Today the Wimbledon starts. And truth be told I have been neglecting my tennis.

Sure there are plenty of quality players nowadays with the likes of Federer, Nadal and company, but I miss the good old days of Sampras who could not serve anything but an ace, Ivanisevic slamming his racket any given number of times and Agassi having a blazing row with the umpire. Ah those were the days.

So as a warm up before Wimbledon I present you my choice for the top 10 most memorable tennis players of all time. Some of them were great, some not so much, but all them brought a kind of chutzpah to the game. And say what you will – none of them were ever boring.

Pete Sampras

I used to love to watch Sampras play. The man was machine. 14 Grand slam titles. 6 years in the row as number 1 on the ATP list. Won Wimbledon 7 times and U.S. Open 5 times. Not to mention there was not a ball he could not return.

Andre Agassi

If there ever was anyone who could take Pistol Pete, then it was Agassi. One of the rare few (actually 5 players) who managed to win all 4 Grand Slams in his time. Thats grass, clay and hard court, now that says something about his talent. He also won the Olympic Gold medal. And 17 ATP Master tournaments. His performance was perhaps more patchy then Pistol Pete’s but he did suffer a good few injuries in his time.

Goran Ivanisevic

Goran Ivanisevic might not be the best player ever (his highest ever ranking was number 2 at the ATP list) but if there was anyone, anyone who could make me throw a slipper at my television in frustration it was him.
He did win 22 singles titles and played Wimbledon finals 3 times but it was in 2001 that he finally won Wimbledon. With a wild card. It took 4 match point but he got there in the end. He was also known for his swearing and shouting (that cost him a fortune in fines), breaking the rackets and his superstition (he watched Teletubbies every day during Wimbledon 2001). He might not have been the best, but he was never boring.

Boris Becker

Boris Becker might have not reached Sampras’ successes, but he was the youngest ever player to win Wimbledon at the age of 17. He also won 6 Grand Slam titles and kicked ass on hard courts. The only surface he could not master were the clay courts. Another one of the old players who had a habit of shouting and swearing to himself but he was nowhere near as aggressive as Joe McEnroe.

Joe McEnroe

There is no denying it that Joe McEnroe was a great tennis player. He won 4 US Opens and 3 times at Wimbledon. He is also known for his matches with Björn Borg (most memorable of all being the Wimbledon finales of 1980 when the 4th breaker lasted 20 minutes and ended up 18:16 for the American).
But his tennis skills paled in comparison with his on court confrotations, bad language and somewhat volatile temper.

Björn Borg

McEnroe’s favorite competitor and legend in his own right, Borg was in 16 Grand Slam singles finals and he won 11. Over the course of his career he won a staggering 97 titles. It is no wonder then he suffered a complete melt down in 1981 and decided to retire from tennis at the age of 26. After his retirement he had a drug overdose and unsuccessfully tried to make a comeback in the 90s. That aside when he was on form none could stop Borg.

Stefan Edberg

Edberg has a quiet dignity about him, which at the time really was a rarity considering who he was playing against. But it cannot be denied he is one of the greats. Edberg won 6 Grand Slam singles titles and 3 Grand Slam doubles titles. And he was another one of the players who could not master the clay surface, he reached the finals of Roland Garros but lost to Michael Chang.

Michael Chang

What Michael Chang might have lacked in height he more then made up for with his speed. The youngest ever player to win Roland Garros at the age of 17, he won 34 singles titles in his time and ranked at top 10 in the ATP rankings for good portion of the 90s.

Ivan Lendl

What Pistol Pete was to the 90s, Lendl was to the 80s. Lendl won 9 Grand Slam titles and competed in 19 Grand Slam finals. He truly is one of the greats. He holds so many records it is difficult to count and was named by Tennis magazine as one of the top 10 players since 1966. Well with 270 consecutive weeks as number 1 on the ATP list how could he not be?

Patrick Rafter

Patrick Rafter was one of the best players that came out of Australia. Rafter was also known as Skunky because of a white patch in his hair. He won 2 US Opens and twice he was the runner up at the Wimbledon’s singles finals. He was in 43 finales, where he won 11 times and 14 times he was the runner up. Rafter retired in 2001.