We have spent the past week counting down our list of the top 100 athletes of the 21st century, and four men’s tennis players made the list, starting with Roger Federer at No. 6.
We also voted on an overall top 10 for men’s tennis. Who else made the list of some of the greatest men’s tennis players of the 2000s?
Top 10 women’s tennis players of the 21st century
1. Roger Federer
Key accomplishments: 20-time major champion, 369 majors wins and eight Wimbledon titles are most by a man all time, 103 tour singles titles (second most by man in Open era).
It’s not unusual for a professional athlete to feel emotional during their final match or game before retiring. But what is unusual is when everyone else in the competition is equally emotional about it. Such was the case for Federer during the last match of his career at the Laver Cup — an event he co-founded — in 2022. Having previously announced a doubles match alongside Rafael Nadal would be his swan song, Nadal — his fiercest of rivals for nearly 20 years — cried right alongside him when it was over, as did Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, the rest of their European teammates, and even Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe, their opponents from the World team. “I think we are all going to be forever grateful to be a part of the GOAT’s final match,” Sock said later. — D’Arcy Maine
2. Novak Djokovic
Key accomplishments: 24-time Grand Slam singles champion; record 422 weeks as No. 1; 375 Grand Slam match wins; third in men’s singles titles (98), wins (1,110) in Open era
Less than two months after being stunned in the Wimbledon final by Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic refused to postpone history again and earned his record-breaking 24th men’s major title at the 2023 US Open. After escaping a five-set challenge in the third round, Djokovic didn’t lose another set and defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the final. At 36, he became the oldest man to win the US Open and tied Margaret Court’s record for the most major titles in history. To many, the feat secured his position as the sport’s greatest of all time, but, like a true competitor, he was far from satisfied. “I don’t put any number right now in my mind on how many Slams I want to win,” he said hours later. — Maine
3. Rafael Nadal
Key accomplishments: 22-time Grand Slam singles champion, ATP Tour title in 19 straight seasons, 209 weeks as world No. 1, fourth-most men’s singles wins in Open era
While Nadal has had success…
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