The 23 Greatest Men's Tennis Players of the 1980s

Graphite replaced wood and the baseline started to win. Serve-and-volley artists sit next to grinders, teenage upstarts and one or two men who simply refused to leave.

1. 1
   Ivan Lendl

   Czech-born powerhouse who won eight majors and reached eight straight US Open finals.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Pat Cash

   Australian who won Wimbledon in 1987 and climbed into the players' box to celebrate.
   763pts
3. 3
   Andre Agassi

   Las Vegas teenager with the neon kit who reached the world top three by 1988.
   560pts
4. 4
   Johan Kriek

   South African-born American who won the Australian Open in 1981 and 1982.
   485pts
5. 5
   John McEnroe

   Year-end world No. 1 from 1981 to 1984 who went 82-3 in 1984.
   485pts
6. 6
   Mats Wilander

   Swede who won three majors in 1988 and seven overall.
   397pts
7. 7
   Henri Leconte

   French left-handed shotmaker who reached the 1988 French Open final.
   397pts
8. 8
   Stefan Edberg

   Swedish serve-and-volleyer who won the Australian Open twice and Wimbledon in 1988.
   397pts
9. 9
   Guillermo Vilas

   Argentine left-hander still winning titles into the decade after his 1970s peak.
   397pts
10. 10
    Boris Becker

    German who won Wimbledon at 17 in 1985 and the title again in 1986 and 1989.
    397pts
11. 11
    Michael Chang

    American who won the 1989 French Open at 17, cramping and serving underarm against Lendl.
    397pts
12. 12
    Björn Borg

    Swede who won the 1980 and 1981 French Opens and his fifth straight Wimbledon in 1980 before walking away.
    397pts
13. 13
    Miloslav Mečíř

    Slovak 'Big Cat' who won Olympic gold in 1988 with a deceptive, unhurried game.
    291pts
14. 14
    Yannick Noah

    Frenchman who won the 1983 French Open, the last home men's champion at Roland Garros.
    291pts
15. 15
    Jimmy Connors

    American who won Wimbledon and the US Open in 1982 and the 1983 US Open in his thirties.
    0pts
16. 16
    Gene Mayer

    American double-hander who reached world No. 4 in 1980 and won fourteen singles titles with an unorthodox two-handed game on both wings.
17. 17
    Vitas Gerulaitis

    New York showman who reached the 1980 French Open final and the 1981 Masters final while staying in the world top ten.
18. 18
    Jimmy Arias

    Florida teenager with a ferocious forehand who reached the 1983 US Open semi-finals and climbed to world No. 5 in 1984.
19. 19
    Andrés Gómez

    Ecuadorian left-hander who was a fixture in the world top ten in the mid-1980s and won the 1986 US Open doubles before his 1990 French Open title.
20. 20
    Anders Järryd

    Swedish all-court player who reached world No. 5 in 1985 and helped Sweden win three Davis Cups during the decade.
21. 21
    Kevin Curren

    Big-serving South African-born player who beat McEnroe and Connors en route to the 1985 Wimbledon final and reached the 1984 Australian Open final.
22. 22
    Tim Mayotte

    American serve-and-volleyer who reached Wimbledon quarter-finals almost every year, won the 1985 Lipton and an Olympic silver medal in 1988.
23. 23
    Emilio Sánchez

    Spanish clay specialist who reached world No. 7 in 1987 and won fifteen singles titles plus the French and US Open doubles.

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