The 10 Best Male Tennis Players In The Past 25 Years

Who are the greatest players to grace a tennis court since 1990?



Who was the best player of the 90s and beyond? 


So, with the tennis season in full swing, Green Beans takes a look at some of the most prolific tennis players to grace the courts since 1990. Forget Borg, McEnroe and Connors, this list is purely dedicated to the masters of the past 25 years. Read on, enjoy, and don't forget to comment...


10. Pat Rafter

The true king of serve and volley. The double grand slam winner was a true master at the net, with effective serves out wide followed by his soft hands on the chip and charge. Pat Rafter made this style of play a true craft of his own, and the only mystery was that he never won Wimbledon, which on paper, was perfectly suited to his game.

9. Marcello Rios 

Regarded by many as the best player never to win a grand slam, Marcello Rios was a true genius of his trade. The eccentric Chilean had all the shots in his game to make most of the top players full of envy, but unfortunately he couldn't quite bag the major prizes he so craved. On style, imagination and shot making alone, Rios jumps on this list at number nine.


8. Andy Murray 

Andre Agassi famously stated "I wouldn't have won as many slams as I did if Andy Murray was in my era". Regarded by many as the best hard court returner of his generation, Andy Murray walks on this list at number eight. With one of the best backhands in the modern era, the fiery Scot showed incredible character to come back from numerous upsets to finally lift aloft the famous Wimbledon trophy in front of his expectant nation.


7. Andre Agassi 

A magnificent returner and an almost complete all rounder, Andre Agassi was at times the only player who could give the dominant Pete Sampras a good run for his money back in the 90s. Efficient on all surfaces, this was a player that won all four grand slams, showing his diversity and class on the hard court and on the dirt.


6. Gustavo Kuerten 

This clay court specialist and former world number one from Brazil racked up three French Open titles from 1997 to 2001. Gustavo Kuerten also won the Tennis Masters Cup in 2000, becoming the only player to defeat Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi in the same major tournament.


5. Lleyton Hewitt 

In his prime, this feisty Australian was out on his own as world number one. The speedy baseliner has to be the hardest fighter the game has ever seen, and even now he fights for every last ball. Blessed with a solid forehand and backhand, Lleyton Hewitt will always be remembered as the first baseliner who won Wimbledon in a serve and volley dominated era.


4. Novak Djokovic 

Mr. elastic has been an absolute machine since his rise to world number one in 2011. Blessed with agility, balance and defensive prowess, Novak Djokovic continues to rack up the titles and slams on all four surfaces. With the French Open still the only missing slam from his collection, you get the sense it's only a matter of time before the Serbian is successful in Paris.


3. Rafa Nadal 

An absolute superstar. Blessed with the best forehand the game has ever seen, the Spanish fighter is regarded as the best clay court player of all time, and with nine French Opens (and counting) to his name, it's hard to argue with that.


2. Pete Sampras 

He certainly had the most effective serve during a common trend in the 90s. Pete Sampras was the dominant force of this decade, particularly owning the grass courts. Solid on both sides and hugely efficient at the net, it was incredibly hard to find a weakness in his game. His failure to win the French Open will be his only disappointment in an otherwise outstanding career that saw him lift 14 grand slams. Oh, and his legendary 'slam dunk' will go down in tennis folklore.


1. Roger Federer 

The greatest player of all time is Swiss, and his name is Roger Federer. As far as 'complete' goes, Federer has it all. This naturally gifted tennis player has won a record 17 grand slam titles, including seven Wimbledon crowns. At 33, Federer is still mixing it up with the big boys, teaching them lessons they'll never forget.

hr23+


3 comments:

  1. Great article! These are the ATP legends!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Whither Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg on this list? I'd have them on the list before Kuerten, who only won French Opens and Rios, who won no Slams (although he was also a #1 player).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. To be fair, those two were more 80s era.

      Delete

Powered by Blogger.