Favorite Tennis Players

John McEnroe knows Tennis. He's won Wimbledon three times, and The US Open five times. Despite not being a natural athlete, he had great technique, and found ways to win... But that's not why we love John McEnroe.


It's really because of his legendary freak outs.



He would argue with the chair umpire over a blown call, swearing at the line judges, it was great stuff.


And not surprisingly, all that wasted time was distracting. A lot of times he'd get his momentum back in a match after a long screaming match.

Jimmy Connors didn't just win. He entertained.



He threw all of his energy into his matches, and his lively style of play was a perfect combination with his positive personality. He would win the crowd over, and that would depress the hell out of his opponents. He won Wimbledon twice, the Australian Open once, and the US Open five times.

Andre Agassi is one of the most well remembered male tennis players of all time. He won all four slam titles, taking The US Open twice and The Australian Open four times.


He was also one of the biggest sports celebrities of the nineties. In his early career, he was viewed as one of the sexiest guys who ever swung a racket.



He was like the Tim Tebow of his generation. Men were jealous of his crazy hair, and women loved his even crazier jean shorts. Eventually he shaved his head, and low and behold, he looks better without hair.


Brooke Shields married him from 1997-1999



and Steffi Graf married him in 2001. They are still together today.


But more important than all that stuff, he won. A lot. He hit ground strokes harder and faster than almost any other player, and he continued to win matches late into his career. He has also raised millions of dollars for charities, much more than the sum of his winnings as a player.

Arthur Ashe is one of the most important people in tennis, and for the awareness of HIV and AIDS.


During his career, he won Wimbledon, The US Open, and The Australian Open before retiring in 1980.



In 1979, it was discovered he had a heart condition that required bypass surgery. He had two heart surgeries, and was infected with HIV from a blood transfusion he received during one of his surgeries.


He eventually went public about his illness in 1992, and was an advocate for AIDS education and sex education. He founded the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS, and The Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health. He was also a civil right activist, protesting the apartheid in South Africa. For a man who lived less than fifty years, he managed to accomplish a lot.


Arthur Ashe died of pneumonia in 1993. He was 49.

Andy Murray is currently Great Britain's best tennis player. He won the US Open in 2012 defeating Novak Djokovic, the first Grand Slam title win for Britain since 1936. He also won the Gold Medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics, defeating Roger Federer. In 2013, he won the prestigious Wimbledon title, making him one of the biggest sports celebrities in Great Britain.


Since 2012 he shifted back and forth between the number 3 ranked and number 2 ranked tennis player in the world, behind either Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer. He uses his athleticism to wear down other opponents, and usually outlasts them in long matches.


Andy Murray has had a reputation in the past for being negative, he often swears at himself and hits his own head with his racket. But really that just makes him more interesting.

Roger Federer is considered by many to be the greatest male tennis player who ever lived. His excellent technique and consistent winning are a pretty good argument in his favor.


He won Wimbledon seven times. He's won more grand slam titles than Pete Sampras. He's a technician who never seems to get upset, or lose his cool.



He's also likable and marketable. His friendliness lends itself well to advertising, and he seems to have a sponsorship for just about everything. His super clean image matches well with his Swiss roots.

Rafael Nadal is known as the master of clay. He's won the French Open more times than any male player in history. He's had plenty of injuries and illnesses, but always seems to pull it together long enough to win on clay court matches. Clearly he should take up some form of pottery when he retires.



He also has a reputation for being able to beat Roger Federer. He has a career 18 wins to 10 losses against Federer, which pretty much makes him the only guy who can beat Federer with any consistency.



And if the reaction he gets from the stadium crowds are any indication, he's a big favorite of the ladies. It could be because of his personality, that strange squinting face he makes, or his incredibly athletic build, or all of the above.




Either way, he's a very likable player with a very unique style of play. He plays left handed, even though he's right handed. And he has this weird ritual he does, every time he serves. You should see it sometime.

Michael Chang didn't rack up the wins like some of the other players on this list. But he had a reputation for never giving up, and he's one of my favorite players. He probably would have won more titles, but anyone playing against Pete Sampras or Andre Agassi had little chance of winning.


Michael Chang won the French Open in 1989, defeating Stefan Edberg. He won at age 17, making him the youngest male player to win a grand slam title. That record still stands.



He was a pretty small player at only 5'9" (175cm), but he fought hard in all of his matches, and is still well remembered today.

Gaël Monfils might be the most acrobatic tennis player ever. He can do trick shots that most people haven't seen. Unfortunately, he has had problems with injuries, so he may not get a chance to win a grand slam title.


Did he seriously jump into the air just so he could the ball under his legs? Yes. Was that necessary? Not at all. Was it cool? Absolutely.


Gaël Monfils has personality and flash. An individual sport like Tennis needs that. There are no uniforms, and no one can hide behind 30 other teammates, so each individual player has to be unique. Gaël Monfils is definitely unique.

David Ferrer reminds me of Michael Chang. Obviously they don't look the same, but they both seem to have the same fighting spirit.



As a young man, David Ferrer once quit tennis to work at a construction site. A week in the hot sun, moving concrete blocks that were bigger than him, and he came back with a renewed passion for hitting a yellow ball for a living. Now that's a hell of a story.


Like Michael Chang, David Ferrer uses his speed and defense to outwork his opponents. He's also pretty small for tennis, so he has to work harder to set up his shots. He doesn't quit, and puts on a great show for the crowd.


And I don't know if you noticed, but he's also a good looking dude.

John Isner has been playing professionally for five years. He is even tempered, college educated, and likable. He is an American player with a unique edge.


He is tall. Seriously effing tall.


His serve is his strongest weapon, and his height of at least 6'9" (206cm) only makes his serve harder to return. Add to that the fact that he can serve at around 144mph (232kph), he racks up the aces against his opponents.


He also won the longest match in recorded history. The match was at Wimbledon, played over three days, and lasted for 11 hours, 5 minutes. You can really see the disparity in height in this photo.


Isner has won tournaments, but has yet to advance past the quarterfinal of the grand slam tournaments. However, he has been ranked as high as #9, and has defeated Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Andy Roddick in matches in his career.

Steffi Graf may be the best female tennis player of all time.



She won the Australian Open 4 times, the US Open 5 times, the French Open 6 times, and Wimbledon 7 times, and she has an Olympic Gold medal... That's insane.


She also managed to win all four grand slam titles in the same calendar year. As far as I know, she's the only one who has done that.


She played well on every surface, which is unheard of.


In 2001, she married Andre Agassi. They have two children together.

Andrea Petković is Serbian, born in Tuzla, but grew up in Germany, and learned to play tennis there. She has ranked high as number 12 in the world.



In addition to being a powerful player, she is also well educated, and entertaining. She makes her own videoblog, that is quite popular.



Here's an example of aforementioned videoblog:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgWOuNkQHkM
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R3407eokvY

Maria Sharapova has one each of the four grand slam titles, after winning the French Open in 2012. She is the most financially successful female athlete, having more endorsements than I feel like writing down.


(UPDATE): She won the 2014 French Open, her fifth Major Title.

Maria Sharapova's strength is her ground strokes, which are incredibly powerful. She returns serves very well, often winning more points on her opponents serve. She also recovered well from what could have been career ending shoulder surgery. The fact that she worked so hard to get back into tennis proves she's not just doing it for the money.



Maria Sharapova is the most recognizable tennis player today, and easily one of the most favored by fans. I'm sure her looks have nothing to do with it.

p.s. her looks have something to do with it.

Sorana Cirstea is currently one of the top 2 Romanian tennis players. She has made it as far as the quarterfinals of the French Open, and has ranked as high as number 23 in the world.



She moves well and has good technique. I think her rank would be higher, but she often has to face top ten ranked opponents early in tournaments.



And, she's attractive, which is as good a reason as any to like her.

Sabine Lisicki has made it as far as the semifinal in Wimbledon, but was defeated by Maria Sharapova in 2011. She has been ranked as high as #12 in the world. (UPDATE: Lisicki reached the final of Wimbledon in 2013, losing to Marion Bartoli.)



The great thing about Sabine Lisicki is she seems positive when she plays, and isn't afraid to smile, even during a match. Most of the players you see are serious- and boring. They can't laugh, they refuse to express any emotion. It's refreshing to see someone out there you know is alive, and has feelings.

Venus Williams dominated major tennis tournaments, along with her sister Serena in the early 21st century.



Unlike her sister Serena, Venus seems gracious and likable.

Venus was diagnosed with an auto immune disease in 2012, so it is unclear as to how much longer her career will last. But either way, she has earned the respect of her colleagues and fans with her many career wins.

Ana Ivanovic is a Serbian tennis player who won the French Open in 2008, and was a finalist in the Australian Open in 2008. She ranked number one in the world in June of 2008. She is currently ranked number 13.


Her serve was a big weapon in her many wins, but she also has reliable ground strokes, and she moves quickly on the court.



Ana Ivanovic is regarded as one of the most attractive women in tennis, and I'm inclined to agree.

Dominika Cibulkova's best showing in a grand slam title was the Semifinals of the French Open in 2009. Her highest ranking was number 12. (UPDATE: Cinulkova reached the final of the 2014 Australian Open, losing to Li Na.)


Cibulkova is only 5'3" or 160cm. Her lack of height is a serious disadvantage in tennis. But she is still a very good player, and has very good defense on the court. She is often expected to lose matches, but she has had some success against higher ranked players.


And she's pretty, which is a bonus for anyone watching her play.

Marion Bartoli has reached at least the quarterfinal of the four grand slam events. She lost in the Wimbledon final in 2007 to Venus Williams. Bartoli has ranked as high as number 7 in the world rankings. (UPDATE: Bartoli won the 2013 Wimbledon title, and promptly retired a couple of months later due to persistent injuries.)




Bartoli is a very unique tennis player. Her playing style is, eccentric. She jumps around the court, she takes huge practice swings all the time, it's really interesting to watch. Out of all the players on the tour, her style of play is definitely the weirdest. But she gets the job done, and she has frustrated and beaten a lot of the top players.

Li Na won the French Open in 2011, and the Australian Open in 2014. She's playing better in her 30's than most can in their 20's. She is one of the biggest celebrities in China, and China's richest female athlete, by far. (UPDATE: Li Na retired in 2014, due to persistent injuries.)




She also seems very witty, friendly and likable.