# Who is the greatest men's tennis player 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.

*By YPB Team · Published September 26, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/who-is-the-greatest-mens-tennis-player-of-the-1980s*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Ivan Lendl** — score 1000/1000
   Czech-born powerhouse who won eight majors and reached eight straight US Open finals.
2. **Pat Cash** — score 763/1000
   Australian who won Wimbledon in 1987 and climbed into the players' box to celebrate.
3. **Andre Agassi** — score 560/1000
   Las Vegas teenager with the neon kit who reached the world top three by 1988.
4. **Johan Kriek** — score 485/1000
   South African-born American who won the Australian Open in 1981 and 1982.
5. **John McEnroe** — score 485/1000
   Year-end world No. 1 from 1981 to 1984 who went 82-3 in 1984.
6. **Mats Wilander** — score 397/1000
   Swede who won three majors in 1988 and seven overall.
7. **Henri Leconte** — score 397/1000
   French left-handed shotmaker who reached the 1988 French Open final.
8. **Stefan Edberg** — score 397/1000
   Swedish serve-and-volleyer who won the Australian Open twice and Wimbledon in 1988.
9. **Guillermo Vilas** — score 397/1000
   Argentine left-hander still winning titles into the decade after his 1970s peak.
10. **Boris Becker** — score 397/1000
   German who won Wimbledon at 17 in 1985 and the title again in 1986 and 1989.
11. **Michael Chang** — score 397/1000
   American who won the 1989 French Open at 17, cramping and serving underarm against Lendl.
12. **Björn Borg** — score 397/1000
   Swede who won the 1980 and 1981 French Opens and his fifth straight Wimbledon in 1980 before walking away.
13. **Miloslav Mečíř** — score 291/1000
   Slovak 'Big Cat' who won Olympic gold in 1988 with a deceptive, unhurried game.
14. **Yannick Noah** — score 291/1000
   Frenchman who won the 1983 French Open, the last home men's champion at Roland Garros.
15. **Jimmy Connors** — score 0/1000
   American who won Wimbledon and the US Open in 1982 and the 1983 US Open in his thirties.

Tags: 80s, sports, tennis, players