Who are the TOP 4 in Tennis Mag Greatest List?

[spirit]

Why in the world did Tennis Magazine mix the women and men in a single ratings/rankings list? If the ranking is based on dominance on the court and who might be able to defeat whom if they were playing against each other in their prime, their list is ludicrous. Top women pros in their prime can't play top men pros in their prime, so the rankings or ratings of men and women have to be separate.

The TENNIS list is not to be taken too serously because of this. In fact, much of the rankings is based on something like which players may have had the greatest impact on the game in the last 40 years, not the same as who had the greatest skills on the court or who could outplay whom in their primes.

As far as who might have had the "greatest impact" on their sport in the last 40 years, that would have to be Billie Jean King. Her key role in starting the women's tour and then her defeat of Riggs (far further from his prime than Billie Jean was from hers at the time, as I would think Billie Jean would have to admit herself), would have to make her the player with the greatest impact on tennis in the last 40 years.

 

[AndrewD]

Spirit,
I agree with you. If they had been listing the players who'd had the most influence in the last 40 years Id have listed
1. BJK
2. Evert (the two-fisted backhand, baseline style, teen phenom influence)
3. Rosewall and Laver (for the WCT finals that brought tennis into the television age and made it a financially viable option)
4. Borg (two fisted baseline style, more western grip, heavier top, prelude to European dominance)
5. Ivan Lendl (the proto-type for todays power baseline player).
6. Martina Navratilova (taking female fitness to a new level. I dont rank her higher because supreme fitness was the hallmark of the Aussie and American players prior to Connors. Navratilova just made it apparent to a new generation).
7. Nastase, Connors and McEnroe. (their example certainly wasn't a good one but it was, unfortunately, a very persuasive argument for the 'me' generation)
8. Ashe (probably dont need to explain that one)
9. Vilas (just look to see how many 'latin' players there are on tour now)
10. Graf and Seles (the progression to power in the women's game and the confirmation that it was the style to play)

 

[timmyboy]

Ummmm..the fact that Borg couldn't win at neither the US Open NOR Oz?

Your argument is mystifying, Sampras won more Majors at MORE Majors, what IS your point again?

good point, and i agree.

umm, seles n graf made the women's game a vanilla amount of uber baseliners. i don't liek that that much.

 

[spirit]

Spirit,
I agree with you. If they had been listing the players who'd had the most influence in the last 40 years Id have listed
1. BJK
2. Evert (the two-fisted backhand, baseline style, teen phenom influence)
3. Rosewall and Laver (for the WCT finals that brought tennis into the television age and made it a financially viable option)
4. Borg (two fisted baseline style, more western grip, heavier top, prelude to European dominance)
5. Ivan Lendl (the proto-type for todays power baseline player).
6. Martina Navratilova (taking female fitness to a new level. I dont rank her higher because supreme fitness was the hallmark of the Aussie and American players prior to Connors. Navratilova just made it apparent to a new generation).
7. Nastase, Connors and McEnroe. (their example certainly wasn't a good one but it was, unfortunately, a very persuasive argument for the 'me' generation)
8. Ashe (probably dont need to explain that one)
9. Vilas (just look to see how many 'latin' players there are on tour now)
10. Graf and Seles (the progression to power in the women's game and the confirmation that it was the style to play)

As those who have had the most influential impact on the game in the last 40 years I like your list, though maybe Ashe should be moved up some. You have obviously given it some good thought. This is the kind of list (and story to go with it) that TENNIS should have done. Instead, it has mixed apples and oranges and tried to do this while confusing it with "the best tennis players." This question of who were the best players in terms of who would have defeated whom in their primes is more difficult to answer, and then when you try to do it with men and women mixed together it becomes ludicrous.

 

[ajwilliams94]

You're crazy. Chris Evert is one of the greatest players ever, rivaled only by by her biggest rival - Martina. In 49 appearances at the Grand Slams, she finished in the semi finals or greater 48 times. For 13 years straight, she held at least 1 grand slam title; she was never lower than #4 in the world the entire time she played professionally. And Evert’s .900 winning percentage (1,309-146) is the best in pro tennis history, male or female.

 

[legolas]

Sampras and Evert are in for sure. I dont know about the other 2.

navratilova and graf

 

[timeyer]

Goat

No matter what the list was, there would be controversy. I haven't seen the article, did it specify the criteria for selection?

Also, why do you post your ntrp rating when it is only 1.5? Isn't that just beyond gripping the racket and figuring out how to score?

One more thing, there are WAY more than 800 5.5 players in the world FYI.