The 25 Greatest Male Tennis Players of the Open Era | Bleacher Report The 25 Greatest Male Tennis Players of the Open Era By Sergey Zikov , Senior Analyst Feb 21, 2009 Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse more stories 91.1K 115 Comments Here are the 25 greatest athletes of the tennis world in the Open Era, meaning since 1968. I can't acknowledge greats like Fred Perry, Don Budge, and Bill Tilden for that reason, but they would all certainly make the list. These men come from all over the globe. From Australia to Sweden and South Africa to North America, they are all united in a common goal: to win Grand Slams. Some did this extremely well (see Sampras, Pete) and some spent more time as the lovable runner-up (see Lendl, Ivan). All title wins and Grand Slam victories listed are for singles only. So let the fun begin. 25a. Patrick Rafter (AUS) Career Titles: 11 Career Grand Slams: 2 Rafter may very well be the last true serve-and-volley Grand Slam champion.

Although he played a short career, the Aussie won back-to-back US Open titles in 1997 and 1998. Rafter was also twice a runner-up at Wimbledon, one of those times falling to Pete Sampras. He also won 10 doubles titles, winning the Australian Open title with doubles legend Jonas Bjorkman in 1999. He was elected into the Australian Open Hall of Fame on Australia Day in 2008. Career Titles: 26 Career Grand Slams: 2 Lleyton Hewitt, the fiery Australian kid who could, reached the world No. 1 ranking faster than anybody else. At 20 years and 268 days old, Hewitt became the world's best. He defeated Pete Sampras in the US Open to win his first Grand Slam title, then went on to win at Wimbledon the next year. Hewitt also won the 2000 US Open doubles final, with Belarussian Max Mirnyi as a partner. He has been an exceptional hard court player throughout his career, and is commonly regarded as one of the elite defenders in the game.

Career Titles: 26 Career Grand Slams: 1 Roddick is the prototype Power Era player. He plays his points short and holds the ATP World Record for fastest serve, clocked at a ridiculous 155 mph. He captured his first and only Grand Slam title to date when he defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero in straight sets at the US Open in 2003. Roddick has also reached three other Grand Slam finals (twice in Wimbledon, once more in Flushing Meadows) but lost to Roger Federer each time. He is currently engaged to model Brooklyn Decker. 23. Manuel Orantes (ESP) Career Titles: 33 Career Grand Slams: 1 Orantes had a unique knack of playing extraordinarily well in minor tournaments, but falling apart in Grand Slams. However, his only Grand Slam victory was a very impressive one to say the least; he defeated American Jimmy Connors at the US Open in 1975. He also did it in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.

Orantes also gave Bjorn Borg an excellent match at Roland Garros in 1974, where he won the first two sets before collapsing. He also partnered with Jose Higueras in 1978 to reach the French Open final in doubles. 22. Yevgeny Kafelnikov (RUS) Career Titles: 26 Career Grand Slams: 2 Kafelnikov has a very special mark on his record. He is the last man to capture the singles and doubles trophies at a Grand Slam event (1996 French Open). He partnered with Daniel Vacek and defeated the team of Guy Forget/Jakob Hlasek to win the doubles title, then went on to pummel Michael Stich for the singles title. He would also win the Australian Open in 1999. The heavy-swinging righty from Sochi also had four career Grand Slam doubles titles and an Olympic gold medal in singles at the Sydney games in 2000. 21.

Michael Chang (USA) Career Titles: 34 Career Grand Slams: 1 The diminutive Chang (5'9" 160 lbs.) had a reputation of winning young. He won countless titles as a teenager, but none more famous than his Grand Slam victory at the French Open in 1989. The 17-year-old Chang faced World No. 1 and three-time champion Ivan Lendl, and won in a five-set epic that lasted well over four hours. Chang never reached No. 1 in the world and he never won another Grand Slam after his win in 1989. He was a runner-up three times. Chang still is considered one of the best defenders in history, thanks to his blinding speed and recovery. 20. Thomas Muster (AUT) Career Titles: 44 Career Grand Slams: 1 Dubbed the "King of Clay" in the 1990s, his lone Grand Slam came at the French Open in 1995, where he defeated Michael Chang. Although he never won the event again, he won nearly all of his career ATP titles on clay courts.

The southpaw won 40 out of his 44 tournament wins on the sands. The skinny Austrian reached the world No. 1 ranking in the early stages of 1996, but he did not hold it for long. He won a title he probably never wanted in 1990, when he was awarded the ATP's "Comeback Player of the Year." 19. Gustavo Kuerten (BRA) Career Titles: 20 Career Grand Slams: 3 Guga Kuerten was easily the best Brazilian to ever play the game. He was a clay court specialist who won all three of his Grand Slam titles at the French Open, in 1997, 2000 and 2001. Despite never making it past the quarterfinals in any other Grand Slam event, Guga was practically automatic at Roland Garros. The vast majority of Kuerten's ATP titles came on clay, although he did have several hard court championships mixed in. He also dabbled in doubles towards the end of his career, teaming up with fellow Brazilian Fernando Meligeni to win five ATP titles. 18.

Ilie Nastase (ROM) Career Titles: 57 Career Grand Slams: 2 Nastase won Grand Slam titles in every way possible. He won two in singles, three in doubles, and two more in mixed doubles. His most impressive win was over Arthur Ashe in the 1972 US Open, where it took the Romanian five sets and close to five hours to seal the deal. The versatile Nastase won ATP events on all surfaces, too. He may have possibly been one of the best carpet court players in history, as he won practically every carpet tournament he entered during the 1970s. 17. Jim Courier (USA) Career Titles: 23 Career Grand Slams: 4 Courier started out his career with a bang, defeating fellow young star Andre Agassi in five sets at the French Open. He would go on to win four Grand Slam titles, two at Roland Garros and two more in Melbourne. Courier faced his arch-nemesis, Stefan Edberg, three times in Grand Slam finals, winning two of them. He spent 58 weeks ranked at No. 1 and despite having a decent game on all surfaces, the majority of his tournament wins came on hard courts.

Courier founded the non-profit organization "Courier's Kids" to help children play tennis after his retirement. 16. John Newcombe (AUS) Career Titles: 32 (68 in total) Career Grand Slams: 5 Newcombe had a very productive career as a singles player, winning multiple titles at the US Open, Australian Open and Wimbledon. His signature match was a victory over Ken Rosewall at Wimbledon in 1970. However, Newcombe may be most famous for his ATP-record 12 Grand Slam titles in doubles, many with fellow Aussie Tony Roche as a partner. Career Titles: 33 Career Grand Slams: 3 Ashe was not only a leader on the court for advancement of American tennis, but also an activist in social issues as well. Ashe won every Grand Slam event except the French Open. He defeated fellow American Jimmy Connors in 1975 at Wimbledon to claim his final championship. He had a rivalry with Roy Emerson before the Open Era in the early 1960s. He was the first African-American to win a Grand Slam, and he was also a major activist in the worldwide fight against AIDS. 14.

Guillermo Vilas (ARG) Career Titles: 62 Career Grand Slams: 4 Vilas was a southpaw baseliner in an era where players commonly would serve and volley. He was the first South American male to ever win a Grand Slam event when he defeated Brian Gottfried at Roland Garros. He would win four Grand Slams in total. Vilas holds two impressive ATP records. First, he had a 46-match winning streak on all surfaces in 1977 which still hasn't come close to falling. Second, he won the most titles in a season, also in 1977, with 16 ATP Tour championships. 13. Stefan Edberg (SWE) Career Titles: 42 Career Grand Slams: 6 The big Swede was also big on serve-and-volley. He is one of the few players to ever be ranked No. 1 in the world in singles and doubles at the same time. Edberg won every Grand Slam event twice except the French Open, in which he made it to the final and lost to Michael Chang.

He was fierce rivals with Boris Becker; they met at Wimbledon three consecutive years (1988-90). Edberg took two of those crowns. He also won two doubles crowns with fellow Swede and doubles titan Anders Jarryd. 12. Boris Becker (GER) Career Titles: 49 Career Grand Slams: 6 Boris Becker accomplished just about everything a tennis player could possibly imagine. He won six career Grand Slam titles (three at Wimbledon), won an Olympic Gold in Barcelona, and led the West Germany Davis Cup team to a dramatic victory over the United States in 1989 where he beat Andre Agassi in five brutal sets. Becker won an unheard of 26 titles on indoor carpet courts over the course of his career, still a record today. Bizarrely enough with how tremendous of a singles player he was, he reached a higher mark in doubles first, despite never winning a Grand Slam doubles event. 11. Mats Wilander (SWE) Career Titles: 33 Career Grand Slams: 7 Mats Wilander is in exclusive company because he can say that he has won a Grand Slam on all three surfaces (the other two are Rafael Nadal and Jimmy Connors).

Although he never won Wimbledon, his grass title came at the Australian Open when it was still played on lawn. The all-purpose Wilander also won a Grand Slam in doubles, and reached finals two more times. He was at his best when playing on clay, where he won the French Open three times, defeating Guillermo Vilas in the first and Ivan Lendl in the second. Career Titles: 32 Career Grand Slams: 6 Don't expect the Raging Bull to sit here for the rest of his career. Nadal has already put together a phenomenal body of work, and he's only 22. He has won Grand Slams on all surfaces and has put himself in prime position to become only the second man in Open Era history to win all four Grand Slams in a year. Although Nadal calls the red clay of Roland Garros home, he has certainly expanded his horizons. His rivalry with Roger Federer may end up being the best of all-time. 9.

Ken Rosewall (AUS) Career Titles: 25 (132 in total) Career Grand Slams: 6 (12 in total) Ken Rosewall's picture should show up in the dictionary under the word "consistency." He was a Top 20 player in the world for 25 straight years, and even won the Australian Open at 38 years old. The minuscule Rosewall (5'7" and 145 pounds), played with constant agility and had a never-ending motor. Although Rosewall won the majority of his tournaments before the Open Era, he was still winning Grand Slam events deep into his 30s, where he won three of them after his 35th birthday. Talk about impressive. 8. Ivan Lendl (CZE) Career Titles: 94 Career Grand Slams: 8 Lendl, despite winning eight career Grand Slams, may be better known for another statistic. He has competed in an ATP-record 19 Grand Slam finals and made it to at least one in each of 11 consecutive years. He helped to usher in a Power Era of tennis, utilizing a heavy topspin forehands from the baseline.

He won every Grand Slam event except Wimbledon, despite making it to the finals in two consecutive years. The lovable loser from the Czech Republic is second all-time in the Open Era for career titles. 7. Jimmy Connors (USA) Career Titles: 109 Career Grand Slams: 8 Jimbo Connors was one of the best to ever play the game, and yet he doesn't even get serious contention for the best American player in the Open Era! Connors won an ATP-record 109 career titles and added a friendly eight Grand Slams to go with it. He could dominate all surfaces at any time and spent a mundane 268 total weeks at No. 1 in the world. Connors also double dipped for a while with Ilie Nastase, where the duo won two Grand Slams (Wimbledon & the US Open). Jimbo also holds the strange record of being the only man to win the US Open on three different surfaces. 6. John McEnroe (USA) Career Titles: 77 Career Grand Slams: 7 Yes, Johnny Mac, we are serious. You are sixth best in the Open Era.

Although John McEnroe was one of the best to ever play, he will be most remembered for his Hall of Fame conniptions on the court. He had intense rivalries with any player who would give him a decent match (mainly Borg, Connors, and Lendl). Despite McEnroe never winning the French or Australian Open, he more than made up for it in Wimbledon and US Open titles. His most famous match without doubt would be the 1980 Wimbledon final against Bjorn Borg, which Borg ended up winning 8-6 in the fifth set. 5. Andre Agassi (USA) Career Titles: 60 Career Grand Slams: 8 The Wonder Boy, Andre Agassi didn't turn out so bad after all. He is the only male player to complete a career Golden Slam (all four Grand Slam events plus an Olympic gold). Dubbed the best serve-returner in history by many of the top players who have faced Agassi, he had insane hand-eye coordination. He was a truly dominant force on the hard courts, winning 46 of his 60 career titles on the concrete, but he was no slouch on other surfaces. The only grass court tournament he won happened to be called Wimbledon.

He is married to former WTA star Steffi Graf. 4. Pete Sampras (USA) Career Titles: 64 Career Grand Slams: 14 Pistol Pete Sampras will always be remembered for his mind-blowing seven Wimbledon singles championships. Sampras had literally no weaknesses in his game, and could use any weapon at any time. His serve could win points. His forehand was deadly. And his net game was unparalleled. His 14 career Grand Slams remain an Open Era record. His only weakness may have been his complete inability to win on clay. He made it to the Roland Garros semifinals just once in his career, and never went any further. He was a prime-time performer who had an 84 percent winning percentage in Grand Slams. 3. Roger Federer (SUI) Career Titles: 57 Career Grand Slams: 13 You can't say enough about Roger Federer. The Swiss master-tactician has already nearly matched Pete Sampras' record 14 Grand Slams, and Federer has done it in half the time. He combines a mixture of power and shot-making that has dazzled crowds around the world for many years.

He remains fierce rivals with Rafael Nadal. Nadal has mauled Federer on clay, while Federer still has the upper hand on grass and hard courts in terms of victories. If Federer can stay healthy, he could possibly reach Connors' mark for career titles too. 2. Bjorn Borg (SWE) Career Titles: 63 Career Grand Slams: 11 Borg was a multi-faceted machine who could transition his game to any surface. He won back-to-back French Open and Wimbledon titles three straight times. Rafael Nadal has done that feat only once. He currently holds the record for most French Open titles won, with six, but that record could fall in the near future. Borg made the game look like a stroll in the park. In a game that was evolving away from finesse, he used his racquet like a magic wand to return everything in sight. Although for a guy that couldn't stand being second best, that's where he stands here. 1. Rod Laver (AUS) Career Titles: 40 (198 in total) Career Grand Slams: 5 (11 in total) Finally, the best player of all time.

Laver is the only man in Open Era history to complete a calendar year Grand Slam, where he won all four titles in 1969. The miniature left-hander from Rockhampton, Australia, did things never before seen with a racquet. He revolutionized the way the game was played...spinning the ball and expert volleys. He is credited with 198 singles titles (most before the Open Era), but his sheer dominance over the entire field was brilliance on a level never seen again. Laver also showcased his mastery of the doubles game while partnered with Roy Emerson, where the two won in Melbourne and Wimbledon. He also has a stadium named after him. Lucky for some: Bryan brothers become most successful doubles pairing ever with 13th Grand Slam title | Daily Mail Online Lucky for some: Bryan brothers become most successful doubles pairing ever with 13th Grand Slam title comments Bob and Mike Bryan became the most successful doubles pairing of all time after winning their 13th Grand slam title at the Australian Open. The American twins surpassed the previous record they held jointly with Australians John Newcombe and Tony Roche with a 6-3 6-4 defeat of Robin Haase and Igor Sijsling.

Brother beyond: The Bryans became the most successful men's doubles pairing in history after winning their 13th Grand Slam title The Dutchmen started well with an early break but the Bryans then rattled off four consecutive games to take the initiative. They closed out the opening set and then cruised through the second to win their sixth Melbourne crown. Mark Knowles | Tennis Tennis Tennis Tennis Tennis Tennis Archive for the 'Mark Knowles' Category 30 Tags: Andy Roddick , Mark Knowles Bahamian tennis star Mark Knowles is pleased to announce the annual Mark Knowles Celebrity Tennis Invitational will be held on 1-4 December 2011 at the Atlantis Resort & Casino by Presenting Sponsor, MDC-Partners, and organized by the Mark Knowles Management Group (MKMG). This year’s featured players are Andy Roddick, Xavier Malisse, and Sabine Lisicki with some additional stars to be announced at a later date. The organizers plan to hold a Pro/Am doubles tournament for Platinum sponsors, a Pro Exhibition and an opportunity for top Bahamian junior tennis players to interact with the visiting professionals.

The Mark Knowles Celebrity Invitational was established in 2001, its mission to raise funds supporting a range of local children’s charities on the islands. Past beneficiaries have included The Sassoon Pediatric Heart Foundation, The Cancer Society, The Association of the Physically Disabled, The Children’s Emergency Hospital, The Boy Scouts of Bahamas, The Special Olympics and scholarships for promising junior tennis players. Through the generous support of sponsors, fellow tennis players and of course, the fans, proceeds have saved lives and provided important opportunities for a number of individuals. 2010 marked the tenth anniversary of the event and pushed total contributions to over $650,000. Proceeds enabled Knowles to endow a local hospital with its first children’s heart defibrillator – in the past, child cardiac arrest patients had to rely on the usage of an adult defibrillator. Previous projects have included emergency heart surgery for a baby girl, 12 days in age; the remodeling of cancer recovery rooms; and funding for a Special Olympics tennis player, who recently won a medal at the World Games.

Tags: Mark Knowles , Sabine Lisicki Not content to let their male counterparts enjoy all the fun in the sun in The Bahamas, this year’s Mark Knowles Celebrity Invitational charity event from December 2nd to 5th has drawn 3 repeat female participants; Anna Lena Groenefeld, Sabine Lisicki and Olga Savchuk and a new face, U.S. Federation Cup team heroine, Bethanie Mattek-Sands. The Professional Tennis Exhibition will be held at the National Tennis Centre, Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre at 3.00 p.m. on Saturday 4th December. Admission: Adults $10 and Children Free. Students in school sports shirts Free. (Don’t be surprised if Andy Murray shows up!) The annual hit with the Pros will take place with junior players selected by Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association at the Exhibition on 4th December at the National Tennis Centre ending with an autograph session with the pros. The proceeds of the event will go to aid local children’s’ charities. To date over $500,000 has been distributed to various charities.

Tickets are now on sale at the National Tennis Centre, Atlantis Tennis Centre, Village Squash Club, H.G.Christie Ltd. and Lyford Cay School or telephone 242-359-2542. Share this: Tags: Mahesh Bhupathi , Mark Knowles Third seeds Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles edged a tight encounter with Poles Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski 3-6, 6-3, 10-7 at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Tuesday afternoon at The O2. Having also defeated Frantisek Cermak and Michal Mertinak in their first match Sunday, they now top Group B with a 2-0 match record. The top two teams from Groups A and B advance to the semi-finals on Saturday. “We’re excited, very excited,” said Knowles. “Especially because they were playing extremely well. They were serving at an incredible rate; very hard, but also high percentage. They were playing really, really well there in the first set.

We just kind of rode them out, got a couple looks at a second serve in the second set, and were able to return well and turn the match around. We played really solid at the end and kind of raised our level. Share this: Tags: Andy Roddick , Anna-Lena Groenefeld , Mark Knowles Tickets are now on sale for the 9th Annual Mark Knowles Celebrity Tennis Invitational professional exhibition and charity event to be held in Nassau on December 5th, 2009 at the National Tennis Centre, Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre. The Exhibition starts at 3pm and is open to all. Andy Roddick and Mark Knowles’ recent doubles partner from Wimbledon, Anna-Lena Groenefeld are confirmed to be in attendance. Once again, the proceeds of the event will go to aid local children’s charities such as The Cancer Society, the Sassoon (Bahamas) Foundation for Pediatric Heart Care, The Special Olympics, The Association for the Physically Disabled, The Chance Foundation and the Mark Knowles Tennis Scholarship Fund. To date over $400,000 has been distributed to various charities. The aim this year is to increase total donations to $500,000.

Share this: Tags: Andy Roddick , Mark Knowles Andy Roddick has agreed to participate in the 9th Mark Knowles Charity Invitational December 3-5 in an exhibition at the National Tennis Center. “It’s extremely exciting to have a former world number one and grand slam champion and someone as popular as Andy coming to the event,” said Knowles yesterday. “It’s really a huge boost and it has added a lot of excitement. We are just waiting on his arrival because he has said he will be willing to participate in any event that we have on the schedule. That’s the type of person he is.” Knowles and Roddick partnered at the Beijing Open where they reached the doubles final when Knowles’ regular partner Mahesh Bhupathi took a break to recuperate from a groin injury he sustained playing Davis Cup for India. Roddick, who has been ranked No.1 in the world and is currently ranked No.7, has always wanted to come to the Bahamas and participate in the tournament, according to Knowles. Paying together in Beijing solidified this year’s appearance for the No.1 ranked American player, who won the 2003 US Open and was a three-time Wimbledon finalist.

“We got a little closer and I found out that he such a nice guy,” Knowles said. “He has his own foundation like the Andy Roddick Charitable Organisation, so he understands what it is I’m doing,” Knowles said. “With him coming, I think it’s going to be one of the greatest ever. To have somebody like Andy Roddick in the Bahamas is going to be so exciting.” This year, Knowles and his organisers have switched the professional tennis exhibition from Atlantis on Paradise Island to the National Tennis Centre, Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre, 3pm Saturday, December 5. While adults will be charged an admission fee, Vicki Knowles-Andrews, Knowles’ mother, has indicated that they will be allowing children to be admitted free so as to give as many of them as possible the opportunity to meet Roddick up close and personal. Share this: Tags: Andy Roddick , Bryan Bros. , Mark Knowles Andy shared a nice moment with his friends after losing the match, giving Bob Bryan a chest pump during the presentation ceremony. Despite an impressive week together, Andy and Mark Knowles were unable to overcome the world number two pairing of Bob and Mike Bryan in the final of the China Open.

Andy and Mark Knowles lost 6-4, 6-2. Andy’s Davis Cup team mates, Bob and Mike Bryan admitted they had prepared for a tough match in Sunday’s final: “We were ready for a dog fight,” said Bob Bryan. “When you’ve got one of the best singles players of our era playing with one of the best doubles players of our era it’s going to make for a great match up. Mike and I came out focussed and played one of the best matches we’ve played in a long time.” Andy is now off to Shanghai for the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament. Share this: Tags: Andy Roddick , Mark Knowles Andy is out in the first round of the China Open after a superb performance from qualifier Lukasz Kubot saw the Pole prevail 6-2, 6-4. Andy was looking to defend his title at the ATP World Tour 500 tournament in Beijing this week and would have qualified for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals had he reached the final and other results had gone his way. He will have the chance to secure his place at the eight-man field in London when he competes at the Shanghai ATP Masters 1000 next week.

While Andy was playing in his first match since the US Open, World No. 143 Kubot had won three matches in qualifying and came into the match in strong form, breaking serve three times as he clinched the first set 6-2. Andy hit back in the second set to take a 3-1 lead, but two unforced errors proved costly as he immediately handed the break back to Kubot, double faulting to make the score line 3-2. Kubot took to the court with an aggressive game plan and maintained it throughout. The 27 year old, who reached his first ATPWorld Tour final in Belgrade in May, kept his composure in the latter stages of the second set and broke serve to lead 5-4 as Andy netted a forehand. The Pole then closed out the victory with successive aces after 81 minutes. All is not lost for Andy in Beijing as he and Mark Knowles remain in contention in the doubles draw. They will face Jose Acasuso and Fernando Gonzalez in the quarter-finals after the South Americans ousted top seeds Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic on Tuesday.

Share this: Tags: Andy Roddick , Mark Knowles In the 16-team doubles draw, Andy has partnered Bahamian Mark Knowles – a former doubles World No. 1 who has won a staggering 52 titles. It will be the first time the two have played together. Andy and Knowles are unseeded and will face Chinese Taipei wild cards Hsin-Han Lee and Tsung-Hua Yang in the first round. In the quarter-finals, there is the strong possibility of facing World No. 1 duo Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic. Andy’s Davis Cup teammates Bob and Mike Bryan are also in the draw, seeded second. Defending champion Andy is seeded third in the 32-man singles draw and will meet Polish qualifier Lukasz Kubot in the first round. It’s a strong field in the Chinese capital, evidenced by Andy’s possible second round opponents – either Paul-Henri Mathieu or Ivan Ljubicic. Sixth seed and Roland Garros finalist Robin Soderling is a potential quarter-final opponent, while Andy also shares the bottom half of the draw with World No. 4 Novak Djokovic and this week’s Kuala Lumpur runner-up Fernando Verdasco, seeded fifth.

World No. 2 Rafael Nadal leads the field as he makes his return from an abdominal strain, but would not face Andy until the final. Kuala Lumpur champion Nikolay Davydenko is also involved in the top half, as is eighth-seeded wild card Marin Cilic. Share this: Tags: Mark Knowles Winning a Wimbledon title was a dream, as it is for any player, but there was an extra incentive for Knowles. “I have a British passport – my mom’s British – so I’ve grown up in the tradition of Wimbledon. It was always the one tournament I wanted to win,” he revealed. “To finally have won it, it’s thrilling. To be on Centre Court, and to go up in the Royal Box and receive the trophy, it’s something that no one can ever take away from me.” Knowles has now won all four Grand Slam tournaments, adding his first mixed doubles title to his men’s doubles titles won alongside former partner Daniel Nestor at the 2002 Australian Open, 2004 US Open and 2007 Roland Garros. He and Nestor were also finalists at Wimbledon in 2002.

The Bahamian also achieved a special milestone earlier in The Championships, playing his 1000th career doubles match – the most among active players – in the men’s doubles quarter-finals with Mahesh Bhupathi. He is only the sixth player to reach the 1000-match plateau, joining Cyril Suk (1147), Sherwood Stewart (1080), Todd Woodbridge (1042), Rick Leach (1038) and Jonas Bjorkman (1015). “At the start of your career it’s not really something you set out to do,” said the 37-year old. “It’s unfathomable that you’ll be around that long and be that successful. I’m just playing because I still enjoy the game, and I still enjoy the challenge of trying to win matches. There’s so much competition out there and it’s changed so much since I first came on tour so it brings a whole different excitement to it.” Share this: Tags: Aussie Open , Bryan Bros.

, Mark Knowles Second seeds Bob and Mike Bryan will contest their fifth straight Australian Open final against third seeds Mark Knowles and Mahesh Bhupathi, who will be appearing in their first Grand Slam championship title-match, on Saturday. The Bryan twins defeated fourth seeds Lukas Dlouhy and Leander Paes 6-3, 6-3 in 54 minutes on the Hisense Arena, in what was a repeat of the 2008 US Open final. Dlouhy and Paes committed nine unforced errors, as the Bryans converted five of eight break point opportunities. The 30-year-old Californians finished runner-up in 2004 (l. to Llodra-Santoro) and 2005 (l. to Black-Ullyett) and won back-to-back titles in 2006 (d. Damm-Paes) and 2007 (d. Bjorkman-Mirnyi).

They are currently fourth in the all-time doubles Grand Slam title leaders of the Open Era behind Australians John Newcombe and Tony Roche (7), Americans Peter Fleming and John McEnroe (7) and Australians Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde (11). The Bryans opened their 2009 ATP World Tour season by capturing their 50th ATP World Tour title at the Medibank International in Sydney (d. Nestor-Zimonjic). They are only the fourth team in the Open Era to win at least 50 titles, joining Woodbridge-Woodforde (61), Fleming-McEnroe (57), and Bob Hewitt and Frew McMillan (57). Knowles and Bhupathi earned a comfortable 6-3, 6-1 win against the unseeded Polish-Austrian duo of Lukasz Kubot and Oliver Marach. They raced out to a 3-0 lead in the opening set, and then capitalised on three of their four break point chances in the second set to secure the victory in 58 minutes. Bryan Bros.

| Tennis Tennis Tennis Tennis Tennis Tennis Archive for the 'Bryan Bros.' Category 11 Feb 12 Tags: Bryan Bros. , Davis Cup , John Isner , Mardy Fish One of the biggest shocks in recent Davis Cup history was completed on Saturday afternoon when the US doubles team of Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish beat Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka in four sets to see the Americans through to April’s quarterfinals. The reverberations from John Isner’s stunning win over Federer on Friday night carried through to the doubles, which followed a very similar pattern to the Isner-Federer singles. The Swiss won the opening set and looked reasonably comfortable for a set and a half, but once the Americans had broken, the balance of power shifted, and Federer in particular fell away at the end as the US pair won 46 63 63 63 in 2 hours 18 minutes. Because so much was made of Federer’s return to the Davis Cup first round for the first time in eight years, it’s easy to see this result as a disaster for the Swiss.

A disappointment it certainly is, but to view it as a disaster would be to take too much credit away from an American team that seems finally to have lost its fear of away clay. Share this: Tags: Andy Murray , Novak Djokovic , Rafael Nadal This year’s draw will be very strong as the top eight teams in the world as well as five Top 10 players have confirmed their entry. Djokovic, Nadal, Murray, Monfils and Almagro all entered. The top-ranked Bryan brothers will be back to defend the title they won last summer in Toronto. Meanwhile, Canadian Daniel Nestor and his partner, Max Mirnyi of Belarus will be seeded second. Several players have decided to team up with their compatriots. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will team up with Janko Tipsarevic, Rafael Nadal will play with Marc Lopez, Gilles Simon will make up an all-French team with Richard Gasquet and two-time defending Rogers Cup champion Andy Murray will partner with his brother, Jamie Murray. In addition, Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga have entered alongside Pablo Andujar and Stanislas Wawrinka, respectively.

Share this: Tags: Andy Roddick , Davis Cup , Jim Courier The American team that will take on Chile for the fifth time in the first round of the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas is a combination of experience and a touch of newish blood. Twenty years after his debut as a player in the first round against Mexico in Mexico City, Jim Courier makes his debut as a captain in Santiago. As a player Jim Courier had a very solid record in Davis Cup. Other than his last tie, which was against Australia in Boston in 1999, every time he was in the USA side, they won and there were 13 of those team triumphs. His win-loss record as a player was 16-10 in singles and 1-0 in doubles. Courier has transitioned from player to team coach to captain, a career he is naturally very proud of. He joked that the “way my body feels” he’s more than happy to be on the bench and let others do the work. “As far as being captain, this is a great gig obviously when you get guys like this on your team, who love Davis Cup, they love to be here, they love to support United States tennis,” Courier said.

“They are ready to go to battle and give everything they’ve got. It’s a huge honour, a thrill. Sure, I am on the learning curve this week as well. I think we will be in good shape. I am very comfortable and at ease with all of these guys already and hoping they feel the same way. My job is to stay out of their way.” Courier leads the massively experienced Andy Roddick, the still developing John Isner and the world’s best doubles combination Bob and Mike Bryan. Roddick is returning to the fold after taking a year off from Davis Cup, Isner has played just two ties before, while the Bryans have never lost a Davis Cup doubles rubber on red clay, the chosen surface at the Estadio Nacional. Share this: Tags: 2011 Australian Open , Bob and Mike Bryan Bob and Mike Bryan spoiled the reunion party for Indian veterans Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi to claim their fifth Australian Open men’s doubles title in six years.

The 32-year-old Bryans, the world’s top-ranked pairing, downed 36-year-old Bhupathi and 37-year-old Paes 6-3 6-4 to make it three straight titles at Melbourne Park, having also claimed the event in 2006 and 2007. Their five Australian Open crowns give them 10 grand slam titles as a combination overall, including at least one of each of the majors. They already held the record for the most tournament titles of any men’s pairing in the Open era, which they stretched to 68, seven clear of retired Australians Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge. They are also closing in on the Woodies’ collection of 11 grand slam trophies, and are within two of the Open era record of 12, held by another Australian pairing of John Newcombe and Tony Roche. Bhupathi and Paes had been hoping to complete a remarkable comeback story. They were formerly a formidable combination, but their most recent previous grand slam tournament together was in 2002.

The Indians had been seeking a career grand slam, each having won the French Open, US Open and Wimbledon either together, or with other partners during their long tennis estrangement. The identical and identically-dressed Bryans – right-hander Mike is two minutes older than left-hander Bob – celebrated their victory with their familiar chest bump. Share this: Tags: 2010 ATP Final , Bob and Mike Bryan Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski kept Group A wide open at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on Tuesday, when they saved three match points against World No. 1 team Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan in a 6-2, 6-7(4), 10-8 victory. The 32-year-old Bryan twins could have qualified for the semi-finals if they had won after Jurgen Melzer and Philipp Petzschner had denied Lukas Dlouhy and Leander Paes their first win earlier in the day. Fyrstenberg and Matkowski came alive in the nick of time towards the end of the second set, fighting back for a famous win in one hour and 38 minutes that snapped a three-match losing streak against the Bryans.

Share this: Tags: Bob and Mike Bryan The best measure of what India’s Rohan Bopanna and Pakistan’s Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi accomplished at the U.S. Open could be found in the stands, not the scoreline. The doubles team reached the U.S. Open final Wednesday, winning a match that brought the United Nations ambassadors from their long-at-odds countries to Flushing Meadows to watch the action together. The idea of Pakistan and India on the same side of anything has long been considered far-flung. These neighboring countries have been through three wars since gaining independence from Britain in 1947 and spent most of the time between in a state of distrust and heightened military tension. “This is sports, but it shows the great potential,” India’s ambassador, Hardeep Puri, told The Associated Press. They lost 7-6, 7-6 in today’s final to Mike and Bob Bryan, the winningest doubles team in history. Bopanna and Qureshi — the “Indo-Pak Express” they call themselves — came together more for convenience than for message-sending.

There’s very little top-level tennis in Pakistan, so to find a partner, Qureshi had to look to his neighboring country. They started in 2003, played on and off since then. Their story gathered steam earlier this year when they started wearing sweat shirts with slogans reading “Stop War, Start Tennis” as part of a campaign backed by a Monaco-based group called Peace and Sport. Share this: Tags: Bryan Bros. , Sam Querrey The USTA conducted a tennis clinic featuring the QuickStart play format on the White House South Lawn with Sam Querrey and doubles team Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan on Tuesday, August 3. The event was part of the South Lawn Series, a summer-long series of events that brings local children, sports leagues and community programs together to the South Lawn in support of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative to combat childhood obesity. The clinic ran on two 78’ courts constructed on the South Lawn that housed eight 36’ courts specifically designed for children aged 10-and-under.

USTA instructors partnered up with tennis players Sam Querrey and Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan to lead 100 local Washington youth from USTA National Junior Tennis & Learning chapters including the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation, CREATE Tennis, the Southeast Tennis & Learning Center and the Junior Tennis Champions Center in a QuickStart clinic that demonstrated ways for kids to get 60 minutes of active play per day. Developed to keep kids active and expose them to tennis at an early age, the QuickStart play format provides kids with an exciting introduction to tennis by scaling down the game to better fit the needs of young children by utilising smaller balls, racquets and courts. Share this: Bob and Mike Bryan won their record 62nd career doubles title on the ATP Tour on Sunday. The twin brothers defeated American Eric Butorac and Jean-Julien Rojer of Netherlands Antilles 6-7 (8-6), 6-2 (10-7) in the Farmers Classic, the Bryans’ 100th career final. They had been tied with Hall of Famers Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde of Australia, who won 61 titles. “The Woodies put a record way out there.

Sixty-one was Mount Everest when we started,” Mike Bryan said. “We love what we do. To get this, one of their many records, is special.” Woodforde was on hand to congratulate the brothers. “For many, many years you’ve been traveling in elite company. Thanks to the victory today you’re in rarefied air. You guys stand together as one,” he said. “I know this 62nd victory has been waiting since May. Our run sort of ended because I elected to retire, but I know you two will continue for years to come. The floodgates will open entirely, so I know 70, 80 will come.” The Bryans won their sixth title in the tournament at the Los Angeles Tennis Center on the UCLA campus, not far from their hometown of Camarillo in Ventura County. It was their 16th consecutive match win in the Farmers Classic. Mike jumped into Bob’s arms to celebrate in front of several family members, including parents Wayne and Kathy.

Share this: Tags: 2010 Roland Garros , Andy Roddick , Bob and Mike Bryan , Teimuraraz Gabashvili Andy Roddick proved to those who still didn’t believe, that he just can’t play on red clay as has lost in the third round of the French Open to 114th-ranked qualifier Teimuraz Gabashvili of Russia. Gabashvili beat the sixth-seeded Roddick 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 Saturday to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time. Roddick was broken four times and never looked capable of turning the match around. Throwing his racket and grumbling, Roddick tried to play more offensive tennis in the third set only to be punished by Gabashvili’s passing shots. Roddick won the 2003 U.S. Open but has only made it to the fourth round at Roland Garros once, last year. American twins Bob and Mike Bryan have been upset in the second round of French Open men’s doubles by unseeded Brazilians Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares.

The top-seeded Bryans lost 6-3, 7-6 (6) Saturday, ending their bid for a record 62nd career doubles championship. They tied the Open era mark of 61 men’s doubles titles – originally set by the retired Australian pair of Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde – by winning at the Madrid Masters two weeks ago. Share this: Tags: 2010 Indian Wells , Bryan Bros. , Rafael Nadal In doubles matches, second-seeded Americans Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan were thwarted in their attempt to claim their first BNP Paribas Open title, stunned by the Czech-German pairing of Tomas Berdych and Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-6(4), 7-5 in their opening match. Third seeds Lukas Dlouhy and Leander Paes were also upset, falling to Spaniards Marc Lopez and Rafael Nadal 6-4, 3-6, 10-6. Top seeds Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic made their way safely into the second round as they defeated Eric Butorac and Rajeev Ram 6-3, 6-4.

Nestor and Zimonjic were finalists in 2008. Here’s a question for all the tennis experts. When was the last time a male player won both singles and doubles titles at an ATP event?

Question: John Newcombe was one half of a famous tennis pairing who were Wimbledon Doubles Champions three times. Who was his partner ?
Answer: TONY ROCHE