100 Greatest of All Time

Background

An international panel of tennis experts determined the ranking, which included 62 men and 38 women. The United States contributed the most players with 38, followed by Australia (17), France (7), Great Britain (6), and Czechoslovakia (5). Grand Slam singles titles counted were those won as of March 2012. The list also considered pre-Open Era professional major tournaments: the U.S. Pro Championships, French Pro Championship, and Wembley Championships, which were open only to male players who had turned professional.

The Open Era began in 1968, after which these pro majors declined and ended by the 1990s. Before 1924, the International Lawn Tennis Federation recognized the World Hard Court Championships and World Covered Court Championships as world championships, and from 1913 to 1923 Wimbledon was designated the World Grass Court Championships. In 1924, the ILTF designated the Australasian, French, British, and American championships as the four majors, with all four open to amateurs starting in 1925.

Achievements

The Grand Slam—winning all four major singles titles in one calendar year—was achieved six times by five players: Don Budge (1938), Maureen Connolly (1953), Rod Laver (1962 and 1969), Margaret Court (1970), and Steffi Graf (1988). The Pro Grand Slam, winning all three professional slam titles in a year, was accomplished by Ken Rosewall (1963) and Rod Laver (1967). Anthony Wilding is the only Triple World Champion, having won all three ILTF singles titles in 1913.