ATPballkid
Professional
1880s Renshaw / Sears___ Bingley Hillyard
1890s R. Doherty / Wrenn___ Dod / Atkinson
1900s L. Doherty / Larned___ Douglass Chambers
1910s Wilding___ Douglass Chambers / Mallory
1920s Tilden___ Lenglen
1930s Budge___ Wills Moody
1940s Kramer___ Brough
1950s Gonzales ___ Connolly
1960s Rosewall___ Court
1970s Borg___ Evert
1980s Lendl___ Navratilova
1990s Sampras___ Seles until she was stabbed
2000s Federer projected___ Henin-Hardenne or Serena Williams projected
Tennis was not so much an international sport before the 1920s and 1930s (really became an international sport in 1925). Therefore, it is harder to have a best player of the sport for those earlier years -- except you have to go with Wilding in the 1910s.
There are some very good players --- Cochet, Lacoste, Perry, Vines, Crawford, Hoad, Laver, Newcombe, Connors, McEnroe, Edberg, Becker, Wilander and Agassi among the men and Jacobs, Marble, du Pont, Hart, Fry, Hard, Gibson, Bueno, King, Goolagong, Graf and Hingis among the women --- who just were not quite good enough to be considered the best players of their decades.
Things look great for Roger Federer and Justine Henin-Hardenne or Serena Williams as Players of the Decade for the 2000s. Going to be hard to take a position against them based on what they have accomplished already and what they are likely to accomplish over the years remaining between 2007 and 2010.
1890s R. Doherty / Wrenn___ Dod / Atkinson
1900s L. Doherty / Larned___ Douglass Chambers
1910s Wilding___ Douglass Chambers / Mallory
1920s Tilden___ Lenglen
1930s Budge___ Wills Moody
1940s Kramer___ Brough
1950s Gonzales ___ Connolly
1960s Rosewall___ Court
1970s Borg___ Evert
1980s Lendl___ Navratilova
1990s Sampras___ Seles until she was stabbed
2000s Federer projected___ Henin-Hardenne or Serena Williams projected
Tennis was not so much an international sport before the 1920s and 1930s (really became an international sport in 1925). Therefore, it is harder to have a best player of the sport for those earlier years -- except you have to go with Wilding in the 1910s.
There are some very good players --- Cochet, Lacoste, Perry, Vines, Crawford, Hoad, Laver, Newcombe, Connors, McEnroe, Edberg, Becker, Wilander and Agassi among the men and Jacobs, Marble, du Pont, Hart, Fry, Hard, Gibson, Bueno, King, Goolagong, Graf and Hingis among the women --- who just were not quite good enough to be considered the best players of their decades.
Things look great for Roger Federer and Justine Henin-Hardenne or Serena Williams as Players of the Decade for the 2000s. Going to be hard to take a position against them based on what they have accomplished already and what they are likely to accomplish over the years remaining between 2007 and 2010.
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