There is no denying that throughout history some of the greatest athletes to ever step onto a sports arena have been tennis players. These stars do not only possess the talent and skill, but also show tremendous heart and dedication towards their sport. Let’s take a look at some of the best tennis players in history:

Rafael Nadal

            Rafael ‘Rafa’ Nadal has on numerous occasions proven himself to be one of the best competitors on today’s ATP tour. He has an impressive record of winning tournaments such as Wimbledon, French Open, etc. Nadal is one player who can never be written off when playing against opponents ranked higher than him .

            Of all his achievements so far, perhaps his most noteworthy one is finishing the 2010 season as world no. 1 in both ATP and doubles ranking, thus becoming the only player in history to hold two year-end No. 1 spots simultaneously.

            Nadal was proclaimed “The King of Clay” by his fans because he has performed exceptionally well on this surface, especially at the French Open which he has won a record nine times .

Chris Evert

            Chris Evert continues to remain one of the greatest female players ever even though she retired from competitive tennis almost 25 years ago. She holds a record of winning 18 Grand Slam singles titles her career while appearing in 30 finals . She is one of only five tennis players to have won the career Grand Slam and is also the only player in history to have won at least 100 singles matches in each Grand Slam event.

            Evert was ranked world no. 1 for a total of 7 years, thus being one of seven women to have reached this milestone . In addition, she was the year-end top ranked player four times which is another record she holds with Steffi Graf.

Billie Jean King

            Billie Jean King led the way in pushing for gender equality and was instrumental in developing greater opportunities for female tennis players in terms of prize money and endorsements . King was the year-end no. 1 player in 1975 and won 39 Grand Slams titles during her career (12 singles, 16 women’s doubles, and 11 mixed doubles). She is one of only seven players to have won all four Grand Slam tournaments.

Steffi Graf

            Steffi Graf is another player who remained dominant during her generation while also achieving an impressive list of records during her stellar career . Overall, she holds 22 Grand Slam titles , which includes a record 13 singles titles , thus making her the third most successful female tennis player in history . Graf was also ranked world no. 1 for 186 consecutive weeks which is another record she holds with Chris Evert.

Roger Federer

            Roger Federer might well be the greatest tennis player that ever lived, given his incredible list of achievements . He has won a record 17 Grand Slam singles titles , including eight Wimbledon tournaments. He is also one of only four male players in history to have achieved a career Grand Slam and is the only male player to win at least 10 titles at three different Grand Slam events (Wimbledon, Australian Open, US Open).