We’re counting down our seven fave tennis players of all time – and serving up some cool facts and stats, to boot!
(PS: Wonder why a Top 7 list starts with number 6? Read on to find out!)
No. 6: Andre Agassi
Birthday: April 29, 1970
Birthplace: Las Vegas, Nevada
Middle Name: Kirk
Notable Achievements:
Out of five male players to win all four Grand Slam singles titles Agassi’s the only one who did it on three different surfaces
He won 17 ATP Master Series tournaments – more than any other player in history
Between 1986 and 2006 he won more than $31.1 million in career earnings
In 1996 he won a gold medal at the Atlanta Olympics for the men’s singles competition
No. 5: Lindsay Davenport
Birthday: June 8, 1976
Birthplace: Palos Verdes, California
Middle Name: Ann
Notable Achievements:
Won three Grand Slam singles championships: the US Open (1998), Wimbledon (1999) and the Australian Open (2000)
She’s also won three Grand Slam doubles championships: French Open (1996), US Open (1997) and Wimbledon (1999)
At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics she won a gold medal in the singles final
She’s won 55 career singles titles since turning pro in 1993
No. 4: Roger Federer
Birthday: August 8, 1981
Birthplace: Basel, Switzerland
Notable Achievements:
Ranked number one in the world for a record 233 weeks
Has won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open in the same year three times
Has won 56 career titles and seven career doubles titles
His career earning total more than $41.7 million since 1999
No. 3: Rafael Nadal
Birthday: June 3, 1986
Birthplace: Manacor, Majorca
Middle Name: Doesn’t have one, but his full name is Rafael Nadal Parera
Notable Achievements:
Won an Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Games in Beijing
Had a career-best 32-match-long winning streak in 2008
He’s one of only two tennis players to win four French Opens in a row
He’s earned more than $19.9 million in career prize money so far
No. 2: Maria Sharapova
Birthday: April 19, 1987
Birthplace: Nyagan, Soviet Union
Middle Name: Yuryevna
Notable Achievements:
Was named top-paid female athlete with an income of $26 million from tennis victories and endorsements by Forbes magazine in 2008
Has won 19 career singles titles and three career doubles titles
Was named ESPN Best Female Tennis Player in 2005 and 2007
Was named Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme in 2007
No. 1: Serena & Venus Williams
Birthdays: September 26, 1981 (Serena) and June 17, 1980 (Venus)
Birthplaces: Saginaw, Michigan (Serena) and Lynwood, California (Venus)
Middle Names: Serena Jameka and Venus Ebone Starr
Notable Achievements:
The sisters have won a combined 32 Grand Slam singles and doubles titles (16 each)
Serena’s won over $20.2 million in career prize money; Venus has earned over $20 million during her career
Serena won the WTA Championship in 1991
Venus won two gold medals at the 200 Olympic Games in Sydney
Related Stories:
Male Tennis Players
Sports Couples
Serena Williams Bio
Federer Tennis Genius
