The 20 Most Iconic Tennis Players of All Time

Some of these names changed how the game looks, others changed who gets to play it. Trophies matter here, but so do headbands and headlines.

1. 1
   Serena Williams

   Winner of 23 Grand Slam singles titles whose power game and presence reshaped women's tennis.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Andre Agassi

   American showman who completed the career Grand Slam and won Olympic gold.
   730pts
3. 3
   Maria Sharapova

   Russian who won Wimbledon at 17 and completed the career Grand Slam.
   691pts
4. 4
   Steffi Graf

   German champion who won 22 majors and the 1988 Golden Slam.
   584pts
5. 5
   Venus Williams

   Five-time Wimbledon champion who pushed the sport toward equal prize money.
   534pts
6. 6
   Rafael Nadal

   Spanish great who won the French Open a record 14 times and 22 majors overall.
   534pts
7. 7
   Martina Navratilova

   Record nine-time Wimbledon singles champion and one of the great serve-and-volley players.
   534pts
8. 8
   Carlos Alcaraz

   Spanish star who became the youngest men's world No. 1 at 19.
   478pts
9. 9
   Jimmy Connors

   American fighter with a record 109 singles titles and five US Open crowns.
   478pts
10. 10
    John McEnroe

    American left-hander with seven singles majors, a famous temper and a touch game nobody copied.
    478pts
11. 11
    Monica Seles

    Two-handed hitter who won eight majors before turning 20.
    478pts
12. 12
    Chris Evert

    American baseliner who won 18 majors and reached the semifinals in 52 of 56 Grand Slams.
    414pts
13. 13
    Billie Jean King

    Winner of 39 major titles who beat Bobby Riggs in the 1973 Battle of the Sexes and fought for equal pay.
    414pts
14. 14
    Boris Becker

    German who won Wimbledon at 17 in 1985 as an unseeded teenager.
    414pts
15. 15
    Novak Djokovic

    Serbian holder of the men's record for Grand Slam singles titles and weeks at world No. 1.
    257pts
16. 16
    Arthur Ashe

    First Black man to win Wimbledon and the US Open, and a lifelong activist.
    257pts
17. 17
    Rod Laver

    Australian who won the calendar Grand Slam twice, in 1962 and 1969.
    257pts
18. 18
    Björn Borg

    Swedish champion who won 11 majors, including five straight Wimbledons, before retiring at 26.
    159pts
19. 19
    Pete Sampras

    American with 14 majors and seven Wimbledon titles, built on one of the best serves ever.
    0pts
20. 20
    Roger Federer

    Swiss champion with 20 major titles and eight Wimbledon crowns, famed for effortless shotmaking.
    0pts

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