Famous Tennis Players

Famous Male Tennis Players

American player John McEnroe was known in the tennis world for his bad temper on the court as well as his athletic abilities. His volatile temperament seemed to motivate him to play better tennis; he constantly got into troubles with tennis officials and the umpires of his matches because of the verbal volleys he got into with them.

On the court, McEnroe’s tennis skills shone brightly as he was able to execute a variety of shots and moved quickly and delicately across the court. His career titles include four wins at the U.S. Open, three wins at Wimbledon, and nine wins in various Grand Slam doubles competitions. McEnroe continues to be active in the tennis world as an announcer and analyst.

Another notable famous player worthy of note is Pete Sampras, who is a contender for the title of greatest tennis player of all time. Sampras was once ranked first of all men’s professional tennis players for 286 consecutive weeks. He claims an impressive 14 Grand Slam titles, including seven consecutive wins at Wimbledon from 1993-2000.

Famous Female Tennis Players

Billie Jean King did wonders for the advancement of women in sports. She was originally a softball player, but later picked up the game of tennis. King became an advocate for women’s rights in the world of sports, defeating professional men’s tennis player Bobby Riggs (a former Wimbledon champion) in an exhibition that was known as the “Battle of the Sexes.”

A lesser known female tennis star was Lottie Dod, who at the age of 15 won the most important tennis tournament in the world, Wimbledon. She went on to win that same championship four more times, and remains the youngest person ever to hold the Wimbledon title.

Famous Black Tennis Players

Probably the most famous tennis player to come out of the African American community was Arthur Ashe. Arthur Ashe was a quiet civil rights activist who spoke out against prejudice, the South African Apartheid, and AIDS. Ashe also happened to handle a tennis racket quite well.

On the streets of Richmond, Virginia, he learned how to play the game. Some of his greatest accomplishments include winning the U.S. Open in 1968 and ever prestigious Wimbledon in 1975. He is to this day the only African American man that has ever won either of those competitions.

Althea Gibson was a pioneer for women in both tennis and golf. Like Ashe, she was the first black woman to win at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, and she also won the French Open. The Associated Press named her Female Athlete of the Year in 1957, an impressive title for an African American woman in the heat of the Civil Rights Movement.