any sport, making the decision to name the greatest player ever a challenging and very personal one.
I believe that most fans can agree that Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic are three of the finest players to ever compete at this time.
Here is my ranking of the top 10 male tennis players from 1968 to the present, despite the difficulty.
10. Andre Agassi
- -Born: April 29, 1970
- -Las Vegas, Nevada
- -Resides: Las Vegas, Nevada
- -Turned pro: 1986
- -Retired: 2006
- -Career prize money: $31,152,975
- -61 career titles
- -8 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 4 Australian, 1 French, 2 US Open, 1 Wimbledon
- -Olympic Gold Medalist 1996
- -Inducted into Tennis Hall of Fame: 2011
9. John McEnroe
- -Born: February 16, 1959
- -Wiesbaden, West Germany
- -Resides: New York City
- -Turned pro: 1978
- -Retired: 1992
- -Career prize money: $12,547,797
- -105 career titles
- -7 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 3 Wimbledon, 4 US Open
- -Inducted into Tennis Hall of Fame: 1999
8. Jimmy Connors
- Born: September 2, 1952
- East St. Louis, Illinois
- Resides: Santa Barbara, CA
- Turned pro: 1972
- Retired: 1996
- Career prize money: $8,641,040
- 147 career titles
- 8 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 1 Australian, 2 Wimbledon, 5 US Open
- Inducted into Tennis Hall of Fame: 1998
7. Ivan Lendl
- Born: March 7, 1960
- Ostrava, Czechoslovakia
- Resides: Goshen, Connecticut
- Turned pro: 1978
- Retired: 1994
- Career prize money: $21,262,417
- 144 career titles
- 8 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 2 Australian, 3 French, 3 US Open
- Inducted into Tennis Hall of Fame: 2001
6. Bjorn Borg
- Born: June 6, 1956
- Sodertalje, Stockholm County, Sweden
- Resides: Stockholm, Sweden
- Turned pro: 1973
- Retired: 1983
- Career prize money: $3,655,751
- 101 career titles
- 11 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 6 French, 5 Wimbledon
- Inducted into Tennis Hall of Fame: 1987
5. Pete Sampras
- Born: August 12, 1971
- Potomac, Maryland
- Resides: Lake Sherwood, California
- Turned pro: 1988
- Retired 2002
- Career prize money: $43,280,489
- 64 career titles
- 14 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 2 Australian, 7 Wimbledon, 5 US Open
- Inducted into Tennis Hall of Fame: 2007
4. Rod Laver
- Born: August 8, 1938
- Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
- Resides: Carlsbad, California
- Turned pro: 1962
- Retired 1979
- Career prize money: $1,565,413
- 200 career titles
- 11 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 3 Australian, 2 French, 2 US Open, 4 Wimbledon
- 9 Pro Slam Singles Titles: 3 US Pro, 4 Wembley Pro, 1 French Pro, 1 Wimbledon Pro
- Inducted into Tennis Hall of Fame: 1981
3. Roger Federer
- Born: August 8, 1981
- Basel, Switzerland
- Resides: Bottmingen, Switzerland
- Turned pro: 1998
- Career prize money: $130,594,339
- 103 career titles
- 20 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 6 Australian, 1 French, 5 US Open, 8 Wimbledon
- Retired
2. Rafael Nadal
- Born: June 3, 1986
- Manacor, Majorca, Balearic Islands, Spain
- Resides: Manacor, Majorca, Balearic Islands, Spain
- Turned pro: 2001
- Career prize money: $134,640,719
- 92 career titles
- 22 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 2 Australian, 14 French, 4 US Open, 2 Wimbledon
- 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist – Beijing Summer Olympics
- Current active player
1. Novak Djokovic
- Born: May 22, 1987
- Born in Belgrade, Serbia
- Resides: Monte Carlo, Monaco
- Turned pro: 2003
- Career prize money: $167,296,242
- 94 career titles
- 23 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 10 Australian, 7 Wimbledon, 3 US Open, 3 French Open
- Current active player
