The 25 greatest American-born tennis players

The man who made "rock and roll" tennis a thing. Agassi was a media favorite, good-looking, scruffy, with long hair. A player with movie-star looks and a great backhand, who hailed from Las Vegas. Agassi, who dated Barbra Streisand and married Brooke Shields, is one of eight men's players to win the career Grand Slam in singles. He won eight Grand Slam events in all, highlighted by four Australian Open victories (1995 , 2000, 2001, 2003) and the U.S. Open twice (1994, 1999). Agassi, currently married to fellow tennis legend Steffi Graf, spent 101 weeks atop the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings.

Not only was Ashe a great tennis player, but one of the most important -- and influential -- athletes in the history of sports. Born in Richmond, Va., Ashe is still the only black male tennis player to win singles titles at the U.S. Open (1968), Australian Open (1970) and Wimbledon (1975). He's also the first black player to be part of a U.S. Davis Cup squad. In all, Ashe won 76 singles titles and the inaugural ATP Player of the Year Award in 1975. Known for his post-tennis activism, including raising awareness about HIV/AIDS education, the late Ashe was honored by having his name featured on the main stadium at the USTA National Tennis Center, home of the U.S. Open. 

The teen sensation, California's Austin, is the youngest competitor to win the women's U.S. Open singles titles -- at age 16 in 1979. She won the event again in 1981, and totaled 30 Women's Tennis Association (WTA) singles titles during her career. She and brother, John Austin, won the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon in 1980. In 1992, at age 29, Austin remains the youngest player inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Another California product, Budge, was the first to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in the same year (1938) and was the second player to complete the career Grand Slam. In all, Budge won six Grand Slam events, including Wimbledon and the U.S. Open twice. Going a step further, Budge, known for his stellar backhand, is the first to win singles, men's doubles and mixed doubles at the same tournament -- Wimbledon in 1937 and again in 1938.  

While Capriati dealt with several off-court issues, she's still celebrated as one of the youngest stars in the history of the sport. Born in New York City, Capriati made her pro debut in 1990, just shy of 14 years old. She also made the French Open semifinals the same year. In all, Capriati posted 14 pro singles victories, including Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and French Open in 2001, and the Aussie the next year. Capriati also won a gold medal in singles at the 1992 Summer Olympics.

A product of New Jersey, Chang learned to play tennis in Minnesota, and eventually became the youngest man to win a Grand Slam tournament singles title at age 17, at the French Open. Though that would prove to be the only such championship Chang would win, he recorded more than 30 pro singles titles, and finished runner-up three times at majors. Chang also won seven Masters titles during his Hall-of-Fame career.

Connolly achieved a lifetime of success in just a few years of playing competitive tennis. Hailing from San Diego, Connolly won 56 consecutive matches during one stretch as a 14-year-old. She won nine Grand Slam singles titles, including the first woman to claim all four in 1953. The next year, however, at age 19, Connolly's competitive tennis career was done after suffering a serious leg injury from a horseback riding accident. She died in 1969, at age 34, after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer three years earlier.

Born in East St. Louis, Ill., and raised across the Mississippi River from the Gateway Arch, Connors was ranked the world's No. 1 singles player for 268 weeks during his Hall-of-Fame career. From the mid-1970s into the '80s, Connors was a dominant force, winning eight Grand Slam tournament titles, including the U.S. Open five times (1974, '76, '78, '82, '83). For all that success, however, the French Open proved to be Connors' white whale, as he never won on the clay court of Roland Garros. Overall, Connors won an Open Era-record 109 pro events, plus 16 doubles titles, and also owns the mark for match victories at 1,274.

Florida-born and bred, Courier starred for most of the 1990s as one of the world's great singles players. He was the youngest male player in the Open Era to reach the finals of each Grand Slam tournament, at nearly 23 years old. He twice won the French Open (1991, '92) and Australian Open (1992, '93). Courier was also part of two Davis Cup-winning teams (1992, '95). For his career, Courier won more than 20 professional events.

One of the most decorated American tennis players of all time -- regardless of gender. California's Davenport is the owner of more than 50 WTA titles, including the 1998 U.S. Open, Wimbledon in 1999 and 2000 Australian Open. Davenport also won doubles titles at the French Open, U.S. Open and Wimbledon. She was ranked No. 1 in the world in singles for 98 weeks and doubles for 32 weeks. Davenport is also a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

One of the all-time greats regardless of country. Evert, born in Florida and still residing there, is among the first names that come to mind when discussing the great female players in the sport's history. From the mid-1970s into the mid-1980s, Evert and current U.S. citizen Martina Navratilova (who was not born in America) staged one of the great rivalries in all of sports. Evert is an 18-time winner of Grand Slam events. Her seven French Open titles (1974,  '75, '79, '80, '83, '85, '86) are a record, while her six at the U.S. Open (1975, '76, '77, '78, '80, '82) are tied for the most ever. The Hall-of-Famer spent 260 weeks ranked No. 1 in the world.

Are we getting ahead of ourselves on this one? Perhaps. But since making her WTA Tour debut at age 15 in 2019, Gauff has already won 10 tournaments. Most notably, the 2023 U.S. Open and the 2025 French Open. Born in Atlanta and living in Florida, Gauff is certainly the future and the present of American women's tennis. And, superstar status has already followed. It will be interesting to see just how far Gauff can go while trying to sustain her early-career success.

Gibson might be the most versatile athlete on this list. A superb golfer, Gibson, like the aforementioned Arthur Ashe, made strides within the international tennis community as one of the first successful black players. A native of South Carolina, Gibson was the first black woman to win a Grand Slam event -- the French Open in 1956. She won five Grand Slam singles titles overall, including Wimbledon and the U.S. Open (then known as the U.S. Nationals) in back-to-back seasons of 1957 and '58. She is a member of both the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame.

A winner of 350 singles titles, Johnston has long been considered one of the great American players, who is often forgotten more and more as the years have gone on. Hailing from San Francisco, Johnston was one of the early U.S. stars, winning three Grand Slams -- U.S. Open in 1915 and '19 and Wimbledon in 1923. A World No. 1, Johnston was also part of seven winning Davis Cup teams during the 1920s.

King won 39 Grand Slam tennis titles, including 12 singles championships, and is widely considered by analysts and pundits as the greatest women's player of all time. Wimbledon was truly King's playground, winning there six times (1966, '67, '68, '72, '73, '75. However, California's King might be best known for winning a match that didn't even count. A fierce advocate for gender equality in sports -- and beyond, a then-29-year-old King beat former No. 1 player in the world and chauvinistic, blow-hard Bobby Riggs (6-4, 6-3, 6-3) in the famed "Battle of the Sexes" exhibition match at the Astrodome on Sept. 20, 1973. 

One of the great characters in all of sports, McEnroe is an icon. Known for his colorful demeanor, McEnroe's exceptional talent, especially when it came to shot-making, was rivaled only by his knack for arguing with chair umpires. McEnroe, who was born in Germany on the U.S. service base in Wiesbaden, West Germany, while his father served in the U.S. Air Force, won the U.S. Open on four occasions (1979, '80, '81, '84) and was a three-time winner at Wimbledon (1981, 1983, 1984). In addition, he won doubles titles at those two events a combined nine times. His 155 combined singles and doubles victories are a record in the Open Era. He was also part of five Davis Cup-winning teams and is the only man to be ranked No. 1 in the world for singles and doubles at the same time. 

A star as amateur and professional, and known as the "Boy Wonder of Tennis." Born in Milwaukee, Parker won 770 singles titles, including four Grand Slams -- back-to-back U.S. Opens in 1944, '45 and two straight French Opens from 1948, '49. In addition, Parker won three doubles titles at Grand Slam events -- the U.S. Open in 1943, and the French Open and Wimbledon in 1949. Parker also played in the 1968 U.S. Open at 52 years old, making him the oldest player to compete in the event's singles competition.

Successful in both singles and doubles. The Texan Richey won nearly 80 percent of her singles matches during a career that featured title runs at the 1967 Australian Open and 1968 French Open. Among her four Grand Slam doubles championships, Richey won the U.S. Open in back-to-back fashion in 1965, '66. A member of the International Hall of Fame, Richey and his brother, Cliff, were the first sister-brother duo to be ranked in the U.S. top 10 at the same time.

Winner of more than 30 pro titles, Roddick, born in Nebraska, then raised in Texas and Florida, has only won a Grand Slam title to his name (2003 U.S. Open). However, the fan favorite finished runner-up at four other major tournaments (three at Wimbledon and at the U.S. Open) -- losing to Roger Federer each time. A Davis Cup champion (2007), as well, Roddick has thrived at Masters events. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2017.

It's still rather stunning to think that Sampras is the last American to win a men's singles title at Wimbledon (2000). A winner of 14 Grand Slam titles, Sampras is the only male tennis player in the Open Era to win the final Grand Slam event he played. For Sampras, that came at the 2002 U.S. Open, where he squared off against rival Andre Agassi, whom he had faced in his first Grand Slam title match. Sampras earned the four-set victory. 

The man known as "Big Bill." Tilden was a contemporary rival of the aforementioned Bill Johnston, and the world's No. 1 amateur from 1920-'25. He won 10 Grand Slam singles titles, and was the first American to win Wimbledon (1920). Tilden would repeat as Wimbledon champ a year later and won again in 1930, at age 37. However, it was the U.S. Open (or U.S. Championships, at the time) where Tilden truly excelled, winning seven titles during the 1920s. It's a record he still shares to this day. 

A true ambassador of the sport throughout his adult life, Trabert was among the best players in the world from 1953 to 1955. Among his 50-plus pro singles titles were five of the Grand Slam variety. He was a two-time champion of the French Open and U.S. Open, and won those tournaments, along with Wimbledon, in 1955. The latter without losing a set. A member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Trabert, a Cincinnati native, also enjoyed success as a television tennis analyst and motivational speaker. 

Born in Michigan and raised in Compton, Calif., Williams is one of the most recognizable female athletes of all time. A trendsetter, influencer, and icon on and off the court, Williams won an Open Era-record 23 Grand Slam tournament titles (from 1999-2017) and 73 overall pro singles events. Williams won seven titles apiece at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, plus six championships at the U.S Open and three French Open crowns. She also won 14 major doubles titles, making her the only player to earn a career Grand Slam in both singles and doubles. In addition, Williams owns four Olympic gold medals (one singles, three doubles).

The older sister of Serena, Venus, was overshadowed by her younger sister as their careers progressed. But the California native is still one of the greats ever to grace a tennis court. Venus won seven Grand Slam tournament singles titles -- at Wimbledon (2000, '01, 2005, '07, '08) and the U.S. Open (2000, '01). In addition, Williams won 14 major doubles titles (all with Serena), including six at Wimbledon. An aggressive and intense competitor, Williams also won two mixed-doubles major titles and owns four Olympic gold medals (one singles, three doubles)

Before there was Billie Jean, Chris, Venus and Serena, there was Helen Wills. One of the first true celebrity female athletes due to her dominance on the court, she was essentially royalty on the San Francisco social scene. From 1923-'38, Wills won 19 Grand Slam singles titles, eight of which came at Wimbledon. In addition, California's Wills strung together a rather remarkable 180-match winning streak from 1927-'33. Her 1926 battle against French star Suzanne Lenglen was dubbed the Match of the Century.