5 Greatest hardcourt players of all time

Hardcourt is said to be the most neutral surface in tennis, which means that it is the surface where a player’s true quality can be gauged. A genuine great will always perform well on hardcourts.

They tend to balance out the extreme characteristics of grass and claycourts. They are not as fast as the grasscourts, neither are they as slow and tiresome as clay. Therefore, a player has to have a well-rounded game to excel on hardcourts.

Two of the four Grand Slams in tennis, the Australian Open and the US Open, are played on hardcourts. The Australian Open used to be played on grass till 1987, but has been staged on hardcourts since then. Moreover, six of the nine prestigious ATP Masters tournaments are held on hardcourts.

Almost every great tennis player has won major titles on hardcourts. Here, we take a look at the top 5 hardcourt players of all time:

5. Jimmy Connors

Jimmy Connors

The flamboyant Jimmy Connors was a brilliant all-round player and therefore, had no problem excelling on hardcourts. He was quite possibly the greatest hard-court player of his generation.

John McEnroe had a better serve-and-volley game, whereas Ivan Lendl was patient and fit enough to grind out matches on clay. But Connors’ game was more complete and as a result, he was more successful on hardcourts.

Connors had a great return of serve and very potent groundstrokes. He also had great court-coverage, which enabled him to stay in rallies for a longer duration.

He had a very strong forehand and a decent double-handed backhand, which allowed him to hit passing shots from the baseline. He was a strict baseliner, but quite capable of winning points with his volleys too.

Connors won 5 US Open titles on hardcourts. He also won 17 Grand Prix Super Series titles in his career, most of which were held on hardcourts.

Overall, he had a winning ratio of 83% on hardcourts, and his record is even more impressive considering the fact that he had to contend with the likes of Bjorn Borg, McEnroe and Lendl in his career.

Connors' triumph over Aaron Krickstein at the 1991 US Open was a classic in every sense of the word.

4. Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal’s achievements on clay are so staggering that they tend to overshadow his enviable feats on hardcourts. He has the best pair of legs in the history of tennis and therefore, faces no problem in extending rallies and thereby tiring his opponents on hardcourts too.

Nadal's legendary court-coverage and outstanding forehand have won him four Grand Slams on hardcourts. He has also won a number of Masters titles on the surface.

Nadal has played in the so called Golden Era of tennis, when two other greats in Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic were at their respective peaks. In spite of that, he has been able to win a handful of titles on hardcourts.

Nadal’s passing shots and outstanding return of serve make him a formidable opposition on any surface.

He is on the verge of winning his 5th Slam on hard courts and 18th overall, as he has again made it to the final of the ongoing Australian Open. His win against Kevin Anderson in straight sets in the final of the 2017 US Open underlines his prowess on hard courts.

3. Pete Sampras

Pete Sampras

Pete Sampras remains the greatest grasscourter of all time and his serve quite possibly is the best shot ever seen in tennis. However, he was a superb hardcourt player too and won five US Opens and two Australian Opens in his career. He also won 11 ATP Masters titles, most of which were played on hardcourts.

Sampras was the greatest exponent of the serve-and-volley game in his time, but could hit breathtaking winners from the baseline too. His running crosscourt forehand was a visual delight, and he also had a very strong single-handed backhand.

Sampras won some memorable battles against the likes of Andre Agassi, Boris Becker, Jim Courier and Stefan Edberg on hardcourts, and was easily the best player of his generation.

Sampras’ victory over Agassi in the 2001 US Open quarterfinal remains one of the finest matches of all time. His win over Agassi in the 2002 US Open final was also a classic.

Sampras was a deceptively quick mover on the surface and managed to have an 80% winning ratio on hardcourts in his career.

2. Roger Federer

Roger Federer

Roger Federer is the greatest tennis player of all time with 20 Grand Slams and 99 career titles, and quite understandably, he is also one of the best hardcourt players of all time.

Federer has a complete game and is equally comfortable dictating terms from the baseline and winning points at the net. He also remains a viewer’s delight with his incredible groundstrokes and sumptuous volleys.

Rarely has anyone ever caressed a tennis ball like Federer, and his artistic strokes usually separate him from the lesser mortals. However, one has to remember that he is clinically effective too and destroyed many a great opposition on hardcourts.

His victory over Andre Agassi in the 2005 US Open final or five-set triumph over arch-rival Nadal at the 2017 Australian Open are part of tennis folklore.

Federer's delightful forehand and aesthetic single-handed backhand have helped him win 11 Majors on hardcourts. He has also won most of his 27 Masters titles on hardcourts and has a winning ratio of 83% on the surface.

Tennis will definitely be poorer when Federer stops hitting those spectacular winners on hardcourts.

1. Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic

At his best, Novak Djokovic is almost like a machine playing tennis, and his relentless accuracy and seemingly tireless court-coverage have made him the greatest hardcourt player of all time. Djokovic also possesses the finest groundstrokes of all time and is almost invincible in a baseline slugfest on this surface.

Djokovic has a great return of serve and a wonderful backhand, but can also be effective while going to the net. He is supremely fast and can dismantle his opponents with his fierce strokeplay and great slides.

Djokovic has won 9 of his 14 career Grand Slams on hardcourts, and looks good for even more. He has reached the semifinal of the ongoing Australian Open, and could add yet another Slam to his enviable collection of trophies.

Djokovic has a superior head-to-head record against both his arch-rivals, Federer and Nadal, and an 85% winning ratio on hardcourts. He beat Nadal in an epic four-setter in the final of the 2011 US Open and also won the 2018 US Open by beating Juan Martin Del Potro quite comfortably.

Djokovic has also won 32 Masters titles in his career, most of which were played on hardcourts.