Unbeatable: The 7 players with the best winning percentage against top 10 opponents

Thursday, 19 September 2024 at 08:30

In addition to the number of ATP titles, Grand Slams and winning record on the circuit, there is a marker that shows when a tennis player is the best among the best, and that number is the percentage of victories against top 10 opponents. Here is a brief list of the players who have dominated their direct rivals in the ranking the most.

Throughout the history of tennis, some players have shown exceptional supremacy over the sport's elite. In this article we will take a brief look at seven legends with the best winning percentage against other top 10 players. We will find players of the stature of Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and other icons of the racquet sport.

Honorable mention goes to historical players such as Andre Agassi, Andy Murray, John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors, whose records are impressive but far from our top players:

7 Pete Sampras

"Pistol Pete" is the first legend on our list, or percentage-wise, the 7th with the best record against top 10s. In 1988 he defeated the then number 8 Tim Mayotte, the latter being his first top 10 victim. Overall, Sampras has a winning record of 63.6% against top 10s, winning 124 matches and losing only 71.

6 Rafael Nadal

The 14-time Roland Garros champion was not to be missed. Rafa has the third most wins over members of the top 10, a product of his outstanding longevity in the sport of racquetball. Nadal arrived early on the big stage, with compatriot Albert Costa being the first victim of Rafa's elite (only 16 years old at the time) at the 2003 Monte Carlo Masters.

The following year, the Spaniard would win his first number 1. The victim would be none other than Roger Federer, at the Miami Masters;

In his career, Rafa racked up 186 victories and 105 setbacks, winning 63.9% of the matches against the highest level opponents on the circuit. In 2013 Nadal was absolutely unhinged, winning 24matches against his immediate pursuers.

5 Ivan Lendl

Ivan Lendl, famous for his consistency and coolness on the court, has a record of 64.3%. His first significant victory was against Arthur Ashe at Roland Garros 1979 and he had his best year in this respect in 1985 with 22 wins against top ten players.

4 Roger Federer

The Swiss master, a member of the Big 3 that has stalked the rest of the tennis players during the last 20 years of tennis, holds a record of 224 victories and only 123 defeats against other top 10 players, for a percentage of 64.6%. A real beastly Roger in number of wins, only surpassed by another player in this list.

The first of these victories was in 1999, against Carlos Moya (then No. 5). It was not until 2002 that he had the pleasure of beating a No. 1, Lleyton Hewitt. His last victory against a top 10 ranked player was against Novak Djokovic in 2019, when Nole was in the third position.

3 Boris Becker

Boris Becker, a German tennis legend, has a 65.1% record against top 10 opponents. His career took off in 1985, when as a number 29, he defeated Pat Cash (7) in Queens, a prelude to what would happen at Wimbledon days later, where he would take down 3 more top tens on his way to the title. Becker finished his career with a record of 121-65.

2 Novak Djokovic

Nole is in second place in this ranking, and is next to Nadal the only one in the list that could still add more victories. The Serb, maximum winner of Grand Slams with 24 titles, has the most wins against top 10s: 258. His 69.2% is only surpassed by the leader of this list, although Djokovic has dominated the circuit for twice as many years.

His first victim was Argentina's Mariano Puerta in 2005, and the last top 10 player to lose to Djoko was Carlos Alcaraz at the Paris Olympics;

In 2015 he defeated in 31 occasions players who were among the top 10, and he is also the only tennis player who has managed to accumulate more than 20 triumphs of these characteristics in 4 different years.

1 Bjorn Borg

Known as "The Iceman," Bjorn Borg has the best winning percentage against top 10 opponents, winning 71.1% of his matches. Throughout his career, Borg played 159 matches against these opponents, finishing with a 113-46 record. His first notable victory was against Arthur Ashe at the 1973 US Open, and he achieved significant victories over other greats such as Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and Mats Wilander among others.

It should be noted that Borg retired from tennis at the age of 26, and one can only wonder what would have happened if he had played a few more years.

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Rick Macci on the Big 3: - Roger Federer had the best serve. - Rafael Nadal had the best topspin - Novak Djokovic had the best career. Agree with Williams sisters' former coach?

11:45 AM · Nov 9, 2023

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