Tennis/Catalogs/Famous players
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This is a supplement to the article about Tennis and to the articles about the individual players.
Under construction: this will be a list of famous players, in chronological order. Although other players will also be included, this list will, at a minimum, include all players who have ever been considered to be the World No. 1 player or Co-No. 1 for an entire year.
Male
| Name | Biographical | Technique | Record | |||||||
| Event | S | D | MD | Wins | ||||||
|
Nationality: British |
Right handed Class: Amateur only Strength:Agressiveness; serve and overhead smash |
Grand Slam | 7 | 5 | 12 | ||||
| Davis Cup | teams | wins | ||||||||
| World #1 player | Played before rankings; also before Davis Cup was initiated | |||||||||
| National #1 player | {{{national rank years}}} | |||||||||
| Trivia: Was the younger, by 15 minutes, to his twin, Ernest Renshaw, also a Wimbledon singles champion; together they won Wimbledon doubles 5 times | ||||||||||
|
Nationality: NZ |
Right handed Class: Amateur only Strength:Hit his drives with great pace and overspin; defense and baseline play |
Grand Slam | 6 | 5 | 11 | ||||
| Davis Cup | 15-6 | 6-3 | 6 teams | 4 wins | ||||||
| World #1 player | 1913 | |||||||||
| National #1 player | {{{national rank years}}} | |||||||||
| Trivia: Joined the Royal Marines in World War I, rose to Captain; along with the American Joe Hunt, probably the most prominent tennis player ever killed on active service | ||||||||||
|
Nationality: American |
Right handed Class: Amateur only Strength:"Cannonball" serve; overhead smash; volleying Weakness:Retired at 29, perhaps worn out from his violent on-court exertions |
Grand Slam | 2 | 3 | 5 | ||||
| Davis Cup | 9-4 | 3-4 | 4 teams | 1 wins | ||||||
| World #1 player | 1914 | |||||||||
| National #1 player | {{{national rank years}}} | |||||||||
| Trivia: The first of the great serve-and-volley attackers | ||||||||||
|
Nationality: American |
Right handed Class: Amateur only Strength:Took ball on the rise using the Continental grip, going for winners on every shot; unbeatable when his game was "on" Weakness:Extremely erratic, could lose to much inferior players |
Grand Slam | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | |||
| Davis Cup | 6-3 | 4-0 | 6 teams | 5 wins | ||||||
| World #1 player | Was the U.S.A. No. 1 in 1916, when there were no world rankings because of World War I | |||||||||
| National #1 player | {{{national rank years}}} | |||||||||
| Trivia: Was a Titanic survivor, nearly had his legs amputated after being rescued from the near-freezing waters. | ||||||||||
|
Nationality: American |
Right handed Class: Amateur through 1930; thereafter a touring professional Strength:"Cannonball" serve; all-court game; speed and court coverage; intelligence and analytic ability to change strategy and tactics during matches Weakness:Initially, his backhand; possibly his overhead smash |
Grand Slam | 10 | 6 | 5 | 21 | |||
| Davis Cup | 25-5 | 9-2 | 11 teams | 7 wins | ||||||
| World #1 player | 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1931, second most to Pancho Gonzales | |||||||||
| National #1 player | {{{national rank years}}} | |||||||||
| Trivia: Beat Karel Koželuh before 14,000 in his professional debut at Madison Square Garden on February 18, 1931; thereafter toured for many years against other top professionals. Served two periods of incarceration near Los Angeles for morals charges involving underage males Davis Cup info: On 7 consecutive winning teams, 1920 through 1926, still a record | ||||||||||
|
Nationality: American |
Right handed Class: Amateur only; retired from competition in 1927 Strength:Topspin forehand drive hit shoulder-high with a Western grip; volleying from the service line Weakness:Backhand, which he hit with the same face of the racquet as his forehand; occasional physical fraility |
Grand Slam | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 | |||
| Davis Cup | 14-3 | 4-0 | 8 teams | 7 wins | ||||||
| World #1 player | 1919 | |||||||||
| National #1 player | {{{national rank years}}} | |||||||||
| Trivia: Died of tuberculosis at age 51 Davis Cup info: On 7 consecutive winning teams, 1920 through 1926, still a record | ||||||||||
|
Nationality: Czech |
right handed Class: Professional only, first as a coach, then as a touring pro |
Grand Slam | |||||||
| Davis Cup | teams | wins | ||||||||
| World #1 player | Never played amateur tournaments or Davis Cup matches | |||||||||
| National #1 player | {{{national rank years}}} | |||||||||
| Trivia: The American tennis player Vinnie Richards described Koželuh as "Seamy-faced, cadaverous-looking and, in general, resembled a cigar-store Indian;" was killed in an automobile crash outside Prague at age 55 | ||||||||||
|
Nationality: Australian |
Right handed Class: Amateur only Strength:Very hard serve, both flat and twist; smash; volleying; forehand |
Grand Slam | 3 | 5 | 1 | 9 | |||
| Davis Cup | 21-10 | 11-4 | 6 teams | 1 wins | ||||||
| World #1 player | 1919 | |||||||||
| National #1 player | {{{national rank years}}} | |||||||||
| Trivia: Won the Military Cross with Australian army in World War I; nephew of diva Dame Nellie Melba | ||||||||||
|
Nationality: French |
Right handed Class: Amateur only as a player; for a while was a teaching professional in California Strength:Doubles -- was the doubles specialist of the Musketeers; "A player of rare stroke variety and delicacy of touch." [1] |
Grand Slam | 10 | 2 | 12 | ||||
| Davis Cup | 4-2 | 22-9 | 11 teams | 6 wins | ||||||
| World #1 player | ||||||||||
| National #1 player | {{{national rank years}}} | |||||||||
| Trivia: Oldest and smallest of the Musketeers; nearly made the finals of the 1926 Wimbledon championship, having 5 match points in the semi-finals against Bob Kinney without winning any of them Davis Cup info: On 6 consecutive winning teams, from 1927 through 1932, but actually played in only 4 of them | ||||||||||
|
Nationality: French |
Right handed Class: Amateur only Strength:Attacking game and volleying; skillful gamesmanship; a great indoor player who won the French indoor title 12 times, the British 11, and the U.S. 4 |
Grand Slam | 4 | 9 | 3 | 16 | |||
| Davis Cup | 19-12 | 17-6 | 17 teams | 6 wins | ||||||
| World #1 player | ||||||||||
| National #1 player | {{{national rank years}}} | |||||||||
| Trivia: Always wore a blue beret during his matches; intensely disliked by Bill Tilden, the consummate showman, master of gamesmanship, and show-off — Tilden considered Borotra to be a show-off "a charlatan, the greatest faker in tennis history";[2] "Borotra [Tilden wrote] was what passes for 'typically' French. That is to say, he had all the charm, warmth, glamour and insincerity which is Paris." [3] Davis Cup info: On 6 consecutive winning teams, from 1927 through 1932; | ||||||||||
|
Nationality: American |
Left handed Class: Amateur into the 1940s, then became a successful tennis coach Strength:Very hard serve, one of the fastest in the world at the time Weakness:Lack of mobility compared to many other top players |
Grand Slam | |||||||
| Davis Cup | teams | wins | ||||||||
| World #1 player | Never had a national ranking because he played exclusively on the West Coast | |||||||||
| National #1 player | {{{national rank years}}} | |||||||||
| Trivia: Was sometimes mistakenly called "Roy" Casey in New York Times articles; most famous pupil was Bob Lutz | ||||||||||
|
Nationality: French |
Right handed Class: Amateur until 1934; had an undistinguished professional career; reinstated as an amateur in 1945 Strength:Taking the ball on the rise to make volleys and half-volleys; overhead; successful shots from apparently impossible positions; winning matches that apparently had been lost Weakness:"A weak serve, he seldom bothered to lob, and he had a backhand which Tilden characterized as 'a little too cramped and defensive.' "[4] |
Grand Slam | 7 | 5 | 3 | 15 | |||
| Davis Cup | 34-8 | 10-6 | 11 teams | 6 wins | ||||||
| World #1 player | 1928, 1929, 1930 | |||||||||
| National #1 player | {{{national rank years}}} | |||||||||
| Trivia: The only one of the Four Musketeers who turned professional | ||||||||||
|
Nationality: French |
Right handed Class: Amateur only Strength:Relentless backcourt returning; passing shots and lobs Weakness:Fragile health; retired in 1929 at age 25 |
Grand Slam | 7 | 3 | 10 | ||||
| Davis Cup | 32-8 | 8-3 | 6 teams | 2 wins | ||||||
| World #1 player | 1926, 1927 | |||||||||
| National #1 player | {{{national rank years}}} | |||||||||
| Trivia: For many years his polo shirts with the crocodile logo on the breast have been sold worldwide; developed the first successful metal racket, the Wilson T2000, used by Jimmy Connors; his daughter, Catherine Lacoste, won the U.S. Open gold title in 1967 | ||||||||||
|
Nationality: British |
Right handed Class: Amateur through 1936, then a touring professional through the mid-1940s Strength:Extremely good footwork and great speed; played an all-court attacking game dominated by a superb forehand that, with a Continental grip, took the ball on the rise Weakness:An "underslice" backhand;[5] was perceived as being selfish, sarcastic, and egotistical; Jack Kramer says that as a professional Perry frequently gave less than 100% in his matches, not caring whether he won or lost[6] |
Grand Slam | 8 | 2 | 4 | 14 | |||
| Davis Cup | 34-4 | 11-3 | 6 teams | 4 wins | ||||||
| World #1 player | 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1941 | |||||||||
| National #1 player | {{{national rank years}}} | |||||||||
| Trivia: Father was a Labour Party member of the House of Commons; Perry was a table tennis champion before taking up tennis Davis Cup info: Led Great Britain to 4 consecutive wins; Great Britain has never won since | ||||||||||
|
Nationality: American |
Right handed Class: Amateur until 1933, then a touring professional through 1939 Strength:Tremendously hard serve and forehand, both hit flat with no spin, "murderous" overhead,[7] good volleying Weakness:Very erratic, played with no margin of safety when hitting shots |
Grand Slam | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | |||
| Davis Cup | 13-3 | 0 | 2 teams | 0 wins | ||||||
| World #1 player | 1932, 1935, 1936, 1937 | |||||||||
| National #1 player | {{{national rank years}}} | |||||||||
| Trivia: Lost interest in tennis and at 28 became a professional golfer; won one professional golf tournament and reached the semi-finals of the 1951 PGA championship. | ||||||||||
|
Nationality: American |
Right handed Class: Amateur through 1938, then a touring professional through the early-1950s Strength:Universally considered to have had the greatest backhand of all time, at least until Ken Rosewall; very powerful serve; powerful all-court game; also considered a great doubles player Weakness:Hurt his shoulder during military service, which eventually rendered his overhead less effective |
Grand Slam | 6 | 4 | 4 | 14 | |||
| Davis Cup | 19-2 | 6-2 | 4 teams | 2 wins | ||||||
| World #1 player | 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1942 | |||||||||
| National #1 player | {{{national rank years}}} | |||||||||
| Trivia: In 1938 was the first man to achieve the singles Grand Slam by winning the four major tournaments: Australian, French, United States, and Wimbledon championships | ||||||||||
|
Nationality: American |
Right handed Class: Amateur through 1941, then a touring professional for a few years after World War II Strength:Return of serve; lob; dropshot; passing shots; overhead smash; court coverage; all-round defensive game; calm temperament Weakness:Smaller than many of his opponents such as Budge and Kramer, and not as powerful, but no noticeable weaknesses |
Grand Slam | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | |||
| Davis Cup | 2-2 | 2 teams | 2 wins | |||||||
| World #1 player | 1941, 1946, 1947 | |||||||||
| National #1 player | {{{national rank years}}} | |||||||||
| Trivia: Played women's champion Billie Jean King in "The Battle of the Sexes" in 1975, a match televised worldwide; was notorious as a highly successful hustler in both tennis and golf, particularly after his retirement from top-level tennis; generally thought of as a defensive player, but had a fine serve and volley and frequently played a very agressive game | ||||||||||
|
Nationality: American |
Right handed Class: Amateur through 1941, then an occasional touring professional for a number of years after World War II Strength:His best shot, says Kramer, was "a hard, angled backhand crosscourt, but he could never figure out how to set it up so he could take advantage of it." [8] Weakness:"Kovacs had picture strokes, but the reason he could never win anything is because he didn't have any idea how to go about winning. He never had a set plan for a match. Hell, he never had a set plan for a shot. He could sort of decide what to do with it halfway through the stroke." [9] |
Grand Slam | |||||||
| Davis Cup | teams | wins | ||||||||
| World #1 player | ||||||||||
| National #1 player | {{{national rank years}}} | |||||||||
| Trivia: Known for his on-court eccentricities, such as chewing tennis balls; one source says that as of October, 1951, Kovacs held a remarkable 14-3 lead over Jack Kramer, the world's best player, in their head-to-head meetings, which is difficult to credit;[10] his cousin was the entertainer Ernie Kovacs. | ||||||||||
- Jack Crawford 22 March 1908
- Gottfried von Cramm 7 July 1909
- Pancho Segura 20 June 1921
- Jack Kramer 1 August 1921
- Frank Sedgman 29 October 1927
- Pancho Gonzales 9 May 1928
- Ken Rosewall 2 November 1934
- Lew Hoad 23 November 1934
- Rod Laver 9 August 1938
- John Newcombe 23 May 1944
- Boris Becker 22 November 1967
- Arthur Ashe
- Jimmy Connors
- Björn Borg
- John McEnroe
- Pete Sampras
- Andre Agassi
- Juan Carlos Ferrero
- Lleyton Hewitt
- James Blake
- Roger Federer
- Rafael Nadal
Female
- Helen Wills Moody (USA) 10-6-05
- Althea Gibson (USA) 8-25-27
- Margaret Court (Australia) 7-16-42
- Billie Jean King (USA) 11-22-43
- Virginia Wade (England) 7-10-45
- Evonne Goolagong Cawley 7-31-51 (Australia)
- Martina Navratilova (Czechoslovakia/USA) 10-18-56
- Chris Evert 3-21-54
- Tracy Austin (USA) 12-12-62
- Steffi Graf (Germany) 6-14-69
- Monica Seles (Yugoslavia/USA) 12-2-73
- Inmaculada Concepción ("Conchita") Martinez (Spain) 4-16-72
- Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (Spain) 12-18-71
- Mary Pierce (Canada/USA) 1-15-75
- Jennifer Capriati (USA) 3-29-76
- Lindsay Davenport (USA) 6-8-76
- Amélie Mauresmo (France) 7-5-79
- Venus Williams (USA) 6-17-80
- Martina Hingis (Switzerland) 12-30-80
- Serena Williams (USA) 12-26-81
- Justine Henin - (Belgium) 6-1-82
- Kim Clijsters (Belgium) 6-8-83
- Maria Sharapova (Russia) 4-19-87
References
- ↑ Wallis Myers, quoted in Total Tennis, The Ultimate Tennis Encyclopedia, edited by Bud Collins, Sport Classic Books, Toronto, 2003, page 650
- ↑ Big Bill Tilden, The Triumphs and the Tragedy - Frank DeFord, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1976, page 139
- ↑ Big Bill Tilden, The Triumphs and the Tragedy - Frank DeFord, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1976, page 139
- ↑ Big Bill Tilden, The Triumphs and the Tragedy - Frank DeFord, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1976, page 142
- ↑ Kramer, pages 58
- ↑ Kramer, pages 59-61
- ↑ Total Tennis, The Ultimate Tennis Encyclopedia, edited by Bud Collins, Sport Classic Books, Toronto, 2003, page 753
- ↑ Kramer, page 51
- ↑ Kramer, page 51
- ↑ McCauley, page 198
Sources
- Big Bill Tilden, The Triumphs and the Tragedy, by Frank DeFord, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1976, ISBN 0-671-22254-6
- Total Tennis, The Ultimate Tennis Encyclopedia, edited by Bud Collins, Sport Classic Books, Toronto, 2003
- The Game, My 40 Years in Tennis, by Jack Kramer with Frank Deford, G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1979, (ISBN 0-399-12336-9