This article presents top ten lists of male singles tennis players, as ranked by various official and non-official ranking authorities throughout the history of the sport. Rankings of U.S.-only professionals pre-Open Era, and U.S.-only amateurs during World War II are also included.
The article is split into two sections: 1912–1972, and since 1973 when the first official ATP rankings were published, for ease of navigation.
| A. E. Crawley [1] [a] | E. B. Dewhurst [3] | R. Norris Williams [3] |
|---|---|---|
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(didn't rank himself) |
| E. B. Dewhurst [4] | A. Wallis Myers [5] ( The Daily Telegraph ) | American Lawn Tennis [6] [7] | B. H. Liddell Hart [4] ( The Times ) | The Field [6] [7] | Lawn-Tennis [5] |
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| E. B. Dewhurst [8] | A. Wallis Myers [9] | "Argent" [9] (Lawn Tennis and Badminton) | Theodore Mavrogordato [10] |
|---|---|---|---|
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no world rankings (World War I)
| A. Wallis Myers [11] |
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| A. Wallis Myers [11] | "Austral" (R. M. Kidston) [12] ( The Referee) |
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| A. Wallis Myers [13] [14] | "Austral" (R. M. Kidston) [15] | B. H. Liddell Hart [16] | Bill Tilden [17] [b] | Gerald Patterson [18] |
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| A. Wallis Myers [19] | S. Wallis Merrihew [20] [21] (American Lawn Tennis) | New York Times [22] | Bill Tilden [23] |
|---|---|---|---|
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(didn't rank himself) |
| A. Wallis Myers [24] [25] | B. H. Liddell Hart [26] | Bill Tilden [27] |
|---|---|---|
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(didn't rank himself) |
| A. Wallis Myers [28] | B. H. Liddell Hart [29] | Samuel Brookman [30] |
|---|---|---|
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| A. Wallis Myers [31] | Maxime Lanet [32] ( L'Auto ) | Frank Poxon [33] ( Daily News ) | "Server" [34] ( The Australasian ) | Bill Tilden [35] [c] | James Anderson [37] |
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(didn't rank himself) |
(didn't rank himself) |
| A. Wallis Myers [38] | Stanley Doust [39] ( Daily Mail ) | Suzanne Lenglen [40] | Bill Tilden [41] |
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| A. Wallis Myers [42] | U.S. ranking committee president [43] | Émile Deve [44] | Marcel Berger [44] ( L'Opinion ) | Jean Samazeuilh [45] ( Le Miroir des sports ) | Henri Cochet [44] |
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| A. Wallis Myers [46] | Pierre Gillou [47] (L'Auto) | F. Gordon Lowe [48] ( The Scotsman ) | W. J. Daish [49] | Vincent Richards [50] | Bill Tilden [49] |
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| Ray Bowers [51] | Vincent Richards [50] |
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| Ray Bowers [51] |
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| A. Wallis Myers [52] | "Austral" (R. M. Kidston). [53] | F. Gordon Lowe [54] [d] | Vincent Richards [56] | Didier Poulain [57] (L'Auto, combined ranking) | Bill Tilden [58] | Karel Koželuh [59] |
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| Ray Bowers [60] | American Lawn Tennis [61] | Bill Tilden [62] | Karel Koželuh [59] |
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| Ray Bowers [60] | Bernard Brown [63] ( Brooklyn Times-Union ) |
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| A. Wallis Myers [64] | Pierre Gillou [65] | Didier Poulain [66] | Bill Tilden [64] |
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(didn't rank himself) |
| Ray Bowers [60] | Bernard Brown [67] |
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| Ray Bowers [60] |
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| A. Wallis Myers [68] | Stanley Doust [69] | Pierre Gillou [70] | Didier Poulain [71] | Bill Tilden [72] | Noel Dickson [73] ( Melbourne Herald ) | "Service" [74] ( Western Mail ) | Sport magazine [75] (Zurich) |
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| Ray Bowers [76] | George Agutter [77] | Bill Tilden [72] | PLTA [e] [78] (U.S.-only) |
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| A. Wallis Myers [80] | Pierre Gillou [81] | F. Gordon Lowe [82] | Bernard Brown [83] | Jean Borotra [84] | Ellsworth Vines [85] |
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(didn't rank himself.) |
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| Ray Bowers [86] | Bill Tilden [87] |
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| Ray Bowers [86] | Ellsworth Vines [88] |
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(didn't rank himself) |
| A. Wallis Myers [89] | Pierre Gillou [90] | Didier Poulain [91] | Bernard Brown [92] | Harry Hopman [93] (Melbourne Herald) | John R. Tunis [94] [95] ( The Literary Digest ) | Alfred Chave [96] (Brisbane Telegraph) | "Set" [97] ( The West Australian ) | Ellsworth Vines [98] |
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| Ray Bowers [86] | Ellsworth Vines [98] | Albert Burke [99] [100] | Bill Tilden [101] | PLTA [102] [f] (U.S.-only) |
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(didn't rank himself) |
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| Ray Bowers [86] |
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| A. Wallis Myers [103] | Pierre Gillou [104] | Bill Tilden [105] [g] | Bernard Brown [107] | Harry Hopman [108] | John R. Tunis [109] | Ned Potter [110] (American Lawn Tennis) | G. H. McElhone [111] ( The Sydney Morning Herald ) | R. O. Cummings [112] ( The Courier-Mail ) | J. Brookes Fenno, Jr. [113] (The Literary Digest) |
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| Ray Bowers [114] | John R. Tunis [109] |
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| Ray Bowers [114] | Pierre Gillou [115] | Tennis [116] (Italian newspaper) | Bill Tilden & Ellsworth Vines [117] |
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| A. Wallis Myers [118] | S. Wallis Merrihew [119] | Pierre Gillou [120] | Harry Hopman [121] | Ned Potter [122] | G. H. McElhone [123] | The Times [124] | "Forehand" [125] [126] ( Ashburton Guardian ) |
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}} |
| Ray Bowers [127] |
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| A. Wallis Myers [129] | "Austral" (R. M. Kidston) [130] | Pierre Gillou [131] | Bill Tilden [132] | Harry Hopman [133] | Ned Potter [134] | G. H. McElhone [135] | The Times [136] | Mervyn Weston [136] (The Australasian) | Fred Perry [137] | Jack Crawford [138] |
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(didn't rank himself) |
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| Ray Bowers [139] | Bill Tilden [140] | Fred Perry [141] |
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| Ray Bowers [139] | Bill Tilden [142] | Robert Murray [143] ( Sports Illustrated ) |
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| A. Wallis Myers [144] | Pierre Gillou [145] | Harry Hopman [146] [147] | Alfred Chave [148] | Ned Potter [149] | The Times [150] | Mervyn Weston [151] | Pierre Goldschmidt [152] (L'Auto) |
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| Ray Bowers [153] |
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| Ray Bowers [153] | Pierre Goldschmidt [152] | Sports Illustrated [154] |
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| A. Wallis Myers [155] | Pierre Gillou [156] | F. Gordon Lowe [157] | Alfred Chave [158] | Ned Potter [122] | G. H. McElhone [159] | The Times [157] | Mervyn Weston [160] | Pierre Goldschmidt [161] | "International" [162] (The Referee) | Jack Crawford [163] | Don Budge [164] |
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(didn't rank himself) |
| Ray Bowers [165] |
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| Ray Bowers [165] |
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| American Lawn Tennis [166] | Pierre Gillou [167] | F. Gordon Lowe [168] | Alfred Chave [169] | Ned Potter [170] [h] | G. H. McElhone [171] | The Times [172] |
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| USNLTA [i] [175] (U.S.-only) |
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| Ray Bowers [176] |
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| Ray Bowers [176] |
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| USNLTA [175] (U.S.-only) |
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| Ray Bowers [176] |
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| Ray Bowers [176] |
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| USNLTA [177] [175] (U.S.-only) |
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| Ray Bowers [178] | PLTA [179] (U.S.-only) |
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| Ray Bowers [178] |
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no world rankings (World War II)
| USNLTA [175] (U.S.-only) |
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| WPTA [j] [180] | PLTA [181] (U.S.-only) | Bill Tilden [182] |
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| Pierre Gillou [183] | Harry Hopman [184] | Ned Potter [122] | Jean Samazeuilh [185] |
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| Pierre Gillou [187] | Ned Potter [188] | John Olliff [189] (The Daily Telegraph) |
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| Pierre Gillou [190] | Ned Potter [191] | John Olliff [192] |
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| Pierre Gillou [195] | Harry Hopman [196] | Ned Potter [197] | John Olliff [198] |
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| Pierre Gillou [200] | Harry Hopman [201] | Ned Potter [202] | John Olliff [203] |
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| PLTA [204] (U.S.-only) |
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| Pierre Gillou [205] | Harry Hopman [206] | Ned Potter [122] |
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| Pierre Gillou [210] | Harry Hopman [211] | Ned Potter [212] [o] | Lance Tingay [213] (The Daily Telegraph) |
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| PTPA [214] (U.S.-only) |
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| Harry Hopman [215] | Ned Potter [216] [p] (World Tennis) | Lance Tingay [218] | Tennis de France [219] (Philippe Chatrier ed.) | Bill Talbert [220] [q] | Ham Richardson [217] | Noel Brown [220] [r] | Hal Burrows [220] [s] | Gardnar Mulloy [217] | Grant Golden [217] | Tony Trabert [220] [t] | Vic Seixas [217] |
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| Cleveland tournament committee [221] | George Lyttleton Rogers [222] |
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| Harry Hopman [223] | Ned Potter [224] | Lance Tingay [225] | New York Times [226] [227] (panel of experts) |
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| Ned Potter [229] | Lance Tingay [192] |
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| IPTA [230] |
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| Ned Potter [231] | Lance Tingay [192] |
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| Jack March [232] [v] |
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| Ned Potter [234] | Lance Tingay [192] | Adrian Quist [235] | Yvon Petra [236] |
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| Jack March [237] |
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| Adrian Quist [235] |
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| Ned Potter [238] | Lance Tingay [192] |
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| Jack March [239] |
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| Ned Potter [240] | Lance Tingay [192] |
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| Jack March [241] | Jack Kramer [242] | Robert Roy [243] [242] ( L'Équipe ) | Robert Barnes [242] | Ampol rankings [244] [245] |
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| Ned Potter [246] | Lance Tingay [192] |
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| Jack Kramer [247] |
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| Ned Potter [248] | Lance Tingay [192] |
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| Ned Potter [251] | Lance Tingay [192] | Ulrich Kaiser [252] (panel of 13 experts) |
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| Ken Rosewall [253] |
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| Ned Potter [254] | Lance Tingay [192] | Ulrich Kaiser [255] (panel of 13 experts) |
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| Ned Potter [257] | Lance Tingay [192] | Ulrich Kaiser [258] (panel of 14 experts) |
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| Norris McWhirter [259] ( The Observer ) | Official pro rankings [260] [x] |
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| Norris McWhirter [259] |
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| Ned Potter [262] | Lance Tingay [192] | Ulrich Kaiser [263] (panel of 16 experts) | Joseph McCauley [264] | Sport za Rubezhom [265] |
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| Lance Tingay [266] | Joseph McCauley [267] (World Tennis) | Pierre de Thier [268] | Sport In The USSR [269] |
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| Lance Tingay [192] | Ulrich Kaiser [270] (panel of 13 experts) | Joseph McCauley [271] | Martini and Rossi [272] |
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| Lance Tingay [273] | Ulrich Kaiser [274] (panel of 18 experts) | Joseph McCauley [275] | Martini and Rossi [276] (panel of 11 experts) | Bud Collins [277] ( The Boston Globe ) | Rino Tommasi [278] ( La Gazzetta dello Sport ) | Seagram's [279] (panel of 15 experts) | The Times [280] |
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| Lance Tingay [273] | Joseph McCauley [281] | Martini and Rossi [282] (panel of 14 experts) | Bud Collins [277] | Rino Tommasi [278] | Frank Rostron [283] ( Daily Express ) |
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| Lance Tingay [273] | Joseph McCauley [284] | Martini and Rossi [285] | Bud Collins [277] | Rino Tommasi [278] | Rex Bellamy [286] (The Times) | Judith Elian [287] (L'Équipe) | Mike Gibson [287] | Tennis magazine [288] (Germany) |
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| Lance Tingay [273] | Joseph McCauley [289] | Martini and Rossi [290] | Bud Collins [277] | Rino Tommasi [278] | Rex Bellamy [291] | Frank Rostron [292] | Ilie Năstase [293] |
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| Lance Tingay [273] | Martini and Rossi [294] | Bud Collins [277] | Rino Tommasi [278] | Rex Bellamy [295] | Judith Elian [296] | Frank Rostron [297] | Neil Amdur [298] (World Tennis) |
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Jack Kramer of Los Angeles today gained official recognition as the best professional player in the United States. He drew the No. 1 spot in the 1948 rankings of the Professional Lawn Tennis Association.
RANKIN TELESKOOP MAGAZINE 1967.Pro's & Amateurs) 1.Rod Laver 2.Ken Rosewall 3.Andres Gimeno 4.Lew Goad 5.Mal Anderson 6.Earl Buchholtz 7.Dennis Ralston 8.Fred Stolle 9.Pancho Gonzales 10.Manuel Santana (Amateur) 11.Alex Olmedo 12.Nicola Pietrangeli (Amateur)13 Luis Ayala 14.Pancho Segura 15.Fred Sedgman 16.John Newcombe (amateur) 17.Tom Okker(Amateur) 18.Arthur Ashe (Amateur) 19.Stan Smith (Amateur)20.Barry Mackay21.Neal Fraser (Amateur) 22.Owen Davidson (Amateur & Prof) 23.Mike Davies 24.Robert Haillet 25.Sven Davidson (Amateur)retired: Ken Mc Gregor, Mervyn Rose, Dick Savitt (Amateur)Ashley Cooper, Tony Trabert