You Pick BestYouPickBest

The 26 Greatest American Tennis Players of All Time

By YPB Team

Wooden-racket amateurs of the 1920s line up against Open Era record holders here, and the women's half of the field runs every bit as deep as the men's.

  1. Serena Williams — ranked #11
    Serena Williams
    Won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, an Open Era record, plus four Olympic gold medals between 1999 and 2017.
    1000pts
  2. Jim Courier — ranked #22
    Jim Courier
    Won four Grand Slam singles titles — the 1991 and 1992 French Opens and the 1992 and 1993 Australian Opens — and reached world No. 1 in 1992.
    757pts
  3. Pancho Gonzales — ranked #33
    Pancho Gonzales
    Won the US Championships in 1948 and 1949, then ruled the professional tour through the 1950s.
    636pts
  4. John McEnroe — ranked #44
    John McEnroe
    Won seven Grand Slam singles titles — three Wimbledons and four US Opens — and went 82–3 in 1984.
    615pts
  5. Andre Agassi — ranked #55
    Andre Agassi
    Won eight Grand Slam singles titles and the 1996 Olympic gold, then completed a career Golden Slam at the 1999 French Open.
    598pts
  6. Alice Marble — ranked #66
    Alice Marble
    Won four US Championships singles titles (1936, 1938–1940) and the 1939 Wimbledon singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles.
    555pts
  7. Jennifer Capriati — ranked #77
    Jennifer Capriati
    Won the 1992 Olympic gold at 16 and three Grand Slam singles titles: the 2001 Australian and French Opens and the 2002 Australian Open.
    508pts
  8. Venus Williams — ranked #88
    Venus Williams
    Won seven Grand Slam singles titles, five of them at Wimbledon, and four Olympic gold medals.
    508pts
  9. Andy Roddick — ranked #99
    Andy Roddick
    Won the 2003 US Open, finished 2003 as world No. 1 and reached four more Grand Slam finals, three of them at Wimbledon.
    508pts
  10. Michael Chang — ranked #1010
    Michael Chang
    Won the 1989 French Open at 17, the youngest man to win a Grand Slam singles title, and reached world No. 2 in 1996.
    454pts
  11. Arthur Ashe — ranked #1111
    Arthur Ashe
    Won the 1968 US Open, the 1970 Australian Open and the 1975 Wimbledon title, the first Black man to win Wimbledon.
    454pts
  12. Tracy Austin — ranked #1212
    Tracy Austin
    Won the 1979 US Open at 16, the youngest US Open singles champion, added the 1981 title and reached world No. 1.
    394pts
  13. Pete Sampras — ranked #1313
    Pete Sampras
    Won 14 Grand Slam singles titles, seven of them at Wimbledon, and finished six straight years (1993–1998) as year-end world No. 1.
    394pts
  14. Lindsay Davenport — ranked #1414
    Lindsay Davenport
    Won the 1998 US Open, 1999 Wimbledon and 2000 Australian Open plus the 1996 Olympic gold, and finished four years as world No. 1.
    394pts
  15. Helen Wills Moody — ranked #1515
    Helen Wills Moody
    Won 19 Grand Slam singles titles between 1923 and 1938, including eight at Wimbledon, plus two Olympic gold medals in 1924.
    394pts
  16. Jack Kramer — ranked #1616
    Jack Kramer
    Won the US Championships in 1946 and 1947 and Wimbledon in 1947 before leading the professional tour.
    324pts
  17. Bill Tilden — ranked #1717
    Bill Tilden
    Won 10 major singles titles in the 1920s and 1930 — seven US Championships and three Wimbledons — and led the US to seven straight Davis Cups.
    324pts
  18. Coco Gauff — ranked #1818
    Coco Gauff
    Won the 2023 US Open at 19 and the 2025 French Open, plus the 2024 WTA Finals.
    324pts
  19. Althea Gibson — ranked #1919
    Althea Gibson
    Became the first Black player to win a Grand Slam title at the 1956 French Championships and added back-to-back Wimbledon and US titles in 1957–58.
    324pts
  20. Chris Evert — ranked #2020
    Chris Evert
    Won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, including a women's record seven French Opens, and reached 34 major singles finals.
    245pts
  21. Jimmy Connors — ranked #2121
    Jimmy Connors
    Won eight Grand Slam singles titles, including five US Opens, and holds the Open Era men's record of 109 singles titles.
    245pts
  22. Martina Navratilova — ranked #2222
    Martina Navratilova
    Won 18 Grand Slam singles titles including a record nine Wimbledon singles crowns, and became a US citizen in 1981.
    245pts
  23. Maureen Connolly — ranked #2323
    Maureen Connolly
    Became the first woman to win the calendar-year Grand Slam in 1953 and won nine major singles titles before a 1954 riding accident ended her career.
    245pts
  24. Stan Smith — ranked #2424
    Stan Smith
    Won the 1971 US Open and the 1972 Wimbledon title and helped the US win seven Davis Cups.
    151pts
  25. Don Budge — ranked #2525
    Don Budge
    Became the first player to win the calendar-year Grand Slam in 1938 and won six major singles titles.
    151pts
  26. Billie Jean King — ranked #2626
    Billie Jean King
    Won 12 Grand Slam singles titles and 39 majors in all events, and beat Bobby Riggs in the 1973 Battle of the Sexes.
    0pts

Photo credits

Comments