The 10 greatest Men's Tennis Players in the Open Era

It has been 50 years since the beginning of Open Era in Tennis and it has been an exciting ride of five decades. We have travelled from Laver's soothing backhand to Nadal's muscular forehand. From Borg's always calm and composed nature to Djokovic's fearless expression on every point. From Mcenroe's net rushing to Federer's always gracious and artistic play on the court, the game of tennis has transformed a lot.

50 years ago, tennis was mostly dominated by the net players of America and Australia but now it is dominated by baseliners of Europe. From the wooden racquet age to the current graphite racquet era we have travelled a long way.

But if you pay close attention they both are mostly carbon i.e. The core of this game is still the same. So let us put all of it together and pick the best 10 out of the countless amazing tennis players who have obliged this great game.

This is the list of top 10 greatest tennis players (male) since the beginning of the Open Era.

As the game of tennis has evolved a lot, we have tried to emphasise on the consistency and diversity of the player rather than the stats. Keep in mind that we are only considering the Open Era, which excludes Rod Laver and Roy Emerson since they have played most of their tennis before the beginning of Open Era.

And the likes of Tilden, Vines, Fudge, Kramer and Pancho Gonzalez, since they played before the Open Era began. And to be honest it's a very uneasy task to fit in Laver in this list who is considered to be the greatest of all time by many.

So let’s begin the countdown…

---

10. Andre Agassi

(One of the best returner of all time and one of the few players to have the Career Slam)

Grand Slam Titles: 8

Career Singles Titles: 60

Number of weeks as No 1: 101

Considered to be one of the best returners of all time by many. One of the few players in Open Era to win all four majors in the career (Career Slam), the World tour finals of 1990 and Olympic gold at Sydney (1996) which completed his career Golden Slam.

9. Boris Becker

(One of the greatest servers of all time)

Grand Slam Titles: 6

Career Singles Titles: 49

World Tour Finals Titles: 3

Career Win %: 76.9

Considered by many as one of the greatest servers of all time. Known for his big serves and great net play, he is still the youngest player to have won Wimbledon. He also won the gold medal at Barcelona Olympics (1992) for Germany.

8. Jimmy Connors

(Holds the record for most number of singles titles in the game)

Grand Slam Titles: 8

Career Singles Titles: 109

Number of weeks as No 1: 268

Career Win % : 81.8

Known for his aggressive behaviour and undisciplined nature, this bad boy of tennis is one of the greatest players to have ever played the game.

The longevity and consistency over his long career are remarkable. With 109 singles titles and 1253 match wins he holds the record for both most number of match and title wins. He was one of the first players to use the two-handed backhand at the pro tour, which became extremely popular in the modern era of tennis.

7. John McEnroe

(Arguably the greatest Serve-and-Volley player of all time, he owns a 42-match winning streak and an 82-3 record in 1984)

Grand Slam Titles: 7

Career Singles Titles: 77

Number of weeks as no 1: 170

Career win % : 81.6

Another rebellious tennis legend from the USA who dominated the sport for quite some time. His rivalry with Bjorn Borg is considered to be one of the greatest rivalries in tennis. The battles between the two includes the Wimbledon final of 1980, considered by many as one of the best tennis matches of all time.

6. Pete Sampras

(One of the best Grass Court Player of all time, known as ‘Pistol Pete’ because of his fast serve)

Grand Slams Titles: 14

Career Titles: 64

Number of weeks as No. 1: 286

Career win %: 77.4

With 7 Wimbledon titles, he is considered to be one of the greatest grass court players. His second serve and running forehand was the epitome of perfection.

5. Ivan Lendl

(Often considered as the father of modern tennis due to his style based on baseline play and heavy topspin)

Grand Slam Titles: 8

Career Singles titles: 94

Number of weeks as N0. 1: 270

Career win % : 81.5%

Lendl was a revolutionary in the world of tennis. He changed the way tennis was played forever with his heavy topspin and strong forehand. Besides 8 major titles, he was runner-up in 11 majors and won 7 year-end championships. He stands 2nd in terms of the longest winning streak with 44 matches.

4. Novak Djokovic

(The best returner and baseline player of all time. Only the 2nd male player to hold all 4 majors at the same time in the Open Era. The only player to complete the Golden Masters)

Grand Slam Titles: 14

Career Singles titles: 72

Number of weeks as No. 1: 223

Career win %: 82.7%

Djokovic's dominance over the recent years has been remarkable. His baseline game is the extreme of perfection and dedication. His accuracy and longevity during the long rallies have made him the best in the business.

3. Bjorn Borg

(The Iceman of the world of tennis, he has the best winning percentage for any man in Grand Slams)

Grand Slam Titles: 11

Career Singles Titles: 64

Weeks as No 1: 109

Career win % : 83.1

Borg’s under-pressure composure and athleticism were very rare for his era. He holds the unique record of winning French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back 3 times. His unique style, which made him equally successful in clay and grass with 6 French and 5 Wimbledon titles (which are polar opposite surfaces), made him unique as a player.

2. Rafael Nadal

(The greatest Clay court player of all time, the Spaniard holds the record of most ATP 1000 Masters titles)

Grand Slam Titles: 17

Career Singles Titles: 80

Number of weeks as No. 1: 194

Career Win percentage: 82.9

Nadal’s dominance on the clay court is arguably the greatest dominance in any sport ever. He holds the record of winning the French Open 11 times with a stunning win-loss index of 86-2. He still goes to France as the hot favourite year after year.

He has introduced high topspin with his forehand. With his quick speed on the court, he outruns every opponent. He embodies the effort in the tennis court. He is without any doubt among the greatest sportsman of all time.

1. Roger Federer

(Greatest Of All Time)

Grand Slam Titles: 20

Career Singles Titles: 98

Number of weeks as No. 1: 310

Career win %: 82

Numbers and arguments are not needed for this obvious pick. Roger’s consistency and longevity during his career explain everything itself. He is the most complete player to have ever stepped foot on a tennis court.

For any other player on this list, if you change the era it may affect their dominance but not Federer, you put him in any era and he would come out as the greatest. He can serve big, he can play near the net, he can play from the baseline.

He can play defensive, he can play aggressive, he can play every possible style of tennis. And his smartness and presence of mind with his extraordinary racquet skills make him the greatest tennis player of all time and one of the greatest sportsman of all time.

Honourable Mentions: Rod Laver, Mats Wilander, Arthur Ashe, Stefan Edberg, Guillermo Vilas.