Players & legends
The greatest tennis players of all time
Every generation thinks it watched the best. In tennis, most of them were probably right about something.
Comparing eras in tennis is impossible and irresistible. Rackets changed, surfaces changed, the calendar changed. What survives comparison is dominance — who was so far ahead of everyone else that the record still looks improbable.
The men who redefined the ceiling
| Player | Grand Slam singles titles | What made them different |
|---|---|---|
| Novak Djokovic | 24 | The most complete defensive game ever built, and the best returner in history |
| Rafael Nadal | 22 | Fourteen French Opens. The most dominant single-surface record in any sport |
| Roger Federer | 20 | Made a brutally physical sport look like it cost him nothing |
| Pete Sampras | 14 | The serve-and-volley standard for a generation |
| Rod Laver | 11 | The only player to win the calendar Grand Slam twice, in 1962 and 1969 |
Djokovic's 24 majors is the men's record and ties the all-time singles mark shared with Margaret Court. Laver's number looks small only because he spent five prime years barred from the majors as a professional, before the Open era began in 1968.
The women who changed the game
- Serena Williams — 23 Grand Slam singles titles in the Open era, and a career that spanned three distinct generations of opponents.
- Margaret Court — 24 singles majors, the all-time record, spanning the amateur and Open eras.
- Steffi Graf — 22 majors, and the only player ever to win all four Grand Slams and Olympic gold in the same calendar year, in 1988.
- Martina Navratilova — 18 singles majors and a doubles record that arguably outshines it, with a peak level of net play nobody has matched.
- Billie Jean King — 12 majors, and more influence off the court than almost any athlete in any sport.
What club players can take from them
Nothing technical, honestly. What is transferable is simpler: all of them built points rather than gambling on them, all of them had one reliable shot they could hit under any pressure, and all of them were extraordinary at the boring parts — the second serve, the return, the ball down the middle.
If you want to work on the things they were all good at, the five technical fixes is the place to start. And padel has its own set of greats, in the legends of padel.
Frequently asked questions
Who has won the most Grand Slam singles titles?
Novak Djokovic holds the men's record with 24, tying Margaret Court's all-time singles mark of 24. Serena Williams has 23 and Steffi Graf 22.
Who is the greatest tennis player of all time?
There is no settled answer. By Grand Slam count Djokovic and Court lead; by dominance on one surface Nadal is unmatched; by influence Billie Jean King may top them all.
What is a calendar Grand Slam?
Winning all four majors in the same calendar year. Rod Laver did it twice, in 1962 and 1969 — still the only player to manage it more than once.
What is the Golden Slam?
All four Grand Slams plus Olympic gold in one calendar year. Steffi Graf achieved it in 1988 and remains the only singles player to have done so.