Who is the player with the greatest stamina in the history of tennis?

Who is the player with the greatest stamina in the history of tennis?

  • Connors

    Votes: 3 3.7%
  • Vilas

    Votes: 4 4.9%
  • Borg

    Votes: 10 12.2%
  • Wilander

    Votes: 2 2.4%
  • Chang

    Votes: 3 3.7%
  • Federer

    Votes: 2 2.4%
  • Nadal

    Votes: 30 36.6%
  • Djokovic

    Votes: 25 30.5%
  • Alcaraz

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Others

    Votes: 3 3.7%

  • Total voters
    82

Winner Sinner

Hall of Fame
Who is mister;

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roysid

Legend
Its between Nadal and Djokovic.

Nadal because if AO 2009, after the most gruelling 5 setter against Verdasco, he had enough stamina to outlast Roger 2 days later.

Djokovic also did something similar. In 2012 after a gruelling semi against Murray, then a most brutal final against Nadal. At the end, djokovic had little more stamina over Nadal who couldnt even remain stand up.

Then next year he had that wawrinka match and recovered fine to beat berdych.

But most impressive was in Rome 2011 where a midnight 3 hours plus brutal 3 setter against Murray was followed in next day only and he could beat Nadal on clay.
So its djokovic for me.

The past players had played singles and doubles both but those days matches were much less physical
 

Winner Sinner

Hall of Fame
Even Alcaraz, although premature, is a legitimate candidate.
Almost immaculate record in matches that ended in the fifth set, and let's remember how he won the 2022 US Open after beating Cilic, Sinner and Tiafoe in succession, always in the fifth set.
 

Winner Sinner

Hall of Fame
And in this type of discussion, Federer is always underestimated.
The reality is that his boundless class and dazzling elegance have made him underestimated when it comes to athletic means.
Federer was a five-star athlete of the highest caliber, gifted in turn with great stamina.
After all, you don't reach 23 consecutive semifinals in slams by relying solely on your class, nor can you manage to maintain the top of the rankings uninterruptedly for an entire four-year period.
 

RS

Bionic Poster
And in this type of discussion, Federer is always underestimated.
The reality is that his boundless class and dazzling elegance have made him underestimated when it comes to athletic means.
Federer was a five-star athlete of the highest caliber, gifted in turn with great stamina.
After all, you don't reach 23 consecutive semifinals in slams by relying solely on your class, nor can you manage to maintain the top of the rankings uninterruptedly for an entire four-year period.
Yeah Fed's fitness is underrated a bit. He never retired from a match in over 1500 matches which shows that.
 

nolefam_2024

Bionic Poster
Yeah Fed's fitness is underrated a bit. He never retired from a match in over 1500 matches which shows that.
That is not as good a record as beating best players in BO5. When Fed went long matches he always buckled. Even vs Safin. Who really cares if he never retired. At his best he could be overworked by rafole.
 
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urban

Legend
An unconventional choice could be McEnroe. Did not look that fit, but look at his USO 1980 performance. Had a tough quarterfinal with Lendl, played doubles, too, and then a 4,5 hours marathon with Connors on Saturday night and 10 hours later a further over 4 hours marathon with Borg, and won it all.
 

RS

Bionic Poster
That is not as good a record as beating best players in BO5. When Fed went long matches he always buckled. Even vs Safin. Who really cares if he never retired. At his best he could be overworked by rafole.
Sure there is a flip side. But I think in a lot of Fed's loses in longer matches were because he was outplayed or out clutched.
 

Winner Sinner

Hall of Fame
However, in this type of survey, distinctions should be made between physical resistance and mental resistance.
Let's take Zverev, for me he is one of the most physically prepared players on the circuit, the problem in some of his collapses is not in the body but in the head.

Nadal and Djokovic were the best in this sector precisely because they managed to perfectly combine the two things at the highest levels.
If the head cannot stand the body, you can have the best resistance in the world but sooner or later you collapse.
 

Bill Lobsalot

Hall of Fame
An unconventional choice could be McEnroe. Did not look that fit, but look at his USO 1980 performance. Had a tough quarterfinal with Lendl, played doubles, too, and then a 4,5 hours marathon with Connors on Saturday night and 10 hours later a further over 4 hours marathon with Borg, and won it all.
And Mac had a six hour Davis Cup win over Wilander!
 

AO13

Hall of Fame
It has to be someone who's won most of his long matches, either they're bo3 or bo5. So probably Novak Djokovic, considering he's been doing it for 20 years now and winning a lot of long and tight matches.​
 

nolefam_2024

Bionic Poster
It has to be someone who's won most of his long matches, either they're bo3 or bo5. So probably Novak Djokovic, considering he's been doing it for 20 years now and winning a lot of long and tight matches.​
The iron man of tennis.


 
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hoodjem

G.O.A.T.
I don't have any numbers to back this up, but Bjorn Borg comes to mind. Stamina, in terms of a given match or tourney, not in terms of a career.
Other possible candidates: Vilas, Wilander, McEnroe, Rafa, Novak.
There’s a video interview with Borg somewhere, in which he says he doesn‘t ever remember being tired during a match.
(Grain of salt . . .)
 

Smecz

Professional
And in this type of discussion, Federer is always underestimated.
The reality is that his boundless class and dazzling elegance have made him underestimated when it comes to athletic means.
Federer was a five-star athlete of the highest caliber, gifted in turn with great stamina.
After all, you don't reach 23 consecutive semifinals in slams by relying solely on your class, nor can you manage to maintain the top of the rankings uninterruptedly for an entire four-year period.
I saw Nadal and Djokovic, Ferrer, exhausted, but never Federer.!!

Roger was also sweating, he had to huge run, but I didn't see any significant out of breath or loss of strength...

I wonder if he was simply able to maintain such focus, physicality, and vitality on the court, and after a very intense match (for example Rome final 2006),He completely loses strength and energy...

I wonder what the secret was, is it a matter of genetics, hard work, or style of play, or rather all of it at once...?!
 
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Sputnik Bulgorov

Professional
How do you define stamina? Nadal and Alcaraz seem to be popular answers, but that’s only over the course of a single match or tournament. Over the course of an entire season, they can barely make it through uninjured. Alcaraz has never reached 80 matches in a season.

From 1980-1982, Ivan Lendl played an average of 121 matches per season during a time when bo5 finals were common outside of slams. Nobody in the modern game has even played 100 matches in a season. How’s that for stamina?
 

AgassiSuperSlam11

Hall of Fame
Tilden won over 100 titles that required a best-of-five final, Laver over 80, and Rosewall over 80 as well. Lendl in the open era played nearly 80 finals that required a best-of-five final. None of the aforesaid are even in this "all-time greatest list." They also had busy tour schedules even if some of the points were quicker.
 
Nadal although id need to check on Borgs best of 5 set record v best of 3 set.
Nadal was a far better player in best of 5 set format than best of 3 sets, as is Alcaraz.
 

BumElbow

Professional
You have to take into consideration the players who competed in 5-set matches BEFORE the tiebreak was invented. Those pros did not win a set until they broke the serve of their opponent and then held their own serve. You had sets that were won with the scores 14-12 games!

Pancho Gonzales and Pancho Segura had quite a rivalry with the scores in final matches such as:
Win - Pancho Gonzales1955US ProIndoor Ecuador Pancho Segura21–16, 19–21, 21–8, 20–22, 21–19
Win - Pancho Gonales1956US ProIndoor Ecuador Pancho Segura21–15, 13–21, 21–14, 22–20
 
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For me it’s Nadal, without a doubt. Up until the last two years or few years, he could put out sustained maximum effort, for hours, without even a hint of wilting. It was incredible, his stamina. And the mental aspect went right along with the physical!
 
However, in this type of survey, distinctions should be made between physical resistance and mental resistance.
Let's take Zverev, for me he is one of the most physically prepared players on the circuit, the problem in some of his collapses is not in the body but in the head.

Nadal and Djokovic were the best in this sector precisely because they managed to perfectly combine the two things at the highest levels.
If the head cannot stand the body, you can have the best resistance in the world but sooner or later you collapse.
This is a great post. Sascha IS supremely physically fit with awesome stamina, but there has to be more than that.
 

Winner Sinner

Hall of Fame
Alcaraz always cramps
Alcaraz in the Roland Garros 2023 semifinal against Djokovic suffered cramps at the beginning of the third set due to tension due to the stakes of the match.
And we return to the issue that mind and body are closely linked when we talk about resistance.
A bit like the immune system itself that can weaken when you are very stressed.
 

Sport

G.O.A.T.
How do you define stamina? Nadal and Alcaraz seem to be popular answers, but that’s only over the course of a single match or tournament. Over the course of an entire season, they can barely make it through uninjured. Alcaraz has never reached 80 matches in a season.

From 1980-1982, Ivan Lendl played an average of 121 matches per season during a time when bo5 finals were common outside of slams. Nobody in the modern game has even played 100 matches in a season. How’s that for stamina?
The ability to avoid injuries is not a synonym with having stamina.

I can play a friendly football/soccer match and finish it uninjured, despite ending up tired of running after 10 minutes.

Stamina is defined as having the physical ability of, while uninjured, being able to play long matches without getting tired.
 
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Dropshot777

Rookie
Alcaraz in the Roland Garros 2023 semifinal against Djokovic suffered cramps at the beginning of the third set due to tension due to the stakes of the match.
And we return to the issue that mind and body are closely linked when we talk about resistance.
A bit like the immune system itself that can weaken when you are very stressed.
But is that still not stamina, or at least an aspect of it?
 
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