The Open Era began in 1968. Making lists like these to cover tennis history back to the first Wimbledon in 1877 would be a fascinating project, but it was hard enough adjusting for the huge evolution of tennis just since 1968. Besides, I'm afraid I didn't catch any TV coverage of the big 1877 tournaments.
If you're looking for the major records based on statistics, see Tennis All-Time Records. The lists below are much more subjective, and consequently, I expect that you'll disagree with some of the rankings. Before you declare me utterly crazy, though, keep in mind the following:
1. Each list is ranked only on its one criterion, not in terms of overall greatness. Some of the all-time greats don't make any of the lists.
2. Male and female players are compared to players of their own gender and era.
Now that we understand the framework, please do let me know where you disagree. I'll consider any amendments to these lists proposed at the tennis forum.
Fittest
- Thomas Muster
- Jim Courier
- Amanda Coetzer
- Ivan Lendl
- Margaret Court
- Rafael Nadal
- Michael Chang
- Steffi Graf
- Amanda Coetzer
- Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario
- Mansour Bahrami
- Roger Federer
- Rod Laver
- Martina Hingis
- Anna Kournikova
- Martina Hingis
- Billie-Jean King
- Arthur Ashe
- John McEnroe
- Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario
- Patrick Rafter
- Martina Navratilova
- Stefan Edberg
- John McEnroe
- Billie-Jean King
- Chris Evert
- Bjorn Borg
- Guillermo Vilas
- Tracy Austin
- Mats Wilander
- Hana Mandlikova
- Marcelo Rios
- Goran Ivanesevic
- Jana Novotna
- Chanda Rubin
Also stop by the tennis forum if you'd like to suggest a new criterion and nominate its winners.
