Every now and again tennis generates players who are beyond believable. These are men who are so precise, so talented and so incredibly strong, they produce shot making par excellence. Right now, tennis fans from Zurich to Zambia can witness a stellar array of ATP superstars battle it out at the Nitto ATP Finals.
With the golden guys of the grand slams about to strut their stuff in London, let’s take a look at four of the greatest professional tennis players ever to grace the courts:
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is the most successful tennis player of the Open Era. His grace and calm demeanor on-court has earned him more fans than any other player… ever.
Along with his incredible shot-making and ease of movement, Federer is a master tactician. He can outsmart the wiliest of opponents and with all the weapons in his arsenal, the Swiss Maestro is capable of blowing competitors half his age off the court.
Now into his ‘golden’ years, Federer has confounded his critics by triumphing regularly in 2018. He started off the year by winning his sixth Australian Open and cemented his form in Rotterdam, Stuttgart and Basel in a severely curtailed tour schedule.
Federer claims he will continue playing tennis while he still enjoys it. With his awesome career record, the world can only applaud a man who is arguably the greatest tennis player ever.
Grand slams: 20
Career record: 1178 - 258
Win percentage: 82.03%
Prize money: $118,9 m
Rafael Nadal
Where Roger Federer is graceful and contained on-court, Rafael Nadal is bullish, brutish and powerful. The Spaniard may not be as versatile as Federer but he’s made Court Philippe Chatrier his own. Along with his 11 French Open titles, Raffa has pulled off 81 consecutive wins on clay.
Nadal bagged a career grand slam at the tender age of 24. He also became the second player in the Open Era to win four majors and an Olympic gold in the same year, an achievement known as a career golden slam. As his record attests, Rafael Nadal may be the King of Clay but he’s formidable on any surface:
Grand slams: 17
Career record: 918 - 189
Win percentage: 82.93%
Prize money: $103,2 m
Bjorn Borg
Bjorn Borg was known as the Ice Man. Over his decade-long career, the young Swede was indestructible. He was also impassive and the perfect foil to the likes of John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors. He won his first grand slam title at the age of 18 and then went on to excel at the highest level on all court surfaces.
Borg was primarily an entertainer. Today, he is credited with reviving the popularity of competitive tennis. Although he didn’t play nearly as much tennis as the world would have liked, Borg is indeed one of the dazzling stars of the sport.
Grand slams: 16
Career record: 639 - 130
Win percentage: 83.09%
Prize money: $3,65 m
Pete Sampras
Pistol Pete Sampras may not have been charismatic but he was a master at his trade. He dominated the sport in the eighties and nineties and his show-downs with arch rival Andre Agassi were legendary.
Sampras was known and feared for his huge service game and proficiency on grass. Until the emergence of Roger Federer, Sampras was the doyen of Wimbledon. He scooped up seven titles at the All England Club, an open Era record at the time.
Grand slams: 15
Career record: 762 - 222
Win percentage: 77,44%
Prize money: $43,3 m
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