Greatest Players of All Time - according to Tennis Abstract

indiana · Tennis legend

Greatest Players of All Time - according to Tennis Abstract

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

indiana wrote:
JonH comes home wrote:
My all time top 5 men and women would probably be Borg, Rosewall, Laver, Navratilova and Graf - but I couldnt rate the men v women against each other
Really? Though probably not a surprise given some of our previous quite differing views on eras along with the eras we each were / are most into.
Hopefully Jeff will have one or two guys from the most recent not too motley top crew interloping there.

Indeed - of the current era , I do have 4 men (the big 4) and 4 women (if we include those serena, Venus, sharapova in current era) in my top 50 overall. With 3 of those men and women in my top 10 overall, 4 in top 11. So not too biased against present day.

GAMEOVER · Pro player

JonH comes home wrote:
After chatting about Connors, we get a player in the Connors mould of baseline slugger and terrier combined

www.tennisabstract.com/blog/2022/05/17/the-tennis-128-no-84-lleyton-hewitt/

Hewitt is a hard one to know where to place, he had longevity, decent success and was a Davis Cup here for the Aussies. Definitely top 100 but perhaps will get forgotten as time passes by?

I did not have Lleyton Hewitt in my list at all.

GAMEOVER · Pro player

No. 83 is Jack Crawford an Australian from the 1930's who was around the time of Fred Perry. He was on my list.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

GAMEOVER wrote:
No. 83 is Jack Crawford an Australian from the 1930's who was around the time of Fred Perry. He was on my list.

Indeed, I am sure he is ranked about right here - I only did the top 25 men and top 25 women (effectively the top 50) and didnt have him on that but i would have had him in my next group I reckon.

https://www.tennisabstract.com/blog/2022/05/19/the-tennis-128-no-83-jack-crawford/

GAMEOVER · Pro player

We have no. 82 and it is Brazil's greatest player Maria Bueno.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

GAMEOVER wrote:
We have no. 82 and it is Brazil's greatest player Maria Bueno.

Bueno versus Guga?! Discuss!

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

On a serious note, of course Bueno is the best Brazilian of all time - best South American possibly? I had her on my list as in the top 50 at 44, so may even think she is underrated here!!

www.tennisabstract.com/blog/2022/05/21/the-tennis-128-no-82-maria-esther-bueno/

GAMEOVER · Pro player

We have player No. 81 and it is Budge Patty an American player who won Wimbledon in 1950. I did not have him on my list.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

No Patty wasn't on my list of the top 50 either, not sure where I would have placed him, but he didnt really feature for me

www.tennisabstract.com/blog/2022/05/24/the-tennis-128-no-81-budge-patty/

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

1950 seems to have been his high point, winning French and Wimbledon in the same year.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Andy Rodrick next

www.tennisabstract.com/blog/2022/05/26/the-tennis-128-no-80-andy-roddick/

Wasnt on my list but Im a big fan of Andy , as a person and a player. So pleased he is on it!

GAMEOVER · Pro player

No. 80 is a player we are familiar with in Andy Roddick.

indiana · Tennis legend

Good stuff. I like Andy. He always seemed an American who just 'got it'. Not all do!

I remember when he beat our Andy in the Wimbledon SF. Gutted as I was with the result I also was just a wee bit with Andy R as after leaving the court he just sat on the steps at the bottom of the staircase back inside with his head in his hands and I think in full weeping mode.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

indiana wrote:
Good stuff. I like Andy. He always seemed an American who just 'got it'. Not all do!

I remember when he beat our Andy in the Wimbledon SF. Gutted as I was with the result I also was just a wee bit with Andy R as after leaving the court he just sat on the steps at the bottom of the staircase back inside with his head in his hands and I think in full weeping mode.

Exactly - Andy gets it! Great guy and gutsy player who maximised what he had. Should have won Wimbledon though, when he lost that crazy match with Fed, was it 16-14 final set in 2009?