John Albert Kramer (born August 1, 1921, in Las Vegas, Nevada) was a champion U.S. tennis player of the 1940s. A World No. 1 player for a number of years, he is a possible candidate for the title of the greatest tennis player of all time. He was also, for many years, the leading promoter of the professional tennis tours and a relentless advocate for the establishment of Open tennis between amateur and professional players.

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, …

Stan Smith (born December 14, 1946 in Pasadena, California) is a former American tennis player who, with his partner Bob Lutz, was one of the best doubles players of all time. Together they won many major titles all over the world. Smith was also an excellent singles player who won many titles including the Wimbledon championship once and the United States Open championship once. In 1972 he was the World No. 1 player for the year.

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.

Ricardo Alonso González or Richard Gonzalez, who was generally known as Pancho Gonzales or, less often, as Pancho Gonzalez, was the World No. 1 tennis player for an unequalled 8 years in the 1950s and early 1960s. During that period, he played as a professional. Completely self-taught, he was also a successful amateur player in the late-1940s, twice winning the United States Championships.

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.

Pancho Segura, born Francisco Olegario Segura (June 20, 1921), was a leading tennis player of the 1940s and 1950s, both as an amateur and as a professional. In 1950 and 1952, as a professional, he was the World Co-No. 1 player. He was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, but moved to the United States in the late 1930s and is a citizen of both countries. Segura almost died at his premature birth, then suffered from hernias and malaria.

Ilie Năstase is a former Romanian professional tennis player and one of the top players of the 1970s. Năstase was the World No. 1 in 1973 according to the Association of Tennis Professionals computer rankings, which placed him first from August 23, 1973, to June 2, 1974.

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.

William ("Little Bill") Johnston (born November 2, 1894 in San Francisco, California - died May 1, 1946 in San Francisco, California) was an American tennis champion. He was the co-World No. 1 player in 1919 along with Gerald Patterson. Until "Big Bill" Tilden began to defeat him regularly in 1920, Johnston had been the best American player for a number of years. He remained competitive with Tilden for the next seven or eight years, …

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.

Robert Larimore ("Bobby") Riggs (February 25, 1918 - October 25, 1995) was a 1930s-40s tennis player who was the World No. 1 or the co-World No. 1 player for three years, first as an amateur in 1941, then as a professional in 1946 and 1947. It is quite possible that he was also, unofficially, the best player in 1945 as well. He played his first professional tennis match on December 26, 1941.

Ellsworth Vines was an American tennis champion of the 1930s, the World No. 1 player or the co-No. 1 for 4 years in 1932, 1935, 1936 and 1937. In the amateur ranks he won 3 Grand Slam tournaments, the Wimbledon Championships in 1932 and the U.S. Championships in 1931 and 1932 and he reached the final of Wimbledon in 1933. He played his first professional tennis match on January 10, …

John Herbert ("Jack") Crawford (March 22, 1908 - September 10, 1991) was a great Australian tennis player of the 1930s. He was the World No. 1 player for 1933. Born in Albury, New South Wales, Crawford won a number of major championship titles, although he is best known, perhaps, for something he did not do - complete the tennis Grand Slam five years before Don Budge accomplished the feat for the first time.

Henri Jean Cochet was a champion tennis player, one of the famous "Four Musketeers" from France who dominated tennis in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Born in Villeurbanne, near Lyon, France, Cochet won seven Grand Slam singles titles in the French, American, and British championships, failing to win only in Australia. He was the World No. 1 player for three consecutive years, 1928 through 1930. Jack Kramer, the long-time tennis promoter, and a great player himself, …

Jean René Lacoste was a famous French tennis player and businessman, nicknamed "the Crocodile" or "the Alligator" by fans, because of his pugnacity on court; he is now mostly known as being the namesake of the Lacoste tennis shirt, which he introduced in 1929. Lacoste was one of The Four Musketeers, France's tennis stars who dominated the game in the 1920s and early 1930s. He won 7 Grand Slam singles titles in the French, American, …

Anthony ("Tony") Frederick Wilding (born October 31, 1883 in Christchurch, New Zealand – died May 9, 1915 near Neuve-Chapelle, Pas-de-Calais, France) was a champion tennis player and a soldier killed in action during World War I. He was the World No. 1 player in 1913. From a well-to-do New Zealand family, he was educated in New Zealand before attending Cambridge University, where he developed his tennis game.

Gerald Leighton Patterson (December 17, 1895 - June 13, 1967) was an Australian male tennis player. He was born in Melbourne, and died there June 13 1967. He was the co-World No. 1 player for 1919 along with Bill Johnston. He was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1989. Patterson was the nephew of Australian opera singer Dame Nellie Melba.

Maurice McLoughlin (January 7, 1890 in Carson City, NV, - December 10, 1957 in Hermosa Beach, CA) was an American tennis player known for his powerful serve and overhead volley. He was the first male tennis champion from the western United States. At the U.S. Championships, he won the singles twice, 1912 and 1913, and the doubles three times with Thomas Bundy,1912-14. In 1913 he also became the first American to be a finalist in the singles at Wimbledon.