Lords and Ladies of Tennis
Tennis attracts millions of viewers that spread across the entire world. The game has expanded on the support of fans and the intensity it is played with. It’s easily the most energy consuming sport right now. The sport has produced
best athletes over a period of time. Recently a tennis match between John Isner (USA) and Nicolas Mahut (France) has set a new record; the match lasted for around 11 hours and is the longest tennis match of all time. Tennis players must train hard to build
their stamina and physical strength. Let us have a look at the achievements of some of the great tennis players from the past as well as present.
Bjorn Borg; Bjorn Borg was born in a small in Sweden. He is a former No.1 as well. Bjorn started playing professional tennis at the age of 14 and at 15 years old, he was the youngest player to represent his country.
Later in that year he also managed to deliver the goods in the junior singles Wimbledon title. In his impressive career Bjorn created unique records which include winning 6 Wimbledon and 5 French Open titles. Both of these records have been equaled by Roger
Federer and Rafael Nadal respectively.
Rodney George; Rodney was an Australian professional tennis player and was the world No.1 for seven successive years (1964-1970). He is the only tennis player who won all four Grand Slam titles in the same year
twice in his career (1962, 1969). Rodney was famous for his faultless playing techniques.
Pete Sampras; Sampras was born in Washington on August 12, 1971. He turned pro in 1998. Sampras is often regarded as one best Tennis players of all time. Inspiring Sampras won 7 Wimbledon titles to equal the record
of William Renshaw of Britain. Pete Sampras went on to win all four Grand Slam titles but it was Wimbledon and US Open where he enjoyed most success. He was world No.1 for six consecutive years from 1993 to 1998 and the last American professional player to
have won Wimbledon and US Open title.
Roger Federer; He was born in Switzerland in 1981. He started professional Tennis in 1998. He held the No.1 position for a record 285 weeks which is the second best to Pete Sampras 286 weeks. Roger Federer has
won 16 Grand Slam titles surpassing the record of Pete Sampras (14 Grand Slam titles). French Open proved to be the most difficult Grand Slam for him which he won only once in 2009.
Rafael Nadal; Nadal is the current world No.1. He is often known as the King of Clay. He has imposing record on the clay court with 5 French Open title wins. He has won all four Grand Slam titles. He was ranked
2nd for 160 weeks behind Roger Federer. He has improved immensely on the grass and hard courts as well, winning 2008 and 2010 Wimbledon and 2010 US Open title.
Margaret Court; She is the former No.1 Australian Tennis star. In her long career, Court achieved 24 single Grand Slam titles, a unique record that only she holds. She was also the second female tennis player to
have won all four Grand Slam titles in one year.
Martina Navratilova; A Czech-American Tennis player, Martina had great success at international level. She won 19 singles Grand Slam tournaments, 31 doubles and 10 mixed-double titles in her career, an achievement
that puts her well beyond the reach.
Steffi Graff; This German tennis player won 22 grand slam titles in her career, only the second best to Margaret Court’s record. Steffi’s most significant performance was recorded in 1988 when she won all four
Grand Slam titles and the Olympic Gold medal.
Serena Williams; Current No.1 in both singles and doubles, She has won 12 Grand Slam titles in her career so far. She was born in Michigan, USA in 1981. Serena is famous for her strength at service and ground play.
She is also the leader in earnings among all the female athletes.
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