US Open 2010: The Top Two Greatest US Open Players - Men’s Side
With the final Grand Slam of the year, the United States Open tennis tournament, just about to begin within a couple of days, here's a look at the top two greatest all time United States Open champions from the men’s side.
Jimmy Connors: He was a player who was capable of winning on all sorts of surfaces. He motivated himself by thinking that everyone and everything is against the American. This imagination of his assisted Jimmy in becoming a threat in tennis for ages.
Jimmy captured a total of five out of his total seven final matches at the United States Open tennis tournament with a winning percentage of 85.2.
He is the only tennis player in the history of the US Open to have grabbed the trophy on three distinct courts namely clay, grass as well as hard court.
He captured his very first trophy back in 1974 and his last one came back in 1983. Jimmy participated in a total of twenty two United States Open tournaments beginning in 1970. The American played his last event back in 1992 after he turned forty.
Jimmy was extremely fond of playing in the city of New York where he won the majority of his titles as well.
In 1974, he captured three of four Grand Slam crowns, deciding not to contest at the French Open tennis tournament. In his very first United States Open final and he knocked down Ken Rosewall in a three setter clash. The final match score was 6-1, 6-0, and 6-1.
His next two victories were back in 1976 on the clay courts and then 1978 on the hard surfaces, against rival, Bjorn Borg. The next time both the players faced each other was again in 1978, Bjorn as a result of his thumb injury couldn’t survive against the pace of Jimmy and lost in a total of three sets. The final match score was 6-4, 6-2, and 6-2.
Connors afterwards, succeeded in a total of two more finals versus another top ranked tennis player, Ivan Lendl back in 1982 as well as in 1983, in a total of two sets each.
The American tennis ace lost in a total of two finals at the United States Open when going up against Michael Orantes from Spain back in 1975 and against Guillermo Vilas from Argentina back in 1977.
Jimmy’s name will always remain in the list of the greatest tennis players, particularly in the hearts of his American fans.
Pete Sampras: Pete’s success at the Flushing Meadows speaks very highly of the class and flair of the greatest American legend in the game of tennis. His appearance in a total of eight US Open finals is a record that will be close to impossible to break, although Roger is still active and just two appearances away from achieving that feat.
With a total of five tournaments, Pete Sampras remains tied with Roger Federer as well as Jimmy Connors for most successes at the United States Open tennis tournament, where Sampras enjoys a winning percentage of 88.75.
Sampras participated at the United States Open tennis tournament on a total of fourteen occasions in his career, starting from 1988, skipping just a single event back in 1999 as a result of injury.
Pete captured his very first trophy at nineteen and the last one at thirty one, both at the United States Open tennis tournament. He won his first US Open title back in 1990 after getting the better of Andre Agassi in a total of three sets. The final match score was 6-4, 6-3, and 6-2. The American captured his second trophy three years later in 1993 after knocking down his French tennis opponent Cedric Pioline in straight sets. Sampras grabbed back-to-back tournaments in 1995 and 1996 beating his compatriot fellow Andre Agassi on both occasions.
In 1996 Pete smoked Michael Chang to hold his fourth United States Open trophy. The American won his fifth and final title at the Flushing Meadows back in 2002.
To date, the former top ranked American tennis ace, Pete Sampras is considered the best tennis player on the hard courts at the United States Open tennis tournament.
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