Newsflash: The Bryans became the best doubles team in history. Djokovic: 10. He is currently ranked No. Everyone else, I believe, would benefit greatly from . A helpful place to start when considering who might make a list of the best players of all time are the challenges we face making comparisons. 3 in men's singles tennis by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Chris Evert was once known for 1,309 appearances, a record number. In total, Nadal has claimed an unprecedented 13 French Open titles. Home > Opinion > 10+ Best Tennis Players of All Time, Improve your game alongside our community of tennis players. Stockton edged Gottfried to win the singles championship. Tennis Strategy by Grant Grinnell. Jung was awarded the prestigious ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award his junior season for his outstanding play and leadership. Stefen Edberg. That year, Laver claimed the Wimbledon title. But it is far from the only thing on coaches' minds as . In 1984, he had a stellar year with his only finals appearance at the French Open and titles at Wimbledon and the US Open. He won a total of 16 Davis Cup titles in his 22 year spell as coach of the Australian Davis Cup Team between 1939 to 1967. In recent years, he has won many big titles back to back, surpassing the track record of other great players like Waldner. References. He was named the ITA National Player of the Year and an ITA Singles All-American for the second consecutive year. Regardless of your stance, the weight of specific stats or accomplishments will undoubtedly influence the ranking of players. Despite the wound healing relatively quickly, the attack took its toll on Seles, who didnt return to the tour until 1995, resulting in her missing ten Grand Slam events during that time. Federer owns 15 more titles, over 100 extra weeks as world No. Stanfords young 95 team included Jeff Salzenstein, Scott Humphries and Paul Goldstein, who like Steve Johnson, played on four championship teams. Norrie received a scholarship from Texas Christian University and played tennis for the Horned Frogs from 2014 to 2017, becoming the top-ranked college player in the nation. Top 100 College Football Players Of All Time Quiz - By forrestsancomb. From 2000 to 2009, tennis had some of the greatest men's tennis players of all time.These are some of the most talented 2000s tennis players to ever live, so if you're a fan of tennis and are aspiring to play tennis professionally then these people should be your idols. He was an American tennis player who won a total of 77 career titles in his playing years. Jeremy on May 15, 2020: As of now, he shares his record Grand Slam titles with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. 10. He captured his first professional singles title at the Godfrey Futures by taking the day over Rudy Siwy. Stanford, 1998 Given enough time, another player will come along that does what many now believe to be impossible. Ashe won the singles, and then the doubles with Ian Crookenden. He was the schools first champion since 2000. I created a custom vibration dampener thats compatible with all racquets and string patterns. Tennis Channel/USTA College Tennis Top 25. But in 73 they didnt just lose one top player, they lost their top two. UCLA, 1965-1966 Charlie Pasarell, Arthur Ashe, Ian Crookenden. He is a three-time Olympic gold medalist (2016, 2020, 2020), three-time . Throughout their careers, the two played 34 times, and Sampras won 20 of those matches. Finally, how convincing of a defeat over a player throughout their head-to-head meetups might be worth considering. Just making it into the top 25 is Lleyton Hewitt. Theres no doubt that Gustavo Kuerten deserves mention on this list, but he is a specialist for the most part. 3 in the world and was the only player to win NCAA singles and doubles titles back to back. In March 1991, Seles replaced Stefi Graf as world No. Outside of singles, Serena has had a successful career in doubles, primarily competing with her sister. Shes placed particular emphasis on Grand Slam events as she attempts to tie Margaret Court for the most Grand Slams of any player in history. 1 Margaret Court in a small clay court tournament held in Charlotte, NC. He is one of the few players to achieve the career Golden Slam, meaning that he won all four Grand Slams and Olympic gold. Barry Sanders #5. They won back-to-back NCAA doubles titles and were part of a four-year run in which USC won the NCAAs from 66 to 69. Born on October 18, 1956, in Czechoslovakia, Martina Navratilova also competed as a US citizen after receiving her citizenship in 1981. 1 in the Oracle ITA Singles Rankings a first for the program. Coming off his NCAA titles, McDonald was awarded a wildcard into the 2016 US Open. 6. Of course, we had to make the cutoff somewhere, so here are a few additional men worth noting. 5 Point Friday After significant analysis and deep consideration of the most accomplished players in tennis, heres our list of the ten greatest male tennis players of all time. Check out the Men's tennis worldwide rankings for 2023, here at ESPN.com. If not for Federer, he likely would have won a few more trophies along the way. 8 - Andre Agassi. Vote for the best, vote down any players you don't think deserve a spot up top and of course, feel free to rerank this list however you want. Many would say that this is the year Novak Djokovic finally took over as the greatest tennis player of all time. He became the first mens player to sweep the NCAA individual titles in 15 years. Djokovic has also eclipsed the rapidly fading Nadal as the active player with the best chance to eclipse Federer for best ever, even if he has far to go in the major title tally (12 to Federer's 17). Skip to primary navigation; . Top Men's Tennis Programs. It doesnt make accomplishments from years past less impressive, relevant, or important, but its a factor that we should weigh when making comparisons. Agassi also managed to earn himself a career Super Slam, which he is the only player to hold, and a Golden Slam, the latter of which has only been matched by Rafael Nadal. They promptly lost, but the team went 24-0 and won the national championship, and Mac won the singles. 1. For example, suppose Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic never showed up in tennis. I have actually included 11 players here with two greats tied for the 10th position. His performances in 2015 and 2021 were equally impressive on many levels, both years earning three Grand Slam titles. The NCAA tennis championships began in 1883 on the courts of a Hartford insane asylum. For example, if one player has a winning record against a player with straight-set victories is more compelling than a player who has a winning record where every match was highly competitive and could have gone either way. Stanford, 1978 She holds the fifth-most career titles of any woman in the Open Era at 73 and has a record 855-152 in matches for a win rate of 84.9%. He was first ranked No. John McEnroe is another of the greatest male tennis players of all time. 2 at USC. Plus John Isners Georgia Bulldogs, Kevin Andersons Illini and recent Virginia Cavalier teams all earned A+s. Regardless, shes well deserving of the title as one of the best female tennis players of all time. He held a 15-4 singles record and a perfect 26-0 doubles record. Born on August 12, 1971, Pete Sampras is an American tennis player who was considered by many to be the best tennis player of all time at his retirement. 3 behind Jeff Borowiak, who would become No. However, throughout his career, Sampras got the best of him. Now decades after his passing, he still remains one of the biggest faces for the fight against AIDS. Vernon Gholston, the powerhouse defensive end, easily claims the title. Ramanathan Krishnan. Top 10 Greatest Men's Tennis Players of All Time: 10. From talent pools to court surfaces, gear, the physicality of the sport, advances in medicine, and even the stress and pressure players face, its constantly changing from one decade to the next. A lot has changed in the sport, but its hard to argue that he doesnt deserve at least a little bit of consideration near the top. Roger Federers most significant rivalries in his career are Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The last comment and 13 other comment(s) need to be approved. John Whitlinger, Jim Delaney and Chico Hagey (who a few weeks earlier had been Stanfords No. I hope you enjoy the resources. 1. Australian Rod Laver was born on August 3, 1938, and players and fans widely regard him as one of the greatest players of all time. The Ohio State University. A. andfor Legend. 1. Shed only lose one more match the entire year to Navratilova, going an astounding 75-2 for the year. Andy Lloyd was a Forest Hills quarterfinalist and Butch Newman lost only one dual match in his collegiate career. Their loaded roster also included 77 collegiate champ Matt Mitchell. Still, the teams best singles players roommates Dennis Ralston and Rafael Osuna played each other in the US Nationals for three straight years and together won the 60 Wimbledon doubles crown. However, he was also banned or chose to skip out on the French Open from 1974 1978 due to his World Team Tennis association. Like Evert, Navratilova won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, including three at the Australian Open, two at the French Open, nine at Wimbledon, and four at the US Open. 7) all stepped up at USCs new tennis center to take Stanfords first title, in what would become a dynastic run of 17 championships. Venus turned pro at the early age of 14 in 1994 when she played her first WTA tournament. Winning only one Grand Slam title might not be impressive to the average person, but Andy Roddick had the challenge of coming up through the ranks at the same time as Roger Federer. 3 in singles and collected three Slam doubles championships, they went 36-0 and won the NCAAs for the only time in school history. Table of Contents show. And as fabulous as USCs singles lineup was, their doubles teams with Bill Bond, Tom Edlefson and Ramsey Earnhart were even stronger. He started playing professional tennis in 1998 and was dominating the sport after defeating Andre Agassi at the US Open in 2005. The list of his accomplishments in tennis goes on and on. It was the most selfless team Ive hadIt was probably the best team in recent history. The top four players would alternate playing No. Learn with comprehensive resources to help you improve your game. The men's tennis team has won 12 Big Ten Championships and has made eight All-Americans, 23 NCAA singles appearances, and 11 NCAA doubles appearances. Track & Field (O) - Men . Book. Bjrn Borg resides in Monte Carlo, Monaco, but was born in Sweden on June 6, 1956. Their No. Toward the end of 1982, Graf turned pro, and she played her first full season the following year at the surprisingly young age of 13. However, winning a Grand Slam in 2014, 2015, and 2016 put him in the top 25. The big reason why thats the case is that Rafael Nadal won them all during his prime. Bob Bryan won the singles championship over Goldstein. Her most notable record related to Grand Slam titles was her 1970 performance, where she won all four Grand Slam events in the calendar year. Compilation of the top singles points from matches featured on this channel during the 2020 college tennis season. Then again, insanity has never stopped us before. However, our analysis suggests a bit of a different story, with her results overshadowing the past performance of other female tennis players who may deserve the title. Throughout her career, she held that ranking for a total of 332 weeks, second only to Stefi Graf. He was part of the winning team in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1992, and 1992. 1 in the world in 1983, and he held that post for a total of 270 weeks throughout his career. The team won two titles, in 70 (sans Jimbo) and in 71. She played a limited schedule for the following two years but accumulated a few solid wins, including her first top 20 victory in 1995. For example, Bjrn Borg played professional tennis for roughly ten years, while Jimmy Connors played for more than double that at 24 years. Giron reached a career high ranking of No. In 2003, Henin claimed her first Grand Slam title at the French Open, making her the first Belgian ever to win a Grand Slam. He is also one of only two players to achieve a career Golden Slam winning all four majors and a Gold Medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. ranking, but despite her success, she only held that post for two weeks throughout her career. Between 2004-2008 he was number one for a . This incredible player started his professional career young and won six of his first major singles at 17. NCSA analyzed over 880 four-year colleges with men's college tennis programs across four division levels (D1, D2, D3 and NAIA) to develop a list of the Best Men's Tennis Colleges for Student-Athletes.. NCSA Power Rankings are based on proprietary analysis of NCSA Favorites data obtained from the college search activity of the over 3 million student-athletes on . After going 21-1 at the No. Stefi Graf is third all-time on the title leaderboard with 107 and has a singles career record of 900-115 for a win rate of 88.7%. Andre Agassi is one of the best tennis players of all time, capturing the hearts of fans with his flamboyance, fierce competitiveness, and pure. However, it wasnt until 1974 that Borg captured his first French Open title at the age of 18. The now 39 year old, also holds the record for the most weeks as number one (310). Here are D1baseball.com's picks for the best college baseball players of the 64-Team/Super Regional Era. Combine that with his dominance as world No. Three collegians with St. Louis connections made their mark on college tennis Chuck McKinley, Arthur Ashe and a feisty fellow named Jimmy Connors. Others claim that John whos often said to be the seventh-best player ever was the most talented college player of all time. However, dig a little deeper, and its surprisingly nuanced, brimming with subjectivity and emotion. Of course the level of tennis is the other major factor. Serenas first title came in early 1999, and later that year, she also claimed her maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open. Men and women dont compete against each other in singles. It wasnt until 2004 that hed win his first singles ATP title. 8. 10. And collegian Arthur would go on to become an icon. Your email address will not be published. 1 in doubles. Its relatively easy to identify who deserves to be near the top of the list for the best male tennis players of all time. In 1993, Sampras reached the world No. She appeared in the semi-finals at the French Open and competed against Venus Williams in the finals of Wimbledon. Grass. 3. He made a huge statement winning a pair of titles at the French Open and Australian Open for his career. Begin typing to search, use arrow keys to navigate, Enter to select. better than all others in quality or value. New posts Search forums. Throughout his career, Nadals most significant rivalries have come against the only two players I rank above him for the greatest male tennis players of all time. List of male doubles tennis players. She followed up those results with an excellent 2007, where she won the French Open for the third consecutive year and the US Open. In addition to his deep runs in the individual NCAA Championships, Anderson led the Illini to the finals of the team competition in 2007. His two Grand Slam titles in singles only tell part of the story, as he was able to pick up five more in some form of doubles. Its a crucial factor because the sport is constantly changing and evolving. Tennys Sandgren | University of Tennessee. He finished with 11 Grand Slams, and was the first to dominate the French Open and Wimbledon in the Open Era. Our writers made the case for Djokovic, Pete Sampras, Rafael Nadal, Bjorn Borg and Roger Federer. USC, 2011-2013. Similarly, all of his Wimbledon titles were consecutive from 1976 -1980. He reached #1 in the world and dominated during the U.S. Open run, but he was a mainstay in the top 10 for quite a while as well. This week we have been analysing the best male players of the past 50 years. As a result, its common for competitive singles players to pull back on doubles as they achieve more success because the money isnt as crucial, and there is a desire to conserve energy, protect their health, and improve their longevity. For such a small school to have two of your all-time top ten teams shows what an incredible job Clarence Mabry and later Bob McKinley did with limited resources. Outside of singles, Navratilova has one of the most impressive doubles careers in history. In the three years that followed, Seles was dominant, winning six of the eight Grand Slam events in 1991 and 1992. 1 singles slot his junior season, Norrie also claimed TCUs season singles winning percentage record. Another factor that often arises when selecting the best players of all time is the depth of field or how many elite players were competing during any highly successful players time on tour. After qualifying at ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati, Wolf reached a career high ranking of 143. However, in 1924, the Olympics dropped tennis due to disagreements between the International Olympic Committee and International Lawn Tennis Federation. When it came to team competition, King helped lead the United States to 11 victories, four of which she was the captain. In a 23 year career spanning four decades, the Swiss has spent a combined 310 weeks at world no.1 and holds the longest streak at world no 1. in Open Era history, having topped the ATP rankings for a four and a half year period (237 weeks) from 2004 to . Venus Williams (Born: June 17, 1980) Venus Williams is an American professional tennis player. Read Also: Top 15 Best College Tennis Teams Ever 2022 Ranking. She holds three Gold medals in doubles with her sister Venus and earned a singles gold at the 2012 London Olympics. When he first burst on the scene in the 1970s, that playing style was very much ahead of his time. All Rights Reserved. This question a few years ago was Federer and Federer only, but now he has company. Here we have listed our picks for the top 12 best tennis players of all time: Top 12 Best Tennis Players of All Time 12. She turned pro in 1959 and first competed in the US Open at the age of 15, and although her opponent eliminated her in the first round, she showed great promise. Although identifying the challenges doesnt remove subjectivity, it allows us to keep those factors in mind and ensures we weigh them accordingly when establishing a ranking. Hopefully, the combination helps explain why we ranked players as we did while providing a jumping-off point for future debate. Ramanathan Krishnan (born 11 April 1937) is a retired tennis player from India who was among the world's leading players in the 1950s and 1960s. Heading into the 2020 US Open, McDonald is ranked No. 7. Marcos Girons debut at the US Open came in 2014 when he earned a wild card into the Grand Slam after winning the NCAA Singles Championships. She also won the Australian Open to start 1993 before a deranged fan stabbed her in April. However, in 2005, he earned his first Grand Slam singles title, winning the French Open to wrap up a dominant clay-court season and becoming one of only two male players to win the French Open on his first attempt. Novak Djokovic has won 19 singles Grand Slams and was ranked world number 1 in 2011. The greatest Australian mens tennis player ever now has an arena named after him in Melbourne. -Search for former college tennis stars on the men's professional tour. And college tennis has changed so drastically that its insane to try to come up with an all-time collegiate top 10. For years they were at the heart of the US Davis Cup team. Unfortunately, that would be the only two career Grand Slams for him. Quinn Meinerz. Before finishing his career as a Buckeye, Wolf won the schools first ITA Mens All-American Singles Championship and was named an ITA All-American in singles. For a guy who is so well known for his outbursts on and off the court, some forget just how good he was. She has won 23 Grand Slam Titles, 73 career titles, and is by far the best player active today. However, she was denied the opportunity by the WTA due to age restrictions. The left-hander from the United States finished his career with seven Grand Slams, and he became an icon in the sport fairly early on. Despite that, she did manage to win a singles gold medal at the Athens Summer Olympics. However, he impressed once again, winning another calendar-year Grand Slam in 1969. Thread starter Clemson_tennis; Start date May 28, 2012; Prev. He would then win another Wimbledon title in 2016. He was also a great doubles player, holding the #1 ranking in the world in singles and doubles at one point in his career. For example, which of the following hypothetical players is better: Theres no doubt the Grand Slam events are the most prestigious and challenging for a player to win. 3 player. 10 - Jimmy Connors. Cameron Norrie | Texas Christian University. Wolf turned professional a little over a year ago in July of 2019. Steve Johnsons collegiate career is the stuff of legends. 1 ranking for the first time, a position he held for a total of 101 weeks during his career. Every generation produced great tennis stars, dating all the way back to the 1890s. 21. As reigning NCAA Singles champion, he made a tour-level debut at the 2010 US Open as a wildcard. 7 in the world, and the injured Pat Dupre, who reached the 79 Wimbledon semis, were out. Born on August 8, 1981, in Switzerland, Roger Federer is one of the most dominant players in the history of our sport with a massive number of impressive stats that will cement him as one of the greatest players of all time. 1 Roger Federer Roger Federer (born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss former professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No. He will be seeking his first tour-level win at the Open. Born in Serbia on May 22, 1987, Novak Djokovic is currently my pick for the best mens tennis player of all time. 1, and has a more diverse record for Grand Slam events, while Nadals success heavily skews toward clay. top 50 players 2023; Trinity, 1972 Similarly, is it more impressive that a player wins a Grand Slam at the age of 16 or 35? 1. However, as it stands now, I think Federer is more deserving of this spot. USC, 1967-1968 Right off the bat, he was seeing success and making deep runs into some of the worlds biggest tournaments, including the French Open and Wimbledon. When Boris Becker was on grass or indoor carpet courts, it was nearly impossible to beat him. NCSA analyzed over 880 four-year colleges with mens college tennis programs across four division levels (D1, D2, D3 and NAIA) to develop a list of the Best Mens Tennis Colleges for Student-Athletes. Answer (1 of 21): A lot of people have answered some technical aspects. And he won the singles at the 63 US Nationals at Forest Hills. New posts New profile . 6 in the world, beat Roy Emerson to reach the 63 US Nationals final, where he lost to Osuna. Most can only . He holds the joint-record for the most grand slams in history and has consistently dominated the court since he turned pro in 1998. In his short career, Bjorn Borg was able to accomplish a lot. For all those reasons, this is a justifiable choice. You could even take it a step further and evaluate the perceived level of competition present at the tournaments where a player won or how convincingly they defeated their opponents during matches. Over the course of four seasons, Johnson was named an ITA All-American seven times. Henin saw success immediately on the WTA tour, winning her first tour event as a wildcard at the Belgian Open in Antwerp. 2. Video History Championship Info. To date, hes the only player to achieve that feat twice in his career, and only five players on the mens and womens side have won a calendar Grand Slam. However, out of all the finals he reached, he only won eight Grand Slams. Not having the same amount of success at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open probably contributes to him not getting some of the recognition he rightly deserves. One of the most dominating seasons ever. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the essential meaning of best as: By definition, the word best is subjective. 7. However, she didnt officially turn pro until 1975, when she was runner up at the Australian Open and French Open. Can you imagine Federer and Nadal on the same college team? Not surprisingly, Stanfords Dick Gould, who was said to reload rather than recruit, managed to get him to drop by the Farm for one historic season. Moreover, 9 of Novak Djokovics and 6 of Roger Federers Grand Slam titles came on this surface. 1 ranking and, to date, has held that position for 319 weeks. However, as those achievements narrow, its natural for individuals to introduce their opinion on various factors that should carry more weight making it more challenging for consensus. Go. (Skip to the end of the article to view our top 10 list if you have want to save time). 2. There are tennis fans who sometimes forget just how dominant Jim Courier was during his prime. Born in Belleville, IL, in 1952, Jimmy Connors is an American tennis player who turned pro in 1972 at the age of 20. Born on June 1, 1982, Justine Henin is a Belgium tennis player who turned pro in 1999 at 17. The longevity of Jimmy Connors career has boosted him a bit, but its hard to put him any higher than this. When she was 9, she moved with her family (including fellow tennis great and sister Venus) to Florida. He won 8 Grand Slam titles, an Olympic gold medal, spent 101 weeks as the world number one, and received over $31 million in . Federer: 11. 1 ranking for 67 consecutive weeks, which is quite an achievement. Born November 22, 1943, in America, Billie Jean King has had a tremendous impact on the sport during and after her retirement. By the time he was 21 years old, he already had a U.S. Open and Wimbledon title to his name. At age 25, Norrie is entering his prime, and has reached a career-high ranking of 41 in the world. Now, hes on tour and will play in the US Open this week. He finished his collegiate career ranked No. In 1960, at the age of 18, Court began playing professional tennis and quickly enjoyed success, including her first major title at the Australian Open, then named the Australian Championships. However, only 62 of these occurred in the Open Era, so she doesnt have the achievement during this period. Trinity turned tenniss California dream into a nightmare. The Tour de Frances loss was tennis gain. His determination keeps him in any match. In 2002, Venus ascended to the world No. Highest Ranking. 2 reviews of JXS Tennis Academy "Joe at JSX Tennis Academy has been my tennis instructor since the early 1990's when we started at the Dedham Health and Athletic Time. In 1974, Chris Evert claimed her first Grand Slam victories at the Fench Open and Wimbledon, which sparked a 13-year string where she won at least one Grand Slam event for a total of 18, which no other player has accomplished since. I have followed Joe to his company JXS Tennis Academy at Babson College and I love it. 24) Ralph Sampson (Virginia) College Averages: 16.9 points, 1.2 assists, 11.4 rebounds. His dominance at an older age shows just what he was possible of if he came along a little bit later. Before this year, professional tennis players who played tennis for money werent allowed to compete in many of the biggest tennis tournaments, including the Grand Slam events. A Terrible Splendor by Marshall Jon Fisher. Dick Butkus. In 2006, Kevin Anderson and Ryan Rowe became only the third Illinois duo to capture the NCAA Doubles Championship. Shes also the second oldest woman behind Serena Williams to have held this position. He came back from two sets down to beat him 36, 26, 64, 75, 75. In-depth Resources Popular German former tennis player Boris Becker is ranked number ten on the list of the greatest tennis players in history. 5/21/2021. For example, as black athletes, Serena and Venus Williams overcame unprecedented challenges growing up to break into tennis. Never again would such a tiny school achieve so much. However, he wouldnt play his first ATP tour event until 2004, and hed claim his first ATP title in 2006. Its hard to imagine that Rosewall would dominate in todays game standing only 57 tall and under 150 pounds, but he made it work during his prime. It wasnt that the professionals werent as talented, far from it. *Please note that not all the stats included above are relevant for consideration as the best player ever. During the 13 years that she won at least one Grand Slam event, she was absent from the event seven times. After all, if someone is coming up with their list of the best tennis players of all time, they might want to consider the whole player beyond their talents on the court. Another perhaps less visible or challenging factor to consider, especially when looking back at players in history, is a deep understanding of the adversity or difficulties a player had to overcome during their career. Winning Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces can be a huge challenge. 1 in the Oracle ITA Singles Rankings. Erase the USA (No Outlines) 3. He earned his Olympic gold medal in 1996 in Atlanta, GA. Agassi also was a solid contributor at the Davis Cup and helped lead the United States to three titles in 1990, 1992, and 1995. For most coaches, the recruiting process begins with academics. Active Career: 1983 - 1996. The winner of three Wimbledon championships, he finished his career with six Grand Slams overall. Agassi was well known for his rivalry against all-time great Pete Sampras. Hes only reached the quarterfinals twice, and has never been beyond that. But something happened in the last 20 years. Top ten ranked male tennis players (1912-1972) She also made it to 11 other Grand Slam finals, where her opponent defeated her. He used his size and athleticism to get to the net, and that helped him win six Grand Slams. Here are a few of the factors that present challenges when drawing comparisons.