Do you want to know the top male tennis players who have left a lasting legacy?
Tennis began as a racket sport many centuries ago. It was primarily for the upper crust. However, in the 1970s, the sport was accessible to all, not just the wealthy.
Since then, many players have come and gone, and many great players have demonstrated why they are the best. We are currently watching the greatest players of all time, such as Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
It is difficult to select only 15 top male tennis players from 1968. Nonetheless, here are the top 15 greatest male tennis players who demonstrated why they are the best.
Male Tennis Players in the Top 15
Let’s take a look at the list as a whole before we get into the details of each player. The data was compiled using Wikipedia and Tennis.com.
| Name of the player | Country |
| 1. Novak Djokovic | Serbia |
| 2. Roger Federer | Switzerland |
| 3. Rafael Nadal | Spain |
| 4. Rod Laver | Australia |
| 5. Pete Sampras | United States |
| 6. Bjorn Borg | Sweden |
| 7. Ivan Lendl | Czechoslovakia |
| 8. Jimmy Connors | United States |
| 9. John McEnroe | Germany |
| 10. Andre Agassi | United States |
| 11. Ken Rosewall | Australia |
| 12. Andy Murray | United Kingdom |
| 13. Don Budge | United States |
| 14. Bill Tilden | United States |
| 15. Roy Emerson | United States |
15. Roy Emerson
Roy Stanley Emerson AC is his full name.
In 1953, he went pro.
Retired in 1983.
Roy is a right-handed former Australian tennis player (one-handed backhand). He made his pro debut in 1953 and won his first Grand Slam doubles title in 1959.
He has won 12 Grand Slams in singles and 16 in doubles during his career. He has 26 Grand Slam titles in total and is the only player to have completed a Career Grand Slam.
Furthermore, Roy was the first male tennis player to win 12 singles majors, a record he held for 20 years.
14. Bill Tilden
William Tatem Tilden ll is his full name.
In 1931, he went pro.
1946: Retired
Bill had a distinguished but brief tennis career. He held the World No. 1 ranking from 1920 to 1925 and has 10 Grand Slam titles.
He was the first American to win a Wimbledon in 1920, and he also has a World Hard Court named after him. He dominated the tennis scene in the 1920s, amassing a singles career record of 1726-506.
Similarly, even as an amateur, he won 138 games out of 192 and was the first professional tennis player to reach the Grand Slam finals.
13. Don Budge
John Donald Budge is his full name.
In 1932, he went pro.
1961: Retired
Don Budge, an American professional tennis player, comes in second on our list of the top male tennis players. Unfortunately, he died in 2000, but he left a remarkable legacy in the tennis world.
John is the most famous tennis player in history, as well as the only American male to win four Grand Slam tournaments in a single year. He was also the second male player in history to win the Career Grand Slam.
He is known for having the best backhand and has won both singles and doubles in the same match.
12. Andy Murray
Sir Andrew Barron Murray is his full name.
2005, I went pro.
Retired but still active
Andy Murray (born May 15, 1987) is a right-handed professional tennis player from the United Kingdom (two-handed backhand). In 2015, ATP named him World No. 1 and he held the position for 41 weeks.
Andy has won three Grand Slams so far, including two Wimbledons and one US Open. He has received over $61 million in prize money to date.
Andy has had significant success since his debut, reaching the top ten lists a year after his debut.
11. Ken Rosewall
Kenneth Robert Rosewall’s full name is Kenneth Robert Rosewall.
In 1965, he went pro.
Retired in 1980.
Ken, who was born in New South Wales, Australia, is a former professional tennis player who won 147 titles in his career. In total, he has won 23 major tennis titles in singles and 35 finals.
Ken won the Pro Grand Slam in prominent men’s doubles in 1963, with a record of 24. In addition, he has nine Grand Slam titles and 15 Pro Slam titles. Throughout his career, he has won over $1.7 million in prize money.
Furthermore, from 1950 to 1970, Ken was the World’s No. 1 tennis player, and in 1977, he was ranked in the top 22. In addition, he won two World Pro Championship Tours in 1963 and 1964.
Ken retired in 1968 and now lives with his family in Sydney.
10. Andre Agassi
Andre Kirk Agassi is his full name.
In 1986, he went pro.
2006, I retired.
Andre is a retired professional tennis player who won eight Major Championships. He is also a 1996 Olympic gold medalist and the only player to have won the Grand Slam.
Furthermore, Andre is one of only two tennis players to have won the Grand Slam. Agassi began playing professionally at the age of 16 and won his first match. In his first year, he was ranked 91st among the best tennis players in 1986.
Throughout his career, he has won over $31 million in prize money. He retired from professional tennis in 2006 and now lives in Las Vegas with his family.
9. McEnroe, John
John Patrick McEnroe Jr. is his full name.
1978, I went pro.
1994 (single) and 2006 (married) (doubles)
John was born in Germany and is a former professional tennis player. He made his Amateur debut in 1976 and his professional debut in 1978. In 1980, John was named the best tennis player in the world.
McEnroe is best known for his shot-making and volleying abilities. Throughout his career, he has won 77 and 78 singles and doubles titles, respectively.
He has also won seven Grand Slam titles, including the US Open four times, Wimbledon three times, the Australian Open, and the French Open.
John has a singles record of 883-198 and a doubles record of 530-103. Before officially retiring in 2006, he had won over $12 million in prize money.
8. Jimmy Connors
James Scott Connors is his full name.
1972, he went pro.
Retired in 1996.
Jimmy is a tennis professional from the United States. In 1970, he made his amateur debut, and in 1972, he made his professional debut. In 1974, two years after making his professional debut, he was named the world’s number one tennis player.
In 1974, he was given the Association of Tennis Professionals ranking, which he held until 1977. He has played 1557 matches in his career, winning 1274 and winning 109 titles.
Furthermore, he has a career doubles record of 174-78 with 16 career titles. He has won five US Opens, two Wimbledons, four French Opens, and one Australian Open.
In addition, he has won over $8 million in prize money during his professional career.
Also, check out the Top 29 Jimmy Connors Quotes.
7. Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl is his full name.
1978, I went pro.
Retired in 1994.
Ivan is a retired professional tennis player from Czechoslovakia who now lives in the United States. From 1978 to 1992, he represented his hometown, and then the United States.
Lendl was crowned World No. 1 player in 1983 and held the position for 270 weeks. In total, he has won 94 singles titles and six doubles titles.
He has also won two Australian Opens, one French Open, one Wimbledon, and three US Open. Ivan has won over $21 million in prize money as a professional tennis player.
After retiring, Lendl became involved in gold and won the Celebrity Tour.
6. Bjorn Borg
Bjorn Rune Borg’s full name is Bjorn Rune Borg.
In 1973, he went pro.
Retired in 1993.
Bjorn is a right-handed former Swedish tennis player (two-handed backhand). He went pro in 1973 but had to take a break before returning in 1991.
Borg was the first male player to win 11 Grand Slam singles titles. He is also the first person to win five Wimbledon titles. In singles, he has also won one Australian Open, four French Opens, and a Davis Cup.
Bjorn has a career singles record of 654-140 and a doubles record of 86-81. Furthermore, he has won over $3 million in prize money.
5. Pete Sampras
Petros is the full name. Sampras, Pete
In 1988, he went pro.
2003: Retired
Pete Sampras is a former professional tennis player who reached the World No. 1 ranking in 1993. He is a right-handed player (one-handed backhand).
He made his official debut in 1988 and retired from the US Open in 2002. His last match, which he won, was at the US Open, where he defeated Andre Agassi. Pete has won 14 singles titles, including seven Wimbledons, five US Opens, and two Australian Opens.
He has won 64 singles titles and more than $43 million in prize money. In addition, he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2007 for his outstanding records.
Pete has a career record of 762-227 in singles and 64-70 in doubles. Because of his strength and accuracy, he was also known as Pistol Pete.
4. Rod Laver
Rodney is his full name. Laver, George
In 1963, he went pro.
1979: Retired
Rod Laver is a former left-handed professional tennis player from Australia (one-handed backhand). He began playing amateur tennis in 1963 and made his professional debut in 1956.
Rod was one of the few people who held the title of World’s Number One nine times between 1964 and 1970. When he played amateur tennis from 1961 to 1962, he was even ranked No. 1.
Furthermore, he holds the record for the most singles titles in tennis history, with 198. Rod won 11 Grand Slam singles titles, eight Pro Slam titles, and five Davis Cups for Australia.
As part of his legacy, the Laver Cup and Rod Laver Arena were named after him.
3. Rafael Nadal
Rafael is his full name. Nadal, Rafael
Professional debut: 2001
Retired: Currently in use
Rafael is a left-handed professional tennis player from Spain (two-handed backhand). He began his professional career in 2001 and remains active in the scene today.
He is widely regarded as one of the best active tennis players of his generation. The Association of Tennis Professionals ranked him fifth best player in the world and first in the ATP rankings.
Nadal has won 22 Grand Slam men’s singles titles, 36 Masters 1000 titles, 13 French Open titles, and 11 doubles titles. He has won over $124 million in prize money, placing him third all-time in tennis earnings.
Furthermore, he was ranked first in the world in 2008 and is currently ranked fifth.
2. Roger Federer
Roger Federer (full name)
In 1998, he went pro.
Retired but still active
Roger Federer (born August 8, 1981) is a Swiss professional tennis player who began his career in 1998. In his debut year, he defeated Guillaume Raoux in his first ATP match.
Federer has won 20 Grand Slam singles titles and 8 doubles titles in his career. Furthermore, he has a record of 131-92 and 1251-275 in singles and doubles up to this point. He currently holds 103 ATP titles.
Roger is one of the big three who currently rule the tennis world, along with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Roger was named the highest-paid athlete by Forbes in May 2020, with an estimated salary of $104 million.
Federer took a 5-1 lead over Cilic at the 2021 French Open.
1. Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is his full name.
In 2003, he went pro.
Retired but still active
Novak Djokovic is the top male tennis player, having risen to the position of number one. Novac is a Serbian professional tennis player who plays right-handed (two-handed backhand). He is currently the greatest tennis player and was ranked first in the world in 2011.
Novac is the World’s No. 1 tennis player as of February 2020 and has held the position for 343 weeks and counting.
Novac has over 85 ATP singles titles to his name, including nine Australian Opens and a career Grand Slam. Furthermore, he has won over $153 million in prize money to date.
Finally, tennis has always been one of the most popular sports among the general public. Furthermore, with the type of players mentioned above, the sport will always be competitive.
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