Who is the greatest tennis player of all time?

1. 77

   derek gulbransonposted 13 years ago

   Just wondering what you guys think. My friend said that it was Federer, but I thought that Lever or Graf was better.

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   1. 83

      Jason Marovichposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Hmmm...hard to pin it down to just one.  On the women's side, I like Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova.  On the men's side Pete Sampras and Ivan Lendl were formidable players.  I limited my choices to players I followed during their careers.

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   2. 67

      gconeyhidenposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I have been big tennis fan all my life as it is truly great sport w great sportsmanship.  As far as I'm concerned Graf's legacy is tainted by what happened to Seles her main rival.   Seles seemed to have her number when a crazed lunatic fan of hers stabbed Seles in the back and she never was the same.  Still Graf deserves to be at the top w other great players.  Navatilova maybe the best women's player but I think women should play 5 sets in grandslams. why not? they run marathons.  stop cuddling them, lets find out who's standing after 5 sets.  these 2 set grandslam matches are boring and too often over in a flash.   this makes the mens game and womens game totally different. The Fed is one great player but its a shame he crys like a baby when he thinks he cannot dominate anymore. Come on what the hell you crying about.?

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   3. 87

      quicksandposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      You mean the greatest tennis player of all time? It's Bjorn Borg!

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2. 76

   The Suburban Poetposted 13 years ago

   It's hard to ignore the fact that Rod Laver won TWO calendar year Grand Slams and would have won more majors had there not been a ban on professional players competing in the Grand Slam events so after winning the Slam in 1962 I believe he then later won it in 1969 so his overall record should be much higher. The only thing I wonder is how he would do against the much taller serve and volley players of our era such as Pete Sampras. I believe Laver would be well-matched against Federer.... in the end you have to compare people relative to their own era and I say Laver comes out on top.

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3. 51

   jcalesposted 13 years ago

   I'd say Graf since she won 22 slams
   
   For the Men it is hard to say but I'm leaning towards Sampras since his era's top 10 to 20 players were stronger than Federer's top 10 to 20.

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4. 64

   S.Gravesonposted 13 years ago

   Whenever this question gets asked I always have to throw out Pancho Gonzalez's name (who always seem to be forgotten for some reason). Whilst it's true that Pancho didn't win many Grandslams he did dominate the "professional" game for around a decade (1950-1964ish) and pushed the likes of Laver really hard at the turn of the 1970's when Pancho was in his 40's.
   
   Personally however Federer is probably the greatest of all time for me, whilst the 10-20 rankings are weakish the top 3 feature 3 of the very best we've seen, the competition between those 3 is exceptional and they bring out the best in each other.
   
   On the woman's game Martina Navratilova is surely the stand out one? Winning not only a singles career slam but also mixed doubles and female doubles proves that she may actually have been not only the greatest female player but also the greatest doubles player.
   
   It's a great question and one that everyone will likely have a difference answer for whilst also seeing arguments for other players. I'd not argue too much if people said (males) Laver, Lendl, Bjorg, Sampras, Federer, Agassi, Emerson (best singles/doubles man) and for women Helen Wills Moody (like Pancho a forgotten name, she dominated the sport in the 1930's), Court, Graf, Evert and either Williams.

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   1. 76

      The Suburban Poetposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I'd say a prime on prime match between Martina and Serena would be a heavyweight fight. Those two had so much will-power and strength that I'd pay to see it....

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5. 62

   Thek1ngswayposted 13 years ago

   Navratilova won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, 31 major women's doubles titles and an all time record of 177 titles for men or women . Federer has won 17 slams and is mr consistency lately havin broken connors run for most slam quarterfinals in a row. Not to mention the competition that federer has in djokovic  , nadal , murray etc  i mean for gods sake at 31 his fitness is unbelievable  , made murray look like a ball boy in the wimby final . id say Federer most def on the mans side , its much tougher on the womens side where id go with Navratilova but its a close call.

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6. 82

   KevinTimothyposted 13 years ago

   Graf and Nadal were both spectacles. They took the tennis industry on their backs and helped tremendously in making it more popular.

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   1. 79

      CyclingFitnessposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Graf definitely and in some ways Hingis took the women's game further too
      
      I'm not sure Nadal can be on such a list yet. If he can comeback and return to dominance that will be a mark of a true champion.

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7. 53

   cheetah786posted 13 years ago

   roger federer is great player.. he is currently un beatable..

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8. 66

   prettydarkhorseposted 13 years ago

   Navratilova, Graf
   
   Sampras

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9. 61

   mmsuposted 13 years ago

   Roger federer definitely!

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10. 75

    Green Bardposted 13 years ago

    In my mind Roger Federer was the answer straight away! I am not a tennis fan by any means but used to get paid for writing about sport and have done loads of stories on him!

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    1. 61

       mmsuposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       If you don't mind me asking from where did you get paid to write for sports?I am huge soccer fan i would love to write on it and get paid on top of it...

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11. 51

    jcalesposted 13 years ago

    An eras depth is important to consider.
    
    Sampras had:  Agassi, Edberg, Becker, Courier, Goran Ivanisevic, Rafter, Kraijeck, Moya, Kafelnikov, Chang, Safin, and master clay courters: Muster, Bruguera & Kuerten.  Muster would've given Nadal a serious run for those French Open titles.
    
    You could argue if Sampras' talent pool was less he would've won 20+ slams.
    
    Federer only had to deal with Roddick, Berdych and Soderling in finals for his victories. Against Nadal in finals he loses a lot. However, I'd say if Federer wins a couple more slams with players catching up up to him in skill and using their brain then he is the best. He was beating Novak early on when Novak was not at his peak. Now that the top 4 are pretty close and you have Tsonga, Ferrer playing great the top 10 is getting stronger. Let the field improve and I'd agree.
    
    I'd also love to see a Serena and Martina at their peaks. We'd see a lot of good serves. I'd lean towards Martina since her movement was better.

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