Now we have spent the previous week counting down our record of the highest 100 athletes of the twenty first century, and 4 males’s tennis gamers made the record, beginning with Roger Federer at No. 6.
We additionally voted on an general prime 10 for males’s tennis. Who else made the record of a few of the best males’s tennis gamers of the 2000s?
High 10 ladies’s tennis gamers of the twenty first century
1. Roger Federer
Key accomplishments: 20-time main champion, 369 majors wins and eight Wimbledon titles are most by a person all time, 103 tour singles titles (second most by man in Open period).
It is common for an expert athlete to really feel emotional throughout their closing match or recreation earlier than retiring. However what’s uncommon is when everybody else within the competitors is equally emotional about it. Such was the case for Federer over the past match of his profession on the Laver Cup — an occasion he co-founded — in 2022. Having beforehand introduced a doubles match alongside Rafael Nadal could be his swan music, Nadal — his fiercest of rivals for almost 20 years — cried proper alongside him when it was over, as did Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, the remainder of their European teammates, and even Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe, their opponents from the World staff. “I believe we’re all going to be eternally grateful to be part of the GOAT’s closing match,” Sock mentioned later. — D’Arcy Maine
2. Novak Djokovic
Key accomplishments: 24-time Grand Slam singles champion; report 422 weeks as No. 1; 375 Grand Slam match wins; third in males’s singles titles (98), wins (1,110) in Open period
Lower than two months after being shocked within the Wimbledon closing by Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic refused to postpone historical past once more and earned his record-breaking twenty fourth males’s main title on the 2023 US Open. After escaping a five-set problem within the third spherical, Djokovic did not lose one other set and defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 within the closing. At 36, he turned the oldest man to win the US Open and tied Margaret Court docket’s report for probably the most main titles in historical past. To many, the feat secured his place as the game’s best of all time, however, like a real competitor, he was removed from glad. “I do not put any quantity proper now in my thoughts on what number of Slams I need to win,” he mentioned hours later. — Maine
3. Rafael Nadal
Key accomplishments: 22-time Grand Slam singles champion, ATP Tour title in 19 straight seasons, 209 weeks as world No. 1, fourth-most males’s singles wins in Open period
Whereas Nadal has had success on all surfaces all through his profession, he was rightfully deemed the “King of Clay” due to his dominance on the grime. From 2005 to 2007, he had an 81-match successful streak on the floor — nonetheless the longest stretch on a single floor by any man within the Open period. Nobody in historical past has gained extra singles titles at a person Slam than Nadal, the winner of 14 French Open titles, in Paris. He has an undefeated report within the closing on the event, and his reign has been so legendary and unprecedented {that a} statue was erected in his honor in 2021 — whereas he was nonetheless taking part in on the occasion. Federer referred to as Nadal’s supremacy on the French Open “one of many best achievements in sport.” — Maine
4. Andy Murray
Key accomplishments: Three-time Grand Slam singles champion, completed in prime 10 for 9 consecutive years (2008-16), two-time Olympic gold medalist in singles.
As soon as part of the game’s Large 4, Murray was basically faraway from the dialog as Federer, Nadal and Djokovic emerged in a league of their very own. However even whereas his tally of three main championships pales compared to these of his prime friends, there was maybe no victory extra memorable than Murray’s first title at Wimbledon in 2013. A 12 months after coming devastatingly near successful his residence Slam, a decided Murray held off Djokovic in three convincing units to win his first main title. By no means one to have the ability to conceal his feelings, Murray overtly sobbed on the courtroom after the victory, proving simply how a lot it meant to him. The BBC referred to as the achievement “the Holy Grail” for British sport. — Maine
5. Andre Agassi
Key accomplishments: Since 2000: Received 3 occasions on the Australian Open, pushing his main whole to eight, oldest to be ranked No. 1 in 2003 (later handed by Federer)
He was a product of the “Picture is Every part” Nineteen Nineties and accomplished his profession Grand Slam with a French Open title in 1999, however solely 4 males have gained extra Grand Slam titles within the 2000s than Agassi. He turned 30 in 2000 however gained the Australian Open in 2000, 2001 and 2003 and reached U.S. Open finals in 2002 and 2005. His final Slam title was additionally his most dominant. He dropped solely 48 whole video games in seven matches, and after a tricky third-round win over Nicolas Escude, he rolled to the title with units of 6-1, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, 6-1. Agassi had discovered to grind by the years, carrying down opponents and leaning on his superior health. However even at age 32, he was so able to sustained brilliance that health generally did not even come into play. — Invoice Connelly
Key accomplishments: 4-time main winner earlier than the age of twenty-two, gained back-to-back Wimbledon titles (2023 and 2024), 15 profession singles titles, reached No. 1 in Sept. 2022
Nadal had gained three Grand Slam occasions by the point he turned 22. Federer and Djokovic had every gained one. Andy Murray gained three in whole. However Carlos Alcaraz, who turned 21 in Might, already has 4. He is already three-quarters of his solution to a profession Slam, one thing Federer did not lock down till age 27. He is already gained 5 Masters 1000 occasions, too, and in Slam and Masters finals, the self-proclaimed Actual Madrid fan is a Actual Madrid-like 9-1. It was an enormous deal that Alcaraz gained no less than one match at every Slam in 2021, his age-18 season, however he has proceeded to boost the bar numerous occasions within the years since. He is received Djokovic’s velocity, Nadal’s physicality and, often, Federer’s artistry. He radiates pleasure, smiling after factors gained and misplaced and infrequently applauding his opponent for a job properly accomplished. He’s already among the many all-timers, and he is simply getting began. — Connelly
7. Pete Sampras
Key accomplishments: Since 2000: Received 2 majors (Wimbledon and US Open) to convey his profession whole to 14, returned to No. 1 in 2000
He in all probability might have hung round a bit longer, racked up just a few extra accomplishments, discovered just a few extra tips to throw on the youthful technology. As an alternative, along with his outcomes diminishing at age 31, Sampras made one final nice run and determined the story had ended. This is what “outcomes diminishing” regarded like for Sampras, by the way in which: Within the first three years of the 2000s, he solely reached the finals of 4 Grand Slams. He gained a then-record seventh Wimbledon title in 2000, taking down Patrick Rafter within the closing and formally shifting previous Roy Emerson into first on the Slam titles record. And after dropping the finals in each 2000 and 2001, he made one final sensible US Open run in 2002, dropping only one set towards younger bucks Tommy Haas and Andy Roddick, then beating Agassi one final time and calling it quits. — Connelly
Key accomplishments: US Open winner (2003), 3-time Wimbledon finalist, 32 profession titles
He had Sampras’ serve and early Agassi’s angle. He gained his first Slam at age 21 and completed 2003 ranked No. 1 on the planet. And if Federer had chosen to concentrate on soccer or golf as a substitute, he would have fairly presumably matched Agassi’s feats. However whereas he reached a complete of 14 Slam and Masters 1000 finals, he misplaced to Federer in six of them. He fell to Fed within the Wimbledon closing alone 3 times, in 2004, 2005 and in an epic 2009 five-setter. Nonetheless, he was the standard-bearer for American males’s tennis for a technology, ending 9 straight years within the prime 10 (2002-10) and three straight within the prime three (2003-05). He gained 32 profession titles, he was inducted into the Corridor of Fame in 2017, and he is at the moment dwelling the American dream as a profitable podcaster. Really a twenty first century success story. — Connelly
Key accomplishments: 3-time main winner, doubles gold at 2008 Olympics, 14 profession titles
There’s glory in making your moments depend. Stan Wawrinka made the semifinals of a Grand Slam occasion eight occasions; he made the ultimate in 4 of them and gained the title in three. His résumé — 16 profession titles, one Masters 1000 title — is not as deep as a few of the different greats of the 2000s, however three Slam titles make you a Corridor of Famer. Wawrinka’s recreation plan was easy: Overpower your opponent. He boasted a mighty and majestic forehand and a one-handed backhand that would that would even often reduce by the defenses of Nadal (whom he defeated 3 times, as soon as on clay, in 2014-15) and Djokovic (whom he defeated six occasions, 4 occasions in Slams). He could not at all times sustain with the Large Three, however they at all times needed to fear about him. — Connelly
Key accomplishments: 2-time main champion, reached No. 1 on the planet in 2001, 30 profession titles
He wasn’t blessed with the supreme stature of plenty of tennis’s greats, however the scrappy, 5-foot-10 Aussie briefly seized management of the game throughout its transition from the Agassi-Sampras period to that of the Large Three. From 2000 to ’05, he reached six Slam semifinals, reaching 4 finals and successful two: the 2001 US Open (a straight-sets romp over Sampras) and 2002 Wimbledon (a good greater romp over David Nalbandian). He completed each 2001 and 2002 ranked No. 1 on the planet, he gained Indian Wells twice, and he was a part of two Davis Cup-winning squads. Like Andy Roddick, he was held again by Federer’s emergence — he gained seven of the primary 9 towards the Swiss grand champion, then misplaced 15 in a row — however he made his mark all the identical. — Connelly