Discover amazing facts about some of the world's most popular songs
American Arthur Ashe won three Grand Slam singles titles and was the first black player selected to the United States Davis Cup team. He's also the only black man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon (pictured, in 1975), the US Open, and the Australian Open.
For 74 years, Austin was the last Briton to reach the final of the men's singles at Wimbledon, until Andy Murray did so in 2012. He was also a finalist at the 1937 French Championships and a championship winner at Queen's Club. He is also remembered as the first tennis player to wear shorts!
Boris Becker of Germany won the first of his six Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon in 1985, aged just 17. He went on to triumph at Wimbledon on two more occasions, and also won two Australian Opens and one US Open.
Borg became the first man in the Open Era to win 11 Grand Slam singles titles (six at the French Open and five consecutive at Wimbledon). He's seen here hoisting the Wimbledon trophy in 1978.
The youngest male player in history to win a Grand Slam, winning the 1989 French Open at 17 years and 95 days old (younger than Becker), American Michael Chang is also a three-time Grand Slam runner-up.
Connors' titles include eight majors—five US Open titles, two Wimbledon titles, and one Australian Open title. The American also held the top Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) position for a then-record 160 consecutive weeks from 1974 to 1977, and a career total of 268 weeks.
A French tennis player nicknamed "the Crocodile" because of how he dealt with his opponents, Lacoste won seven Grand Slam singles titles at the French, American, and British championships. He is celebrated worldwide as the creator of the iconic Lacoste tennis shirt, which he introduced in 1929.
Australian Rod Laver's 200 singles titles are the most in tennis history. He won 11 Grand Slam singles titles and excelled on all of the court surfaces of his time: grass, clay, hard, carpet, and wood/parquet. He's pictured at Wimbledon in 1971.
Tennis' bad boy clinched seven Grand Slam singles titles, four at the US Open and three at Wimbledon, and nine men's Grand Slam doubles titles. His confrontational on-court behavior has gone down in sport folklore. He's pictured celebrating after defeating Bjorn Borg in the 1981 men's Wimbledon final.
Britain's Fred Perry won 10 majors, of which eight were Grand Slams, including three consecutive Wimbledon Championships from 1934 to 1936. He also won two Pro Slams single titles, as well as six Major doubles titles. Pictured: Fred Perry in action during the men's Wimbledon singles final in 1935. Perry is also known for a famous clothing label, recognized by its laurel wreath logo.
Sampras won 14 Grand Slam singles titles during his career—seven Wimbledon, two Australian Open, and a joint Open Era record five US Open titles. He's seen here in action at the 1992 US Open.
From 1982 to 1988, Swede Mats Wilander won seven Grand Slam singles titles (three at the French Open, three at the Australian Open, and one at the US Open). He also won one Grand Slam men's doubles title, at Wimbledon. He's pictured on court in 1989.
Swede Stefan Edberg won six Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam men's doubles titles between 1985 and 1996. He's pictured here celebrating defeating Boris Becker in the 1988 Wimbledon final.
The Czech-American player was world No. 1 for 270 weeks and won 94 singles titles. At the majors, he won eight titles and was runner-up a record 11 times. Pictured: Lendl reaches to make a return against Pat Cash during their semi-final clash at Wimbledon in 1987.
One of the world's top players of the 1970s, the Romanian is only one of 10 players in history who have won more than 100 ATP professional titles (62 singles and 45 in doubles). Incidentally, he was the first professional sports figure to sign an endorsement contract with Nike in 1972. He's seen here full stretch at the Paris Open in 1977.
German Michael Stich won the men's singles title at Wimbledon in 1991 (pictured), and the men's doubles titles at both Wimbledon and the Olympic Games in 1992. He was also a singles runner-up at the 1994 US Open and the 1996 French Open.
American Tracy Austin was just 16 when she won the US Open in 1979 (pictured); she won it again in 1981. A year earlier, she won the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon.
Capriati won three singles championships in Grand Slam tournaments and was the gold medalist at the 1992 Summer Olympics. She's seen here at the 1990 French Open in Paris.
Kim Clijsters from Belgium has won a total of six Grand Slam tournament titles, four in singles and two in doubles. She's been a world No. 1 in both singles and doubles, having held both rankings simultaneously in 2003. She's pictured at the 2011 Australian Open women's singles final.
Another one of the world's leading players in the 1970s and early 1980s, the Australian won 14 Grand Slam tournament titles: seven in singles (four at the Australian Open, two at Wimbledon, and one at the French Open), six in women's doubles, and one in mixed doubles. In 1980, she became the first mother to win Wimbledon in 66 years.
Ranked world No. 1 for a record 377 weeks and winning 22 Grand Slam singles titles in the process, Graf also won an Olympic gold medal in 1988. She's pictured at Wimbledon in 1991 after defeating Gabriela Sabatini.
Henin won seven Grand Slam women's singles titles throughout her career, winning the French Open in 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2007, the US Open in 2003 and 2007, and the Australian Open in 2004. At Wimbledon, the Belgian player was the runner-up in 2001 and 2006.
Li won nine WTA Tour singles titles, including two Grand Slam singles titles, at the 2011 French Open and 2014 Australian Open. The Chinese player was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2019, becoming the first Asian-born player to receive this honor. She's seen here winning the 2014 Australian Open.
During her career, Czech player Mandlíková won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 1980 Australian Open, 1981 French Open, 1985 US Open, and the 1987 Australian Open.
Navratilova was world No. 1 for a total of 332 weeks in singles, and a record 237 weeks in doubles. She won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, 31 major women's doubles titles (an all-time record), and 10 major mixed doubles titles. She's pictured after triumphing again at Wimbledon, in 1990.
France's Mary Pierce reached six Grand Slam singles finals, winning four: her singles titles came at the 1995 Australian Open and the 2000 French Open. She's pictured on court in 1995 during the Australian Open.
The Argentine won one Grand Slam singles title at the US Open in 1990, and the women's doubles title at Wimbledon in 1988. She's seen here flying high at the 1992 Wimbledon Championships.
Spain's Arantxa Sánchez Vicario won 14 Grand Slam titles: four in singles, six in women's doubles, and four in mixed doubles. She's seen here during a clash with Steffi Graf at the 1996 French Open in Paris.
In 1990, Seles became the youngest ever French Open champion at the age of 16. She went on to win eight Grand Slam singles titles before her 20th birthday. She's seen here after winning the French Open in Paris in 1992.
The Australian has 24 Grand Slam singles titles to her name. In 1970, she became the first woman during the Open Era to win the singles Grand Slam (all four major tournaments in the same calendar year). She's pictured winning Wimbledon in 1963.
Britain's Virginia Wade won three Grand Slam singles championships and four Grand Slam doubles championships—the only British woman in history to have won titles at all four Grand Slam tournaments. She won Wimbledon on July 1, 1977, the tournament's centenary year, and the year of the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.
Throughout her career, Billie Jean Moffitt (later King) won 39 Grand Slam titles—12 in singles, 16 in women's doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles. She's pictured at Wimbledon in 1964.
With 18 Grand Slam singles championships and three doubles titles to her name, it's no surprise the American was the year-ending world No. 1 singles player in 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, and 1981.
In her career, the Swiss player won five Grand Slam singles titles, 13 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and seven Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. She's pictured at the 2006 French Open in Paris.
Russian Marat Safin won his first Grand Slam title at the 2000 US Open, and his second at the the 2005 Australian Open (pictured). In addition, Safin helped lead Russia to Davis Cup victories in 2002 and 2006.
Noah became the first Frenchman in 37 years to win the French Open, triumphing in 1983. He went on to win the French Open men's doubles title in 1984 (with compatriot and best friend Henri Leconte). In August 1986, Noah attained the world No. 1 doubles ranking, which he held for a total of 19 weeks.
The American, known affectionately as "Little Mo," was the winner of nine Grand Slam singles titles in the early 1950s. She became the first woman to win all four Grand Slam tournaments during the same calendar year. She's pictured at Wimbledon in 1950.
Jim Courier holds the record for being the youngest man to have reached the finals of all four Grand Slam singles tournaments, at the age of 22 years and 11 months. During his career, the American won four Grand Slam singles titles, two at the French Open and two at the Australian Open.
Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten won the French Open singles title three times (1997, 2000, and 2001). Overall, he won a total of 20 singles and 8 doubles titles.
American tennis player Helen Wills, pictured here in the 1920s, became famous around the globe for holding the top position in women's tennis for a total of nine years: 1927–33, 1935, and 1938, during which she won 31 Grand Slam titles. Her record of eight wins at Wimbledon was not surpassed until 1990 when Martina Navratilova won her ninth.
Molla Mallory (full name Anna Margrethe Bjurstedt Mallory) was a Norwegian tennis player, naturalized American, who won a record eight singles titles at the US Championships.
French tennis champion Jean Borotra, known as the "Bounding Basque" for his athletic prowess on court, dominated the sport in the late 1920s and early '30s, winning four Grand Slam singles titles in the French, Australian, and All England championships.
Brazilian Maria Bueno is the most successful South American female tennis player in history. She won 19 Grand Slam titles (seven in women's singles, 11 in women's doubles, and one in mixed doubles). She won Wimbledon three times, the first in 1959 (pictured).
In 1938, Dorothy May Sutton Bundy Cheney became the first American to win the women's singles title at the Australian National Championships. She was still competing in selected top level events at the age of 51. She's pictured here at Wimbledon in 1946. Her mother, May Sutton, is also a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Frenchman Pierre Etchebaster was inducted into the International Hall of Fame in 1978 not as a lawn tennis player but as a real tennis player–that is an exponent of the original racket sport from which the modern game of tennis is derived. He is widely considered history's greatest player of the game.
Puerto Rican-born Gigi Fernández won 17 Grand Slam doubles titles and two Olympic gold medals representing the United States. She's seen here at Wimbledon in 1994.
British tennis player Arthur Gore clinched three singles titles at Wimbledon, in 1901, 1908, and 1909. Gore's Wimbledon win in 1909, at age 41, makes him the oldest player to date to hold the Wimbledon men's singles title.
The Russian won two Grand Slam singles titles, the 1996 French Open and the 1999 Australian Open. He also won four Grand Slam doubles titles.
The Australian is among the most successful doubles players of all time, having won 16 Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and a further six Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. He's also an Olympic gold medalist.
Woodforde is best known as one half of "The Woodies," a doubles partnership with Todd Woodbridge. Also an Australian, Woodforde won 12 Grand Slam doubles titles in his career. Eleven of these victories he shared with Woodbridge: he won the 1989 US Open doubles with John McEnroe.
Charlotte Cooper won five singles titles at Wimbledon before 1900. In that same year, she became Olympic champion, thereby becoming the first female Olympic tennis champion as well as the first individual female Olympic tennis champion.
Australian Roy Emerson is the only male player to have completed a career Grand Slam (winning titles at all four Grand Slam events) in both singles and doubles. The photo shows him with the men's singles trophy after beating fellow Australian Fred Stolle at the 1965 Wimbledon final.
At just 1.64 m (5.4 ft) tall, Bryan "Bitsy" Grant was the smallest American man to win a championship on the international tennis circuit. He reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 1936 and 1937.
Known for her elegant and at times remarkable athletic play, French player Suzanne Lenglen is often regarded as the first female athlete to become a global sport celebrity. A multiple Grand Slam winner, Lenglen became the first women's tennis player to turn professional.
A women's singles title winner at Wimbledon in 1998, and runner-up in three previous Grand Slam tournaments, the Czech player also won 12 Grand Slam women's doubles titles.
Mexico's most successful tennis player, Rafael Osuna is best remembered for his singles victory at the US Open Championships in 1963. He also won the 1960 and 1963 Wimbledon Doubles championships, and the 1962 US Open Championships doubles. He's seen here in 1963 at Wimbledon.
Winning two singles titles at the French Championships (in 1959 and 1960), and a number of mixed doubles titles, Nicola Pietrangeli is considered Italy's greatest tennis champion. He's pictured taking aim at Wimbledon in 1961.
An early superstar in the world of tennis, New Zealander Anthony Wilding won 11 Grand Slam tournament titles, six in singles and five in doubles, and is the first and to date only player from New Zealand to have won a Grand Slam singles title. He's pictured in 1901.
See also: Sports stars who died too young
Tennis player Sven Davidson was the first Swede to win a Grand Slam title when he won the French Championships in 1957. The following year, Davidson partnered with Ulf Schmidt to win the doubles title at Wimbledon. He's pictured at the All England Club earlier in 1955.
Some of the greatest names in the world of tennis have been inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Established in 1880 and based in Newport, Rhode Island in the United States, the hall of fame honors both retired players and other contributors to the sport of tennis. The facility also includes a museum and several tennis courts.
Over 250 inductees from more than 20 countries have so far been recognized, but here are 60 illustrious names who have especially thrilled and inspired tennis fans over the past 120 years or so. Click through and admire these exclusive members of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
60 illustrious members of the International Tennis Hall of Fame
Celebrating legendary figures who shaped the history of the sport
CELEBRITY Sports
Some of the greatest names in the world of tennis have been inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Established in 1880 and based in Newport, Rhode Island in the United States, the hall of fame honors both retired players and other contributors to the sport of tennis. The facility also includes a museum and several tennis courts.
Over 250 inductees from more than 20 countries have so far been recognized, but here are 60 illustrious names who have especially thrilled and inspired tennis fans over the past 120 years or so. Click through and admire these exclusive members of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.