Famous Retired Tennis Players
In 2012, the average age of the top ten men’s tennis players was 27, while the women’s top ten average was just 25.1. While many professional tennis players start as soon as they’re out of high school, the average age of professionals who are on top is increasing, with many of them currently in their late 30s.
This may seem old, but all of the tennis players on this list continued to play in their 40s and the oldest player is still going strong in her 70s! In addition to being the oldest tennis players ever, many of the people on this list are some of the greatest players in tennis history and still hold several records. All of these tennis players prove that age doesn’t have to stop you from going after your dreams.
Anna Kournikova net worth and career earnings: Anna Kournikova is a Russian-American retired professional tennis player who has a net worth of $50 million. Former WTA Tennis Players Women Patty Schnyder Nicole Vaidisova Martina Hingis Marion Bartoli Kim Clijsters Lindsay Davenport Elena Dementieva Chris Evert Steffi Graf Justine Henin Billie Jean King Maria Kirilenko Anna Kournikova Li Na Amelie Mauresmo Martina Navratilova. Former professional tennis player, Pete Sampras, became the winner of 14 Grand Slam singles titles during his career. He was ranked world №1 in 1993 and held the record for 286 weeks. Nicknamed “Pistol Pete,” the player was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of.
10. Tommy Haas (April 3, 1978 — Present)
- Arther Ashe, a Professional tennis player from Virginia in the USA, born in 1943, became professional in 1969 and retired in 1980. His total career prize money is $1,584,909.
- Tennis; Top 5 / Top 10; Advertisement. 4 notable Tennis players who retired in 2018. Mikhail Youzhny at the 2016 US Open. ANALYST Modified 09 Nov 2018, 16:38 IST.
Oldest Age While Still Active: 39 in early 2018 (currently 40 years old)
Country of Origin: Hamburg, Germany — moved to USA in 1991
Years as a Professional: 1996–2018
Career Titles: 16
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
Tommy Haas recently retired in early 2018, about a month before his 40th birthday. Haas was four years old when he started playing tennis and his talent was nurtured by his father, Peter Haas. When Haas was 13 years old, he moved to Florida to train under the famous tennis coach, Nick Bollettieri.
Haas started his professional career in 1996, which was the same year he graduated from high school. Within a few short years, Haas ranked in the top 10 for the first time and also won his first title in 1999. Haas’ career continued to take off and by the end, he earned 15 singles titles and 1 in doubles.
9. Takao Suzuki (September 20, 1976 — Present)
Oldest Age While Still Active: 42 in 2018
Country of Origin: Sapporo, Japan
Years as a Professional: 1995 — Present
Career Titles: 1
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
Takao Suzuki may not have as many titles as most of the players on this list, but he is still playing at the age of 42. Suzuki has been playing tennis since he was a child and turned professional in 1995.
While Suzuki’s overall rank high was at №102, he was ranked №1 in his home country of Japan. In 2017, Suzuki became the first player in their 40s to reach the final of an ITF Pro Circuit event. Suzuki also has the most wins for Japan in the Davis Cup than any other player.
8. Jimmy Connors
Oldest Age While Still Active: 44 in 1996
Country of Origin: Belleville, Illinois, USA
Years as a Professional: 1972–1996
Career Titles: 125
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
Famous Tennis Player From Spain
Jimmy Connors is another legendary tennis player who stayed in the game well into his 40s. Like John McEnroe, Connors was known for his fiery temper in addition to his strong tennis skills. Connors verbally fought with his opponents, tennis officials, and also the crowd. According to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, which inducted Connors in 1998, Connors never ever apologized for his behavior.
Despite his polarizing behavior, Connors won 125 tournaments during his long career. Connors holds the Open Era record for most championships won (109) and was the year-end №1 world ranked player from 1974 through 1978. He was also the first player to use a steel Wilson T2000 racket, instead of the traditional wooden racket.
7. Ken Rosewall (November 2, 1934 — Present)
Oldest Age While Still Active: 46 in 1980
Country of Origin: Sydney, Australia
Years as a Professional: 1957–1980
Career Titles: 133
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
Ken Rosewall had a long tennis career spanning over three decades. Rosewall holds several records, including being the oldest major tournament winner in the Open Era, when, at age 37, he defeated Mal Anderson to win the 1972 Australian Open. On the other end of the spectrum, Rosewall still holds the record for being the youngest champion of the Australian championship, which he won for the first time in 1953 when he was just 18 years old.
Rosewall went on to win 133 tournaments over his long career and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1980, the same year he retired. At 83 years old, Rosewall is still alive and has the honor of being an Australian Living Treasure for his outstanding contributions to Australian society.
6. John McEnroe (February 16, 1959 — Present)
Oldest Age While Still Active: 46 in 2006 (few days shy of his 47th birthday)
Country of Origin: 1978–2006
Years as a Professional: 1957–1980
Career Titles: 155
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
John McEnroe is one of the greatest tennis players in history and also one of the most controversial. McEnroe was often called an artist for the way he handled a tennis racket and his skills helped him win 77 singles titles and 72 in doubles competition. He was also ranked №1 in both categories. In 1999, McEnroe was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
While McEnroe’s skills were legendary, so were his temperamental outbursts. McEnroe was such a passionate and intense player that he had some of the greatest rivalries in tennis history, especially with Jimmy Connors and Björn Borg. McEnroe’s temper earned him a reputation and he was often parodied in pop culture. However, at times he has been in on the joke and has appeared in several commercials acting out his infamous outbursts.
5. Kimiko Date (September 28, 1970 — Present)
Oldest Age While Still Active: 46 in 2017 (few days shy of her 47th birthday)
Country of Origin: Kyoto, Japan
Years as a Professional: 1989–2017
Career Titles: 22
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
Kimiko Date has played professional tennis for nearly all of her adult life. Date started playing tennis when she was in elementary school and went pro as soon as she graduated from high school in 1989. A year later, Date made it to the fourth round of the Australian Open. In 1994, Date won her first international tournament, the NSW Open in Sydney, and became the first Japanese tennis player to rank in the Top 10 of the WTA Tour Rankings — Date was ranked at №9.
Although Date wanted to continue playing tennis, she was forced to retire in 2017 because her body was no longer in shape enough to keep going. Date’s final tournament was at the 2017 Japan Women’s Open, which took place just before her 47th birthday.
4. Billie Jean King (November 22, 1943 — Present)
Oldest Age While Still Active: 47 in 1990
Country of Origin: Long Beach, California, USA
Years as a Professional: 1968–1990
Career Titles: 168
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
Billie Jean King is a legendary tennis player who is made many advancements in the sport for women. King founded the Women’s Tennis Association in 1973 and made history that same year when she beat Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match. She also successfully lobbied for equal prize money for men and women at the U.S. Open in 1973. A few years earlier, King was the first female athlete in any sport to earn more than $100,000 in prize money in a single season.
Additionally, King was the first tennis player to be named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the year and was the first female athlete ever to receive the honors. In her personal life, King was one of the first female athletes to publicly come out as a lesbian, which caused her to lose all of her endorsement deals. King was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987.
3. Younes El Aynaoui (September 12, 1971 — Present)
Oldest Age While Still Active: 47 in 2018
Country of Origin: Rabat, Morocco
Years as a Professional: 1990 — Present
Career Titles: 5
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
Younes El Aynaoui of Morocco is currently still active in the professional tennis circuit. El Aynaoui has been playing professionally since 1990 and is still going strong. In 2017, El Aynaoui, at the age of 45, won an IFT match against 23-year-old Bernd Kossler. This win means that El Aynaoui is the oldest player to currently have an ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) ranking.
El Aynaoui is probably best known for competing against Andy Roddick at the 2003 Australian Open. Their match is considered one of the greatest Grand Slam quarterfinals ever and at the time, it was the fifth longest set in Grand Slam history. That year, El Aynaoui reached his career high rank of №13.
2. Martina Navratilova (October 18, 1956 — Present)
Oldest Age While Still Active: 49 years, 11 months in 2006
Country of Origin: Revnice, Czech Republic — moved to USA in 1975
Years as a Professional: 1975–2006
Career Titles: 369
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
Martina Navratilova is considered to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time of any gender. According to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, which inducted Navratilova in 2000, no male or female tennis player has won more singles tournaments than Navratilova (167), doubles events (177), or matches (2,189).
Navratilova’s professional tennis career began in 1975 and lasted until 2006. That year, a month shy of her 50th birthday, Navratilova won the mixed doubles championship at the US Open, making her the oldest tennis player in history to win a major title. In addition to being a legendary tennis player, Navratilova has been an LGBT activists since she came out in 1981.
1. Gail Falkenberg (January 16, 1947 — Present)
Oldest Age While Still Active: 71 in 2018
Country of Origin: USA
Years as a Professional: c.1980s — Present
Career Titles: 0
photo source: tennis.com
Although she only plays at the lower levels of the pro tennis circuit, Gail Falkenberg, who is still playing tennis at the age of 71, is the oldest tennis player in the world. Falkenberg was thrust into the spotlight in 2016 when she won a professional tennis match at 69 years old. She defeated Rosalyn Small in the qualification of ITF Pelham and went on to play against Taylor Townsend, who was at one point the №1 junior in the world.
Falkenberg has been playing tennis since she was in college in the 1960s and following a break, she turned pro in the early 1980s. In 1988, Falkenberg won a match at that year’s Australian open and shared a locker room with tennis greats, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, and Steffi Graf.
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Who is the best tennis player of all time? Ask that question to any tennis fan and you will be up for a long and hectic debate. It’s extremely hard to rank players that had their prime in different era’s, but there are some major things to consider before ranking the best players of all time in tennis.
One thing that I’ve considered prior to making this list is grand slam wins and overall ranking throughout their whole career. Many players can claim that word №1 spot for a year, but not many can hold it for 2, 3 or even 5 years. Here are the 20 greatest men’s tennis players of all time.
20. Stan Wawrinka
- Country: Schweiz
- Born: 1985
- Turned Pro: 2002
- Grand Slam Titles: 3
- Career Titles: 16
- Prize Money Winnings: $33.6M
Stan Wawrinka have during his whole career been in the shadow of his compatriot Roger Federer. He was born in the wrong era, if Nadal, Djokovic and Federer wouldn’t exist, Wawrinka would have added many more Grand Slam titles to his current 3.
To win 3 grand slam titles in the toughest era of all time, shows the greatness of Wawrinka and no-one can say that he doesn’t deserves a spot on this list. He have for over 15 years consistently been one of the most threatening players on tour and one of few that can beat the big 3.
19. Guillermo Vilas
- Country: Argentina
- Born: 1952
- Turned Pro: 1969
- Retired: 1992
- Grand Slam Titles: 4
- Career Titles: 16
- Prize Money Winnings: $4.9M
The Argentinean Guillermo Vilas was one of the dominating players during the serve and volley era in the 70s & 80s. He was the first ever south American to ever win a grand slam title, and at his retirement day, he had scraped up 4 grand slam titles.
Vilas holds several different world records, including a 46 match win streak in the 1977. He also holds the record for most singles titles won in one single season, with 16 ATP titles during the same 1977 season.
18. Jim Courier
- Country: USA
- Born: 1970
- Turned Pro: 1988
- Retired: 2000
- Grand Slam Titles: 4
- Career Titles: 23
- Prize Money Winnings: $14M
The former world №1 Jim Courier was one of the best tennis players during the 90s. He spent an impressing 58 weeks at the №1 spot during the 1994–95 season and have won a total of 4 Grand Slam titles. Including 2 Roland Garros and 2 Australian Open titles.
Jim Courier is one of the best players to ever play on a hard court, but to claim a higher spot than 18th on this list, he needs to have a better overall game that works on all surfaces. He wasn’t able to get anything near the same results during the clay and grass season.
17. Andy Murray
- Country: USA
- Born: 1987
- Turned Pro: 2005
- Grand Slam Titles: 3
- Career Titles: 46
- Prize Money Winnings: $61M
Andy Murray was just like Wawrinka, born in the wrong era. Despite being in the shadow of the big 3 during most of his career, there is no other player that have been as competitive against them than Andy Murray himself. For several years when Andy Murray was in his prime, I would like to rename the big 3 to big 4 with Andy Murray included.
He was actually the world №1 for half a year during the 2016–2017 season, which isn’t the easiest task with Djokovic, Nadal and Federer playing aside. He got an impressing 3 Grand Slam titles to his name, but that could be much more, he lost during his career, 8 grand slam finals.
Winning 3 out of 11 Grand Slam finals is one of the worst results in the history of tennis, but it really shows how consistent Andy Murray have been at the top, despite “only” winning 3 Grand Slam titles
16. John Newcombe
- Country: Australia
- Born: 1944
- Turned Pro: 1967
- Retired: 1981
- Grand Slam Titles: 6
- Career Titles: 34
- Prize Money Winnings: $1M
The former world №1 John Newcombe is one of the few players that have attained the world №1 ranking in both singles and doubles. He won a total of 6 Grand Slam singles titles and a former world record of 17 doubles titles.
John Newcombe was known for his speed, deadly forehand and serve. Newcombe was also known for being at his best in the most important matches. An example of this is that he played 10 Wimbledon finals during his career and only lost one of them.
He was also one of the most consistent players in the world, being ranked inside the top 10 for over 10 consecutive years (1965–1975). John Newcombe successful career have gone down in the history as one of the greatest of all time.
15. Mats Wilander
- Country: Sweden
- Born: 1964
- Turned Pro: 1981
- Retired: 1996
- Grand Slam Titles: 7
- Career Titles: 33
- Prize Money Winnings: $8M
Most talented tennis player born in the 19th century? Mats Wilander was only 17 years old when he won hist first French Open title 1982, which is still today the youngest player ever to win a Grand Slam title. That is not his only Grand Slam record, he also holds the record of most Grand Slam titles won before turning 20 (4 titles).
Mats Wilander wasn’t able to to keep that good streak going throughout his whole career, but he still managed to win another 3 Grand Slams before retiring at the age of 32. He was ranked the world №1 during the 1988–89 season and was considered to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time back in the 90s.
14. Roy Emerson
- Country: USA
- Born: 1936
- Turned Pro: 1953
- Retired: 1983
- Grand Slam Titles: 12
The best tennis player before the Open Era? Roy Emerson have gone down in history as the most talented and successful tennis player before the Open Era. He had his prime in the 60s and was ranked №1 in the world during the 1964–65 season and no-one was even near his level back then.
Roy Emerson managed to win a total of 12 Grand Slam titles during his career, which was the record for many years before the 20th century era with the big 3 began. He is not only known as one of the most successful tennis players of all time, but also due to his 30 year long career. He retired at the age 47, which would be pretty much impossible in todays tennis world.
13. Stefan Edberg
- Country: Sweden
- Born: 1966
- Turned Pro: 1983
- Retired: 1996
- Grand Slam Titles: 6
- Career Titles: 41
- Prize Money Winnings: $20.6M
The former world №1 Stefan Edberg was one of the most successful tennis players during the 90s. After he won the Wimbledon title 1990, he claimed the №1 spot for the first time in his career and he held that for over 70 weeks. Edberg is to this date the only player to win all the 4 Junior Grand Slams in one calendar year (1983).
Stefan Edberg broke the record of most consecutive Grand Slam appearances (54) in the late 90s, which eventually got broken by the American Wayne Ferreira. During his career, Edberg achieved 6 Grand Slam titles. 2 at Wimbledon, 2 US Opens and 2 at the Australian Open.
12. Ken Rosewall
- Country: Australia
- Born: 1934
- Turned Pro: 1956
- Retired: 1980
- Grand Slam Titles: 8
- Prize Money Winnings: $1.6M
Ken Rosewall is one of the most consistent players in the history of tennis. He was ranked inside the top 20 for over 25 years, which no-one had achieved before. Ken won one of his 8 Grand Slam titles at the age of 38, which makes him the oldest player to ever win a Grand Slam title.
He was a machine on court and many compare him to the Spaniard tennis star Roberto Bautista-Agut, who have a very similar play-style. Winning 3 Grand Slam titles after turning 35 is certainly impressing, will anyone ever break that record?
11. Boris Becker
- Country: Germany
- Born: 1967
- Turned Pro: 1984
- Retired: 1999
- Grand Slam Titles: 6
- Career Titles: 49
- Prize Money Winnings: $25M
The German tennis legend Boris Becker is another former world №1 player. He started of at the age of 17 as one of the most promising talents in the history of tennis 1984, which he showed by winning 6 singles titles that year. The success didn’t end here, only 1 year later, he won the Wimbledon Championships, making him the youngest player ever to win that title.
He won during his career 6 Grand Slam titles. 3 Wimbledons, 2 Australian Opens and 1 at the US Open. He was ranked №1 in the world for a brief period during the 1991 season.
10. Jimmy Connors
- Country: USA
- Born: 1952
- Turned Pro: 1972
- Retired: 1996
- Grand Slam Titles: 8
- Career Titles: 109
- Prize Money Winnings: $8.6M
The American Jimmy Connors is by many considered as one of the greatest of all time. Back then, he had the record of most weeks spent at the world №1 spot, with an impressing 268 weeks. That record is today held by Roger Federer with 310 weeks.
Jimmy is one of the few players that have won three Grand Slams during one calendar year (he didn’t participate in the 4th). He had one of the longest careers at the professional level in the history of tennis as the retired at the age of 43.
9. Ivan Lendl
- Country: Czechoslovakia
- Born: 1970
- Turned Pro: 1978
- Retired: 1994
- Grand Slam Titles: 8
- Career Titles: 94
- Prize Money Winnings: $21M
Mostly known today for being the coach of the 3 time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray, but for about 30 years ago, he had one of the most successful careers tennis in the history of the sport.
Ivan Lendl was considered as the greatest tennis player in the world during the late 80s. He held the world №1 spot for over 270 weeks in the 80s and was the dominated force in all the Grand Slam tournament during that time. Lendl achieved a total of 8 Grand Slam titles during his career, 2 Australian Opens, 3 French Opens and 3 at the US Open.
8. John McEnroe
- Country: USA
- Born: 1959
- Turned Pro: 1978
- Retired: 1994
- Grand Slam Titles: 8
- Career Titles: 94
- Prize Money Winnings: $12.5M
The American tennis legend John McEnroe was known for his volley artistry and his controversial on-court behavior that more often than not, landed in troubles with the umpires and other connected tennis authorities. He is known for his rivalry against Jimmy Connors and Björn Borg, which 3 continuously switched between №1,2 and 3 spot in the world.
His controversial behavior made tennis fans either hate or love him. McEnroe hated to lose and sometimes it got a little to far, but wouldn’t tennis be boring without players showing emotions?
7. Andre Agassi
- Country: USA
- Born: 1970
- Turned Pro: 1986
- Retired: 2006
- Grand Slam Titles: 8
- Career Titles: 60
- Prize Money Winnings: $30M
One of the most legendary players of all time Andre Agassi is by many tennis fans considered the greatest tennis players of the 19th century. Agassi is a 8 time Grand Slam champion and an olympic gold medalist. Back in the 90s he was the first player to win 4 Australian Open titles, which eventually got surpassed by Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
Andre Agassi was the first player in the history of tennis to win a Grand Slam title on 3 different surfaces (grass, clay, hard court). Andre Agassi or “The Punisher”, which nickname he had during most of his career, is not only one of greatest tennis players of all time, but also one of the most respected.
6. Rod Laver
Famous Retired Women Tennis Players
- Country: Australia
- Born: 1938
- Turned Pro: 1963
- Retired: 1979
- Grand Slam Titles: 11
- Career Titles: 184
- Prize Money Winnings:$1.5M
Rod Laver is a player that many would consider as one the greatest of all time. He won 11 grand slam titles and is the only player to twice win all the grand slams during the same calendar year.
Rod Laver dominated the tennis world during the 60s and was ranked the world №1 between 1964–1970. With 184 singles titles to his name, he also holds the record of most titles won in the history of tennis. Back in the 60s-70s, he was considered the best tennis player of all time.
5. Björn Borg
- Country: Sweden
- Born: 1956
- Turned Pro: 1973
- Retired: 1983
- Grand Slam Titles: 11
- Career Titles: 64
- Prize Money Winnings: €3.6M
Many fans would argue whether not Björn Borg deserves a 5th spot on this list, but I’m very confident that Borg deserves it. There is not any player in the world that have achieved the same things as him in the same time frame.
He is the youngest player of all time to win a grand slam title, when he won the French Open 1974 at the age of 17. After that he won 10 more grand slam titles before retiring at the early age of 26. There is no other player in the history of tennis that have won more grand slam titles before 25 than Björn borg. What if he kept playing for another 5–10 years? Maybe he would be considered the greatest of all time.
4. Pete Sampras
- Country: USA
- Born: 1971
- Turned Pro: 1988
- Retired: 2002
- Grand Slam Titles: 14
- Career Titles: 64
- Prize Money Winnings: $43M
Pete Sampras is the 4th greatest tennis player of all time. He have dominated the tennis world during the 90s and was considered at his retirement in 2002, the greatest tennis players of all time. Hard to argue with that back then with a record holding 14 grand slam titles.
However, with all those grand slam titles, he never won a French Open title. Sampras wasn’t the best clay court player, but considering he got 7 Wimbledon, 5 Us open and 2 Australian Open titles, he definitely deserves to be in 4th place on my list.
3. Novak Djokovic
- Country: Serbia
- Born: 1987
- Turned Pro: 2003
- Grand Slam Titles: 17
- Career Titles: 75
- Prize Money Winnings: $132M
The third greatest tennis player of all time has to be the Serbian Novak Djokovic. He is a prime example of what a late-bloomer is. Sure, Djokovic have always been a world class player, but at his 28th birthday he had “only” won 7 grand slam titles, after that? 9 grand slam titles in 4 years.
He have completely dominated the grand slam tournaments during the last 4 years and being in the same era as Nadal and Federer, it’s very impressing to have won 16 grand slam titles. Between 2015–2019, Novak Djokovic won 9 out of 16 grand slams, Impressing? YES.
2. Rafael Nadal
Famous Tennis Player Woman
- Country: Spain
- Born: 1986
- Turned Pro: 2001
- Grand Slam Titles: 19
- Career Titles: 84
- Prize Money Winnings: $115M
The 2th greatest player of all time is Rafael Nadal. It’s hard to argue that he shouldn’t be up here. He have won 19 Grand Slam titles during his career, which makes him the 2th on that list as well.
He may not be the overall greatest tennis player of all time, but he is most definitely the best tennis player to ever step on a clay court. With his unbelievable 12 French Open wins, it’s hard to argue about that statement.
He will most likely surpass Roger Federer in the Grand Slam title rankings in a few years, should Nadal be considered the greatest of all time than? Maybe!
1. Roger Federer
- Country: Schweiz
- Born: 1981
- Turned Pro: 1998
- Grand Slam Titles: 20
- Career Titles: 102
- Prize Money Winnings: $127M
The greatest tennis player of all time is Roger Federer. He have proven his talent for over 20 years and is still competing at the very highest level. Federer is the player that have the most Grand Slam titles in the world (20) and have the world record of most weeks at the World №1 spot in the open era with 310 weeks.
He is a great role model on and off the field, inspiration to all kids growing up and an incredible athlete that will go down in the history as one of the greatest sportsmen of all time (all sports).
