Top 10 Players of All time(Men)

ptennisb

Rookie
There are always threads like this, but I think they should be refreshed every couple years. Here is my top 10 of all time:

1. Djokovic.
2. Federer.
3. Nadal.
4. Sampras.
5. Lendl.
6. Borg.
7. Laver.
8. Edberg.
9. Becker.
10. Mcenroe
 

falstaff78

Hall of Fame
There are always threads like this, but I think they should be refreshed every couple years. Here is my top 10 of all time:

1. Djokovic.
2. Federer.
3. Nadal.
4. Sampras.
5. Lendl.
6. Borg.
7. Laver.
8. Edberg.
9. Becker.
10. Mcenroe
I don't understand how a guy with a palpably weaker CV, palpably weaker competition chasing him during his 30s, and palpably inferior public personna, gets so overrated in these greatness discussions

Djokovic being the greatest male tennis player ever, as things currently stand, is such a ludicrous position that it doesn't even compute

Recency bias I guess?
 

Third Serve

Talk Tennis Guru
1. Bahrami
2. Brown
3. Tomic
4. Kyrgios
5. Fognini
6. Rios
7. Monfils

The rest don't matter

Serious list:

1. Federer
2. Nadal
3. Djokovic
4. Laver
5. Sampras
6. Borg
7. Connors
8. Lendl
9. McEnroe
10. Agassi

Rosewall and Gonzales could fit in there somewhere.
 
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D

Deleted member 748597

Guest
Top 4 in no particular order: Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rod Laver, Pancho Gonzales.

Too lazy to share more than this. Enjoy this thread, guys.
 
D

Deleted member 768841

Guest
1. Federer
2. Nadal
3. Sampras
4. Djokovic
5. Laver
6. Agassi
7. Wawrinka
8. Becker
9. Edberg
10. Just for the hell of it, Monfils
 

NoleFam

Bionic Poster
I don't understand how a guy with a palpably weaker CV, palpably weaker competition chasing him during his 30s, and palpably inferior public personna, gets so overrated in these greatness discussions

Djokovic being the greatest male tennis player ever, as things currently stand, is such a ludicrous position that it doesn't even compute

Recency bias I guess?

:unsure:
 

GabeT

G.O.A.T.
I don't understand how a guy with a palpably weaker CV, palpably weaker competition chasing him during his 30s, and palpably inferior public personna, gets so overrated in these greatness discussions

Djokovic being the greatest male tennis player ever, as things currently stand, is such a ludicrous position that it doesn't even compute

Recency bias I guess?
Palpably weaker CV? The big 3 are basically tied at age 32, ie they have roughly the same CV when you compare what they accomplished at the same age
 
F

FRV3

Guest
As of right now:

1. Federer
2. Djokovic
3. Nadal
4. Laver
5. Sampras
6. Borg
7. McEnroe
8. Connors
9. Becker
10. Lendl

Federer is my favorite player. Him and Djokovic are pretty much interchangeable at the top, but I give Federer the slight edge because he was still competitive with Djokovic at age 37. I pretty much just randomly chose everyone after Sampras lol. I think all said and done, Djokovic will top the list for me.
 

ABCD

Hall of Fame
1. Djokovic
2. Nadal
3. Federer
4. Sampras
5. Borg
6. Laver
7. Agassi
8. Lendl
9. Connors
10. McEnroe

Djokovic iis No1 for many reasons including 2x9+4+1 plus 4GS.
 
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JaoSousa

Hall of Fame
There are always threads like this, but I think they should be refreshed every couple years. Here is my top 10 of all time:

1. Djokovic.
2. Federer.
3. Nadal.
4. Sampras.
5. Lendl.
6. Borg.
7. Laver.
8. Edberg.
9. Becker.
10. Mcenroe
Serious list:

1. Federer
2. Nadal
3. Djokovic
4. Laver
5. Sampras
6. Borg
7. Connors
8. Lendl
9. McEnroe
10. Agassi
1. Federer
2. Nadal
3. Sampras
4. Djokovic
5. Laver
6. Agassi
7. Wawrinka
8. Becker
9. Edberg
10. Just for the hell of it, Monfils
The disrespect to Laver is insane. Recency bias at its finest.
tenor.gif
 

ABCD

Hall of Fame
The disrespect to Laver is insane. Recency bias at its finest.
tenor.gif

I watched Laver, Borg etc. many times when I was a boy. What players can do today, they could not imagine. They are on the list for historical reasons. If you send Dzumhur by time machine to 1968 (each playe with own equipment), he would beat Laver easily. Play that is common today was impossible then; players over 6ft could not walk etc.
 
Rosewall is pretty underrated... I think he should be close to laver in "all time rankings"(this debate is really annoying at this point).
For the "modern" era- its big 3(fed is the most accomplished at the moment, might change pretty soon).
In the mid 20th century era- laver and rosrwall
Prehistoric era- probably gonzales
Ranked by accomplishments(as objectively as possibly, considering its very subjective topic):
1. Federer(for the time being).
2. Nadal(for now).
3. Djokovic(if he ties with nadal on majors I will consider him more accomplished).
4. Laver
5. Rosewall
6. Sampras
7. Gonzales
8. Tildan
9. Borg

I don't know about 10. 1-3 might change soon, and the 3 are pretty much tied at the moment IMO. 6-8 are pretty much ties as well.
 

JaoSousa

Hall of Fame
I watched Laver, Borg etc. many times when I was a boy. What players can do today, they could not imagine. They are on the list for historical reasons. If you send Dzumhur by time machine to 1968 (each playe with own equipment), he would beat Laver easily. Play that is common today was impossible then; players over 6ft could not walk etc.
The consversation is about "All Time Greats". Let us say that someone in 100 years wins an ATP 250 title, they could still beat Djokovic 6-1 6-1. That doesn't mean they are greater than Djokovic.
 

ptennisb

Rookie
Forgot to mention some of my honorable mentions:
Rosewall, Gonzales, Agassi, Becker, Wilander, Benoit Paire, Andy Murray, Dustin Brown, Raonic, Dan Evans, and Nick Kyrgios and Marcel Rios.
P.S. Everything after Wilander was obviously a joke.
 

Beckerserve

Legend
1. Nadal ( most Majors at 34 most m1000s and Olympic Gold and has won at least two Majors on each surface which is unique out of Big 3. The FO record itself automatically would have him top 3. )
2. Federer ( took the game to new heights, amazing longevity and unlucky no m1000s on grass. But for Federer unlikely we would have had the joys of Nadal)
3. Borg (the guy who made tennis big time and ushered in professionalism. But for Borg the sport may have been still relatively obscure rather than the billion pound industry it is now)
4. Sampras (hardest era ever which he totally dominated)
5. Djokovic ( arguably should be top of the pile but has a comparatively average win loss ratio in Major finals compared to the above 4 and has dominated the 4th Major, a Major the likes of Borg and Sampras were not that interested in)
6. Becker (revolutionised European tennis and took the power from America and the youngest ever winner at Wimbledon will be remembered arguably longer than anything else and at his best was the complete player)
7. Agassi (the Golden Slam, one of only two to manage it)
8. Connors (awesome player and unlucky to be same era as Borg otherwise would have won many more Majors)
9. Mcenroe ( defined Borg in some ways and was the bridesmaid to Borg but was part of the duo who made tennis big time. Plus a great player who had he won FO may have been top of pile)
10. Edberg (beckers great rival and traded Majors with him. Best serve volleyer of all time)
11. Lendl (should be much higher but no Wimbledon, the biggest pot in the game means he has to be below the above)

I have not included Laver as the game was different plus i have never seen him play but of course he is a legend in his own right.
 

BeatlesFan

Bionic Poster
There are always threads like this, but I think they should be refreshed every couple years. Here is my top 10 of all time:

1. Djokovic.
2. Federer.
3. Nadal.
4. Sampras.
5. Lendl.
6. Borg.
7. Laver.
8. Edberg.
9. Becker.
10. Mcenroe
No offense, but you must be about 13 years old. McEnroe with 7 slams and a season like 1984 is placed below Becker and Edberg with 6 slams? No Jimbo? No Andre? It's laughably bad.

No words for this hot mess of a list. And the sheer idiocy of placing Djokovic above Federer speaks volumes about the level of your idolatry and complete lack of objectivity or tennis knowledge. Try better next time.
 

canta_Brian

Hall of Fame
Far too many people equate statistical success and greatness.

the best example is the Nadal has more M1000 titles. I mean, there are what, 30 clay m1000s each year? That’s about right isn’t it. 0 Grass, but people still claim the stat holds water.

I don’t have a list, but for me it needs to be about people who have elevated the game.

Nadal for his clay game, utilising poly strings.
Fed for his shot making
Mac for his touch and hands
Edberg for serve and volley excellence
Djokovic for running side to side more than any human before him, and all without the aid of peds

that sort of thing.
 

Street

Semi-Pro
1. Nadal ( most Majors at 34 most m1000s and Olympic Gold and has won at least two Majors on each surface which is unique out of Big 3. The FO record itself automatically would have him top 3. )
2. Federer ( took the game to new heights, amazing longevity and unlucky no m1000s on grass. But for Federer unlikely we would have had the joys of Nadal)
3. Borg (the guy who made tennis big time and ushered in professionalism. But for Borg the sport may have been still relatively obscure rather than the billion pound industry it is now)
4. Sampras (hardest era ever which he totally dominated)
5. Djokovic ( arguably should be top of the pile but has a comparatively average win loss ratio in Major finals compared to the above 4 and has dominated the 4th Major, a Major the likes of Borg and Sampras were not that interested in)
6. Becker (revolutionised European tennis and took the power from America and the youngest ever winner at Wimbledon will be remembered arguably longer than anything else and at his best was the complete player)
7. Agassi (the Golden Slam, one of only two to manage it)
8. Connors (awesome player and unlucky to be same era as Borg otherwise would have won many more Majors)
9. Mcenroe ( defined Borg in some ways and was the bridesmaid to Borg but was part of the duo who made tennis big time. Plus a great player who had he won FO may have been top of pile)
10. Edberg (beckers great rival and traded Majors with him. Best serve volleyer of all time)
11. Lendl (should be much higher but no Wimbledon, the biggest pot in the game means he has to be below the above)

I have not included Laver as the game was different plus i have never seen him play but of course he is a legend in his own right.
You say djokovic has a "comparatively average" win loss ratio in slam finals compared to the 4 players you placed above him and you list it as a con but he has a better win loss ratio in major finals than federer.
 

Beckerserve

Legend
You say djokovic has a "comparatively average" win loss ratio in slam finals compared to the 4 players you placed above him and you list it as a con but he has a better win loss ratio in major finals than federer.
I kind of factor in Federer age though. Peak federer does not lose wimbledon 2019 2015 or 2014.
 

Street

Semi-Pro
I kind of factor in Federer age though. Peak federer does not lose wimbledon 2019 2015 or 2014.
That is a very subjective way to view things. That would be like saying Djokovic doesn't lose 2012-2014 grand slam finals if he was playing like he played in 2011. Then again, lists are subjective and i heavily disagree with a lot of it so all's good. :)
 

Beckerserve

Legend
That is a very subjective way to view things. That would be like saying Djokovic doesn't lose 2012-2014 grand slam finals if he was playing like he played in 2011. Then again, lists are subjective and i heavily disagree with a lot of it so all's good. :)
With Federer post 2008 he lost his swagger and often got nervous in big moments which never happened when he was younger. On grass Federer at his best was as unbeatable as Nadal at his best on clay. Funnily enough both at their best on their best surfaces pre2008/2009
 

Beckerserve

Legend
Good to know. Let the organisers know so they can remove his losses, so that your argumentation can start making sense.
So do you think Federer in 2014 was as good as he was in 2004? Watch some matches from both years then decide. Its like Nadal 2019 was nowhere near the player he was in 2010. Djokovic not the player he was in 2011. All three are benefiting from a shocking era
 

Street

Semi-Pro
With Federer post 2008 he lost his swagger and often got nervous in big moments which never happened when he was younger. On grass Federer at his best was as unbeatable as Nadal at his best on clay. Funnily enough both at their best on their best surfaces pre2008/2009
Well djokovic certainly lost his swagger from 2012 to 2014 but you can't just delete those grand slam final losses and be selective of what results you take into account lol. I mean, you can, but you have to be fair and do it to for all the players you're evaluating if you don't want to sound subjective.
 

Genie Of the Bank

Hall of Fame
Current list :
1. Federer
2. Nadal
3. Djokovic
4. Laver
5. Borg
6. Sampras
7.Agassi
8. Lendl
9. Becker
10. Connors
In 5 years :
1. Djokovic

2. Nadal
3. Federer
4. Laver
5. Borg
6. Sampras
7.Agassi
8. Lendl
9. Becker
10. Connors
 

Beckerserve

Legend
Well djokovic certainly lost his swagger from 2012 to 2014 but you can't just delete those grand slam final losses and be selective of what results you take into account lol. I mean, you can, but you have to be fair and do it to for all the players you're evaluating if you don't want to sound subjective.
Djokovic was only 25 in 2012. Out of form yes but not in permanent decline in the way Roger has been since 2010 due to age.
 
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