7th (Shared) 8 Wins – Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl, Jimmy Connors, Ken Rosewall, Fred Perry

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Rafael Nadal, Spain – Once Again, Rafa is back on top. Regaining his world number one spot exactly one month ago after winning his 5th Roland Garros and cementing his place as king, higher than the rest, especially with Federer reaching his second huge career slump, this time really looking like the beginning of the end for him, with his second title at Wimbledon.

Nadal has eight Grand Slam Titles – One Australian Open (2009), Five French Open titles (2005-2008, 2010) and twice winner at Wimbledon (2008, 2010). He’s still missing the US Open trophy, where he has yet to reach the final.

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Andre Agassi, United States – The only man to get a career golden slam, Agassi, despite being one of the greatest ever, will always be remembered as second to Pete Sampras, despite having a longer and his ability to win in the Roland Garros, making him one of only six players to achieve a career grand slam.

Agassi won eight grand slam titles, the first being in Wimbledon, 1992, his only win in London. He won four Australian Opens (1995, 2000, 2001, 2003), once in Paris (1999) and twice in New York (1995, 1999).

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Ivan Lendl, Czechoslovakia/United States – The man who pretty much invented “Power Tennis” ruled on most courts during the second half of the 1980’s, topping the ATP rankings for most of the time between 1984-1990.

Lendl won his first grand slam title in Paris, where he has won the French Open three times (1984, 1986-1987). He won the Australian Open twice (1989-199) and has three US Open trophies (1985-1987). He made the Wimbledon final twice, but never won on the London grass, probably hurting his legacy and consideration when coming to “best ever” debates.

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Jimmy Connors, United States – The man who was at the top of the ATP rankings for 160 consecutive weeks (1974-1977), second only to Roger Federer, is one of five players (Wilander, Agassi, Federer and Nadal are the others) to win a grand slam title on all three type of courts. He never won the French Open, but he did win the US Open during the brief period it was played on clay (1975-1977).

Connors won his first Slam in Australia, 1974, his only trophy from Down Under. He won at Wimbledon twice (1974, 1982) and five times at the US Open (1974, 1976, 1978, 1982, 1983). He never got passed the semi’s in the Roland Garros.

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Ken Rosewall, Australia – The man who possessed what is considered to be the best backhand in the history of tennis won Grand Slam titles in both the open era and in the pre-open era. He was a pro between 1957-1968, when it was forbidden for anyone but amateurs to participate in the Grand Slam tournaments.

Rosewall won his first slam in 1953, one of his four wins in the Australian Open (1955, 1971, 1972). He won the French twice (1953, 1968) and twice at the US Open (1956, 1970). He made the Wimbledon final four times, losing to four different players (Connors, Newcombe, Hoad, Drobny).

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Fred Perry, United Kingdom – Still, 74 years since his final grand slam title, Perry is the last British male player to win a grand slam title, with Andy Murray being the current carrier of the British hopes and the deliverer of disappointments.

Perry won eight grand slam titles in a period of three years. 1933 – US Open. 1934 – Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open. 1935 – French Open and Wimbledon. 1936 – Wimbledon and US Open.

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6th, 10 Wins – Bill Tilden, United States

Probably the first tennis “giant”, Tilden played as an amateur for 18 years (1912-1930), winning 138 titles out of 192 tournaments he took part of, winning 93.6% of his matches (The highest open era record belongs to Bjorn Borg, 82.4%).

Tilden won 10 titles, all of them in Wimbledon and the US Open. He won three Wimbledon’s (1920, 1921, 1930) and seven US Open titles (1920-1925, 1930).

4th (shared) 11 Wins – Bjorn Borg, Rod Laver

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Bjorn Borg, Sweden – As shown earlier, Borg, despite a strong challenge from Nadal, is currently holding the best winning percentage in the history of the Open era among men with 82.7%. Nadal has 82.4%, better than Federer and his 80.2%. Borg has also a fantastic 90% record in grand slam matches.

He won five Wimbledon titles, all back to back, sharing the five consecutive wins record with Roger Federer. He also won six times at the French Open, four of those wins coming back to back, a record he shared with Nadal. He never got passed the third round in Australia and made the US Open final four times, losing twice to Connors and twice to McEnroe.

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Rod Laver, Australia – Greatest ever? Hard to tell, with time blurring the perspective, but Laver’s achievements rank with the best of them, and maybe even beat them – Laver won slams in the amateur era, and also later, during the open era, missing some years after going pro. He has two calendar year grand slams, 1962 as an amateur and 1969, as a pro. Along with Roy Emerson (coming up), they are the only male players to win each grand slam more than once.

Laver won three Australian Open titles (1960, 1962, 1969), two French Open titles (1962, 1969), four Wimbledon titles (1961-1962, 1968-1969) and two US Open titles (1962, 1969). He also brought Roger Federer to tears when presenting him with the trophy after the 2006 Australian Open Finals.

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3rd, 12 Wins – Roy Emerson, Australia

Another legendary Aussie, who pretty much enjoyed Laver turning pro during the pre-open years to dominate the Grand Slam field. He was the first male player to win each grand slam title more than once.

Six Australian Open titles (1961, 1963-1967), two French Open titles (1963, 1967), Wimbledon twice (1964-1965) and the US Open twice (1961, 1964).

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2nd, 14 Wins, Pete Sampras, United States

Didn’t have Agassi’s charisma, but was simply a better tennis player, so despite the few who think Agassi was better, the 14-8 mark, despite Agassi playing more years, tells the story. They also met five times in a Grand Slam final, with Sampras winning four times, losing only in the 1995 Australian Open. Down to business – for 90’s lovers and kids, Pistol Pete will always be the greatest ever, with his classy serve & volley game and his utter dominance at Wimbledon and the US Open. He’ll also be remembered for his failure at Paris, with the 1996 Semi Final his best finish there.

He won two Australian Open titles (1994, 1997) and a record (shared) seven Wimbledon titles (1993-1995, 1997-2000) and five US Open titles (1990, 1993, 1995-1996, 2002).

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First, 16 Wins, Roger Federer, Switzerland

There’s always that sad time with every great player – when we start seeing his demise, him getting older, him starting to fail. In the beginning of 2009 and some parts of 2008 we thought it was the beginning of the end, but than Federer came back, beat Nadal in the Madrid Final, going on to win the 2009 Wimbledon and Roland Garros, beating Sampars’ record and finally getting his career grand slam. Early 2010 – Beating Andy Murray in the Australian Open got us thinking Federer is here for a long time. But six months later, I guess the party is nearing its end for Federer, failing to make the Semi Finals of both the Roland Garros and Wimbledon after 23 consecutive Grand Slam semi final appearances. No need to shed a tear, this is the best player ever, unless Nadal proves us wrong.

Four Australian Open titles (2004, 2006-2007, 2010), One, very memorable, French Open title (2009), Six, including five consecutive, Wimbledon titles (2003-2007, 2009) and Five US Open titles, consecutive (2004-2008). He also holds the two top spots in Grand Slam Finals appearances, with 10 (2005-2007) and 8 (2008-2010).

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Here it is – 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 70-68. Yes, this isn’t basketball. John Isner beat Nicolas Mahut as the two completed the longest match in Tennis history. Herculean, said John McEnroe. Farce, say others. Doesn’t matter which side of the fence you’re on, this was quite a physical feat by both men who need to take the rest of the year off. Here are some of the numbers, now in Wimbledon and tennis record books.

Longest tennis match in history – 665 Minutes, meaning 11 hours and 5 minutes, spread across three days of grueling tennis. I would have just started hitting double faults to get some rest and end it all, screw glory and professionalism. Maybe that’s why I was never good at pro sports.

Longest Set in history – 8 Hours! The second longest tennis match in history is Six hours, 33 minutes long, between Fabrice Santoro and Arnaud Clement in the 2004 French Open. The longest Wimbledon match before the Isner-Mahut Serve-Fest was between Greg Holmes and Todd Witsken in the 1989 tournament – 5 Hours and 28 minutes.

Most Games – 183 Games, 138 in the fifth set. The previous Wimbledon record, set in 1969, is 112 games.

Most Aces – John Isner hit 113, Nicolas Mahut 102. Both now top the most aces in a match record books, with Croatian giant behind them with a “pathetic” 78, set last year in a Davis Cup match. Karlovic also owned the ATP tour recrod, 55, from the 2009 French Open.

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One last thing – With all the romantic and nostalgic notions Wimbledon creates, this was a joke. The fifth set rule has got to change and join the rest of the tennis world, playing a regular tie-break game when it’s all on the line. Isner and Mahut will go down in the history books as gladiators who spent almost 12 hours of serving the %#@$ out of each other, but the scheduling problems a freak match like this creates and the effect it has on the player advancing are not welcome. Lets make this year the last one with a chance of such a thing happening. We can all tell our grandchildren, if they like tennis in the future (mine is a very distant one), that we watched two guys on the grass for 11 hours, and it’ll never happen again. I hope.

Two Wins – Jan Kodes (Czech), Jim Courier (USA) and Sergi Bruguera (Spain)

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The Small Prague born player (only 5′9) had great success in the early 70’s, winning two French Opens and Wimbledon. He won at the Roland Garros back to back (1970-1971), beating Ilie Nastase of Romania and Croatian (then Yugoslav) Zeljko Franulovic in those finals. Kodes, despite being quite a limited and average player away from clay, managed to win the 1973 Wimbledon, as 13 of the top 16 seeded players did not participate due to a labor dispute. Kodes managed to reach to US Open finals (71, 73), losing them both.

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A former world no.1, Courier was probably the best player in the world for a short period of time in the early 90’s, before Pete Sampras erupted. A winner of four grand slams in total (two in Australia), Courier won the French back to back in 1991 and 1992. In the 1991 finals, reaching them after beating Stefan Edberg and one-hit wonder Michael Stich along the way, Courier faced another American prodigy and back then “bad boy” Andre Agassi. It took him five sets, but he eventually beat Agassi to claim his first major. The next year, Courier came in as the number one seed, backed by a finals appearance at the US Open and winning the Australian Open a few months earlier. This time he dispatched of Austrain Thomas Muster, Goran Ivanisevic, again Agassi (Semi’s) and beat Petr Korda in the finals 3-0, claiming his third slam and second French Open title.

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After Courier’s back to back wins, it was a Spaniard’s turn. Clay specialist Sergi Bruguera (born in Barcelona) ruled the clay in Paris in 1993-1994. Winning as the 10th seed in 1993, Bruguera beat Pete Sampras in the quarter final and reigning champion Jim Courier in the final, claiming his first slam. Interesting fact about Bruguera – he is one of a few players to actually have a winning record against Pete Sampras. In an interview about the Federer-Sampras comparison, Bruguera mentioned Federer is 10 times the player Sampras was. In 1994, Jim Courier met Bruguera in the semi’s, losing again, as Sergi beat Alberto Berasategui in a Spanish Derby to claim his second grand slam. Out of Bruguera’s 14 single titles, 13 came on the clay courts.

Three Wins – Mats Wilander (Sweden), Ivan Lendl (Czech) and Gustavo Kuerten (Brazil)

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Probably the best Tennis TV guy there is today (for those who watch Eurosport), Wilander was the best in the world back in the 1980’s, or at least one of the best. Out of his seven grand slam titles, all won between 1982-1988, Wilander won the French Open three times – 1982, 1985, 1988. In 1982 Wilander won the title going in unseeded, stunning Ivan Lendl in the fourth round (a career rival) and stunning Guillermo Villas in the final, becoming the youngest man ever to win a singles grand slam (later broken by Becker and Chang). 1985 – Wilander came in as the number four player, with three grand slam titles behind him. On his way to a second French Open he beat a very young Boris Becker, no.1 seed John McEnroe in the semi’s and no.2 seed and arch-rival Ivan Lendl in the final. 1988 – Wilander’s great year (winning three slams). He beat Henri Leconte in the final, earlier dispatching of an 18 year old Andre Agassi in the semi final.

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Another one of the all-time greats, Ostrava born Lendl was probably the best and most dominant tennis player in the second half of the 1980’s, winning eight grand slams in six years and spending most of that period as the world’s number one. He won the French Open three times. 1984 – Lendl beat Wilander in the Semi’s and another big rival, John McEnroe, in the final, winning his first grand slam title. 1986 – Meeting only two seeded players on his way to his second French and his third slam, Lendl beat Swedish Mikael Pernfors in the final, who stunned Henri Leconte in the semi final. 1987 – His third French and sixth grand slam title, Lendl beat Mats Wilander in the finals after dispatching of fellow countryman Miroslav Mecir in the Semi Final.

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A clay specialist with a mega-serve. Yes, Guga was one of those unique talents who grace us with their appearance once in a while. He’s not one of the greatest ever, probably not on clay, but he was special to watch, and was probably one of the more popular champions in Paris and on the whole tour. 1997 – In only his third slam tournament ever, the only player to do so, while ranked 66th, Kuerten stunned the tennis world by winning the French Open, beating two time champions Sergi Bruguera in the final. 2000 – Now coming in as the sixth seed, Kuerten won his second French, taking out Kafelnikov (Quarter Final), Juan Carlos Ferrero (Semi) and Swede Magnus Norman in the final. 2001 – This time coming in as the number one seed, Kuerten again disposed of Kafelnikov (quarter) and Ferrero (Semi) before beating Alex Corretjia in the final.

Four Wins – Rafael Nadal (Spain)

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The greatest clay court player ever? Probably is, but in tennis, you need the numbers to solidify your claim, and Nadal is still two French Open triumphs short of tying with Bjorn Borg. Going in to this Roland Garros in amazing shape after not losing on clay all season so far, claiming the titles in Monte Carlo, Rome and Madrid, Nadal is the clear favorite to win his fifth title at Roland Garros after a topsy turvy year since his early exit against Soderling in 2009. Nadal won his first of four consecutive French Open titles in 2005, still before his 19th birthday, beating Roger Federer in the Semi Final and Mariano Puerta in the final. 2006 – Nadal became the first player to beat Roger Federer in a grand slam final, winning in four sets. 2007 – Again Federer, again four sets, again Nadal crowned as champion. 2008 – Total destruction, as Nadal wiped the floor with Federer, beating the Swiss 6-1, 6-3, 6-0. Nadal’s four consecutive wins at Paris are matched only by Borg but his 31 consecutive wins at the Roland Garros are unmatched in the tournament’s history.

Six Wins – Bjorn Borg (Sweden)

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The Only player in the open era to win Wimbledon and the French Open in the same year more than once (achieved it three times, consecutively, actually), the great “Ice-Borg” is still considered by some to be the greatest ever. Six French Open titles and five at Wimbledon (1976-1980) make as a strong resume.

Borg is the only player to be in six French Open finals, more remarkably winning them all.

1974 – Borg’s first Grand Slam title – Coming in as the number 3 seed, he beat Spaniard Manuel Orantas (14th seed) in the final.

1975 – Borg’s second slam, coming in as number one, Borg crushed Argentine Guillermo Villas in the final, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4. Borg didn’t win at Paris again until 1978, making the quarter final in 1976 and not playing in 1977 due to contract obligations with WTT. 1978 – Borg begins his four-peat, beating Guillermo Villas, the reigning champion, again. 1979 – Borg beat Victor Pecci, a shocking finalist from Paraguay, who stunned Jimmy Connors in the semi final. 1980 – Borg was the only non-American in the Semi Finals that year, beating Harold Solomon before beating Vitas Gerulaitis in the final. Gerulaitis beat Connors in the Semis. 1981 – Borg’s final grand slam title – a classic final with a young Ivan Lendl, ending in Borg’s favor after five sets.

Hilarious video showing how to smash your tennis racket like a pro, or Marat Safin.

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Andy Roddick’s latest loss to Marin Cilic in the quarter finals of the Australian Open highlighted the fact that USA is no longer a force to be reckoned with in men’s Tennis. America always had great Tennis material in legends such as Arthur Ash, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras.

The good ol' days

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Since the start of the open era and the beginning of professional tennis, USA had two main periods where American Tennis players ruled the ATP. The first was in the mid 70’s till the mid 80’s when the famous Connors-McEnroe rivalry featured in different Grand Slam and ATP finals with Bjorn Borg becoming a tough opponent for both the Americans those years. The 2nd successful period was when Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras prospered all through the 90’s until the 00’s (with a special mention to Jim Courier who won 4 grand slam titles in the early 90’s) grabbing 22 grand slam titles between them, providing memorable encounters such as the 1990,2001 and 2002 US Open finals.

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With Sampras and Agassi reaching the end of their careers, America looked for an heir, and they found one in the young Andy Roddick as he managed to beat Sampras, Ivanisavic and Gustavo Kuerten since he turned into pro in 2000. In 2003 Roddick reached the semis of the Australian Open and won the US Open, finishing number 1 in the end of 2003. With his trademark powerful serves (recorded the fastest serve in the history of Tennis with 155 Mph) and never say die attitude Roddick became a main figure in the top 10. However, since his win at the US Open Roddick hasn’t won any Grand Slams, being outplayed time and time again by (mostly) Federer, Nadal and others who highlighted the fact that Roddick may be an exiting player to watch and is a fantastic server, but is very limited in most aspects of the game.

The best proof for the decline of American Tennis is the fact that the 7 year period since 2003 is the longest that no American won a Grand Slam. Apart from Roddick, the other Americans who proved to be somewhat significant in the tour in recent years are  James Blake who’s best achievement is the Masters Cup Final in 2006 which he lost in straight sets to who else but… Roger Federer. Mardy Fish, Robby Ginepri (who managed to reach 15 in the ATP Ranking in the end of 2005) and Taylor Dent have been regarded as talented each with his own style of play, although not enough to make it count in major tournaments.

A look at The USA Davis Cup team will show that since 1997 the team reached three finals finishing runners up to Sweden in 1997 (with an infamous 5-0 humiliation) and Spain in 2004. However they won against Russia in 2007. The American team possess the number one seeded double, Bob and Mike Bryan and Andy Roddick. Roddick ,who is 27 years old, is the youngest member of the team(the Bryan brothers are 31 and James Blake is 30 years old) which implements that the team will have a tough time as sufficient back ups haven’t come up just yet and as we all know the clock is ticking. However, the USA are still a powerhouse in the Davis Cup as they hold the record for playing in the World Group for ongoing consecutive years, as it stands on 22 years at the moment.

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However, there just might be some hope for American tennis, as two up and coming players threaten to make it to the top 15 this year. One of them is the 2.06 meters high, John Isner, who is currently seeded 29th in the world and after his latest achievements (4th round of the Australian Open 2010 and the US Open 2009) he seems to have potential to be a top 10 player in the upcoming years, as he managed to beat top notch players such as Gael Monfils and Andy Roddick with the help of his powerful serve. The other player who seems to have potential is Sam Querrey who like his doubles team-mate, John Isner,  is a tennis giant notching up to 1.98 meters. Both players featured in all the Grand Slams with minor success though they left an impression and left a bit of hope for mens Tennis in America.

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So, American mens Tennis has come up a bit short (only in terms of success) these days but with two talents on the way to become an integral part of the elite of the ATP and one Andy Roddick who can maybe serve his way to another long awaited and coveted Grand Slam, America is maybe not so far from finding their next Tennis superstar.

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Roger Federer was too much for Andy Murray this evening in Melbourne, winning his fourth Australian Open and 16th Grand Slam title, beating the ailing Brit in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (13-11). Although it seemed at times that Murray was able to get under Fed’s skin and really frustrate the Swiss master and unhinge his game, Federer prevailed each time. He found his serve midway through the first half, and eventually, his ability to fire in those winners (including the backhand) and dominate many games with his serve (11 aces didn’t do him justice) were enough to grab the victory.

Murray’s third set, despite carrying himself on an injured leg, was excellent, but Federer managed to come back to 5-5, eventually bringing on the tie break. Both players had chances they should have utilized, but it was mostly Federer who twice let Andy off the hook. Nonetheless, Federer is probably the best ever tie-breaker there is and was – too much for Murray who was outmatched tonight in the Rod Laver arena. Maybe he wasn’t taking enough risks, maybe Federer got in to his head with the pre-match Phsych-War, whatever it was, Murray is still without a slam title. Right now, Roger Federer is still too good for him.

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Andy Murray was clearly overwhelmed with emotions, with the obvious pressure to become the first British Grand Slam champions since 1936 (Fred Perry) finally showing as he was battling the hold back the tears as he congratulated Federer.
Federer didn’t cry, finally, but looked fresh and of course happy. The strange thing about Roger is he seems a tad more arrogant lately, maybe it’s fatherhood, maybe it the fact he hasn’t lost to Nadal in quite a while, maybe it’s him not having pressure on him anymore. Whatever it is, he’s good, and again threatens to go unstoppable the entire year. Now that he’ll go into the Roland Garros without the usual pressure, can he finally make it a grand slam year in 2010?

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In a light and casual relief for the tennis players before the Australian Opens kicks off and a great charity cause, the “Hit for Haiti” event organized by Roger Federer, watch this great grunting for laughs sequence between Federer and Nadal and of course the hilarious Djoker, Novak Djokovic.

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It’s hard to say what defined 2009 in tennis, or who… Rafael Nadal dominated the first four months of the year, beating Federer in the Australian Open, tightening his grip on the world no. 1 spot. Fed couldn’t buy a win anywhere, with many (including me) thinking his best is way way behind him. Rafa won three masters tournaments in March and April, and seemed truly unstoppable. After losing to the Spaniard in the Masters in Rome, Novak Djokovic said that next time, he’ll go on the court with two rackets, ’cause that’s the only way he can stop him. Yes, that was the feeling in the world of tennis about 6-7 months ago. Federer was out, Nadal was king, Djokovic and Murray also looked good, hoping to pick up on some crumbs that the Spaniard drops along the way.

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Then came May, and the world (of Tennis) got turned upside down again, to the pecking order it was used to in the Years 2004-2007. Federer beat Nadal, on clay, in the Madrid Masters final, winning his first tournament of the year and breaking Nadal’s 33 match win streak on clay, stopping Nadal from winning all three Clay Masters tournaments in 2009.

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Two weeks later it was the French Open, and Federer didn’t even need to beat Nadal to finally conquer the Roland Garros. Robin Soderling (Sweden), in the best form of his career, beat Rafael Nadal in the fourth round of the French Open, ending Nadal’s 31 match winning streak and cutting his run for a fifth straight title there short. Soderling went on to meet Federer in the final, who had a grueling five setter against Juan Martin Del Porto in the semi’s (we’ll be back with Del Potro soon enough). The final was a bit anti-climatic, as Federer beat Soderling in three sets, but who cared about the match – Federer finally won in Paris, matching Pete Sampras’ 14 Grand Slam Singles titles and completing a career grand slam, something Pistol Pete never managed to do.

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Federer was riding high on momentum into Wimbledon, as Rafael Nadal announced he will not be there to defend his title due to injuries. He didn’t return to the courts until August, and hasn’t looked like his old self since returning. Everyone is waiting for the 2010 Australian Open, to see if the old Rafa will be back. Back to Federer – Roger made it to the Wimbledon final dropping only one set along the way. On the way he reached his 21st consecutive grand slam semi final, extending his all-time record. The final was his 20th career grand slam final, setting the all-time mark, on better than Ivan Lendl’s 19.

This final was nothing like the French Open’s, as Andy Roddick stunned Federer by taking the first set. The game eventually entered a tie break, after the fifth set, and in Wimbledon fashion, it’s not in point, but in games. Roger went on to win 16-14 in the final set, winning his 15 grand slam, the new all-time record. The match itself was a record breaker in quite a few ways, including the most games played in a singles final (77) and the longest fifth set ever, 95 minutes, which included 30 games. Roddick won a lot of fans from that finals and the way he spoke and handled himself in the awards ceremony. Federer? He became the greatest player ever to many who still had doubts, this time the numbers proved it. He also got back his number one spot back.

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Next, the US Open – Federer was the clear favorite, despite Nadal back in action, to win his sixth straight US Open. He beat Soderling again (third slam in a row) and capped of his three set win over Djokovic in the Semi Final with an incredible between the legs shot, which Federer called “… the greatest shot I’ve ever made”. Juan Martin Del Potro, the colossal Argentinian, destroyed Nadal in the other semi final (6-2, 6-2, 6-2) and went on to shock Federer in the final in five sets, winning his first grand slam title and stopping Federer’s 40 match winning streak at New York.

The year end ATP World Tour Finals was won by Nikolay Davydenko, beating Del Potro in the final. Djokovic was another player to finish the year on a high note, winning the final Masters of 2009, beating Gael Monfils in the Paris Masters finals. Grand Slam title next year for ‘Nole?

Titles

As far as single titles go, Andy Murray was the most succesful, winning six, two of them being Masters. Nadal, Davydenk and Djokovic had five, with Nadal clearly the more impressive, with one slam and three masters. Federer? He setteled for four singles titles, two grand slams and two masters. Del Potro’s grand slam victory was one of three tournaments he won in 2009.

Money

Roger Federer led the list, winning 6.7 million dollars, way infront of Nadal who won 5.4 million dollars. At 3-4-5 we find Djokovic, Del Potro and Murray, all winning over 4 million dollars, and closing the top 10 are: Davydenko (3.6), Roddick (2.3), Soderling (2.1), Verdasco (1.7) and Tsonga (1.6).

A special mention to Ivo Karlovic, who recorded the most aces this season, with 890 in 43 games, an amazing 20.6 aces per match. He also was the best at winning his own service games, with 92%. Federer for example, is third with 90% and fifth regarding aces, with 657 in 71 matches.

Next Year

The return of Rafa? Is Del Potro the threat on the top 2, finishing fifth in the end of year rankings? Will Murray finally win a slam in 2010, preferably on grass, in front of the Brits? And what does Roger have to say about all this – how consistent can he be next year, how much gas does he have left in the tank? It’ll be interesting to see Federer fight for his retained crown, but it will be more difficult than ever, with him getting closer to the big 3 0 and more than just one player capable of taking him down.

No.10 – Amelie Mauresmo, France, 15,022,476 Dollars

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The 30 year old Geneva born Frenchwoman reached number one in 2004, but didn’t win her first Grand Slam till 2006, when she won the Australian Open and at Wimbledon. In all Mauresmo has 25 career singles titles, 15 of them coming in her  most succesful stretch between 2003-2006.

No. 9 – Kim Clijsters, Belgium, 16,396,856 Dollars

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The “comeback mom” was probably the best tennis story in 2009, returning after two years away from the game and winning the US Open, her third tournament since returning. She is also the first mother to win a Grand Slam since Evonne Goolagong (Australian) in the 1980 Wimbledon. Clijsters has one more US Open title (2005) and three more runner up finishes, one in Australia and two at the French Open. She has two Grand Slam doubles titles, at Paris and Wimbledon, both in 2003.

No. 8 – Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Spain, 16,942,640 Dollars

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The 37 year old Spaniard is another former world no. 1, winner four grand slam singles titles, three of them at the French Open and the fourth a US Open title. Her doubles achievements are even more impressive, winning 69 doubles titles, six of the Grand Slams (3 Australian, 1 Wimbledon, 2 US), and another four mixed doubles titles. She lost 8 times in Grand Slam singles finals.

No. 7 – Justine Henin, Belgium, 19,461,375 Dollars

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Maybe a bit jealous of Kim Clijsters, Henin also announced her return to tennis, just two months ago. Henin retired on May 2008 at the age of 25, ranked no. 1 in the world at the time of her announcement. She has won 41 singles titles, 7 of them Grand Slams (2 Australian, 4 French and one US Open). She will begin her comeback in 2010, and has already received a wild card for the Australian Open.

No. 6 – Martina Hingis, Switzerland, 20,130,657 Dollars

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Hingis exploded onto the scene in 1996, winning the Wimbledon doubles before her 16th birthday, and went supernova in 1997, nearly completing a calendar grand slam, missing out only in the French Open Final, the only major she hasn’t won. Her career was stopped (too soon) due to repeated injuries in her ankles and maybe too much Williams dominance for her to handle. She returned  to the tour in 2006, four years after her withdrawal. She was able to climb back up to sixth in the world, but retired again in 2007, admitting to being tested positive for cocaine at Wimbledon that year. She received a two year ban from tennis in 2008, but has announced she won’t return to the game.

No. 5 – Martina Navratilova, Czech/United States, 21,626,089 Dollars

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It’s impossible to put two people on the “greatest ever…” throne, so one must be always number two, and with a Steffi Graf in the world, Navratilova is the second greatest female tennis player in history, at least in my opinion. But she’s some number 2 – 167 career singles titles (more than other any man or woman) including 9 wins at Wimbledon, three in the Australian Open, two at the French Open and four at the US Open, 18 Grand Slam Singles in all. She also has 31 Grand Slam doubles titles (all time record) and 10 mixed doubles titles. She also owns the longest winning streak in the Open era, 74 consecutive matches.

No. 4 – Steffi Graf, Germany, 21,895,277 Dollars

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The wonderful German is the only tennis player, Male or Female, to achieve the Golden Slam – winning all four grand slam singles tournaments and win an Olympic Gold in the same year (1988). She’s also the only player to win all four Grand Slam singles tournaments at least four times each. Her 22 Grand Slam singles titles are second only to Margaret Court’s 24. She has 107 singles titles (3rd all time), and has spent 377 weeks during her career, in different occasions, as the world number one, more than any other tennis player. When she retired in 1999 she was still ranked third in the world, winning the French Open the same year. She has four wins in Australia, six in the Roland Garros, seven times at Wimbledon and four US Open titles. In my eyes, the greatest female tennis player ever.

No. 3 – Lindsay Davenport, United States, 22,144,735 Dollars

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Currently retired after flirting with a comeback in 2009, Davenport is a former world no. 1, finishing on top of the rankings on four occasions – 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2005, one of only four women to accomplish this (the others being Graff, Navratilova and Evert). She has 55 career singles titles, 3 of them Grand Slams and 36 doubles titles, with three of them Grand Slam titles. She has one title in Australia, Wimbledon and the US Open, with her highest finish in the French Open being the semi final in 1998.

No. 2 – Venus Williams, United States, 25,066,990 Dollars

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The older half of the Williams sisters, Venus has been a pro since 1994. She’s won 7 Grand Slam singles titles and 10 doubles with her sister. Venus has also won the grand slam mixed couples tournament twice, both in 1998. In all she has 41 singles titles and 16 doubles titles, and is currently ranker sixth in the world.

No. 1 – Serena Williams, United States, 28,506,993 Dollars

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The current world number one and the younger of the two Williams sisters, Serena has been a pro since 1995. She’s won 11 Grand Slam singles titles and has a career grand slam, winning all four slams (She completed this task by winning the 2003 Australian Open). She’s won four in Australia, one in the Roland Garros, three times in Wimbledon and three US Open tournaments. Along with her sister, she has 10 Grand Slam doubles titles and has won more career prize money than any other female athlete in history.

Federer stays at 16 and five US Opens in a row, while Juan Martin Del Potro, the Argentinian giant who humiliated Rafael Nadal in the Semi Final yesterday, wins his first career grand slam in a huge five setter in Queens, New York. Federer was dominant in the first set, winning it 6:3. Del Potro was able to break Federer once in the second set after losing his serve, and was able to beat Federer in the tie break, winning the second set 7:6. Federer gained the lead again after the third set, but after losing another tie breaker in the fourth set, seemed broken. Del Potro crushed him in the fifth set, on way to his first career grand slam, before his 21st birthday.