Greatest Players of All Time - according to Tennis Abstract

GAMEOVER · Satellite level

RE: Greatest Players of All Time - according to Tennis Abstract

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

9 of my top 50 have already been placed by Jeff, so at best I will match 41 or possibly 40 of his top 50. So there may well be 10 surprises to me!

Of those 9, so far, 6 that had lower are men and 3 are women (I chose 25 of each) so it looks like it will mainly be men who surprise me - looking forward to it!!

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

No 51 is announced as Hana Mandlikova

www.tennisabstract.com/blog/2022/09/07/the-tennis-128-no-51-hana-mandlikova/

I actually had her as my number 48 so pretty pleased with that one!

Mandlikova was such a lovely stroke player, I always thought of her as fragile mentally. She was Czech and then took Aussie citizenship I believe, after a what I imagine was a sham marriage to achieve that? Her daughter plays the tour these days at ITF level, I believe? She lives in Florida, these days, not sure what she does, I recall her being a good golfer as well

-- Edited by JonH comes home on Wednesday 7th of September 2022 01:32:07 PM

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

10 of my top 50 are now named, so I can match 40 at best now - 10 surprises at least for me and probably more!!

GAMEOVER · Satellite level

JonH comes home wrote:
No 51 is announced as Hana Mandlikova

www.tennisabstract.com/blog/2022/09/07/the-tennis-128-no-51-hana-mandlikova/

I actually had her as my number 48 so pretty pleased with that one!

Mandlikova was such a lovely stroke player, I always thought of her as fragile mentally. She was Czech and then took Aussie citizenship I believe, after a what I imagine was a sham marriage to achieve that? Her daughter plays the tour these days at ITF level, I believe?

I had her in my long list but not my top 25.I think she was unlucky in being around the same time as Evert and Navratilova. Her daughter Elizabeth has risen up the rankings in 2022 and is now in the top 150. She made her GS singles debut at the 2022 US Open winning a round before losing to Ons Jabeur. As with the Kordas in ladies golf she represents the USA.

GAMEOVER · Satellite level

Mats Wilander is no.50, He was in my top 50.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

www.tennisabstract.com/blog/2022/09/08/the-tennis-128-no-50-mats-wilander/

Mats was also in my top 50, I had him in at 37 in fact so a little higher than Jeff.

Mats was a brick wall, but somehow did really not only on the clay, his natural home, but on the grass down in Melbourne and in New York. Wimbledon was the one place he never seemed to crack it.

His main rival seemed to be Lendl but my most memorable Mats match was in the Davis Cup when he played McEnroe (was it in St Louis, I need to check) and they played a nearly 6 hour match, that was possibly the longest in DC history - Jeff may write about this but I havent had time to read the article yet!

But glad to get the first of the top 50 in place, like you Gameover!

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Jeff does mention that DC epic, quoted below

In July 1982, he played what was then the longest Davis Cup singles match in history. On an indoor carpet court in St. Louis, he went toe-to-toe with John McEnroethen the number one player in the worldfor six hours and 32 minutes. He dropped the first two sets, but nearly completed the comeback in the deciding fifth rubber. Final score: 9-7, 6-2, 15-17, 3-6, 8-6.

McEnroe didnt play again for a month. Wilander went straight to the airport, hopped a plane back to Sweden, and won a tournament in Båstad the very next week.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

One thing that intrigues me, if Jeff reads this, re Mats is - his Peak Elo seemed to be in 1983 and yet his best year was clearly 1988 when he won 3 of the 4 slams, QF in the other and had a 25-1 slam record. What was his 1988 ELO level, and why didnt that surpass 1983? Maybe it was quality of opponents, with Mac at his peak in 83 period

GAMEOVER · Satellite level

We have player no. 49 and it is Helen Jacobs . I think we both have her in our top 25 and Jeff has done her biography in 2 parts.

jsackmann · Social player

>What was his 1988 ELO level, and why didnt that surpass 1983?

It was actually quite a bit lower -- his peak in 1988 was 2215, and he never passed Lendl. He got a huge boost in late 1983 by the two tournaments when he beat both McEnroe and Lendl. I think Mac was rated higher in 1983 than anyone was in 1988, so that plays a role. In 1988, he got pretty lucky with draws--Cash in the Aussie final, no top-tenners at all at Roland Garros, and no top-20 players except for Lendl at the US Open. His only top-five opponent for the whole year (except for Lendl at the USO) was Edberg, who he beat twice.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

www.tennisabstract.com/blog/2022/09/09/the-tennis-128-no-49-helen-jacobs-part-1/

Indeed, Helen was in my top 50 overall and top 25 women. I cant recall what place and dont have my notes with me as we are away for a few days. Will read with interest

GAMEOVER · Satellite level

Jeff has now posted Helen Jacobs part 2. An interesting read. Next post is Tuesday 13th September.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

jsackmann wrote:
>What was his 1988 ELO level, and why didnt that surpass 1983?

It was actually quite a bit lower -- his peak in 1988 was 2215, and he never passed Lendl. He got a huge boost in late 1983 by the two tournaments when he beat both McEnroe and Lendl. I think Mac was rated higher in 1983 than anyone was in 1988, so that plays a role. In 1988, he got pretty lucky with draws--Cash in the Aussie final, no top-tenners at all at Roland Garros, and no top-20 players except for Lendl at the US Open. His only top-five opponent for the whole year (except for Lendl at the USO) was Edberg, who he beat twice.

Thanks Jeff , thats interesting to read - and looking forward to seeing how the top 50 unfolds

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

I wonder where Swiatek winning US Open and her third slam takes her in the top 128 list, if at all? Presumably outside still due to lack of longevity?