Tennis is one of the most popular sports worldwide and has been graced with legendary players over the decades. Competing at the highest level in tennis is quite challenging as it tests players’ physical stamina and mental acuity. Throughout the years, the sport has been graced by champions who have captivated the audience through their exceptional performances.
As a result, identifying the greatest tennis players is not an easy task. However, we have compiled a list of notable players based on their overall achievements in grand slams, ATP tournaments, and the Olympics as well as their choice of racquets and gear.
Some of the Greatest Tennis Players and their rackets
1. Novak Djokovic:
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player and one of the greats of the game. At 34 years old, he currently is in the 7th position in the ATP rankings.
Djokovic major’s achievements throughout his career:
Djokovic has won 20 Grand Slam titles, tying him for the second-highest total alongside Roger Federer. He has also claimed 86 ATP titles, which includes a record 37 master events, the most by any player in the world.
Djokovic is among the one of the most wealthiest tennis players globally, he generates his income through various brand endorsements due to his popularity. Currently, he partners with brands such as Asics, HEAD and Lacoste.
Djokovic Tennis Equipment
Novak Djokovic plays through HEAD Graphene 360+ speed pro cut, which is known for its stability, density, and high swing rate, making it well-suited to his playing style.
He uses a hybrid spring setup, using a Babolat Natural Gut for the main strings at 59 lbs and Luxilon Alu Power Rough for the cross strings at 56 lbs.
While playing he usually wears the Asics tennis shoes.
2. Rafael Nadal:
Rafael Nadal is widely regarded as one of the best tennis players in the history of the game. He turned into a professional player in the year 2001. Nadal holds the record for the most grand slam titles by any player in the open era, with a total of 21 championships, including an unprecedented 13 French Open titles. He has amassed 91 ATP titles, which includes 36 Master titles and 62 victories on clay courts, that’s why he is recognized as the “King of Clay”.
He has endorsements from several prominent brands like Nike, Babolat and Kia Motors.
Nadal’s Tennis Gear
Since 2004, Nadal has been using the Babolat Pure Aero Original racquet. Ahead of the 2022 Australian Open (AO), he replaced that with Babolat RPM Blast 15L gauge(1.35mm) strings with Babolat RPM Blast 16L gauge(1.30mm) strings, which allowed him to generate more power on the shots. During ATP and Grand Slam tournaments, he typically wears Nike’s Air Court Ballistec 2.3 shoes.
3. Roger Federer:
The Swiss legend and the greatest of all time has won 20 Grand Slam titles, including an impressive 8 Wimbledon championships. He has also won 6 Australian Open titles. His effortless shots made Federer popular among tennis fans and he is one of the eight men to have accomplished a career Grand Slam. In 2021, he was listed among the top 10 highest-paid athletes in the world by Forbes, with endorsements from prominent brands such as Nike, Wilson, Rolex, and Mercedes Benz.
Federer’s Tennis Equipment:
Currently, Federer uses the Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph tennis racquet, a model he has been playing since 2014, albeit with slight colour modifications in the Laver Cup. He also opts for hybrid strings similar to Novak Djokovic, featuring 1.30mm Wilson (Babolat) Natural Gut for the mains and 1.25mm Luxilon ALU rough for the crosses. He uses Nike’s footwear on the court.
4. Serena Williams:
Serena Williams is a renowned American tennis player born on September 26, 1981. She holds the record for most Grand Slam titles (23) won by any player in the open era. Over her illustrious career, she has won 73 titles, including 23 WTA Masters and 1000 singles titles. In 2016, she was recognized as the highest-paid female athlete in the world, as she has endorsements with Nike, Wilson, and Aston Martin.
Serena’s Tennis gear:
Serena plays with the Wilson Blade SW102 Autograph racquet, which was introduced by Wilson in 2020. She prefers a hybrid string setup, using Wilson Natural Gut for the mains and Luxilon 4G for the crosses, with a tension of around 65 lbs. As a Nike endorser, she wears Nike’s footwear.
5. Naomi Osaka:
Naomi Osaka is a professional tennis player from Japan, turned pro in 2013 and she is notable for being the only Asian player to achieve the No.1 ranking in the WTA Rankings.
She has claimed four Grand Slam titles, including two at the Australian Open and two at the Wimbledon, in addition to that she has also won 7 WTA titles. Her popularity has soared, making her one of the highest-paid female athletes globally. She serves as a brand ambassador for several companies like Nike, Yonex and Mastercard.
Naomi’s Tennis Equipment:
Since the beginning of her career, she has been using Yonex tennis racquets. She plays with the Yonex EZONE 98 racquet, which is strung with polytour strike 125 strings to enhance the spin and power. For footwear, she typically wears the Nike Air Zoom GP Turbo tennis shoes, which are specifically designed to complement her aggressive playing style.
6. Alexander Zverev:
Alexander Zverev is a German professional tennis player. Born on 20th April 1997, Zverev turned pro in 2013. He has won 19 singles career titles to his name and is the only player outside the big four (Federer, Nadal, Murray, Djokovic) to win 5 ATP Masters Titles. However, he is yet to win a Grand Slam Title. Aside from his professional career, he is very popular among brands. He endorses Adidas, HEAD and Electronic Arts (EA).
Zverev’s Tennis Equipment:
He plays with the HEAD gravity pro tennis racquet. He likes to spin the ball and play controlled powerful shots, he used HEAD Hawk Touch 1.25 strings, usually at around 24 kg. In the crosses, he uses natural gut, Babolat VS Touch 1.30 at 25kg. To navigate the court, Alexander Zverev uses Adidas Men’s Adizero Ubersonic 4 tennis shoes.
7. Daniil Medvedev:
Daniil Medvedev is a professional tennis player from Russia. Medvedev has won one Grand Slam title by winning the US Open in 2021. He has amassed a total of 13 ATP titles, which includes four Masters 1000 titles and an ATP Tour Finals title. He is the global brand ambassador of Technifibre, a sports equipment manufacturer, and also endorses the French brand, Lacoste.
Medvedev’s Equipment:
He competes using the Technifibre Razor Code racquet, also known as Ice Code, which is typically favoured by baseline players like him. Medvedev wears Lacoste AG-LT 21 Ultra shoes in white and light blue.
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