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Who is the greatest men's tennis player of the 1970s?

By YPB Team

Wooden rackets, long hair and a tour that was still inventing itself. A few champions here owned the decade; others owned a single glorious summer.

  1. Jimmy Connors — ranked #11
    Jimmy Connors
    American who won three majors in 1974 and held the No. 1 ranking for 160 straight weeks.
    1000pts
  2. Arthur Ashe — ranked #22
    Arthur Ashe
    American who beat Connors in the 1975 Wimbledon final with a tactical masterclass.
    1000pts
  3. Ilie Năstase — ranked #33
    Ilie Năstase
    Romanian showman, the first official ATP world No. 1 and 1972 US Open champion.
    862pts
  4. Björn Borg — ranked #44
    Björn Borg
    Swede who won four French Opens and four Wimbledons during the decade.
    862pts
  5. John Newcombe — ranked #55
    John Newcombe
    Australian with the famous moustache who won Wimbledon in 1970 and two more majors in the decade.
    764pts
  6. Vitas Gerulaitis — ranked #66
    Vitas Gerulaitis
    Flamboyant New Yorker who won the 1977 Australian Open and lived the Studio 54 life.
    647pts
  7. Jan Kodeš — ranked #77
    Jan Kodeš
    Czech who won two French Opens and the boycotted 1973 Wimbledon.
    647pts
  8. Roscoe Tanner — ranked #88
    Roscoe Tanner
    American with one of the fastest serves of his era, 1977 Australian Open champion.
    647pts
  9. Stan Smith — ranked #99
    Stan Smith
    American who won the 1971 US Open and 1972 Wimbledon, better known today for his shoe.
    503pts
  10. Rod Laver — ranked #1010
    Rod Laver
    Australian great who opened the decade as world No. 1 fresh from his 1969 Grand Slam.
    503pts
  11. Manuel Orantes — ranked #1111
    Manuel Orantes
    Spanish left-hander who beat Connors in the 1975 US Open final on clay.
    503pts
  12. John McEnroe — ranked #1212
    John McEnroe
    New Yorker who reached the Wimbledon semifinals as an 18-year-old qualifier and won the 1979 US Open.
    0pts
  13. Guillermo Vilas — ranked #1313
    Guillermo Vilas
    Argentine left-hander who won the French and US Opens in 1977 and a 46-match winning streak.
    0pts
  14. Ken Rosewall — ranked #1414
    Ken Rosewall
    Ageless Australian who won majors in 1970, 1971 and 1972 and reached Wimbledon and US finals at 39.
    0pts
  15. Adriano Panatta — ranked #1515
    Adriano Panatta
    Italian who won the 1976 French Open and led Italy to the Davis Cup that year.
    0pts

Comments 1

Four French Opens and four Wimbledons made the decade Borg's, while McEnroe arrived only with the 1979 US Open. The 1970s, one list among 14 in this matchup: https://youpick.best/articles/borg-vs-mcenroe-ranked

YP
ypb-team
5 minutes ago