Who is the most talented? It’s a question even the most reasonable of sports fans argue with childish, stubborn ferocity.
Across all sports, this all-important topic, which has never been answered with considerable agreement, has a special place in the pantheon of fan-based discussions.
There are few other sports that can claim to demand so many physical attributes from a player as does tennis. Speed, timing, balance, power, feel and technique must all be married together harmoniously to produce a world-class shot that can get rich old white men out of their seats in applause.
By definition, talent is ‘having a natural aptitude or skill’ (thanks Google), but even this simple criteria gets muddled in it’s application to various sports. However, the main problem isn’t just defining it.
The problem is measuring it.
Since lazy sports-scientists have yet to come up with standardised unit of talent, die-hard tennis fans around the world are forced to use the age-old arcane ‘eye-test’ to draw conclusions on this most sacred of sporting matters.
Talent is in the eye of the beholder, and decisions are often defended with unconfirmed decorated tales of said player, one-upping ammunition that dispel any reasonable rebuttal with facts or figures.
‘Hands of a surgeon’, ‘easy power’, ‘silky strokes’ and ‘genius improvisation’ are all tags that carry many units of talent with them, whatever that number may be one day.
And so, with science thrown to the wayside, and opinions the bedrock foundation of argument, here are the official five greatest talents in tennis since 1968.
5. Miloslav Mecir
Nicknamed ‘The Big Cat’ and ‘Le Prestidigateteur’ (The Conjuror) by Frenchmen, Mecir was a crowd favourite noted for his beautifully simple style and touch. Guile was the hallmark of his game, with his two-handed backhand incredibly disguised with direction and pace changed at will.
His graceful footwork and panther-like coverage of a tennis court made him a tricky opponent for all during his prime years in the late 80’s. Mecir was a master of controlling the tempo of a rally, often lulling opponents with docile, softly struck shots before injecting pace and changes of direction in a flash.
Few players have ever appeared so at ease within the hectic confines of high-pressured rallies, but Mecir was born with an innate feel for the game that you simply cannot teach. In 1990, at just 26 years old, Mecir retired from professional tennis due to a back injury that would not heal. He won 11 titles in his career and was ranked as high as four in the world in 1988.
He left his mark as a generational talent who was admired by crowds and fellow players alike.
4. Marcelo Rios
The little Chilean stands at five feet nine inches on a court, but he could make the greatest players in the world look utterly pedestrian when at his masterful best. Left-handed with a punching two-hander, Rios played a completely unique brand of tennis compared to the power style that was in vogue during the 90s.
Extreme angles, changes of pace, slice, lobs and oh gosh the most wicked of spinning drop shots. He had flair and an aura of magic that kept you glued to the screen with his trademark jumping backhand copied by many following his career.
A memorable match in Miami against Andre Agassi in 2002 provided a glimpse at what he was capable of. He toyed with the eight-time grand slam champion at times, dragging him around the court with drop shots, lobs, angles and counter-punching jabs. Despite reaching world number one in 1998 at 23, Rios never won a slam, and he is often cited as one of the game’s greatest under-achievers. A tour mystery man of sorts, he had numerous off-court altercations that only added to his troubled genius tag.
3. Ilie Nastase
‘Nasty’ Nastase is unquestionably regarded as one of the game’s greatest talents. Showmanship ran in his blood, and whether it was with his racquet or his mouth, the Romanian was pure entertainment.
An all-court player with all the shots in his bag, he pioneered the over-the-shoulder wrist flick used to retrieve lobs while running back towards the baseline. Depending on his opponent Nastase could instantly play baseline or serve-and-volley tennis, adjusting accordingly with ease. He was extremely fast and could pull winners from anywhere on the court, all in the days of wood and gut.
An entertainer before the PR-drenched era we are numb to today, watching clips of Nastase is any sports fans box of chocolates; schoolboy antics, crowd interactions, mimicry and humour were all gift-wrapped in a sorcerer’s display with a racquet. He nearly makes Nick Kyrgios look boring.
2. John McEnroe
No list of tennis talent is credible without the firebrand New Yorker. A minimalist lefty of the purest order, McEnroe used one hand and only the continental grip for all his groundstrokes – the continental forehand had become a novelty in pro tennis as it was not longer used at the time due to more extreme grips allowing more spin and control.
The touch required to play with a continental forehand alone deserves its own article, yet J-Mac could do so much more. A clay court grinder in juniors, McEnroe first experimented with serve and volley tactics on his first trip to Wimbledon in 1977.
His teenage dabbling in serve-and-volley earned him a run to the semi-finals and a permanent change of style. Not bad for an 18-year old Stanford student.
A real artist on the court, McEnroe saw the game differently to everyone else. For one, he strung his racquets extremely loose to create a trampoline effect, requiring very short backswings and phenomenal touch to control the ball.
He used the power of his opponents by taking the ball very early which, coupled with his loose ‘ball-pocketing’ strings, allowed him to mimic power by taking time away from his opponents.
Federer’s SABR (Sneak Attack By Roger) is really a revival of how McEnroe attacked his more powerful opponents 30 years earlier. With his backward, slinging service action providing disguise, and finesse volleys of the highest accuracy and execution, McEnroe is remembered as a raging prodigy, capable of controlling everything on the court except his temper.
His famous outbursts have only added to his legacy in retirement, where he regularly schools younger opponents with his throwback style.
1. Roger Federer
I hate that Roger Federer is on this list, well, I love it, but I hate that lists seem cliché whenever he appears. He’s just that good. Whether it’s titles, rankings, win streaks, hot shots, or subjective talent metrics, the accolades never stop in an exhausting and ultimately pointless exercise.
Where to begin? Like a child tasked with a project out of his depth, a summary of Federer’s talent will never feel complete in such a short space of words. He’s the featherweight with a wand in an era of heavyweights with hammers.
He’s pen and paper in a digital era, the sole artist on a tour of businessmen. Has any athlete ever been so graceful? I enjoy watching Rafael Nadal and I like watching Novak Djokovic too, but I love watching Fed play, it’s just something else. He’s a true genius out there, a composer, the court his stage and a hapless opponent the canvas to paint his strokes upon.
Roger Federer was born to play tennis; it’s as simple as that. Even the most ludicrous of improvisations are played with an air of casual arrogance, as if it’s all too easy. Perhaps Roger, through his eyes, wonders why we are so uncoordinated, given it’s quite simple to him. You just lightly step across to your backhand, watch the ball in a trance like state and give it a snappy flick of the wrist.
Apply this method to any shot and this is what it looks like when Federer plays. Backhand overhead? Just turn your back and reverse-hinge your shoulder with considerable wrist snap. Rinse, repeat. Easy. For whatever reason Federer can perform the most extreme of tennis shots, in a state of concentrated relaxation. If that’s not the definition of talent, you’re wrong and we won’t be tennis buddies.
Seriously though, there may be cries of outrage, as many talented players did not feature on this list. Rod Laver, Marat Safin, Henri Leconte, Pete Sampras, Djokovic, Andre Agassi, Michael Stich and many others have mesmerised crowds in years gone by with their own styles and interpretations of the game.
Dare I say that I even considered Nick Kyrgios, given his exploits in his young career have provided highlights for a lifetime. Yet however this list differs from your own, no one will ever be right.
Not until those damn lazy sports-scientists find a unit for talent.
Whether it’s aces or races, try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp for great odds and a great punting experience. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
The water bottle came loose from a fan's backpack and struck the tennis champion in the head.
Not even a bang on the head could ruin Novak Djokovic's businesslike return to action at the Italian Open on a day when Australia's…
The American lost her cool during match against Lucia Bronzetti, first at the officials who made her play on a court she believed was…
After a double fault saw Novak Djokovic exit the Monte Carlo Masters to Casper Ruud at the semi-final stage, the Serbian's hopes of a…
Alex de Minaur has missed out on the chance of a lifetime to beat Rafael Nadal on clay in successive tournaments, blown away by…
Former Wimbledon champion, double grand slam winner and Australian Open finalist Garbine Muguruza has announced her retirement from tennis at the age of 30.…
