Tennis is one of the most popular sports in the world with over 1 billion followers. Tennis is either played individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams consisting of two people on each team (doubles).
If you are a beginner who is interested to learn how to play the highly athletic sport, tennis, you must first get the necessary equipments which are the racquet, ball and shoes. This game is played on a court that has identical measurements throughout the world.
Many people opt to learn how to play tennis in order to keep fit and maintain good health. However these are not the only benefit of playing tennis. Did you know, it strengthens the bone and improves your self esteem as well? If you would like to take lessons, there are many options for you to choose from in Malaysia.
Even if you have never played tennis, you must have watched a match before or heard some of the famous players names mentioned such as Federer or Nadal. Read on to find out more about the best tennis players around the world.
Brief History
Let’s take a look at how tennis began and developed before moving on to the players. Tennis originated in France in the 12th century where the monks in the monastery used to play a game called “je de paume” (game of the hand) where they used the open palms of their hands to hit the ball. The name tennis came about later because as the person is serving, they would call out “tenez”(here it comes).
The game became popular over the next few centuries and spread outside the monastery to European nobles and to England royalties who took up tennis with enthusiasm.
The sport evolved with time and many changes such as using racquets instead of hands were implemented along the way. The fame of the tennis game declined during the 1700s but made a comeback midway of the 19th century in the form of lawn tennis.
This game was further developed by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield in 1873 who created a new variation called Sphairistike with an hourglass shaped court and patented the rules and equipment of the game.
Wingfield’s efforts were later improved upon by the All England Crocquet and Lawn Tennis Club and held the first ever tennis tournament in 1877 on the lawns of Wimbledon.
These modified rules became a basis of modern tennis that we recognise today.
How to Become a Top Ranked Player?
Have you ever wondered how does a talented player who has never played professionally get a chance to play in the big league tournaments?
In order to earn ranking points in tennis, players must participate in the tournaments hosted by International Tennis Federation (ITF), Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).
Ranking points are awarded to players when they win a match. However some matches carry more points compared to others. For example, in a women’s tour, winning the first level match, the WTA250 event will only earn one point while winning the US Open earns 2000 points. The higher points the player has, the higher their ranking will be. Rankings are based on a rolling 52-week, cumulative system.
In men's tennis, the ranking is determined by the total points from the following results:
- 4 Grand Slams (Australia, French, US opens & Wimbledon)
- 8 mandatory Masters 1000 tournaments
- Best 6 results from all ATP Tour 500, ATP Tour 250, Challenger Tour & Futures tournaments
Rankings in women’s tennis uses a similar system where results at a maximum of 16 tournaments for singles (and 11 tournaments for doubles). Those 16 tournaments must include:
- 4 Grand Slams (Australia, French, US opens & Wimbledon)
- 4 premier mandatory events – Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Beijing
- Season-ending WTA Finals
Best Tennis Players in History
Tennis has seen many great and talented players over the years from all over over the world. There is always a heated debate among fans of tennis about who are the best players of this sport. Rankings do not identify the best tennis players but reflect the player’s best results in the last year.
Let’s have a look at some of the all-time best tennis players around the world who has captivated the fans with their skills and talent.
Rod Laver
Country: Australian
Career: 1957 - 1979
Plays: Left-handed, One-Handed Backhand
Career Titles: 78 (Singles)
Grand Slams: 11
Laver was one of the best players in the late 1960s, winning 11 Grand Slam single titles in his career. In 1969, Laver became the only player to have won the calendar Grand Slam twice. He won the first Grand Slam in 1962. He was also the first ever tennis player to bank $1 million in prize money. He was known for his powerful left-hand serve. There is a tennis cup and arena named in his honour.
Pete Sampras
Country: USA
Career: 1988 - 2003
Plays: Right-Handed, One-Handed Backhand
Career Titles: 64 (Singles)
Grand Slams: 14
Sampras was one of the best players in the 90s, winning 14 Grand Slam single titles in his career. He was known for his serve which was widely regarded as one of the best serve in all of tennis history. He won Wimbledon seven times and was one of the best players on a grass court.
Roger Federer
Country: Switzerland
Career: 1998-2022
Plays: Right-Handed, One-Handed Backhand
Career Titles: 103 (Singles)
Grand Slams: 20
Federer is one of the most popular tennis players for the last 15 years. During his prime, he was well known to serve-and-volley to win points quickly or grind out long rallies from behind the baseline. Later in his career, we witnessed him change his game to play on the baseline and take the ball earlier. He adaptability to play the best game is impressive. From the 2005 Wimbledon tournament to the 2007 US Open, Federer was either the winner or runner-up.
Novak Djokovic
Country: Serbia
Years active: 2003 - now
Plays: Right-Handed, Two-Handed Backhand
Career Titles: 91 (Singles)
Grand Slams: 21
Djokovic made history at the ATP Finals in Turin in November 2022 when he became the oldest man, at 35, to win the season-ending event. He has won 21 Grand Slams and is only one behind Rafael Nadal. He is known for his ability to return balls that seem like they’re impossible to return. This ability together with speed and stamina has helped him become one of the top tennis players.
Rafael Nadal
Country: Spain
Career: 2001 - now
Plays: Left-Handed, Two-Handed Backhand
Career Titles: 92 (Singles)
Grand Slams: 22
Nadal is known as King of Clay because 13 out of his 22 Grand Slam singles title is from the French Open which is held on a clay court. He is also a great player all around with legendary forehand shot that imparts tremendous topspin and get the ball bouncing up to the shoulders of his opponents. His battle with Federer are considered classics for tennis fans.
Chris Evert
Country: USA
Career: 1972 - 1989
Plays: Right-Handed, Two-Handed Backhand
Career Titles: 157 (Singles)
Grand Slams: 18
Evert was one of the players who revolutionised the way tennis was played in the 1970s. She was a solid baseliner who used her accurate passing shots and consistency to beat her opponents. She has one of the highest win percentage (89.97%) of any professional tennis player.
Margaret Court
Country: Australia
Career: 1960 - 1977
Plays: Right-Handed, One-Handed Backhand
Career Titles: 192 (92 open era)
Grand Slams: 24
Court, known for her blanketing net attack and powerful serve, was dubbed (The Arm” by Billie Jean King. She was one of three players to have a career “boxed set” – singles, doubles and mixed titles at all four Gran Slams. A notable fact is that she completed one box set before the open era and one after.
Martina Navratilova
Country: USA
Career: 1976 - 1994
Plays: Left-Handed, One-Handed Backhand
Career Titles: 167 (Singles)
Grand Slams: 18
Navratilova, with a left handed serve and superior volleying skills won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, 31 Grand Slam women's doubles title (all-time record), and 10 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. The last title she won at the age of 49 in the mixed doubles with Bob Ryan at the 2006 US Open.
Steffi Graf
Country: Germany
Career: 1982 - 1999
Plays: Right-Handed, One-Handed Backhand
Career Titles: 107 (Singles)
Grand Slams: 22
One of Graf’s notable achievement is that she is the only tennis player who has completed the Golden Slam by winning all four Open tournaments and an Olympic gold medal in the same year. She was a baseline player who had one of the best forehand in the women’s tennis game. Graf was also the third woman to complete the Grand Slam in 1988.
Serena Williams
Country: USA
Career: 1995 - 2022
Plays: Right-Handed, Two-Handed Backhand
Career Titles: 73
Grand Slams: 23
Williams has the most Grand Slams win after the open era. She is only one win behind Margaret Court. She is considered the best server in the history of the game as her ace count reaches double figures regularly. With 73 career singles titles and 842 career wins, it’s hard to top what Serena Williams has done in her career.
If you are aspiring to become a professional tennis player and would like to learn how to play tennis , consider getting in touch with one of the many talented and experienced tutors on Superprof.
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