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

> 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.

*By YPB Team · Published September 26, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/who-is-the-greatest-mens-tennis-player-of-the-1970s*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

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

Tags: sports, 70s, tennis, players