We’ve spent the past week counting down the list of Top 100 Athletes of the 21st Centuryand four men made the list, starting with Roger Federer at No. 6.
We’ve also picked our overall top 10 for men’s tennis. Who else makes the list of some of the greatest men’s tennis players of the 2000s?
Top 10 best female tennis players of the 21st century
1. Roger Federer
Key Achievements: His 20 major tournament wins, 369 major tournament wins and eight Wimbledon titles are the most of all time for a man, his 103 men’s singles titles (second most for a man in the Open era).
It’s not unusual for a professional athlete to get emotional during their final match or match before retirement. But what’s unusual is when everyone else in the competition gets emotional about it, too. That was the case for Federer in what will be his final career match at the Laver Cup — an event he co-founded — in 2022. He had previously announced a doubles match with Rafael Nadal would be his swan song, Nadal — his fiercest rival in nearly 20 years — cried right beside him when it ended, as did Novak Djokovic, Andy Murraythe rest of their European teammates, and even Jack socks And Frances Tiafoetheir opponents from the World Team. “I think we’ll all be forever grateful to be in the GOAT’s final match,” Sock said afterward. — D’Arcy Maine
2. Novak Djokovic
Key Achievements: 24-time Grand Slam singles champion; record 422 weeks at No. 1; 375 Grand Slam match wins; third in men’s singles titles (98), victories (1,110) in the Open era
Less than two months after being stunned in the Wimbledon final by Carlos AlcarazDjokovic refused to postpone history again and won his 24th men’s major title at the 2023 US Open. After escaping a five-set challenge in the third round, Djokovic did not drop another set and defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the final. At 36, he became the oldest man to win the US Open and tied Margaret Court’s record for most major titles in history. For many, the feat secured his place as the sport’s all-time great, but, like a true competitor, he wasn’t satisfied. “I don’t have a number in my head about how many Grand Slams I want to win,” he said hours later. — State of Maine
3. Rafael Nadal
Key Achievements: 22-time Grand Slam singles champion, ATP Tour title for 19 consecutive seasons, 209 weeks as world No. 1, fourth-most men’s singles wins in the Open era
While Nadal has had success on every surface throughout his career, he is rightly considered the “King of Clay” for his dominance on clay. From 2005 to 2007, he had an 81-match winning streak on the surface — still the longest streak on a single surface by any man in the Open era. No one in history has won more singles titles at an individual Grand Slam than Nadal, who has won 14 Roland Garros titles, in Paris. He has an undefeated record in finals at the tournament, and his reign has become so legendary and unprecedented that a statue was erected in his honor in 2021 — while he was still playing at the event. Federer has called Nadal’s dominance at Roland Garros “one of the greatest achievements in sport.” — State of Maine
4. Andy Murray
Key Achievements: Three-time Grand Slam singles champion, top 10 finish for nine consecutive years (2008-16), two-time Olympic gold medalist in singles.
Once part of the sport’s Big Four, Murray has largely fallen out of the conversation as Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have emerged in a league of their own. But even if his three-major triumph pales in comparison to his top peers, perhaps no victory has been more memorable than Murray’s maiden title at Wimbledon in 2013. A year after narrowly missing out on a home Grand Slam, a determined Murray held off Djokovic in three convincing sets to claim his first major title. Never one to hide his emotions, Murray openly wept on court after the victory, demonstrating just how much it meant to him. The BBC called the achievement the “Holy Grail” for British sport. — State of Maine
5. Andre Agassi
Key Achievements: Since 2000: Won 3 Australian Opens, bringing his total to 8, was the oldest person to be ranked No. 1 in 2003 (later surpassed by Federer)
He was a product of the “Image is Everything” of the 1990s and completed his career Grand Slam with the 1999 French Open title, but only four men have won more Grand Slam titles in the The 2000s than Agassi. He turned 30 in 2000, but won the Australian Open in 2000, 2001 and 2003 and reached the US Open final in 2002 and 2005. His final Grand Slam title was also his most dominant. He dropped just 48 games in seven matches, and after a hard-fought third-round win over Nicolas Escude, he won the title 6-1, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2, 6-1. Agassi has learned over the years to grind, to tire out opponents and to rely on his superior fitness. But even at 32, he has the ability to maintain such excellence that sometimes his fitness doesn’t even come into play. — Bill Connelly
Key Achievements: Winner of 4 majors before age 22, back-to-back Wimbledon titles (2023 and 2024), 15 career singles titles, No. 1 in September 2022
Nadal has won three Grand Slams by the time he turns 22. Federer and Djokovic have each won one. Andy Murray has won three. total. But Carlos Alcaraz, who turned 21 in May, already has four titles. He is three-quarters of the way to a career Grand Slam, something Federer didn’t achieve until he was 27. He has also won five Masters 1000s, and in Grand Slam and Masters finals, the self-proclaimed Real Madrid fan has a 9-1 record similar to Real’s. It was amazing that Alcaraz won at least one match at every Grand Slam in 2021, his 18th season, but he has continued to raise the bar countless times in the years since. He has Djokovic’s speed, Nadal’s athleticism and, at times, Federer’s artistry. He radiates joy, smiles after winning and losing points and occasionally applauds opponents for a job well done. He is already among the all-time greats and he is just getting started. — Connelly
7. Pete Sampras
Key Achievements: Since 2000: Won 2 majors (Wimbledon and US Open) to increase career total to 14, returned to No. 1 position in 2000
Maybe he could have stuck around a little longer, achieved a few more successes, figured out a few more tricks to throw at the younger generation. Instead, with his achievements dwindling at age 31, Sampras had one last great run and decided that the story was over. Here’s what “diminishing results” looked like for Sampras, by the way: In the first three years of the 2000s, he only one reached the finals of four Grand Slam tournaments. He won a record seventh Wimbledon title in 2000, defeating Patrick Rafter in the final and officially surpassed Roy Emerson for the top spot on the Grand Slam list. And after losing the final in 2000 and 2001, he had one last great US Open run in 2002, dropping just one set to the youngster. Tommy Haas and Andy Roddick, then beat Agassi one last time and announced his retirement. — Connelly
Key Achievements: US Open winner (2003), 3-time Wimbledon finalist, 32 career titles
He had the serve of Sampras and the attitude of Agassi. He won his first Grand Slam at 21 and finished 2003 as world No. 1. And if Federer had focused on football or golf instead, he could have been Agassi’s equal. But while he has reached a total of 14 Grand Slam and Masters 1000 finals, he has lost six of them to Federer. He lost to Federer in the Wimbledon final three times, in 2004, 2005 and in an epic five-set match in 2009. Yet he has been the flagbearer of American men’s tennis for a generation, finishing nine years in a row in the top 10 (2002-10) and three years in a row in the top three (2003-05). He has won 32 titles in his career, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017, and is now living the American dream as a successful podcast host. Truly a 21st century success story. — Connelly
Key Achievements: Winner of 3 major tournaments, doubles gold medalist at the 2008 Olympics, 14 career titles
There’s glory in making your moments count. Stan Wawrinka has reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam event eight times; he’s reached the final four times and won the title three times. His resume — 16 career titles, one Masters 1000 — isn’t as deep as some of the other greats of the 2000s, but three Grand Slams will get you into the Hall of Fame. Wawrinka’s game plan is simple: Overwhelm your opponents. He boasts a powerful, commanding forehand and a one-handed backhand that can sometimes slice through the defenses of Nadal (whom he’s beaten three times, once on clay, in 2014-15) and Djokovic (whom he’s beaten six times, four at Grand Slams). He can’t always keep up with the Big Three, but they always have him to worry about. — Connelly
Key Achievements: 2 times major champion, world number 1 in 2001, 30 career titles
He wasn’t blessed with the towering stature of many of the greats, but the 5’10” Australian quickly took control of the sport during the transition from the Agassi-Sampras era to the Big Three era. Between 2000 and 2005, he reached six Grand Slam semifinals, four finals, and won twice: the 2001 US Open (defeating Sampras in straight sets) and the 2002 Wimbledon Championships (winning even bigger). David Nalbandian). He finished both 2001 and 2002 as world No. 1, he won Indian Wells twice, and he was part of two Davis Cup-winning teams. Like Andy Roddick, he was held back by Federer’s rise — he won seven of his first nine matches against the Swiss Grand Prix champion, then lost 15 in a row — but he still made his mark. — Connelly
