After winning the elusive French Open, is Roger Federer really the greatest tennis player ever? We bring you six snapshots of the game’s finest through the decades and ask you to pick your favourite. Tell t2@abpmail.com
Roger Federer
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Date of birth: August 8, 1981
Place of birth: Basel, Switzerland
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 85kg
Career titles: 59
Grand Slam titles: 14 (Wimbledon: 5, US Open: 5, French Open: 1,
Australian Open: 3)
Career prize money: $48,072,634 (ATP site)
Singles record: 650 wins, 155 losses
Strength: Wide range of shots, endurance and elegance, power and artistry, on-court composure, consistency, big occasion-big point player
Weakness: Rafael Nadal
Highlights: Has reached the highest number of Grand Slam finals (19; tied with Ivan Lendl); Spent 237 weeks at number 1, the longest uninterrupted run; ATP Player of the Year four times
Work in progress: Has said he wants to play till the 2012 Olympics, when the tennis championship will be held at Wimbledon, so expect many more trophies on his mantle
Pete Sampras
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Date of birth: August 12, 1971
Place of birth: Washington, US
Height: 6’1’
Weight: 77kg
Career titles: 64
Grand Slam titles: 14 (Wimbledon: 7, US Open: 5, Australian Open: 2)
Career prize money: $43,280,489
Singles record: 762 wins, 222 losses
Strength: Serve and volley, composure and killer
instinct, consistency
Weakness: His clay-court game — never made it past the semi-final at the French Open
Highlights: Spent the most number of weeks at No. 1 (286 weeks); named ATP Player of the Year six times
Rod Laver
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Date of birth: August 9, 1938
Place of birth: Queensland, Australia
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 68kg
Career titles: 40 singles and 28 doubles titles at ATP events
Grand Slam titles: 11 (Wimbledon: 4, US Open: 2,
French Open: 2, Australian Open: 3)
Career prize money: $1,565,413
Singles record: 405 wins, 106 losses
Strength: All-court craft and a winning habit that made him Mr Invincible
Weakness: Lost five prime playing years because of the
system separating amateurs and professionals
Highlights: World No. 1 for seven consecutive years from 1964 to 1970; only man in the Slam era to have won a calendar Grand Slam (also won a calendar Slam as an amateur)
Bjorn Borg
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Date of birth: June 6, 1956
Place of birth: Sodertalje, Sweden
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 73kg
Career titles: 63 (ATP listed)
Grand Slam titles: 11 (Wimbledon: 5, French Open: 6 )
Career prize money: $3,655,751
Singles record: 603 wins, 127 losses
Strength: The enigma of his era — a baseliner with powerful topspin who ruled Wimbledon’s Centre Court
Weakness: Poor hard court record, never winning at the US or Australian Open
Highlights: Won four back-to-back French Open titles; five at Wimbledon (Federer and Nadal have only managed to equal these records, not break them); retired at the age of 26; his colourful life after retirement keeps him in the headlines — including a near bankruptcy
John McEnroe
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Date of birth: February 16, 1959
Place of birth: Wiesbaden, Germany
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 75kg
Career titles: 77 singles and 71 doubles
Grand Slam titles: 7 singles (Wimbledon: 3, US: 4) and 9 doubles
Career prize money: $12,552,132
Singles record: 875 wins, 198 losses
Strength: Artistry, wicked serve and sublime volleys
Weakness: Volatility and a foul mouth that saw him penalised a number of times
Never made it past the quarter finals at Roland Garros
Highlights: Dethroning Bjorn Borg at Wimbledon
Andre Agassi
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Date of birth: April 29, 1970
Place of birth: Las Vegas, Nevada
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 80kg
Career titles: 60
Grand Slam titles: 8
(Wimbledon: 1, US Open: 2, French Open: 1, Australian Open: 4)
Career prize money: $31,152,975
Singles record: 870 wins, 274 losses
Strength: Return of serve and counter-attack
Weakness: His serve lacked power; his early aversion for Wimbledon
Highlights: Won an Olympic gold (singles, 1996); played till the age of 36, winning his last Slam at age 32; married Steffi Graf in 2001
