For more than two decades, the world of men’s tennis has been dominated by three names; Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. 2024 marks the first calendar year since 2002 that one of the ‘Big Three’ hasn’t won a Grand Slam title. However, before the talented trio above established their dominance, there were a number of talented stars with huge personalities who thrilled fans both on and off the court.
It’s never easy to rank competitors who played in different eras to each other, namely due to changes in fitness levels and the quality of courts and equipment available to modern players. Despite that challenge, we’ve compiled a list of the 10 greatest male players ever to grace the court.
These rankings are based on many factors, but the ability to win regularly at Grand Slams is a must. Additional credit has also been given to individuals who played in highly competitive eras.
Ranking factors include:
- Grand Slams won
- Style of play
- Ability on all surfaces
- Level of opponent
| Top 10 male tennis players of all time |
| Position |
Name |
Nationality |
Grand Slams |
| 1. |
Novak Djokovic |
Serbian |
24 |
| 2. |
Roger Federer |
Swiss |
20 |
| 3. |
Rafael Nadal |
Spanish |
22 |
| 4. |
Pete Sampras |
American |
14 |
| 5. |
Rod Laver |
Australian |
11 |
| 6. |
Bjorn Borg |
Swedish |
11 |
| 7. |
John McEnroe |
American |
7 |
| 8. |
Ivan Lendl |
Czech |
8 |
| 9. |
Jimmy Connors |
American |
8 |
| 10. |
Andre Agassi |
American |
8 |
