Your TOP TEN all time faves

[meganfernandez]

Early Pete Sampras? The one that won the USO at 19 in 1990? As opposed to LATE Pete Sampras, the one that won the 2002 USO at 32?
Ok, please explain that one. For all of Pete's fans (JazzNu and I), the 2002 win was the ultimate icing on the cake.
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Gang. Great lists I am tempted to redo main, after seeing some of your picks

I liked Pete, I think... maybe i liked Agassi more. Or maybe I just like him because he lost to Safin in the US Open, my greatest prediction ever - that Safin would win, made before the tournament began.

The 2002 US Open final was amazing, the way he came back after a two-year title drought, and the media practically laughed at him when he said he believed he could win the tournament. To go out like that against your greatest rival was a fairytale ending. Agassi always brought out Pete's best game. It's one of the few tennis matches I have watched in a bar instead of at home.

[ponchi101]

I always said that, had Pete played Hewitt, he would have lost. Against Hewitt, he did not respect his return of serve and would serve and volley in his 1st and 2nd serve, losing way too many 2nd serve points. Against Agassi, he respected his return and would not serve and volley on his 2nd serves, and play into the point.

[JTContinental]

I'll caveat that my tennis knowledge starts in 1996, so some of the old favorites won't be found here

ATP
Andy Roddick
Pete Sampras
Jan-Michael Gambill
Marat Safin
Mardy Fish
James Blake
Pat Rafter
Andy Murray
Frances Tiafoe
John Isner (don't @ me)

WTA
Venus
Lindsay Davenport
Naomi Osaka
Coco Gauff
Garbine Muguruza
Jennifer Capriati
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Serena
Sloane Stephens
Jelena Jankovic

[ponchi101]

I'll caveat that my tennis knowledge starts in 1996, so some of the old favorites won't be found here

ATP
...
John Isner (don't @ me)

...

Not a favorite, but I can admire Isner, for the same reasons I admire Schwartzman. A player with an obvious handicap, and yet he has been very successful.

[Deuce]

I'm surprised Guga isn't making many lists here. Maybe because his career was fairly brief.

I could add him to my list (in place of Zivojinovic or Pioline).
Guga was fun to watch. He was one of only a very few who made baseline tennis dynamic and exciting.

As for Sampras in 2002... sure, it was a nice accomplishment - but he hadn't done much at all leading up to that - he was essentially half retired already when he won that last U.S. Open - so I understand the 'early Sampras' distinction.

[JazzNU]

Tried to go in chronological order. I left out, but could easily include honorable mentions for both men and women, I definitely left out a few faves.

Men

Boris Becker
Pete Sampras
Michael Chang
MaliVai Washington
Marcelo Rios
Marat Safin
Tommy Haas
David Nalbandian
Rafa Nadal
Stan Wawrinka

Women

Zina Garrison
Gabriela Sabatini (the first player I remember loving)
Monica Seles
Lindsay Davenport
Chanda Rubin
Venus
Serena
Kim Clijsters
Elena Dementieva
Aga Radwanska

[New England Nitemare]

OMG!!!

How could I forget Gabriela Sabatini on my list....talk about a brain cramp on my part!!! Loved her.....told ya just picking 10 is tough!!!!

[ponchi101]

I was thinking about her, but in the end, I found myself rooting always for Graf when they played (which was a self fulfilled prophesy except in the US East Coast). She was lovely and I enjoyed her BH to the fullest, but the rest of the game was lacking a bit. Still, way more favorable thoughts on her than negatives. And I did not mind that 1990 USO.
It is telling that some current women are on the lists (Garbie, Naomi, Sloane) but none of the men. I am telling you, and I already have before, the ATP is looking at some lean years soon.

[ti-amie]

How the he!! did I leave out Marcelo Rios! I thought about Sabatini but ponchi's analysis of her game is spot on.

[JazzNU]

I'm pretty sure I did my list differently than you guys did. My list isn't strictly whose game on the court I liked or thought was the best. More who did I root for the most. Some of it's game, some of it's the person, most times it was a combo of the two. Deficiencies in their game was definitely not part of my calculation coming up with the list. It's a list of favorites not best.

[Suliso]

I'm pretty sure I did my list differently than you guys did. My list isn't strictly whose game on the court I liked or thought was the best. More who were who did I root for the most. Some of it's game, some of it's the person, most times it was a combo of the two. Deficiencies in their game was definitely not part of my calculation coming up with the list. It's a list of favorites not best.

I did the same

[JTContinental]

I'm pretty sure I did my list differently than you guys did. My list isn't strictly whose game on the court I liked or thought was the best. More who were who did I root for the most. Some of it's game, some of it's the person, most times it was a combo of the two. Deficiencies in their game was definitely not part of my calculation coming up with the list. It's a list of favorites not best.

Yes, I certainly didn't pick Jan-Michael Gambill for anything related to his game mechanics.

[ponchi101]

And... so did I. I was never thinking here about who was best, or better than others.
For example, Mac. I hated his attitude on court. And then, he would play that magical serve and volley game, and drop volley his opponent to death, and play with that great delicacy.
But I found it impossible to like HIM. I simply was mesmerized by his game, and I rooted for the game to win, not the man. Which, of course, was insane.
Then, Lendl came around and I also felt the same. He was so robotic and "common", but every single shot had a purpose, and every single FH was blasted as hard as he could, and eventually I came around. I rooted against him plenty of times, but he won me over. The hardest working man ever, on and off court.

[ashkor87]

Hmm.. interesting..
ATP:
Federer, Safin, Mecir, Agassi, Laver, Smith, Nastase, Krishnan,Edberg, Annacone
WTA:
Hingis, Radwanska, Seles, Venus, Serena, Graf, Henin, Kvitova, Barty, Muguruza
Unlike most people here, I don't consider personality, since a person''s personality is a private matter, and I don't feel qualified to judge...

[Liamvalid]

Unlike most people here, I don't consider personality

Your inclusion of Henin and Nastase does prove that