More so than any other professional sport outside of perhaps boxing, tennis thrives on rivalries. As an individual sport, tennis can produce some of the most intense rivalries in all of sports, which is what draws in fans. Since computer rankings began, there have been 25 different players that have reached the pinnacle of the sport. These 25 players have spanned across 46 years of tennis now, meaning many of those 25 players reached their primes at the same time, creating rivalries of epic proportions. Many rivalries are between two of the all-time greats, who peaked at the same time. However, many great rivalries have been created by a world No. 1 preventing a challenger from ever claiming the top ranking. Since tennis is so driven by rivalries, I put together a list of the 25 best rivalries in the last 46 years, since there have been 25 different world No. 1s.
25. John Newcombe vs. Ken Rosewall - These two Aussies met 15 times in the last 46 years, but many of their best meetings came before 1968, which is why they aren't higher on the list.
24. Roger Federer vs. David Nalbandian - This is the only rivalry on the list that never met in a grand slam. However, Nalbandian's eight wins against the greatest player of all time is the fifth most of any of his rivals.
23. Stefan Edberg vs. Michael Chang - These two contested one grand slam final, but their best match came a round earlier, producing one of the best matches of 1992 in the US Open semifinals.
22. Roger Federer vs. Juan Martin del Potro - Del Potro pulled off one of the biggest surprises at a grand slam final in the last decade with his five-set win over Federer at the 2009 US Open final.
21. Bjorn Borg vs. Guillermo Vilas - Both of these players are two of the best clay courters in tennis history. Of their 22 meetings, 13 were on clay, including the 1975 and 1978 Roland Garros finals.
20. Pete Sampras vs. Goran Ivanisevic - These are two of the greatest servers in tennis history. Ivanisevic never reached the top ranking, largely because of his 12 losses to Sampras.
19. Pete Sampras vs. Jim Courier - They met at least three times on every surface except grass, where their only meeting was at the 1993 Wimbledon final, which Sampras won 7-6(3), 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-3.
18. Rod Laver vs. Ken Rosewall - This is another rivalry amongst Australians that would be higher on the list if their best matches hadn't come before 1968. They did play two grand slam finals in the Open Era.
17. Roger Federer vs. Lleyton Hewitt - These two had great careers, an exciting rivalry, and amazing matches, but even if they only played one point against each other, they would still make the list. The point they played at Indian Wells remains one of the greatest single points of all time.
16. Andy Murray vs. Roger Federer - The Brit is one of only two players on this list with a favorable record against Federer. After losing his third grand slam final to Federer, Murray won the Olympic Gold Medal in front of his home crowd with a straight-set victory over his rival.
15. Roger Federer vs. Andy Roddick - There are many players who can claim that they would have had amazing careers if not for Federer, but none more so than Roddick. The former world No. 1 had his top ranking stolen by the Swiss, who never gave it back and went on to beat him in four grand slam finals.
14. Stefan Edberg vs. Ivan Lendl - This rivalry played a big part in putting the Australian Open on the same tier as the rest of the grand slams with three five-set epics down under. However, their most famous match may be the last one they ever played, which Edberg won in a fifth set tiebreaker at the 1992 US Open quarterfinals.
13. Novak Djokovic vs. Andy Murray - This rivalry took a back seat in the tennis world while Federer and Nadal dominated, but it finally took center stage in 2011. In the last three and a half years, four grand slam finals have been between these two, including Murray's win at the 2013 Wimbledon Championships that ended the British drought.
12. Ivan Lendl vs. Jimmy Connors - These two met 35 times, which is tied for the third most of any rivalry in the Open Era. Connors may have won the first 17 sets these two played and consecutive US Open titles in 1982 and 1983 over Lendl, but the Czech still finished with 13 wins in the rivalry that spanned three decades.
11. John McEnroe vs. Bjorn Borg - Their 14 meetings is the least of any rivalry on this list, but that didn't stop them from playing some of the most memorable matches in tennis history. Their most memorable was the 1980 Wimbledon final, which Borg won 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7(16), 8-6.
10. Ivan Lendl vs. Mats Wilander - These two met in five grand slam finals, which was the Open Era record at the time. They also battled each other for the No. 1 ranking in tennis throughout their careers. Wilander won their first meeting in five sets, which was the 1982 Roland Garros fourth round. Wilander went on to win his first grand slam title that fortnight.
9. Ivan Lendl vs. Boris Becker - Lendl is the greatest tennis player to have never won Wimbledon and he gets that distinction thanks to Boris Becker, who beat him three times at Wimbledon, including an epic five-set match in the 1989 semifinals. Also, their meeting in the 1988 Masters final, which Becker won 5-7, 7-6, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 ended that season with arguably the greatest match of the year.
8. Bjorn Borg vs. Jimmy Connors - This is one of the few rivalries in tennis history that spans across all surface types. The head to head record on hard courts was 3-3 and on clay courts was 3-3. Borg led 5-2 on carpet and 4-0 on grass courts, but Connors took him to five sets twice at Wimbledon, including the 1977 final.
7. Roger Federer vs. Novak Djokovic - Federer won the first four matches of this rivalry and has never let the lead slip even though Djokovic had two chances to tie the head-to-head this season. These two met in five straight US Opens, and after Federer won the first three, Djokovic won in 2010 and 2011, coming back from down two match points in both matches. The pair met in 20 semifinals, which is an Open Era record.
6. Boris Becker vs. Stefan Edberg - These are two top 10 players all time that peaked at the same time, creating the perfect conditions for an incredible rivalry. They met in three consecutive Wimbledon finals and played 19 finals against each other in total. The draws pitted them against each other frequently early in their careers and when their rankings rose, they were frequently the last two left in the draw. It may be the second most lopsided rivalry on the list with 15 more wins by Becker, but there was rarely a lopsided match in their 35 meetings. Their six meetings at the year-end finals event remains tied for the record.
5. John McEnroe vs. Jimmy Connors - This pair was the first rivalry that battled for the No. 1 ranking with each other on almost a weekly basis. Connors was the third player to be ranked No. 1 by a computer and McEnroe was the fifth as the pair exchanged the rankings between each other 10 times. The most famous match between the two Americans came in their home country as they met in the 1980 US Open semifinals, which was decided by a fifth set tiebreak. In total, the two played five five-set matches.
4. Pete Sampras vs. Andre Agassi - This is the second all-American rivalry in the top five, and is one of the most dominant duopolies in the history of the sport with a combined 387 weeks at world No. 1 and 22 grand slam titles. The two produced several of the best matches in American tennis history with 16 of their meetings coming on home soil, including three US Open finals. However, arguably their best match came in the US Open quarterfinals of 2001. After Agassi won the first set 9-7 in a tiebreaker, Sampras won three consecutive tiebreak sets, 7-2, 7-2, 7-5. The following year, Sampras got the final title of his career with a 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 win over Agassi in the US Open final.
3. Ivan Lendl vs. John McEnroe - In just 13 seasons these two met 36 times, which was the record for the most meetings in a rivalry until last year. Their 20 finals contested against each other also was a record until just a year ago. The one record they do still have is the 11 times that they traded the top ranking in the world between each other. Until just a few years ago, this was the best rivalry in tennis history because they met more times than anybody else and with more on the line in each one of their matches than any other rivalry. In every match, they battled for both titles and the No. 1 ranking. At the end, they finished with a combined 440 weeks at No. 1 and 171 titles. Both men were one title away from a career grand slam. Ivan Lendl was missing the Wimbledon title, and in their one match at SW19, McEnroe won in three sets. Meanwhile, McEnroe needed the Roland Garros title, but lost to Lendl three times in Paris, including the 1984 final, which McEnroe led by two sets to love before Lendl came roaring back for a narrow 3-6, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, 7-5 victory. That is the essence of a great rivalry: having to go through your rival to get what you want most.
2. Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer - This was my top rivalry just a couple weeks ago. When these two have both retired, they will likely be the greatest players in all of the Open Era. Even though their peaks weren't exactly at the same time, these two had several incredible matches in their 33 meetings, including a record eight grand slam finals. Their 2008 Wimbledon final is considered by many to be the greatest tennis match ever played. Like 22 other matches they played, Nadal won this one. After taking a two-set lead, 6-4, 6-4, Federer fought back into the match with two incredible tiebreak sets. However, Nadal claimed the fifth set in fading light for a 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7 win and his first Wimbledon crown after losing the final in five sets to Federer the previous year. For several years, Nadal prevented Federer from winning Roland Garros, but a fourth-round upset to Nadal in 2009 gave Federer an open path to the title and a career grand slam. Though Nadal dominated much of the rivalry, Federer's accomplishments still outnumber Nadal's. However, the Spaniard just turned 28 and still has plenty of time to catch a few of Federer's records.
1. Rafael Nadal vs. Novak Djokovic - After setting their seventh grand slam final between the two, this rivalry moved up to No. 1 on my list. They have met 42 times and in 22 finals, both of which are records. Djokovic's 19 wins against Nadal are the most against any single player while not leading the head-to-head. This is the only rivalry that has completed the career grand slam: meeting in the final of all four majors. Djokovic's four wins over Nadal in clay-court finals are the most wins against the King of Clay on his surface of any player. However, the Spaniard is still a perfect 6-0 at Roland Garros against Djokovic, who lacks only that trophy for the career grand slam. The two have already traded the No. 1 ranking twice and could do so for a third time as soon as Wimbledon. This rivalry has already met six more times than any other rivalry in the Open Era and the two players are 28 and 27 years old, meaning this could keep going for a long time. The pair averages about five or six meetings every year, so they should have well over 50 meetings when they both decide to retire.
Showing posts with label McEnroe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label McEnroe. Show all posts
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Tennis Trivalries
This week, there was plenty of big news coming out of the
Roger Federer camp. First he announced that he will be having another kid. Also
Stefan Edberg will be joining Federer's team. With Edberg coaching Federer, he
rejoins the tennis world along with Ivan Lendl (coaching Andy Murray) and Boris
Becker (coaching Novak Djokovic) reigniting the some of the greatest rivalries
of the 1980's.
Lavallcombe - The
first trivalry of the Open Era was between a trio of Aussies. John Newcombe,
Rod Laver, and Ken Rosewall made up that trivalry. Officially, they played 46
matches against each other, but that doesn't count the hundreds of times they
played before the Open Era. In the Open Era, they contested four grand slam
finals, meeting nine times in slams and 16 times in WCT tournaments. Rosewall's win over Laver in the 1972 Dallas
WCT final was one of the best matches in Lavallcombe. Rosewall won 7-6(5) in
the fifth set after losing the fourth set in a tiebreaker. The trio also made
up a Davis Cup team, which played a huge role in bringing titles to Australia,
including in 1973, which was the country's 15th title in 24 years.
McConnorg - The
next trivalry spanned over three decades, going from the late 1970's to as late
as 1991. This was between Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, and Bjorn Borg. They
played each other 71 times, which included several of the all-time greatest
matches in tennis history. In 1980, McEnroe and Borg met in both the Wimbledon
and US Open finals, producing some of the most memorable five-set epics in
tennis history. Connors also had his share of epic encounters with his rivals.
He played five five-set matches against McEnroe, which includes the 1980 US
Open semifinal that was determined by a fifth-set tiebreaker. McConnorg
combined for 26 grand slam titles and occupied tennis' top ranking for 547
weeks.
Bendlberg - The
three coaches also are three of the greatest players in tennis history. Edberg,
Lendl, and Becker played each other 83 times, including 35 times between Edberg
and Becker, which was the record before last year. Of the 83 meetings, 39 were
in finals, which includes seven grand slam finals. However, some of their best
matches were outside the finals. In the 1985 Australian Open semifinals, Edberg
defeated Lendl 9-7 in the fifth set. In their final meeting, they had the
benefit of a tiebreak, when Edberg again defeated Lendl in the 1992 US Open
quarterfinals. The three players completely dominated their era with 336
combined wins against their peers in the top 10.
Courassi - This
is another trio of countrymen. The 1990's were dominated by players from the
United States. In particular, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, and Pete Sampras. The
Americans met 66 times on tour with over half between Sampras and Agassi. In
fact, most fans wouldn't have considered Courier part of any trivalry, but
since this post is about trivalries, I added him in. And he was part of some
amazing matches and even had a winning head-to-head against Agassi. Sampras
also had two of the best matches of his career against Courier. In both the
1995 Australian Open quarterfinals and the 1996 Roland Garros quarterfinals,
Sampras came back from two sets down to beat Courier. The rivalry between
Agassi and Sampras, however, ranks as one of the best in tennis history. The
pair played 34 times, including nine times in slams and in four grand slam
finals. In total, the trio had 26 grand slam titles and spent 445 weeks at No.
1.
Many people say men's tennis is in a golden era right now,
because of what has been called the "Trivalry" between Federer,
Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal. However, Becker, Lendl, and Edberg also made up an exciting trivalry.
This got me thinking about all of the greatest trivalries in tennis history and
where the current trivalry fits in historically.
Lavallcombe - The
first trivalry of the Open Era was between a trio of Aussies. John Newcombe,
Rod Laver, and Ken Rosewall made up that trivalry. Officially, they played 46
matches against each other, but that doesn't count the hundreds of times they
played before the Open Era. In the Open Era, they contested four grand slam
finals, meeting nine times in slams and 16 times in WCT tournaments. Rosewall's win over Laver in the 1972 Dallas
WCT final was one of the best matches in Lavallcombe. Rosewall won 7-6(5) in
the fifth set after losing the fourth set in a tiebreaker. The trio also made
up a Davis Cup team, which played a huge role in bringing titles to Australia,
including in 1973, which was the country's 15th title in 24 years.McConnorg - The
next trivalry spanned over three decades, going from the late 1970's to as late
as 1991. This was between Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, and Bjorn Borg. They
played each other 71 times, which included several of the all-time greatest
matches in tennis history. In 1980, McEnroe and Borg met in both the Wimbledon
and US Open finals, producing some of the most memorable five-set epics in
tennis history. Connors also had his share of epic encounters with his rivals.
He played five five-set matches against McEnroe, which includes the 1980 US
Open semifinal that was determined by a fifth-set tiebreaker. McConnorg
combined for 26 grand slam titles and occupied tennis' top ranking for 547
weeks.Bendlberg - The
three coaches also are three of the greatest players in tennis history. Edberg,
Lendl, and Becker played each other 83 times, including 35 times between Edberg
and Becker, which was the record before last year. Of the 83 meetings, 39 were
in finals, which includes seven grand slam finals. However, some of their best
matches were outside the finals. In the 1985 Australian Open semifinals, Edberg
defeated Lendl 9-7 in the fifth set. In their final meeting, they had the
benefit of a tiebreak, when Edberg again defeated Lendl in the 1992 US Open
quarterfinals. The three players completely dominated their era with 336
combined wins against their peers in the top 10.Courassi - This
is another trio of countrymen. The 1990's were dominated by players from the
United States. In particular, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, and Pete Sampras. The
Americans met 66 times on tour with over half between Sampras and Agassi. In
fact, most fans wouldn't have considered Courier part of any trivalry, but
since this post is about trivalries, I added him in. And he was part of some
amazing matches and even had a winning head-to-head against Agassi. Sampras
also had two of the best matches of his career against Courier. In both the
1995 Australian Open quarterfinals and the 1996 Roland Garros quarterfinals,
Sampras came back from two sets down to beat Courier. The rivalry between
Agassi and Sampras, however, ranks as one of the best in tennis history. The
pair played 34 times, including nine times in slams and in four grand slam
finals. In total, the trio had 26 grand slam titles and spent 445 weeks at No.
1.
Fedalovic - So
where does the current trivalry between Djokovic, Federer, and Nadal
rank? For me, it is the best of all of them. Not only are they the three
greatest players to be part of a trivalry, but they consistently meet on the
biggest stages in the sport. Here are the numbers: 101 meeting, 15 grand slam
finals, 32 meetings in any round of a slam, and 48 finals at any tournament. Each
rivalry within the trivalry has to rank as one of the top 10 rivalries in
tennis history. Each rivalry has met at least 10 times in slams and 30 times in
total. The three players have fought each other for the top ranking in the game
for the last 514 weeks and counting. They also have 36 combined grand slams and
396 wins against top 10 players. Also since Djokovic first reached the top
three in 2007, only three other players have been able to crack into the top
three, and only one reached the top two. We haven't even begun to talk about
the incredible matches between these players.
In 2012, Djokovic and Nadal met in the Australian Open final
in a match that took almost six hours to complete with Djokovic finishing on
top 7-5 in the fifth set. Then this past year, Nadal defeated Djokovic 9-7 in
the fifth set at the Roland Garros semifinals on his way to a record-setting
eighth title in Paris. In both 2010 and 2011, Djokovic and Federer met in the
US Open semifinals, and both times,
Djokovic saved two match points to defeat Federer 7-5 in the fifth set.
Then there is the rivalry between Nadal and Federer, which is widely considered
the greatest in tennis history, which includes what is widely considered the
greatest match in tennis history. In 2008, Nadal defeated Federer 9-7 in the
fifth set of the Wimbledon final for his first title at the most prestigious
event in tennis. The trivalry continues to dominate tennis today with all three
players still in the top 10 and 14 of the last 16 slam titles.
Friday, July 12, 2013
The GOAT list (Updated)
Who is the GOAT is the greatest debate in the tennis world today, and it's not going away. A lot of people say that one era is more difficult than another, so only people from that era can be considered the greatest of all time. Then there are other people who say that you can't compare eras, so you can't determine the greatest of all time. My belief is that you can't compare the difficulty of eras. Everyone in each era played by the same rules, so nobody can definitively say that one era is better than another. However, that doesn't mean that you can't determine who the GOAT is.
For me, the GOAT is the person who dominated their era the most. I began researching who I thought was the GOAT two years ago. I sort of already had an idea who I thought was the best off all time, but I wanted to be able to have a logical explanation. So I created a formula to determine the GOAT, and I got Ivan Lendl. Since then I have drastically edited, updated, and improved my formula. I used the formula to determine the 25 greatest players since 1973 (the year computer rankings began). So here is a look at my newest top 25 list.
25. Andy Roddick- The last American to win a grand slam spent 13 weeks atop the rankings, won 32 titles, and ranks 16th all-time in win percentage (74.2%).
24. Michael Chang- The former world No. 2 won his only grand slam title when he was only 17. Even though he never won another major, he did collect 34 titles and 51 wins against top 10 opponents.
23. Ken Rosewall- As part of a golden era in Australian tennis, Rosewall was known for his slice passing shots.The former world No. 2 would be higher on the list if the peak of his career wasn't before the Open Era. He still won four grand slam titles and 445 matches.
21. Andy Murray- With his win over Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final, the two-time grand slam champion cracked the top 25 for the first time in his career. This formula is meant to prevent ties, but we have a tie at No. 21.
21. Thomas Muster- If these were clay court rankings, he would be top 10, but he spent six weeks as the top ranked player in the world and won 44 titles.
20. Arthur Ashe- The player whose name is on the center court at the US Open is best known as a humanitarian, but the former world No. 2 won three grand slam titles and 623 matches in his career.
19. John Newcombe- At 30-years old, the Australian finally reached world No. 1. Newcombe won five majors in the open era and won 31 tournaments.
18. Yevgeny Kafelnikov- When you look at the former world No. 1's stats, nothing really jumps out at you, but the Russian did a little bit of it all. He was atop the rankings for six weeks, won two majors, knocked out 46 top 10 opponents, won 26 titles, and was victorious in 609 matches.
17. Jim Courier- The American spent over a year as the best player in the world, winning four grand in three years. Courier is one of the only Americans to have success on both clay and hard courts. Although most fans would rank Courier between 10 to 15, his inability to dominate lower ranked opponents hurt his ability to rack up titles. Courier won only 23 titles and lost 164 matches to players outside the top 10.
16. Rod Laver- Laver is the one of the greatest tennis players in all of tennis history, but the bulk of his career came before the Open Era, and since computer rankings didn't begin until 1973, he was never ranked higher than three in the world. However, Laver still won five majors and 42 titles in the Open Era, including the last calendar slam in tennis.
15. Ilie Năstase- The Romanian was the first person ever ranked No. 1 according to the computers. The two-time grand slam champion is another player who would have been higher on the list if his whole career was in the Open Era. He still won 750 matches and 56 titles, dominating the ATP World Tour when it first began.
14. Guillermo Vilas- The Argentine was the third winningest player of all time notching an incredible 923 match wins as well as 63 titles, including four grand slams. However, that is where the former world No. 2's list of accomplishments ends. Aside from failing to reach world No. 1, he only had 29 wins over top 10 opponents. Vilas is widely considered the best No. 2 player in tennis history, but failing to reach world No. 1 knocked him several spots down on this list.
13. Lleyton Hewitt- As a young Aussie, Hewitt spent 80 weeks as the top-ranked player in the world, but failed to live up to his potential, winning just two majors and 28 total tournaments, while suffering countless injuries. Aside from being the best player in the game for 80 weeks, his top accomplishment was his 61 match wins over top 10 foes. Although Hewitt is still competing, he is far from the player he was over a decade ago.
12. Mats Wilander- The Swede made his way this high on the list for one reason and one reason only. The guy knew how to win majors. Seven of his 33 titles were at the slams. That is the third best ratio of any player on this list. His win percentage was 7.5% higher in majors. Wilander only spent 20 weeks as the world No. 1 and only won 571 matches. Those numbers are good, but they are way below average for a top 15 player on this list. Wilander consistently rose to the occasion when it mattered most at the majors, winning seven grand slams in the span of seven years.
11. Novak Djokovic- Just over two years ago, Djokovic wouldn't have even been considered for the top 25 tennis players since 1973. However, the Serb has had one of the greatest 25-month stretches (from the 2011 Australian Open to the 2013 Australian Open) in tennis history. During that span, Djokovic won five of the nine majors, reaching seven finals. Djokovic also went from No. 3 to No. 1 in the world, where he currently is after 74 weeks at that position. Djokovic also won eight of the 18 1000 events and now has a total of 36 career titles. With no end to his success in sight, Djokovic could potentially crack the elite eight on this list. Since the last update, Djokovic has added two more titles and remained the world No. 1. He is behind Becker on this list, but is just a few big wins away from the top 10. He could pass Becker before going to the US Open if he can do well in the US Open Series.
10. Boris Becker- If 713 wins wasn't enough for the six-time grand slam winner to crack the top 10 on all GOAT lists, then maybe I should remind you that 121 of his wins were against top 10 ranked opponents. That is the third most in tennis history. Becker also won 49 titles and was the world No. 1 for 12 weeks. Becker was a model for consistency, winning at least two tournaments every year for 12 consecutive years. At just 18 years of age in 1986, Becker reached nine tournament finals and won Wimbledon for the second consecutive year. Becker went on to win one more Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open twice.
9. Stefan Edberg- When it comes to Edberg the numbers speak for themselves. 72 weeks as world No. 1, six grand slam titles, 41 tournaments won, and 801 match wins. However, what may be most impressive was the way he handled the other legends of his era. Edberg totalled 47 combined wins against Becker, Lendl, Chang, and Wilander. Edberg's biggest weakness was his clay court game, but he made up for it with two major titles at each of the non-clay slams.
8. Andre Agassi- The American may not be the statistical leader in any category, but he was one of the most well rounded players to ever play. Agassi dominated on every surface and is one of only two male singles tennis players to achieve the career golden slam. Agassi finished his career with eight grand slam titles and 60 tournaments won over the span of 19 years. The former world No. 1 won 870 matches and spent over 100 weeks atop the rankings.
7. Björn Borg- A lot of fans would put Borg in the top five, but he is getting any bonus points from me for quitting when he was just 25. However, his dominance in just eight years on the world tour is still enough to place seventh on this list. In that short span, he won an incredible 64 tournaments, including 11 majors. Borg also spent 109 weeks as world No. 1 and won over 70% of his matches against top 10 opponents. Even more impressive than that is his 89.8% win rate at the slams. His numbers are astonishing, but we can only wonder how good he could have been if he continued playing for another eight years.
6. John McEnroe- Known more for his tirades than actually playing tennis, McEnroe truly is one of the greatest players in tennis history. The five-time Wimbledon finalist ranks fifth in the Open Era in weeks at No. 1, titles, and wins. In 1984, the American won 13 titles and only lost three matches in the entire year. McEnroe finished his career with 77 titles, which ranks third in the Open Era. Along with seven grand slam titles, he spent 170 weeks as the World No. 1. McEnroe finished his career with 875 match wins. Where McEnroe made his mark in tennis was in Davis Cup ties. McEnroe led the United States to five Davis Cup titles. McEnroe also won eight year-end Championships. Five at the WCT Finals and three at the Masters.
5. Rafael Nadal- With his victory at Roland Garros in 2013, the 27-year old Spaniard has moved up to fifth on this list. He now has the third most grand slam titles at 12. A return to world No. 1, where he spent 102 weeks of his career, would strengthen his chances at one day becoming the GOAT. However, a knee injury that sidelined him for seven months could prove costly. Despite, a great clay season, the knee appears to still be an issue on other surfaces. Nadal is widely considered the greatest clay court player in tennis history with eight Roland Garros crowns. However Nadal has also had plenty of success on the hard and grass courts with two Wimbledon titles, a US Open win, an Australian Open triumph, and the 2008 Beijing Olympics Gold Medal for the golden slam. Nadal is currently ranked No. 4 in the world with almost no points to defend for the rest of the year. As he battles for a return to world No. 1, Nadal keeps moving up this list.
4. Jimmy Connors- The American is the winningest player of all time with 1243 match wins and 109 titles. When the first set of computer rankings came out, Connors was listed as No. 10 in the world. At 38 years of age in 1989, Connors was still ranked in the top 10 in the world. It wasn't until 1996 that Connors finally left the top 500 for good at the age of 45. However, the Americans only accomplishments weren't just the length of his career. Connors won over 80% of his matches, eight majors, and spent 268 weeks as the No. 1 in the world. Connors dominance is often overlooked, because it was stretched over a span of 20 years, but looking at the whole body of work, Connors is clearly among the four greatest tennis players in the Open Era.
3. Ivan Lendl- In my opinion, the most underrated player of all time, Lendl was the greatest player in the Open Era when he retired in 1994. When you look at the GOAT lists of other tennis fans, some list him as eight or nine or don't include Lendl in the top 10. That is nuts when you see that Lendl is in the top five for the Open Era in major titles, weeks at No. 1, titles, wins, and win percentage. Most fans rank him so low, because he lost 11 grand slam finals. However, I think that reached 19 grand slam finals is yet another reason to rank him in the top three of all time. Lendl won eight grand slam titles and was the No. 1 player in the world for an incredible 270 weeks. Lendl also won 94 titles and 1071 matches, while maintaining a .818 win percentage.
2. Pete Sampras- The American is considered in the top 3 on almost every GOAT list in tennis and rightfully so. Sampras absolutely dominated the grand slams from the 1993 Wimbledon to the 2002 US Open winning 14 of the 41 majors, including a stretch of seven Wimbledon titles in eight years. Sampras knew all about playing his best when it mattered most at the slams. Sampras's win percentage in slams was 9.0% higher than in the rest of his matches. Sampras also had a stranglehold on the title of No. 1 player in the world in his career, holding the top ranking for 286 weeks. Sampras ranks second all time in wins over top 10 opponents with 124 and has 64 titles to his name.
1. Roger Federer- How this isn't case closed boggles my mind. Federer is the leader in majors won, weeks at No.1, wins against top 10 opponents, and he is still going. Federer's records at the slams shatter those of any other player in the Open Era. Federer has spent over 300 weeks as the world No. 1. Federer was the tyrant of the ATP rankings from early 2004 to the summer of 2008. From 2004 to 2006, he lost a total of just 15 matches. Federer has won 17 grand slam titles. Federer has reached the final of each grand slam tournament at least five times, and at one point, reached 10 consecutive finals. Some people like to argue that Federer played in a weak era from 2004 to 2008, but Federer really just dominated the era so much that it seemed like there were no other good players. If you look at how Federer performed against the players who were ranked No. 1 in the world before him, you can see that he dominated even against the best opponents. Federer had a .770 win percentage against Agassi, Hewitt, Ferrero, and Roddick combined. Federer dominated the sport more so than any other player and did so for a longer amount of time than any other player. Therefore, he is the GOAT.
For me, the GOAT is the person who dominated their era the most. I began researching who I thought was the GOAT two years ago. I sort of already had an idea who I thought was the best off all time, but I wanted to be able to have a logical explanation. So I created a formula to determine the GOAT, and I got Ivan Lendl. Since then I have drastically edited, updated, and improved my formula. I used the formula to determine the 25 greatest players since 1973 (the year computer rankings began). So here is a look at my newest top 25 list.
25. Andy Roddick- The last American to win a grand slam spent 13 weeks atop the rankings, won 32 titles, and ranks 16th all-time in win percentage (74.2%).
24. Michael Chang- The former world No. 2 won his only grand slam title when he was only 17. Even though he never won another major, he did collect 34 titles and 51 wins against top 10 opponents.
23. Ken Rosewall- As part of a golden era in Australian tennis, Rosewall was known for his slice passing shots.The former world No. 2 would be higher on the list if the peak of his career wasn't before the Open Era. He still won four grand slam titles and 445 matches.
21. Andy Murray- With his win over Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final, the two-time grand slam champion cracked the top 25 for the first time in his career. This formula is meant to prevent ties, but we have a tie at No. 21.
21. Thomas Muster- If these were clay court rankings, he would be top 10, but he spent six weeks as the top ranked player in the world and won 44 titles.
20. Arthur Ashe- The player whose name is on the center court at the US Open is best known as a humanitarian, but the former world No. 2 won three grand slam titles and 623 matches in his career.
19. John Newcombe- At 30-years old, the Australian finally reached world No. 1. Newcombe won five majors in the open era and won 31 tournaments.
18. Yevgeny Kafelnikov- When you look at the former world No. 1's stats, nothing really jumps out at you, but the Russian did a little bit of it all. He was atop the rankings for six weeks, won two majors, knocked out 46 top 10 opponents, won 26 titles, and was victorious in 609 matches.
17. Jim Courier- The American spent over a year as the best player in the world, winning four grand in three years. Courier is one of the only Americans to have success on both clay and hard courts. Although most fans would rank Courier between 10 to 15, his inability to dominate lower ranked opponents hurt his ability to rack up titles. Courier won only 23 titles and lost 164 matches to players outside the top 10.
16. Rod Laver- Laver is the one of the greatest tennis players in all of tennis history, but the bulk of his career came before the Open Era, and since computer rankings didn't begin until 1973, he was never ranked higher than three in the world. However, Laver still won five majors and 42 titles in the Open Era, including the last calendar slam in tennis.
15. Ilie Năstase- The Romanian was the first person ever ranked No. 1 according to the computers. The two-time grand slam champion is another player who would have been higher on the list if his whole career was in the Open Era. He still won 750 matches and 56 titles, dominating the ATP World Tour when it first began.
14. Guillermo Vilas- The Argentine was the third winningest player of all time notching an incredible 923 match wins as well as 63 titles, including four grand slams. However, that is where the former world No. 2's list of accomplishments ends. Aside from failing to reach world No. 1, he only had 29 wins over top 10 opponents. Vilas is widely considered the best No. 2 player in tennis history, but failing to reach world No. 1 knocked him several spots down on this list.
13. Lleyton Hewitt- As a young Aussie, Hewitt spent 80 weeks as the top-ranked player in the world, but failed to live up to his potential, winning just two majors and 28 total tournaments, while suffering countless injuries. Aside from being the best player in the game for 80 weeks, his top accomplishment was his 61 match wins over top 10 foes. Although Hewitt is still competing, he is far from the player he was over a decade ago.
12. Mats Wilander- The Swede made his way this high on the list for one reason and one reason only. The guy knew how to win majors. Seven of his 33 titles were at the slams. That is the third best ratio of any player on this list. His win percentage was 7.5% higher in majors. Wilander only spent 20 weeks as the world No. 1 and only won 571 matches. Those numbers are good, but they are way below average for a top 15 player on this list. Wilander consistently rose to the occasion when it mattered most at the majors, winning seven grand slams in the span of seven years.
11. Novak Djokovic- Just over two years ago, Djokovic wouldn't have even been considered for the top 25 tennis players since 1973. However, the Serb has had one of the greatest 25-month stretches (from the 2011 Australian Open to the 2013 Australian Open) in tennis history. During that span, Djokovic won five of the nine majors, reaching seven finals. Djokovic also went from No. 3 to No. 1 in the world, where he currently is after 74 weeks at that position. Djokovic also won eight of the 18 1000 events and now has a total of 36 career titles. With no end to his success in sight, Djokovic could potentially crack the elite eight on this list. Since the last update, Djokovic has added two more titles and remained the world No. 1. He is behind Becker on this list, but is just a few big wins away from the top 10. He could pass Becker before going to the US Open if he can do well in the US Open Series.
10. Boris Becker- If 713 wins wasn't enough for the six-time grand slam winner to crack the top 10 on all GOAT lists, then maybe I should remind you that 121 of his wins were against top 10 ranked opponents. That is the third most in tennis history. Becker also won 49 titles and was the world No. 1 for 12 weeks. Becker was a model for consistency, winning at least two tournaments every year for 12 consecutive years. At just 18 years of age in 1986, Becker reached nine tournament finals and won Wimbledon for the second consecutive year. Becker went on to win one more Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open twice.
9. Stefan Edberg- When it comes to Edberg the numbers speak for themselves. 72 weeks as world No. 1, six grand slam titles, 41 tournaments won, and 801 match wins. However, what may be most impressive was the way he handled the other legends of his era. Edberg totalled 47 combined wins against Becker, Lendl, Chang, and Wilander. Edberg's biggest weakness was his clay court game, but he made up for it with two major titles at each of the non-clay slams.
8. Andre Agassi- The American may not be the statistical leader in any category, but he was one of the most well rounded players to ever play. Agassi dominated on every surface and is one of only two male singles tennis players to achieve the career golden slam. Agassi finished his career with eight grand slam titles and 60 tournaments won over the span of 19 years. The former world No. 1 won 870 matches and spent over 100 weeks atop the rankings.
7. Björn Borg- A lot of fans would put Borg in the top five, but he is getting any bonus points from me for quitting when he was just 25. However, his dominance in just eight years on the world tour is still enough to place seventh on this list. In that short span, he won an incredible 64 tournaments, including 11 majors. Borg also spent 109 weeks as world No. 1 and won over 70% of his matches against top 10 opponents. Even more impressive than that is his 89.8% win rate at the slams. His numbers are astonishing, but we can only wonder how good he could have been if he continued playing for another eight years.
6. John McEnroe- Known more for his tirades than actually playing tennis, McEnroe truly is one of the greatest players in tennis history. The five-time Wimbledon finalist ranks fifth in the Open Era in weeks at No. 1, titles, and wins. In 1984, the American won 13 titles and only lost three matches in the entire year. McEnroe finished his career with 77 titles, which ranks third in the Open Era. Along with seven grand slam titles, he spent 170 weeks as the World No. 1. McEnroe finished his career with 875 match wins. Where McEnroe made his mark in tennis was in Davis Cup ties. McEnroe led the United States to five Davis Cup titles. McEnroe also won eight year-end Championships. Five at the WCT Finals and three at the Masters.
5. Rafael Nadal- With his victory at Roland Garros in 2013, the 27-year old Spaniard has moved up to fifth on this list. He now has the third most grand slam titles at 12. A return to world No. 1, where he spent 102 weeks of his career, would strengthen his chances at one day becoming the GOAT. However, a knee injury that sidelined him for seven months could prove costly. Despite, a great clay season, the knee appears to still be an issue on other surfaces. Nadal is widely considered the greatest clay court player in tennis history with eight Roland Garros crowns. However Nadal has also had plenty of success on the hard and grass courts with two Wimbledon titles, a US Open win, an Australian Open triumph, and the 2008 Beijing Olympics Gold Medal for the golden slam. Nadal is currently ranked No. 4 in the world with almost no points to defend for the rest of the year. As he battles for a return to world No. 1, Nadal keeps moving up this list.
4. Jimmy Connors- The American is the winningest player of all time with 1243 match wins and 109 titles. When the first set of computer rankings came out, Connors was listed as No. 10 in the world. At 38 years of age in 1989, Connors was still ranked in the top 10 in the world. It wasn't until 1996 that Connors finally left the top 500 for good at the age of 45. However, the Americans only accomplishments weren't just the length of his career. Connors won over 80% of his matches, eight majors, and spent 268 weeks as the No. 1 in the world. Connors dominance is often overlooked, because it was stretched over a span of 20 years, but looking at the whole body of work, Connors is clearly among the four greatest tennis players in the Open Era.
3. Ivan Lendl- In my opinion, the most underrated player of all time, Lendl was the greatest player in the Open Era when he retired in 1994. When you look at the GOAT lists of other tennis fans, some list him as eight or nine or don't include Lendl in the top 10. That is nuts when you see that Lendl is in the top five for the Open Era in major titles, weeks at No. 1, titles, wins, and win percentage. Most fans rank him so low, because he lost 11 grand slam finals. However, I think that reached 19 grand slam finals is yet another reason to rank him in the top three of all time. Lendl won eight grand slam titles and was the No. 1 player in the world for an incredible 270 weeks. Lendl also won 94 titles and 1071 matches, while maintaining a .818 win percentage.
2. Pete Sampras- The American is considered in the top 3 on almost every GOAT list in tennis and rightfully so. Sampras absolutely dominated the grand slams from the 1993 Wimbledon to the 2002 US Open winning 14 of the 41 majors, including a stretch of seven Wimbledon titles in eight years. Sampras knew all about playing his best when it mattered most at the slams. Sampras's win percentage in slams was 9.0% higher than in the rest of his matches. Sampras also had a stranglehold on the title of No. 1 player in the world in his career, holding the top ranking for 286 weeks. Sampras ranks second all time in wins over top 10 opponents with 124 and has 64 titles to his name.
1. Roger Federer- How this isn't case closed boggles my mind. Federer is the leader in majors won, weeks at No.1, wins against top 10 opponents, and he is still going. Federer's records at the slams shatter those of any other player in the Open Era. Federer has spent over 300 weeks as the world No. 1. Federer was the tyrant of the ATP rankings from early 2004 to the summer of 2008. From 2004 to 2006, he lost a total of just 15 matches. Federer has won 17 grand slam titles. Federer has reached the final of each grand slam tournament at least five times, and at one point, reached 10 consecutive finals. Some people like to argue that Federer played in a weak era from 2004 to 2008, but Federer really just dominated the era so much that it seemed like there were no other good players. If you look at how Federer performed against the players who were ranked No. 1 in the world before him, you can see that he dominated even against the best opponents. Federer had a .770 win percentage against Agassi, Hewitt, Ferrero, and Roddick combined. Federer dominated the sport more so than any other player and did so for a longer amount of time than any other player. Therefore, he is the GOAT.
Friday, March 22, 2013
The GOAT list
Who is the GOAT is the greatest debate in the tennis world today, and it's not going away. A lot of people say that one era is more difficult than another, so you can't determine the greatest of all time. Then there are other people who say that you can't compare eras, so you can't determine the greatest of all time. My belief is that you can't compare the difficulty of eras. Everyone in each era played by the same rules, so nobody can definitively say that one era is better than another. However, that doesn't mean that you can't determine who the GOAT is.
For me, the GOAT is the person who dominated their era the most. I began researching who I thought was the GOAT around 18 months ago. I sort of already had an idea who I thought was the best off all time, but I wanted to be able to have a logical explanation. So I created a mathematical formula to determine the GOAT, and I got Ivan Lendl. Since then I have drastically edited, updated, and improved my formula for the last 18 months. I used the formula to determine the 25 greatest players since 1973 (the year computer rankings began). So let's have the countdown begin.
25. Stan Smith- He was overshadowed by other Americans dominating the sport, but former world No. 3 racked up 634 wins and 36 titles, including Wimbledon and the US Open.
24. Andy Roddick- The last American to win a grand slam spent 13 weeks atop the rankings, won 32 titles, and ranks 16th all-time in win percentage (74.2%).
23. Michael Chang- The former world No. 2 won his only grand slam title when he was only 17. Even though he never won another major, he did collect 34 titles and 51 wins against top 10 opponents.
22. Ken Rosewall- As part of a golden era in Aussie tennis, Rosewall was known for his slice passing shots.The former world No. 2 would be higher on the list if the peak of his career wasn't before the Open Era. He still won four grand slam titles and 445 matches.
21. Thomas Muster- If these were clay court rankings, he would be top 10, but he spent six weeks as the top ranked player in the world and won 44 titles.
20. Arthur Ashe- The player whose name is on the center court at the US Open is best known as a humanitarian, but the former world No. 2 won three grand slam titles and 623 matches in his career.
19. John Newcombe- At 30-years old, the Australian finally reached world No. 1. Newcombe won five majors in the open era and won 31 tournaments.
18. Yevgeny Kafelnikov- When you look at the former world No. 1's stats, nothing really jumps out at you, but the Russian did a little bit of it all. He was atop the rankings for six weeks, won two majors, knocked out 46 top 10 opponents, won 26 titles, and was victorious in 609 matches.
17. Jim Courier- The American spent over a year as the best player in the world, winning four grand in three years. Courier is one of the only Americans to have success on both clay and hard courts. Although most fans would rank Courier between 10 to 15, his inability to dominate lower ranked opponents hurt his ability to rack up titles. Courier won only 23 titles and lost 164 matches to players outside the top 10.
16. Rod Laver- Laver is the one of the greatest tennis players in all of tennis history, but the bulk of his career came before the Open Era, and since computer rankings didn't begin until 1973, he was never ranked higher than three in the world. However, Laver still won five majors and 42 titles in the Open Era, including the last calender slam in tennis.
15. Ilie Năstase- The Romanian was the first person ever ranked No. 1 according to the computers. The two-time grand slam champion is another player who would have been higher on the list if his whole career was in the Open Era. He still won 750 matches and 56 titles, dominating the ATP World Tour when it first began.
14. Guillermo Vilas- The Argentine was the third winningest player of all time notching an incredible 923 match wins as well as 63 titles, including four grand slams. However, that is where the former world No. 2's list of accomplishments ends. Aside from failing to reach world No. 1, he only had 29 wins over top 10 opponents. Vilas is widely considered the best No. 2 player in tennis history, but failing to reach world No. 1 knocked him several spots down on this list.
13. Lleyton Hewitt- As a young Aussie, Hewitt spent 80 weeks as the top-ranked player in the world, but failed to live up to his potential, winning just two majors and 28 total tournaments, while suffering countless injuries. Aside from being the best player in the game for 80 weeks, his top accomplishment was his 61 match wins over top 10 foes. Although Hewitt is still competing, he is far from the player he was over a decade ago.
12. Mats Wilander- The Swede made his way this high on the list for one reason and one reason only. The guy knew how to win majors. Seven of his 33 titles were at the slams. That is the third best ratio of any player on this list. His win percentage was 7.5% higher in majors. Wilander only spent 20 weeks as the world No. 1 and only won 571 matches. Those numbers are good, but they are way below average for a top 15 player on this list. Wilander consistently rose to the occasion when it mattered most at the majors, winning seven grand slams in the span of seven years.
11. Novak Djokovic- Just over two years ago, Djokovic wouldn't have even been considered for the top 25 tennis players in since 1973. However, the Serb has had one of the greatest 25-month stretches (from the 2011 Australian Open to the 2013 Australian Open) in tennis history. During that span, Djokovic won five of the nine majors, reaching seven finals. Djokovic also went from No. 3 to No. 1 in the world, where he currently is after 74 weeks at that position. Djokovic also won eight of the 18 1000 events and now has a total of 36 career titles. With no end to his success in sight, Djokovic could potentially crack the elite eight on this list.
10. Boris Becker- If 713 wins wasn't enough for the six-time grand slam winner to crack the top 10 on all GOAT lists, then maybe I should remind you that 121 of his wins were against top 10 ranked opponents. That is the third most in tennis history. Becker also won 49 titles and was the World No. 1 for 12 weeks. Becker was the model for consistency, winning at least two tournaments every years for 12 consecutive years. At just 18 years of age in 1986, Becker reached nine tournament finals and won Wimbledon for the second consecutive year. Becker went on to win one more Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open twice.
9. Stefan Edberg- When it comes to Edberg the numbers speak for themselves. 72 weeks as world No. 1, six grand slam titles, 41 tournaments won, and 801 match wins. However, what may be most impressive was the way he handled the other legends of his era. Edberg totalled 47 combined wins against Becker, Lendl, Chang, and Wilander. Edberg's biggest weakness was his clay court game, but he made up for it with two major titles at each of the non-clay slams.
8. Andre Agassi- The American may not be the statistical leader in any category, but he was one of the most well rounded players to ever play. Agassi dominated on every surface and is one of only two male singles tennis players to achieve the career golden slam. Agassi finished his career with eight grand slam titles and 60 tournaments won over the span of 19 years. The former world No. 1 won 870 matches and spent over 100 weeks atop the rankings.
7. Björn Borg- A lot of fans would put Borg in the top five, but he is getting any bonus points from me for quitting when he was just 25. However, his dominance in just eight years on the world tour is still enough to place seventh on this list. In that short span, he won an incredible 64 tournaments, including 11 majors. Borg also spent 109 weeks as world No. 1 and won over 70% of his matches against top 10 opponents. Even more impressive than that is his 89.8% win rate at the slams. His numbers are astonishing, but we can only wonder how good he could have been if he continued playing for another eight years.
6. Rafael Nadal- At only 26 years of age, Nadal still has a chance to move up several spots on this list. He already ranks third all time in major titles with 11. A return to world No. 1, where he spent 102 weeks of his career, would strengthen his chances at one day becoming the GOAT. However, a knee injury that sidelined him for seven months could prove costly. Nadal is widely considered the greatest clay court player in tennis history with seven Roland Garros crowns. However Nadal has also had plenty of success on the hard and grass courts with two Wimbledon titles, a US Open win, an Australian Open triumph, and the 2008 Beijing Olympics Gold Medal for the golden slam. Nadal is currently ranked No. 4 in the world with almost no points to defend after June. As he battles for a return to world No. 1, Nadal keeps moving up this list.
5. John McEnroe- Known more for his tirades than actually playing tennis, McEnroe truly is one of the greatest players in tennis history. The five-time Wimbledon finalist ranks fifth in the Open Era in weeks at No. 1, titles, and wins. In 1984, the American won 13 titles and only lost three matches in the entire year. McEnroe finished his career with 77 titles, which ranks third in the Open Era. Along with seven grand slam titles, he spent 170 weeks as the World No. 1. McEnroe finished his career with 875 match wins. Where McEnroe made his mark in tennis was in Davis Cup ties. McEnroe led the United States to five Davis Cup titles. McEnroe also won eight year-end Championships. Five at the WCT Finals and three at the Masters.
4. Jimmy Connors- The American is the winningest player of all time with 1243 match wins and 109 titles. When the first set of computer rankings came out, Connors was listed as No. 10 in the world. At 38 years of age in 1989, Connors was still ranked in the top 10 in the world. It wasn't until 1996 that Connors finally left the top 500 for good at the age of 45. However, the Americans only accomplishments weren't just the length of his career. Connors won over 80% of his matches, eight majors, and spent 268 weeks as the No. 1 in the world. Connors dominance is often overlooked, because it was stretched over a span of 20 years, but looking at the whole body of work, Connors is clearly among the four greatest tennis players in the Open Era.
3. Ivan Lendl- In my opinion, the most underrated player of all time, Lendl was the greatest player in the Open Era when he retired in 1994. When you look at the GOAT lists of other tennis fans, some list him as eight or nine or don't include Lendl in the top 10. That is nuts when you see that Lendl is in the top five for the Open Era in major titles, weeks at No. 1, titles, wins, and win percentage. Most fans rank him so low, because he lost 11 grand slam finals. However, I think that reached 19 grand slam finals is yet another reason to rank him in the top three of all time. Lendl won eight grand slam titles and was the No. 1 player in the world for an incredible 270 weeks. Lendl also won 94 titles and 1071 matches, while maintaining a .818 win percentage.
2. Pete Sampras- The American is considered in the top 3 on almost every GOAT list in tennis and rightfully so. Sampras absolutely dominated the grand slams from the 1993 Wimbledon to the 2002 US Open winning 14 of the 41 majors, including a stretch of seven Wimbledon titles in eight years. Sampras knew all about playing his best when it mattered most at the slams. Sampras's win percentage in slams was 9.0% higher than in the rest of his matches. Sampras also had a stranglehold on the title of No. 1 player in the world in his career, holding the top ranking for 286 weeks. Sampras ranks second all time in wins over top 10 opponents with 124 and has 64 titles to his name.
1. Roger Federer- How this isn't case closed boggles my mind. Federer is the leader in majors won, weeks at No.1, wins against top 10 opponents, and he is still going. Federer's records at the slams shatter those of any other player in the Open Era. Federer has spent over 300 weeks as the world No. 1. Federer was the tyrant of the ATP rankings from early 2004 to the summer of 2008. From 2004 to 2006, he lost a total of 15 matches. Federer has won 17 grand slam titles and still believes he can win more. Federer has reached the final of each grand slam tournament at least five times, and at one point, reached 10 consecutive finals. Some people like to argue that Federer played in a weak era from 2004 to 2008, but Federer really just dominated the era so much that it seemed like there were no other good players. If you look at how Federer performed against the players who were ranked No. 1 in the world before him, you can see that he dominated even against the best opponents. Federer had a .770 win percentage against Agassi, Hewitt, Ferrero, and Roddick. Federer dominated the sport more so than any other player and did so for a longer amount of time than any other player. Therefore he is the GOAT.
These are my top 25 and I am ready to defend them, so please leave a comment. Let me know what you think.
For me, the GOAT is the person who dominated their era the most. I began researching who I thought was the GOAT around 18 months ago. I sort of already had an idea who I thought was the best off all time, but I wanted to be able to have a logical explanation. So I created a mathematical formula to determine the GOAT, and I got Ivan Lendl. Since then I have drastically edited, updated, and improved my formula for the last 18 months. I used the formula to determine the 25 greatest players since 1973 (the year computer rankings began). So let's have the countdown begin.
25. Stan Smith- He was overshadowed by other Americans dominating the sport, but former world No. 3 racked up 634 wins and 36 titles, including Wimbledon and the US Open.
24. Andy Roddick- The last American to win a grand slam spent 13 weeks atop the rankings, won 32 titles, and ranks 16th all-time in win percentage (74.2%).
23. Michael Chang- The former world No. 2 won his only grand slam title when he was only 17. Even though he never won another major, he did collect 34 titles and 51 wins against top 10 opponents.
22. Ken Rosewall- As part of a golden era in Aussie tennis, Rosewall was known for his slice passing shots.The former world No. 2 would be higher on the list if the peak of his career wasn't before the Open Era. He still won four grand slam titles and 445 matches.
21. Thomas Muster- If these were clay court rankings, he would be top 10, but he spent six weeks as the top ranked player in the world and won 44 titles.
20. Arthur Ashe- The player whose name is on the center court at the US Open is best known as a humanitarian, but the former world No. 2 won three grand slam titles and 623 matches in his career.
19. John Newcombe- At 30-years old, the Australian finally reached world No. 1. Newcombe won five majors in the open era and won 31 tournaments.
18. Yevgeny Kafelnikov- When you look at the former world No. 1's stats, nothing really jumps out at you, but the Russian did a little bit of it all. He was atop the rankings for six weeks, won two majors, knocked out 46 top 10 opponents, won 26 titles, and was victorious in 609 matches.
17. Jim Courier- The American spent over a year as the best player in the world, winning four grand in three years. Courier is one of the only Americans to have success on both clay and hard courts. Although most fans would rank Courier between 10 to 15, his inability to dominate lower ranked opponents hurt his ability to rack up titles. Courier won only 23 titles and lost 164 matches to players outside the top 10.
16. Rod Laver- Laver is the one of the greatest tennis players in all of tennis history, but the bulk of his career came before the Open Era, and since computer rankings didn't begin until 1973, he was never ranked higher than three in the world. However, Laver still won five majors and 42 titles in the Open Era, including the last calender slam in tennis.
15. Ilie Năstase- The Romanian was the first person ever ranked No. 1 according to the computers. The two-time grand slam champion is another player who would have been higher on the list if his whole career was in the Open Era. He still won 750 matches and 56 titles, dominating the ATP World Tour when it first began.
14. Guillermo Vilas- The Argentine was the third winningest player of all time notching an incredible 923 match wins as well as 63 titles, including four grand slams. However, that is where the former world No. 2's list of accomplishments ends. Aside from failing to reach world No. 1, he only had 29 wins over top 10 opponents. Vilas is widely considered the best No. 2 player in tennis history, but failing to reach world No. 1 knocked him several spots down on this list.
13. Lleyton Hewitt- As a young Aussie, Hewitt spent 80 weeks as the top-ranked player in the world, but failed to live up to his potential, winning just two majors and 28 total tournaments, while suffering countless injuries. Aside from being the best player in the game for 80 weeks, his top accomplishment was his 61 match wins over top 10 foes. Although Hewitt is still competing, he is far from the player he was over a decade ago.
12. Mats Wilander- The Swede made his way this high on the list for one reason and one reason only. The guy knew how to win majors. Seven of his 33 titles were at the slams. That is the third best ratio of any player on this list. His win percentage was 7.5% higher in majors. Wilander only spent 20 weeks as the world No. 1 and only won 571 matches. Those numbers are good, but they are way below average for a top 15 player on this list. Wilander consistently rose to the occasion when it mattered most at the majors, winning seven grand slams in the span of seven years.
11. Novak Djokovic- Just over two years ago, Djokovic wouldn't have even been considered for the top 25 tennis players in since 1973. However, the Serb has had one of the greatest 25-month stretches (from the 2011 Australian Open to the 2013 Australian Open) in tennis history. During that span, Djokovic won five of the nine majors, reaching seven finals. Djokovic also went from No. 3 to No. 1 in the world, where he currently is after 74 weeks at that position. Djokovic also won eight of the 18 1000 events and now has a total of 36 career titles. With no end to his success in sight, Djokovic could potentially crack the elite eight on this list.
10. Boris Becker- If 713 wins wasn't enough for the six-time grand slam winner to crack the top 10 on all GOAT lists, then maybe I should remind you that 121 of his wins were against top 10 ranked opponents. That is the third most in tennis history. Becker also won 49 titles and was the World No. 1 for 12 weeks. Becker was the model for consistency, winning at least two tournaments every years for 12 consecutive years. At just 18 years of age in 1986, Becker reached nine tournament finals and won Wimbledon for the second consecutive year. Becker went on to win one more Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open twice.
9. Stefan Edberg- When it comes to Edberg the numbers speak for themselves. 72 weeks as world No. 1, six grand slam titles, 41 tournaments won, and 801 match wins. However, what may be most impressive was the way he handled the other legends of his era. Edberg totalled 47 combined wins against Becker, Lendl, Chang, and Wilander. Edberg's biggest weakness was his clay court game, but he made up for it with two major titles at each of the non-clay slams.
8. Andre Agassi- The American may not be the statistical leader in any category, but he was one of the most well rounded players to ever play. Agassi dominated on every surface and is one of only two male singles tennis players to achieve the career golden slam. Agassi finished his career with eight grand slam titles and 60 tournaments won over the span of 19 years. The former world No. 1 won 870 matches and spent over 100 weeks atop the rankings.
7. Björn Borg- A lot of fans would put Borg in the top five, but he is getting any bonus points from me for quitting when he was just 25. However, his dominance in just eight years on the world tour is still enough to place seventh on this list. In that short span, he won an incredible 64 tournaments, including 11 majors. Borg also spent 109 weeks as world No. 1 and won over 70% of his matches against top 10 opponents. Even more impressive than that is his 89.8% win rate at the slams. His numbers are astonishing, but we can only wonder how good he could have been if he continued playing for another eight years.
6. Rafael Nadal- At only 26 years of age, Nadal still has a chance to move up several spots on this list. He already ranks third all time in major titles with 11. A return to world No. 1, where he spent 102 weeks of his career, would strengthen his chances at one day becoming the GOAT. However, a knee injury that sidelined him for seven months could prove costly. Nadal is widely considered the greatest clay court player in tennis history with seven Roland Garros crowns. However Nadal has also had plenty of success on the hard and grass courts with two Wimbledon titles, a US Open win, an Australian Open triumph, and the 2008 Beijing Olympics Gold Medal for the golden slam. Nadal is currently ranked No. 4 in the world with almost no points to defend after June. As he battles for a return to world No. 1, Nadal keeps moving up this list.
5. John McEnroe- Known more for his tirades than actually playing tennis, McEnroe truly is one of the greatest players in tennis history. The five-time Wimbledon finalist ranks fifth in the Open Era in weeks at No. 1, titles, and wins. In 1984, the American won 13 titles and only lost three matches in the entire year. McEnroe finished his career with 77 titles, which ranks third in the Open Era. Along with seven grand slam titles, he spent 170 weeks as the World No. 1. McEnroe finished his career with 875 match wins. Where McEnroe made his mark in tennis was in Davis Cup ties. McEnroe led the United States to five Davis Cup titles. McEnroe also won eight year-end Championships. Five at the WCT Finals and three at the Masters.
4. Jimmy Connors- The American is the winningest player of all time with 1243 match wins and 109 titles. When the first set of computer rankings came out, Connors was listed as No. 10 in the world. At 38 years of age in 1989, Connors was still ranked in the top 10 in the world. It wasn't until 1996 that Connors finally left the top 500 for good at the age of 45. However, the Americans only accomplishments weren't just the length of his career. Connors won over 80% of his matches, eight majors, and spent 268 weeks as the No. 1 in the world. Connors dominance is often overlooked, because it was stretched over a span of 20 years, but looking at the whole body of work, Connors is clearly among the four greatest tennis players in the Open Era.
3. Ivan Lendl- In my opinion, the most underrated player of all time, Lendl was the greatest player in the Open Era when he retired in 1994. When you look at the GOAT lists of other tennis fans, some list him as eight or nine or don't include Lendl in the top 10. That is nuts when you see that Lendl is in the top five for the Open Era in major titles, weeks at No. 1, titles, wins, and win percentage. Most fans rank him so low, because he lost 11 grand slam finals. However, I think that reached 19 grand slam finals is yet another reason to rank him in the top three of all time. Lendl won eight grand slam titles and was the No. 1 player in the world for an incredible 270 weeks. Lendl also won 94 titles and 1071 matches, while maintaining a .818 win percentage.
2. Pete Sampras- The American is considered in the top 3 on almost every GOAT list in tennis and rightfully so. Sampras absolutely dominated the grand slams from the 1993 Wimbledon to the 2002 US Open winning 14 of the 41 majors, including a stretch of seven Wimbledon titles in eight years. Sampras knew all about playing his best when it mattered most at the slams. Sampras's win percentage in slams was 9.0% higher than in the rest of his matches. Sampras also had a stranglehold on the title of No. 1 player in the world in his career, holding the top ranking for 286 weeks. Sampras ranks second all time in wins over top 10 opponents with 124 and has 64 titles to his name.
1. Roger Federer- How this isn't case closed boggles my mind. Federer is the leader in majors won, weeks at No.1, wins against top 10 opponents, and he is still going. Federer's records at the slams shatter those of any other player in the Open Era. Federer has spent over 300 weeks as the world No. 1. Federer was the tyrant of the ATP rankings from early 2004 to the summer of 2008. From 2004 to 2006, he lost a total of 15 matches. Federer has won 17 grand slam titles and still believes he can win more. Federer has reached the final of each grand slam tournament at least five times, and at one point, reached 10 consecutive finals. Some people like to argue that Federer played in a weak era from 2004 to 2008, but Federer really just dominated the era so much that it seemed like there were no other good players. If you look at how Federer performed against the players who were ranked No. 1 in the world before him, you can see that he dominated even against the best opponents. Federer had a .770 win percentage against Agassi, Hewitt, Ferrero, and Roddick. Federer dominated the sport more so than any other player and did so for a longer amount of time than any other player. Therefore he is the GOAT.
These are my top 25 and I am ready to defend them, so please leave a comment. Let me know what you think.
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