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Tennis is one of the major games played in the United States. It was first played in 1881 and was founded by the National Lawn Tennis Association. From the past few years, it has become more of a mainstream sport than a game that is played just for leisure. There are plenty of personalities behind this growth of tennis in the U.S. Since the time tennis has been played as a major sport, many great players have come and gone. However, some have become a name that is difficult to forget. Although choosing the best tennis players is a subjective and challenging task, we have tried to come up with a list of eight players whose records and longevity are remarkable.
If you have a long-life passion for this game, you must take a look at this article. Below given is a list of the eight best tennis players from the U.S. of all time.
Let’s take a look.
Andre Agassi is an American professional tennis player, a superb competitor, an excellent mover, and a brilliant thinker. His career spanned from the late 1980s to the mid-2000s. He is one of the finest strikers of a ball and the best tennis player in the professional sphere. Andre Agassi has a brilliant record with multiple records. During the Open Era, he became the first male tennis player to win four Australian Open titles and the fifth male player to achieve a Career Grand Slam. Not just in America, but he has a fan following all across the world. He is loved and respected as one of the best tennis players and spokesman for the game.
Full Name: Andre Kirk Agassi
Born: April 29, 1970
Residence: Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Turned pro: 1986
Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career record: 870–274 (Singles) & 40–42 (Doubles)
Retired: 2006
Prize money: US $31,152,975
Next on the list, we have a tennis superstar- John McEnroe. This American player is quite famous for his shot-making and volleying skills. He has an exceptionally fantastic tennis career with 77 singles and 78 doubles titles. John has also attained the number one position in the world rankings for both singles and doubles. He is one such player from whom you can’t take your eyes off. After creating a remarkable history in U.S. tennis, John retired from the sport in 2006. Even after that, he remained active and was seen competing in various senior events. Without a shadow of a doubt, John McEnroe is one of the best tennis players of all time.
Born: February 16, 1959
Residence: New York City, U.S.
Turned pro: 1978
Plays: Left-handed (one-handed backhand)
Career record: 883–198 (Singles) & 530–103 (Doubles)
Retired: 1994 (singles) & 2006 (doubles)
Prize money: US $12,552,132
If there’s one U.S. tennis player with whom the sheer emotions of the world are attached, then Jimmy Connors will definitely top the list. He is another former world no. 1 tennis player who topped the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings during the tenure of his career. Connors had a long and prolific career of a total of 268 weeks, among which he remained the top player for over 200 weeks. If you look back at his brilliant career, you will find out that he always fights to win. Every time he stepped on the tennis ground, he ended up adding a victory to his records. With a total of 109 tournament victories, Jimmy Connors has become one of the best tennis players.
Full Name: James Scott Connors
Born: September 2, 1952
Residence: Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
Turned pro: 1972
Plays: Left-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career record: 1274–283 (Singles) & 174–78 (Doubles)
Retired: April 29, 1996
Prize money: US $8,641,040
Pete Sampras is one of the greatest American tennis players who began his tennis career in 1988 and ended it in 2002. During this time, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles - five US Open titles, two Australian Opens, and seven Wimbledon titles. Sampras won the Wimbledon title in 2000, which established him as one of the finest and best tennis players of all time. Apart from this, the chip-and-charge game and the athleticism of Pete Sampras made him popular in tennis. He held the number one position in the world's tennis rankings of men for six consecutive years, making it clear how good a player he was.
Full Name: Petros Sampras
Born: August 12, 1971
Residence: Lake Sherwood, California, U.S.
Turned pro: 1988
Plays: Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Career record: 762–222 (Singles) & 64–70 (Doubles)
Retired: August 25, 2003
Prize money: US $43,280,489
All tennis enthusiasts must be familiar with Serena Williams. She is an American professional tennis player who was ranked number one in singles by The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) eight times between 2002 and 2017. In total, she managed to hold the position for 319 weeks. She is widely regarded as one of the best tennis players in the world, with a marvelous record of victories. Serena Williams is the most recent player to hold Grand Slam titles on each surface, i.e., hard, clay, and grass, in one calendar year. In 2016 and 2017, she was the world's highest-paid female athlete. Other than these, she also won the 'Laureus Sportswoman of the Year' award four times. She has a long list of victories that prove she’s one of the best tennis players.
Full Name: Serena Jameka Williams
Born: September 26, 1981
Residence: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, U.S.
Turned pro: October 1995
Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career record: 855–152 (Singles) & 190–34 (Doubles)
Prize money: US $ 94,518,971
Venus William is one of the best tennis players currently on number 52 in the WTA singles rankings. Venus is a notable player in the new era of power and athleticism in women's professional tennis. She started her career in 1994 when she was just fourteen years old. Since then, Venus Williams has won 73 WTA titles, four Olympic gold medals, and much more. At Rio de Janeiro Olympics 2016, she became the first female tennis player who won medals at four Olympics. Along with her sister, Serena Williams, she has created a history in the female tennis world that is unbeatable. With an iota of doubt, she is among the best tennis players on the U.S. team.
Full Name: Venus Ebony Starr William
Born: June 17, 1980
Residence: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, U.S.
Turned pro: October 31, 1994
Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career record: 815–264 (Singles) & 185–37 (Doubles)
Prize money: US $42,173,992
Next, we have Jim Courier on our list of best tennis players. He started his career in 1988 and has achieved fantastic success with ample titles. Some of Courier's notable victories include five Masters 1000 series titles and four Grand Slam singles titles, both at French Open and the Australian Open. Additionally, he reached the finals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. This makes it clear why Jim Courier is regarded as one of the best tennis players. Since 2005, he has also worked as a tennis commentator for Australian Open broadcasts. After lots of achievements, he retired from the sport in 2000.
Born: August 17, 1970
Residence: Orlando, Florida
Turned pro: 1988
Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career record: 506–237 (Singles) & 124–97 (Doubles)
Retired: 2000
Prize money: US $14,034,132
Last on the list, we have Lindsay Davenport. She is an American professional player known in the tennis world for her powerful and consistent groundstrokes. During her sports career, she ranked as number one for a total of 98 weeks in tennis singles and 32 weeks in tennis doubles. She won a total of 55 WTA Tour singles titles, 38 WTA Tour doubles titles, and many more. Currently, she is on number eight in the all-time rankings among female tennis players, surpassing Serena Williams in January 2009. In 2014, Lindsay was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. With so many victories, she is undoubtedly one of the best tennis players in the U.S.
Full Name: Lindsay Ann Davenport Leach
Born: June 8, 1976
Residence: Laguna Beach, California, U.S.
Turned pro: February 22, 1993
Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career record: 753–194 (Singles) & 387–116 (Doubles)
Retired: 2010 (last match)
Prize money: US $22,166,338
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