Who are your favorite 5 players (both tours if you wish) all-time?

Nothing too deep here.
With Rafa's retirement, perhaps, your mind was/is flooded with memories of other favorite players.
Let's have a judgment-free zone here, and whether in order or not, who are your 5 favorite players (for whatever reasons...and not the 5 best in your eyes) of both tours. No debates, just names and whatever reasons and memories you wish to share.

For what it's worth, for me, as I think of it:

MEN - roughly chronologically

Arthur Ashe - as much for the great human being he was, but he was a great player, too.
Roger
Rafa
Novak
(yes, it's boring to have each of the Big 3, but there it is)
The 5th spot can be shared by so many -- here are a few disparate names (Laver, Nastase (when I first started following -- pure excitement and unpredictability), Yannick Noah, Patrick Rafter, perhaps, the real Raul Ramirez...)

WOMEN - I need to think about it some more, and welcome your choices.
Top 5 for me:

1. Nadal
2. Graf
3. Becker
4. Courier
5. McEnroe
Not included Alcaraz here as he is currently playing and i assume this thread applies to past players?
 

ultimathule

Hall of Fame
Men:
Borg - Just pure class
McEnroe - Effortless guile
Chang - No one gave it his all as he did
Djokovic - Such grace in defeat
Rafa - Without him Fed would have dominated unto eternity

Women:
Evert - A lady and a champion
Navratilova - A self-made woman
Hingis - Brilliant shotmaker
Sharapova - Wowyzowy
S. Williams - The undisputed queen
 
Thiem
Nishikori (first player I ever rooted for)
Tsonga
Wawrinka
Alcaraz

HMs : The Big 3, Dimitrov, Bublik, Gasquet, Monfils, Goffin. (I started fo watch the tour in 2015)

For the women it's Rybakina by a mile, she's my favorite player on both tours (Alcaraz is probably second) since I started to follow closely the WTA and since Thiem's downfall. Then it's really hard to rank them but I like a lot and root for a ton of players (Iga, Shnaider, Muchova etc...)
 
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tudwell

G.O.A.T.
1. Federer
2. Alcaraz

Pure magic. Feels like almost every single match either of these guys has played I saw something I'd never seen on a tennis court before. Pretty sizable gap after this, and then probably (in no particular order):

Nalbandian
Tsonga
Del Potro

Three guys I loved in my early years of watching tennis. Definitely have a thing for the enigmatic, inconsistent shotmakers who can occasionally bring it all together to manhandle even the best players in the world (but usually don't). I think that's why I'm so in thrall to the two names above: They have the game and temperament of those enigmatic shotmakers but actually turn that creativity and spontaneity into wins at the biggest tournaments, and regularly.

Honorable mention to Laver. Before my time, obviously, but he's the past great I most love coming back to. Even ordered a few full matches of his on DVD back in the day.
 

Cabeza del Demonio

Professional
Nothing too deep here.
With Rafa's retirement, perhaps, your mind was/is flooded with memories of other favorite players.
Let's have a judgment-free zone here, and whether in order or not, who are your 5 favorite players (for whatever reasons...and not the 5 best in your eyes) of both tours. No debates, just names and whatever reasons and memories you wish to share.

For what it's worth, for me, as I think of it:

MEN - roughly chronologically

Arthur Ashe - as much for the great human being he was, but he was a great player, too.
Roger
Rafa
Novak
(yes, it's boring to have each of the Big 3, but there it is)
The 5th spot can be shared by so many -- here are a few disparate names (Laver, Nastase (when I first started following -- pure excitement and unpredictability), Yannick Noah, Patrick Rafter, perhaps, the real Raul Ramirez...)

WOMEN - I need to think about it some more, and welcome your choices.
Great thread idea, especially with so many of our favorite players retiring this year.

For me it's gotta be:

Djokovic: The player who made me a fan in the first place. First match I ever watched when I was 5 years old was Djokovic vs Federer at AO 2008. I'd heard about Fed before, but not the underdog on the other side. Seeing him blow Federer off the court with zero fear made a huge impression on me, and I immediately fell in love with the game. Actually picked up a racquet for the first time a few months later.
Tsonga: My 2nd favorite player of all time. Such an entertainer and class act, as well as being one of the only players who could consistently challenge the Big 4. Finished 6-11 vs Federer at the end of their careers IIRC, which is about as well as anyone from that era could've done. That 2011 Wimbledon QF when beat Fed from 2 sets down is still one of my favorite tennis memories.
Safin: The ultimate character. Never a dull moment with the guy, not to mention my 2nd favorite player to actually watch in action (no points for guessing the 1st 8-B ).
Ruud: Was such a breath of fresh air to see a guy so stoic and professional rise to the top, after all the headcases before him (Zverev, Tsitsipas, Medvedev, etc). I didn't appreciate David Ferrer enough back in his prime, so it's nice to have someone with that same quiet work ethic and "let my racquet do the talking" attitude.
Shapovalov: Pretty much the opposite of Ruud, both game and character-wise. As a lefty with a one-hander, becoming a Shapo fan was kind of a no-brainer when he burst onto the scene. Human highlight reel whether he's winning or losing.
Honorable mentions: Hewitt, Baghdatis, Dimitrov, Haas
As far as old-school players go (i.e. guys who retired before I started watching), it's Agassi and Wilander for me.
 

McGradey

Hall of Fame
Federer
Wawrinka
Alcaraz
Nalbandian
Henin

All players with a scintillating mix of power and style seems to be the common factor. Wawrinka scrapes in ahead of Del Potro due to his dramatic battles with Djokovic which were a real highlight of the mid '10s.
 
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