- Roger Federer
Roger Federer (born August 8, 1981) is a Swiss tennis professional, currently ranked World No. 1. Many experts and many of his own tennis peers believe Federer may be the best player in the history of the game. Federer has won eleven Grand Slam men's singles titles in 33 appearances (all eleven coming in a record 17 consecutive appearances), three Tennis Masters Cup titles, and 13 ATP Masters Series titles.
- Tiger Woods
Eldrick "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Currently the World No. 1, Woods was the highest paid professional athlete in 2006, having earned an estimated $100 million from winnings and endorsements.
- Maria Sharapova
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova (born April 19, 1987) is a Russian professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. She is currently the second ranked player in the world. At the end of 2006, she was the world's highest-paid female athlete. Sharapova has won two Grand Slam singles titles. She is the reigning U.S. Open champion, having defeated Justine Henin in the final of the 2006 U.S. Open. Two years earlier, she defeated Serena Williams in the final at Wimbledon.
- Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick (born August 30, 1982) is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is the top-ranked American player and fourth-ranked player in the world as of July 2007. He finished sixth in the 2006 ATP Race. He became a Grand Slam singles champion when he won the title at the 2003 U.S. Open. He has reached three other Grand Slam finals, losing to Roger Federer each time. Roddick is known for his fast serves and forehands.
- Justine Henin
Justine Henin; (born June 1, 1982 in Liège) is a Belgian professional tennis player from the Walloon region of Belgium. She is the current World No. 1. She has won six Grand Slam singles titles, including four French Open singles titles (four of the last five and the last three, consecutively). She also has won a WTA Tour Championships singles title and the singles gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
- Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams, (born September 26, 1981) is an American former World No. 1 ranked female tennis player who has won eight Grand Slam singles titles and an Olympic gold medal in women's doubles.. She is the last player, male or female, to have held all four Grand Slams at the same time. In 2005, "Tennis" magazine ranked her as the 17th-best player of the preceding forty years. She is the younger sister of another former world no.
- Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Glynn Hewitt (born February 24, 1981), is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Australia. In 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked number one. His career best achievements are winning the 2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon men's singles titles. Hewitt is known for his competitiveness and wins most of his matches with relentless aggression, fitness, consistent shots, and highly skilled footwork. His serve improved greatly in 2004 and 2005.
- Venus Williams
Venus Williams (born June 17, 1980 in Lynwood, California) is an American professional tennis player. As of July 2007, she is the reigning Wimbledon ladies' singles champion. She was formerly ranked as the World No. 1 tennis player. Venus has won the Olympic gold medal in women's tennis and 14 Grand Slam titles, including six singles (four at Wimbledon), six women's doubles, and two mixed doubles titles. Williams is the older sister of fellow former World No.
- Marat Safin
Marat Safin ; b. January 27, 1980) is a Russian former World No. 1 tennis player of Tatar ethnicity. Safin began his professional career in 1997 and held the No. 1 world ranking for 9 weeks in November and December of 2000. He is known for his large physical size, athleticism, controversial antics, and aggressive "power" style of play. He is fluent in Russian, English and Spanish.
- Pete Sampras
Peter “Pete” Sampras, is a former World No. 1 tennis player from the United States. During his 15 year career he won a record 14 Grand Slam men's singles titles in 52 appearances. For six consecutive years Sampras finished as No. 1 on the ATP rankings, a record for the open era and tying him for third all-time. Sampras won the singles title at Wimbledon seven times, a record shared with William Renshaw. He also won five singles titles at the US Open, …
- Ernie Els
Theodore Ernest "Ernie" Els (born October 17, 1969) is a South African golfer who has been one of the top professional players in the world since the mid-1990s. A former World No. 1, he is known as "The Big Easy", for his imposing physical stature (he stands 1.90 metres) along with his fluid, seemingly effortless golf swing.
- Andre Agassi
Andre Kirk Agassi (born April 29 1970, in Las Vegas, Nevada) is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from the United States who won eight Grand Slam singles tournaments and an Olympic gold medal in singles. He is one of only five male players to have won all four Grand Slam singles events during his career. He is the only player in the open era to have won every Grand Slam singles title, to have won the Tennis Masters Cup, …
- Martina Hingis
Martina Hingis (born September 30, 1980 in Košice, Czechoslovakia, now Slovakia) is a former World No. 1 Swiss tennis player. Known as the "Swiss Miss", she has won five Grand Slam singles titles (three Australian Open, one Wimbledon, and one US Open). She has also won nine Grand Slam women's doubles titles, winning a calendar year Grand Slam in 1998, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title. She spent a total of 209 weeks as World No.
- Kim Clijsters
Kim Clijsters (born June 8, 1983) is a retired Belgian tennis player. She is a former World No. 1 ranked player in singles and in doubles. During her professional career, Clijsters won 34 WTA singles titles and 11 WTA doubles titles. She won the U.S. Open singles title in 2005 and the WTA Tour Championships singles title in 2002 and 2003. In doubles, she won the French Open and Wimbledon titles in 2003.
- John McEnroe
John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. (born February 16, 1959 in Wiesbaden, Germany) is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. Scott Riley, writing for The Sports Network, recognized him as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles - three at Wimbledon and four at the U.S. Open. He also won nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title.
- Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat (born February 12 1980) is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Spain. He captured the men's singles title at the French Open in 2003, and in October that year he became the 21st player to hold the World No. 1 ranking. He has also been a runner-up at two other Grand Slams during his career. His nickname is "Mosquito" due to his speed and wiry, strong physique.
- Rod Laver
Rodney George ("Rod") Laver MBE (born August 9 1938, in Rockhampton, Australia) is a former tennis player from Australia who was the World No. 1 player for up to 7 consecutive years. More famously, he is the only player in tennis history to have twice won all four of tennis' Grand Slam singles titles in the same year—first as an amateur in 1962, and then again as a professional in 1969, and the only male player in the open era to have achieved a calendar Grand Slam.
- Patty Schnyder
Patty Schnyder (born December 14 1978, Basel, Switzerland) is one of the most popular players in women's professional tennis. She has been playing on the WTA tour since the mid-1990s and is a former World "No.7". She has had significant wins over World No. 1's. During her long career, she has reached four Grand Slam quarterfinals, and one Grand Slam semifinal.
- Steffi Graf
Stefanie Maria Graf (born June 14, 1969, in Mannheim, West Germany) is a former World No. 1 ranked female tennis player from Germany. Graf won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, second among male and female players only to Margaret Smith Court's 24. In December 1999, Graf was named the greatest female tennis player of the 20th century by a panel of experts assembled by the Associated Press.
- Martina Navratilova
Martina Navratilova (born October 18, 1956, in Prague, Czechoslovakia) is a former World No. 1 woman tennis player. Billie Jean King said about Navratilova in 2006, "She's the greatest singles, doubles and mixed doubles player who's ever lived." Tennis writer Steve Flink, in his book "The Greatest Tennis Matches of the Twentieth Century", named her as the second best female player of the 20th century, directly behind Steffi Graf.
- Boris Becker
Boris Franz Becker (born November 22 1967) is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Germany. He is a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and the youngest-ever winner of the men's singles title at Wimbledon at the age of 17. Since he retired from the professional tour, media work and colourful aspects of his personal life have kept him in the headlines.
- Gustavo Kuerten
Gustavo Kuerten (born September 10, 1976 in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina) is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Brazil. He won the French Open three times between 1997 and 2001. Kuerten is also known as "Guga", an affectionate nickname which is a common abbreviation of the name "Gustavo" in Portuguese-speaking countries.
- Billie Jean King
Billie Jean Moffitt King (born November 22, 1943 in Long Beach, California) is a retired tennis player from the United States. During her career, she won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. She is generally considered to be one of the greatest female tennis players and female athletes in history. King has been an outspoken advocate against sexism in sports and society.
- Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl (born March 7 1960) is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. "Tennis magazine" named him as one of the ten greatest tennis players since 1966, calling him "the game’s greatest overachiever" and emphasizing his importance in the game’s history.
- David Duval
David Robert Duval (born November 9, 1971) is an American professional golfer and former World No. 1 who competes on the PGA Tour.
- Chris Guccione
Chris Guccione (born July 30, 1985), is an Australian tennis player from Greenvale, Victoria. The lanky, red-headed Guccione was born to Italian father Santo and Australian mother Diane. Guccione burst onto the scene in the 2004 Medibank International tournament, where he defeated then-recent World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero. Guccione is noted for his good service; he hit 50 aces in a qualifying match at Wimbledon in 2005.
- Fred Couples
Frederick Stephen Couples (born October 3, 1959) is an American professional golfer and former World No. 1 who competes on the PGA Tour. He has won numerous events, and is most famous for winning the 1992 Masters Tournament. Because of his long drives, he has been given the nickname "Boom Boom."
- Mats Wilander
Mats Wilander (born August 22 1964) is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Sweden who won seven Grand Slam singles titles and one Grand Slam doubles title. He is particularly remembered for winning three of the four Grand Slam singles events in 1988, his most successful year on the tour. He was also a driving force behind Sweden's run of seven consecutive Davis Cup finals in the 1980s.
- Benjamin Becker
Benjamin Becker (born June 16, 1981 in Merzig, Saarland, Germany) is a professional tennis player. Becker is not related to former "World No. 1" Boris Becker. He won the 2004 NCAA singles title while helping Baylor University to the team title. In June 2006, he qualified for Wimbledon and defeated Juan Ignacio Chela before losing in the second round to Fernando Verdasco.
- Stefan Edberg
Stefan Bengt Edberg is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player (in both singles and doubles play) from Sweden. During his career, he won six Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam doubles titles. Edberg is well known as one of the best serve and volley players of all time, for his superb volleying skills, and as a gentleman and ambassador for the sport.
- Yevgeny Kafelnikov
Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Kafelnikov (born 18 February, 1974;, "yev-GHE-neey KAH-fill-nee-coff") is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Russia. During his career, he won two Grand Slam singles titles (one French Open and one Australian Open), four Grand Slam doubles titles, and the men's singles Gold Medal at the Olympic Games
- Patrick Rafter
Patrick Michael Rafter (born 28 December 1972) is an Australian former World No. 1 tennis player. He was twice men's singles champion at the US Open, and twice runner-up at Wimbledon. Rafter was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2006. He lives in Bermuda.
- Amélie Mauresmo
Amélie Simone Mauresmo (born on 5 July 1979) is a French professional tennis player and is a former World No. 1. She is currently the sixth ranked player in the world. She has won two Grand Slam singles titles. Mauresmo first attained the top ranking on September 13, 2004, holding it for five weeks on that occasion. She was the fourteenth World No. 1 in women's tennis since the computer rankings began.
- Thomas Muster
Thomas Muster (born October 2 1967, in Leibnitz, Austria) is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Austria. At his peak in the mid-1990s, he was known as the "King of Clay". He is considered one of the finest clay court players that the game has produced.
- Fred Perry
Frederick John Perry born in Stockport, Cheshire. was an English tennis player and three-time Wimbledon champion. He was the World No. 1 player for 5 years, four of them consecutive, 1934 through 1938, the first three years as an amateur. He was the last Englishman to win Wimbledon.
- Tracy Austin
Tracy Ann Austin Holt (b. December 12 1962, in Palos Verdes, California) is a former World No. 1 women's professional tennis player from the United States who won the women's singles title at the U.S. Open in 1979 and 1981 and the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon in 1980, before a series of injuries cut short her career.
- John Newcombe
John David Newcombe AO OBE (born May 23, 1944 in Sydney, Australia) is a former World No. 1 tennis champion. A natural athlete, as a boy Newcombe played several sports until devoting himself to tennis. He was the Australian junior champion in 1961, 1962 and 1963 and became a member of Australia's Davis Cup winning team in 1964. He won his first Grand Slam major in 1965 by taking the Australian Championships doubles title with fellow Australian Tony Roche.
- Bill Tilden
William Tatem Tilden II (February 10, 1893 - June 5, 1953), often called "Big Bill", was an American tennis player who was the World No. 1 player for 7 years, the last time when he was 38 years old. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to a wealthy family, he was a "Junior" at birth but changed his name to "II" when he was in his mid-20s.
- Ken Rosewall
Kenneth Robert ("Ken") Rosewall AM MBE (born November 2, 1934 in Sydney, Australia) is a former champion tennis player with a renowned backhand who enjoyed an exceptionally long career at the very highest levels from the early 1950s to the early 1970s. He was one of the two best male players for about nine years and was the World No. 1 player for a number of years in the early 1960s. During his career he was ranked among the top 20 players, …
- Björn Borg
Björn Rune Borg is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Sweden regarded by some observers and tennis players as the greatest player in the sport's history. During a nine-year career, he won 41 percent of the Grand Slam singles tournaments he entered (11 of 27) and 89.8 percent of the Grand Slam singles matches he played. Both are male open-era records. In addition, Borg's six French Open singles titles are an all-time record.