Who's the greatest of all time and how do we define the parameters of what is means to be the greatest....it's tough to compare different time periods since the conditions and technologies were different as well...
Does the best ever mean....most grand slam titles (to most people yes), most year end finishes at number 1, the most titles ever (grand slam and other tournies), the ablility to win on all surfaces, having winning records versus your peers/competitors, the highest winning percentage, do you have to have an Olympic gold as well as a Davis cup title....or is it a combination of all of these factors???
Here are the people I think deserve to be in the race of the best male tennis player ever...
Rod Laver ("The Rocket")
Ranked number 1, both as an amateur and as a professional
11 grand slam titles
2 grand slams in 1962 and 1969 - won all 4 majors those years - no one has ever done this!
200 singles titles (amateur and professional), but 52 listed by the ATP Tour
22 titles in a single season (1962) - the most ever
Career winning % (536 - 136 or 80%)
The games first complete tennis player
Bjorn Borg ("Ice Man")
Won 11 grand slam titles (6 French Opens and 5 Wimbledons) out of 16 total finals
Wins the French Open and Wimbledon in same year, back to back in 1978, 1979 and 1980
Member of the winning Swedish Davis Cup team in 1975
Youngest player to win a Davis Cup match at 15 years old (1972)
Former number 1 player
Never won the Australian Open or US Open
Winner of 3 year end championships
Career winning % (609 - 127 or 83%)
141 - 16 record in grand slams, which is the highest winning % in slams ever of 90%
93% winning record at Wimbledon (51 - 4)
64 career titles
One of the first players to use heavy topspin in his game
Performance versus peers - tied head to head with McEnroe and Ashe (both rivalries at 7 - 7); winning record versus Laver (5 - 2), Connors (15 - 8), Vilas (17 - 5), Nastase (10 - 5), and Lendl (6 - 2); losing record versus Newcombe (1 - 3)
Calmness and demeanor on the court was legendary
Retired in 1983 at the age of 26
Had an unsuccessful come back tour in the early 1990s failing to win a single match
Roger Federer ("The Maestro")
17 grand slam titles
Number 2 in the world at the age of 34
World number 1 for over 300 weeks (237 in a row)
Captured the career grand slam (not in one year)
Won titles on all surfaces (indoor, hard court, grass, clay)
One of the greatest grass, hard court and indoor players of all time
7 Wimbledon titles (2003 - 2007, 2009, and 2012) and 10 Wimbledon finals
5 US Open titles (2004 - 2008)
24 Masters 1000 titles (formerly Super 9)
Played in final of all Masters 1000 Series tournies
64 consecutive grand slam tournies through 2015 US Open
46 grand slam quarterfinals and 38 semis
27 overall grand slam finals
87 career titles
Won end of the year ATP world final 6 times
Member of Swiss 2014 Davis cup winning team
2008 Olympic gold medal in doubles with Stan
2012 Olympics silver medal in singles losing to Murray
Reached 1,000 career win in 2015
Losing record against fellow peer and competitor Nadal though (10 - 23 as of September 2015) - that's a dent in the armor and the one thing tarnishing his record
Career winning % (1,047 - 235 or 82%)
Most popular tennis player ever
Rafael Nadal ("Rafa")
14 grand slams (tied with Sampras)
Greatest clay court player ever
Winning record versus Federer
9 French Opens (most of any player and single grand slam title ever), 2 Wimbledons, 2 US Opens, 1 Australian Open
2014 - became first player to win grand slam title for 10 years in a row
Winning record versus Federer, Djokovic, and Murray
Won grand slams on all surfaces like Federer and Agassi
2008 Olympics gold medalist
27 Masters 1000 titles (formerly known as Super 9)
4 Davis cup wins - 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2011
67 career titles
Played in final of all Masters 1000 Series tournies
Possesses career golden slam (but not all 4 in one year)
Perhaps the greatest competitor and humblest tennis player in history
Career has been plagued with knee injuries
Currently ranked 8 in the world and 2015 was the first year in 11 years that Rafa didn't win a single major
Career winning % (750 - 155 or 83%)
Pete Sampras ("Pistol")
Winner of 14 grand slam titles (including 7 Wimbledons and 5 US Opens)
Dominated his peer and major competitor Andre Agassi unlike Roger with Nadal
Never won the French Open and was poor player on clay
Broke Roy Emerson's record of 12 grand slam singles titles
5 end of the year ATP World Tour Finals
Record for finishing the year ranked 1 (6 times from 1993 to 1998)
64 career titles
Career winning % (762 - 222 or 77%)
Lost only 4 grand slam finals (Hewitt, Safin, Agassi, Edberg)
Best server in tennis ever
Novak Djokovic ("Nole")
10 grand slam titles (will tie Borg with the next win)
Won 3 grand slam titles in a year twice (2011 and 2015)
Yet to win French Open - lost to Nadal and Wawrinka
Been the dominant number 1 and player to beat since 2011
Only 10 - 8 in grand slam finals versus Federer and Nadal's records
Has held the number 1 ranking for 165 weeks
24 Masters 10000 series titles (yet to win Cincinnati)
Played in final of all Masters 1000 Series tournies
2008 Olympics Bronze medal winner
Youngest player to reach semis of all grand slam tournies
Only player to win 5 Australian Opens (he owns that place)
55 career titles
Career winning % (667 - 145 or 82%)
The most athletic player ever, the best returner and the fast mover on the court
If Novak were to add in his opinion and read this, he'd say a lot remains to be determined and don't count your chickens yet....I def think he'll reach 14 grand slam wins and tie Pete...the rest is in his hands...
So based on all these facts, who would you vote for? Also, what about Emerson...he's not mentioned here, but he won 12 grand slam titles...
Let me know what do you guys think and if there are other items to consider...??
Signing Out,
Surya
Does the best ever mean....most grand slam titles (to most people yes), most year end finishes at number 1, the most titles ever (grand slam and other tournies), the ablility to win on all surfaces, having winning records versus your peers/competitors, the highest winning percentage, do you have to have an Olympic gold as well as a Davis cup title....or is it a combination of all of these factors???
Here are the people I think deserve to be in the race of the best male tennis player ever...
Rod Laver ("The Rocket")
Ranked number 1, both as an amateur and as a professional
11 grand slam titles
2 grand slams in 1962 and 1969 - won all 4 majors those years - no one has ever done this!
200 singles titles (amateur and professional), but 52 listed by the ATP Tour
22 titles in a single season (1962) - the most ever
Career winning % (536 - 136 or 80%)
The games first complete tennis player
Bjorn Borg ("Ice Man")
Won 11 grand slam titles (6 French Opens and 5 Wimbledons) out of 16 total finals
Wins the French Open and Wimbledon in same year, back to back in 1978, 1979 and 1980
Member of the winning Swedish Davis Cup team in 1975
Youngest player to win a Davis Cup match at 15 years old (1972)
Former number 1 player
Never won the Australian Open or US Open
Winner of 3 year end championships
Career winning % (609 - 127 or 83%)
141 - 16 record in grand slams, which is the highest winning % in slams ever of 90%
93% winning record at Wimbledon (51 - 4)
64 career titles
One of the first players to use heavy topspin in his game
Performance versus peers - tied head to head with McEnroe and Ashe (both rivalries at 7 - 7); winning record versus Laver (5 - 2), Connors (15 - 8), Vilas (17 - 5), Nastase (10 - 5), and Lendl (6 - 2); losing record versus Newcombe (1 - 3)
Calmness and demeanor on the court was legendary
Retired in 1983 at the age of 26
Had an unsuccessful come back tour in the early 1990s failing to win a single match
Roger Federer ("The Maestro")
17 grand slam titles
Number 2 in the world at the age of 34
World number 1 for over 300 weeks (237 in a row)
Captured the career grand slam (not in one year)
Won titles on all surfaces (indoor, hard court, grass, clay)
One of the greatest grass, hard court and indoor players of all time
7 Wimbledon titles (2003 - 2007, 2009, and 2012) and 10 Wimbledon finals
5 US Open titles (2004 - 2008)
24 Masters 1000 titles (formerly Super 9)
Played in final of all Masters 1000 Series tournies
64 consecutive grand slam tournies through 2015 US Open
46 grand slam quarterfinals and 38 semis
27 overall grand slam finals
87 career titles
Won end of the year ATP world final 6 times
Member of Swiss 2014 Davis cup winning team
2008 Olympic gold medal in doubles with Stan
2012 Olympics silver medal in singles losing to Murray
Reached 1,000 career win in 2015
Losing record against fellow peer and competitor Nadal though (10 - 23 as of September 2015) - that's a dent in the armor and the one thing tarnishing his record
Career winning % (1,047 - 235 or 82%)
Most popular tennis player ever
Rafael Nadal ("Rafa")
14 grand slams (tied with Sampras)
Greatest clay court player ever
Winning record versus Federer
9 French Opens (most of any player and single grand slam title ever), 2 Wimbledons, 2 US Opens, 1 Australian Open
2014 - became first player to win grand slam title for 10 years in a row
Winning record versus Federer, Djokovic, and Murray
Won grand slams on all surfaces like Federer and Agassi
2008 Olympics gold medalist
27 Masters 1000 titles (formerly known as Super 9)
4 Davis cup wins - 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2011
67 career titles
Played in final of all Masters 1000 Series tournies
Possesses career golden slam (but not all 4 in one year)
Perhaps the greatest competitor and humblest tennis player in history
Career has been plagued with knee injuries
Currently ranked 8 in the world and 2015 was the first year in 11 years that Rafa didn't win a single major
Career winning % (750 - 155 or 83%)
Pete Sampras ("Pistol")
Winner of 14 grand slam titles (including 7 Wimbledons and 5 US Opens)
Dominated his peer and major competitor Andre Agassi unlike Roger with Nadal
Never won the French Open and was poor player on clay
Broke Roy Emerson's record of 12 grand slam singles titles
5 end of the year ATP World Tour Finals
Record for finishing the year ranked 1 (6 times from 1993 to 1998)
64 career titles
Career winning % (762 - 222 or 77%)
Lost only 4 grand slam finals (Hewitt, Safin, Agassi, Edberg)
Best server in tennis ever
Novak Djokovic ("Nole")
10 grand slam titles (will tie Borg with the next win)
Won 3 grand slam titles in a year twice (2011 and 2015)
Yet to win French Open - lost to Nadal and Wawrinka
Been the dominant number 1 and player to beat since 2011
Only 10 - 8 in grand slam finals versus Federer and Nadal's records
Has held the number 1 ranking for 165 weeks
24 Masters 10000 series titles (yet to win Cincinnati)
Played in final of all Masters 1000 Series tournies
2008 Olympics Bronze medal winner
Youngest player to reach semis of all grand slam tournies
Only player to win 5 Australian Opens (he owns that place)
55 career titles
Career winning % (667 - 145 or 82%)
The most athletic player ever, the best returner and the fast mover on the court
If Novak were to add in his opinion and read this, he'd say a lot remains to be determined and don't count your chickens yet....I def think he'll reach 14 grand slam wins and tie Pete...the rest is in his hands...
So based on all these facts, who would you vote for? Also, what about Emerson...he's not mentioned here, but he won 12 grand slam titles...
Let me know what do you guys think and if there are other items to consider...??
Signing Out,
Surya