Tennis: Athletic Artistry and the All Time Greats

I love tennis. Soccer may be “The Beautiful Game”, but tennis, when played at the highest level is sublime-a work of art. I just watched the 2025 French Open Men’s Final at Roland Garros. The finalists were Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz and Italian Jannik Sinner. Alcaraz is 22 and the second ranked player in the world. Sinner is 23 and recently ascended to the No 1 spot in the rankings. Alcatraz has already won 4 Majors and Sinner has 3 Grand Slam trophies on his mantle. They produced over five hours of spectacular and riveting tennis with Alcaraz finally prevailing in a tie breaker in the fifth set. He had survived 3 championship points in the fourth set. Mesmerising television. The match reinforced my long time appreciation of the game. It was a “war.” between two passionate and dedicated combatants. But it was also a poem representing humanity at its finest. The quality of play combined with an overwhelming desire to win was inspiring. Health permitting, I expect we will see these two champions face-off on many occasions in the next decade. Hopefully, admirable successors to the legacy of the “Big Three" (Federer, Nadal and Djokovic) who dominated the game for the past 20 years. Amazingly, they won 66 majors and participated in 98 finals as a group. The match triggered a blog topic- why not summarise the reasons I find the game special and recognise the the Hall of Fame players of the modern era. I adopt my usual criteria for sports excellence. I need to have seen them play in person or on television and the honoured places are reserved for those who sustained excellence over a long period of time. No one year wonders. I apologise in advance to true tennis historians because my criteria eliminates consideration of old timers Bill Tilden, Don Budge, Pancho Gonzalez, Tony Trabert, Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall and John Newcombe.

Grand Slam tennis championships are destination television for me. I have religiously watched coverage of the Australian Open, The French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open since the 70’s. I have attended the US Open in New York twice. Amalia and I attend multiple sessions of the Miami Open annually. I enjoy the in person atmosphere very much. I have noticed that my attraction to the game is more intense than many of my otherwise sports fanatics friends and compatriots. What rocks my world about the game?

Well, tennis is global. I like the international component of the game. It goes beyond our shores. The Majors are in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York. A mini United Nations has produced Grand Slam winners; the United States, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Belgium. Russia, the Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, Switzerland, Croatia and Yugoslavia. The tennis calendar is year round and polls show tennis is the fifth most popular sport worldwide. The Majors are exhausting two week competitions with a winner needing to be victorious in 6-7 matches. The surfaces vary and clay, grass and hard courts reward different skill sets. It is ultra challenging to be super competent on all surfaces. The game produces intense rivalries: McEnroe-Borg, Connors-Ashe, Sampras-Agassi, Federer-Nadal and Djokovic. The championship level matches produce drama, angst and passion. Player personalities are fascinating and true character is revealed over the course of a long career. Literally, the joy of victory and the agony of defeat in real time. I eat it up!

The game’s calling card is the wide range of talents needed to succeed. Champions are explosive, strong, elegant and refined. They are powerful and precise. They harness physical strength, stamina and endurance with mental creativity and emotional stability. The inevitable ebb and flow of matches tests the entire athletic package. You must be tough- a warrior. The best players in the biggest moments display courage- grace under pressure as defined by Ernest Hemingway. The variety of shots to be played is almost endless; the serve, the return, the forehand, the backhand, the volley, the lob, the overhead, the drop shot. You must execute each of these options masterfully for 3 to 5 hours- often in challenging weather conditions- and in front of 20,000 spectators. Roman gladiators had it easy next to the modern professional tennis player.

An accomplished master player must possess explosive power, exceptional hand-eye coordination, lightning reflexes, smooth lateral movement, the ability to stop and start on a dime and change direction. All of these requirements demand core strength, superior flexibility and God like balance. You must also master the intellectual side of the game. You need a plan. The plan may change depending on the opponent or on how a match is going. Adjusting the plan may be necessary under duress. You must keep your emotions under control, think clearly and tactically, maintain your powers of concentration and reach deep down when resilience is required. Until recently, players were totally alone in this task since no coaching was allowed during matches. This changed about 2 years ago and I liked the old way better, We now see too many TV visuals of pensive coaches in the stands. Only superior and ultra competitive sportsman and athletes make it to the top of the tennis mountain. Luckily, we aren’t forced to speculate on who deserves to be in the pantheon. Like all top individual sport athletes and great teams, we identify the best by reviewing objective achievements. Wins and losses- most majors- tournaments won-status in the world rankings. The hard data, statistics tell the story. It explains the magic of sport and its popularity. It is on the level. You can never confidently identify the best artist, poet, writer, musician, politician, doctor, lawyer because there are too many subjective variables. Sports is magnificent because the results are trustworthy- there is a purity that cannot be reversed by spin.

Finally, tennis is blessed by its simplicity and its continuity. The sport hasn’t changed much in the last century. The court is the same dimensions and the net is the same height. Equipment is minimal, a racket and tennis balls. Although it has a reputation as an elite or country club pastime, it is actually very accessible. There are thousands of public courts in parks all across the country. Many great players rose from middle class or humble family backgrounds. Of course, there have been some changes. Racquets went from wood to graphite materials with larger heads and bigger sweet spots. The main surfaces of grass, clay and hard courts remain but the quality of those surfaces at major venues has improved a ton. The preferred style of play has changed gradually, then radically over the years. Today powerful groundstrokes with heavy top spin are keys to championships. Big serving ability is critical although the serve and volley game itself is less popular than it was 30 years ago. Tennis players are now corporations with a “team” in place. Coaches, fitness specialists, nutritionists, psychologists are standard issue for the top 50 players. Players travel first class. The money is enormous. Big TV contracts and luxury item sponsorships keep the dollars flowing. A wonderful sport with a great history and tradition. The constant drama has produced legendary champions. Here are my Top Ten.

The top three players of ALL TIME are Roger Federer, Rafal Nadal and Novak Djokovic. It is indisputable. Over 20 years, they co-existed and won 66 Majors and participated in 98 finals. Mind boggling! One of them was ranked No 1 in the world for 2 decades. Only Bill Russell and the Celtics and Johnny Wooden’s UCLA’s NCAA basketball run can compare in terms of dominance. But it is three guys here - not one. The final ranking order for these gentleman is a great sport topic. You can justify each of them as the No 1 choice and any combination of 1-3 is defensible. WFM shares his final list with humility.

1. NOVAK DJOKOVIC: He is the most accomplished men’s tennis player ever. The GOAT! He has won 24 Grand Slams and was the runner up in 13 others. He has been ranked No 1 for 428 weeks- over 8 years. He won on grass, clay and hard courts and won each major multiple times. He has no weaknesses and his mental toughness and overall competitiveness are legendary. He also evolved image wise. At the outset of his career, he was viewed as “Darth Vader" by tennis fans who were far more simpatico with the deft Federer and the intense Nadal. Eventually, Djokovic won people over with his play. He has become an effective public representative of the sport, is exceptionally intelligent and is now very comfortable in his own skin. I respect him. He can still be funky- he probably sacrificed one or two majors with his anti Covid vaccine posture. His focus on diet and conditioning have kept his body in miraculous shape. Over the long haul, he is the BEST!

2. ROGER FEDERER: He won 20 Majors and conquered all four events. He was runner up in 11 other championship matches. He was No 1 for 310 weeks. He is the most fluid and beautiful tennis player ever. His preparation is unmatched and his consistency is awe inspiring. Federer never lost early in a tournament. He was relentless and made it look effortless. He was spectacular on grass and never lost his poise. He was an elegant fellow and his commercial endorsement resume is a mile long. He was pure class who projected excellence at all times. He just gave a great commencement speech at Dartmouth University which is online. READ IT. His most telling observation was that if you add up the results of all his matches- he- a great champion- only won 54% of the points he played. The message is that the line between victory and defeat is small and life depends on succeeding just a bit more than you fail. Perfection impossible- we are human. Great perspective.

3. RAFAL NADAL: My personal favourite based on his unvarnished passion and the awe inspiring will to win he brought to the court. This guy never took off a point- never conceded a game. He played every point like it was his last. This translated into some historic matches with incredible comebacks. He often overcame injury and exhaustion during critical matches. A huge heart. He won 22 Majors and made the final in 8 others. He also won all four majors and dominated the French Open with 14 championships. The best clay courter ever. He was ranked No 1 for 209 weeks. 2 of his matches with Federer are at the top of any all time best matches list. He is cool guy. Originally, he was shy-probably a function of breaking into the big time as teenager. He is now recognised spokesperson for the sport.

4. PETE SAMPRAS: The first American player on the list. Pete won 14 majors and was ranked No 1 for 289 weeks. He won 7 Wimbledons and 5 US Opens. He never won the French Open. He was a dominant server and was the unchallenged best modern player until the arrival of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. He retired rather young, burnt out by the demands and attention. Pete was sweet but very low profile. Private fellow. His public tennis profile today is almost invisible. No interest in media. He should not get lost in the weeds though. He was a spectacular player and his rivalry with fellow American Andre Agassi was fun and entertaining.

5. JOHN MCENROE: If I could have signed a pact with God and been blessed with the tennis talent and style of on player it would be John McEnroe. The guy was a wizard, a magician and a craftsman. He won 7 majors and was the runner up in 4 others. He was No 1 for 170 weeks. The only major that escaped him was the French. He served and volleyed without peer, had a deft touch around the net and was fearless and cunning in big moments. He had the best single year ever in 1984, going 82-3 for the season. He was also the best doubles player of all time. A once in a generation talent. John developed some injury problems mid career and also had some personal issues. He was frequently abusive on the court and made Bobby Knight look mild mannered and under control. He loves the game and is a very good commentator on TV broadcasts and a good Ambassador for the game. If I had to pick one of these players to win one match- with each player at the absolute top of his game- I would pick McEnroe to win. He was that good! His rivalries with Borg, Connors and Lendl were epic. He admired Borg, respected Connors and detested Lendl- all of which made the dynamic of each of their matches intriguing.

6. BJORN BORG: The taciturn Swede- ice in his veins. A ball striking machine. A warrior mentality on the court. Merciless! He won 11 Majors- exclusively Wimbledon and the French. He lost on five other Major Finals including a couple of bitter losses in New York. Very private person an his matches with McEnroe were super dramatic because of the different styes of play and the 360 degree difference in personalities. He retired at his peak- a la NFL great Jim Brown. The man was an unflappable champion.

7. IVAN LENDL: The Big Czech! He won 8 majors and lost in the final another 11 times. The most consistent player of his era. He never won Wimbledon and is still bitter about it. He was the founder of the modern power baseline game. He never smiled during a match. He was relentless. Contributed greatly to the stereotype that all Eastern Europeans are humourless and waiting for something bad to happen. A scratch golfer in retirement. Lendl was ranked No 1 for 220 weeks.

8. JIMMY CONNORS: A guy from Belleville who became an international tennis champion and married a Playboy centrefold. What a country. Jimmy had a bad haircut, but an excellent all around game. No discernible weaknesses and a big heart on the court. Incredible longevity- he played over 20 years and made a US Open semifinal when he was 40. He won 8 majors and missed out only at the French Open. He was No 1 for 268 weeks. He relished being the “bad boy” and embraced his counterculture hero role until he was overwhelmed by McEnroe’s non stop drama. Great court coverage and superb ground strokes. A very polished player.

9. ANDRE AGASSI: 8 Majors and 7 other finals. He was No 1 for 2 years. The statistics don’t capture his impact. He was the GUY for a decade. High profile, commercials, arrogant, Brooke Shields- a true culture icon. Remember the “image is everything” advertising campaign. His big rival was Sampras, but Pete never even attempted to match Agassi’s public profile. Andre fought the old guard at Wimbledon and the Parisians loved him. A great late career comeback after some personal issues had derailed his tennis for 24 months Admirable discipline. I was not a huge fan in real time- thought he was an egomaniac hot dog. I have mellowed. His autobiography is first rate, self revealing and honest. He is a bright and sensitive guy. Interestingly, he admits he never enjoyed the tennis because he really internalised the pressure and high expectations. He is a good analyst of tennis today. Overall, a great career although an argument can be made that he underachieved. He was colossally gifted.

10. STEFAN EDBERG: Another Swede blessed with good looks and beautiful tennis strokes. Also, a winner as manifested by his 6 Major wins and five runner ups. He was No 1 for 110 weeks. He was lean, athletic and fast, probably the smoothest player until Federer. He is probably the last great serve and volley champion. He was known for his even demeanour, a gentlemanly exterior and his sportsmanship. God Bless those Scandinavians. Good role models for obnoxious and self absorbed Americans.

Honorable Mentions:

MATTS WILANDER: 7 Grand Slams- consistent- some of longest matches and points ever.

BORIS BECKER: 6 Majors and won Wimbledon at 17; scary serve; sadly, some post tennis personal and professional difficulties.

ARTHUR ASHE: 3 Major victories and the most influential tennis player of the 20th Century. The first successful black male champion, a civil rights beacon, a gentleman.