Famous American Tennis Players
For a tennis playing nation that has sustained excellence across decades and cultural shifts, America has produced some outstanding players like Serena Williams and Venus Williams, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Andy Roddick, to name a few. Once a force in tennis, before the Aussies and Swedes took over, America has won twice as many Grand slams than any other nation. While the current tennis scene of America is facing a grand slam drought, especially men’s tennis, it has managed to rake up a few laud-worthy success with its women tennis force (think the Williams sisters!). America has been pining to breed more homegrown champions since. But that doesn’t undermine the greatness of this great sporting nation in tennis. The past players' records and longevity have set high standards for others to admire and strive for. Never mind whether you are a baseball, basketball, football or a hockey fan, it pays to acquaint yourself with tennis greats of America. Read the biographies to know the timelines, life stories and interesting trivia & facts related to the lives of famous American tennis players.
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Birthdate: September 26, 1981
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Saginaw, Michigan, United States
With 39 Grand Slam titles and four Olympic gold medals, Serena Williams is clearly amongst the greatest female tennis players in the history. With 23 Grand Slam singles win, she is just a win away from equalling Margaret Court’s record of 24 grand slam titles. She has bagged the top spot in WTA’s world ranking numerous times.
Birthdate: June 17, 1980
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Lynwood, California, United States
Regarded as one of the greatest women's tennis players of all time, Venus Williams is credited with introducing never seen before power and athleticism to women's tennis along with her sister Serena. She is also credited with changing the long-standing practice of paying male tennis players more than their female counterparts as she won the fight for equal prize money.
3
Naomi Osaka(The First Asian Player to Hold the Top Ranking in Tennis Singles)
Birthdate: October 16, 1997
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan
Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka made history by being the first player of Asian origin to hold the world number one rank in singles. Osaka made headlines when in 2021, she withdrew from the French Open after refusing to be part of a press conference to protect her mental health.
Birthdate: December 21, 1954
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
Former number 1 tennis player Chris Evert secured 18 Grand Slam singles wins. She won 157 singles and 32 doubles titles, and served as the WTA president for 11 years. The Philippe Chatrier awardee has also served as a coach and an ESPN analyst, and owns an activewear line.
5
Bobby Riggs
(World No.1 Tennis Amateur in 1939 and World No.1 Professional in 1946 & 1947)
Birthdate: February 25, 1918
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Pasadena, California, United States
Died: October 25, 1995
6
Ivan Lendl(Czech-American Former World No.1 Tennis player)
Birthdate: March 7, 1960
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Ostrava, Czechia
Born to professional tennis players, Czech-American tennis legend Ivan Lendl has eight Grand Slam titles under his belt. Known for his topspin groundstrokes, he later turned coach and was responsible for three Grand Slams of Andy Murray. Lendl also has a few Celebrity Tour golf wins in his kitty.
7
Andre Agassi(Former World No.1 Tennis Player and Olympic Gold Medalist)
Birthdate: April 29, 1970
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Nicknamed “The Punisher,” former world number 1 tennis player Andre Agassi is an eight-time Grand Slam-winner and an Olympic gold medalist. He is the only male with a "Career Super Slam.” He is married to Steffi Graf. He now donates generously for children’s causes, through the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation.
Birthdate: August 12, 1971
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Potomac, Maryland, United States
Former professional tennis player, Pete Sampras, became the winner of 14 Grand Slam singles titles during his career. He was ranked world No. 1 in 1993 and held the record for 286 weeks. Nicknamed “Pistol Pete,” the player was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2007.
9
John McEnroe(Former American Professional Tennis Player Known for His Shot-making and Volleying Skills)
Birthdate: February 16, 1959
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Wiesbaden, Germany
Widely regarded as one of the greatest American tennis players of all time, John McEnroe helped the US team win five Davis Cup titles. McEnroe is also known for his confrontational on-court behavior. His infamous bad temper on court was parodied in satirical TV programs, such as Spitting Image and Not the Nine O'Clock News.
Birthdate: October 18, 1956
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Prague, Czechia
Martina Navratilova is the world’s only tennis player to be no. 1 for more than 200 weeks in both singles and doubles. She is one of three women with a "Grand Slam Boxed Set.” She is openly lesbian and had earlier fled her country, Czechoslovakia, due to political issues.
11
Arthur Ashe(The Only Black Man to Win the Singles Title at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open)
Birthdate: July 10, 1943
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Richmond, Virginia, United States
Died: February 6, 1993
Tennis player Arthur Ashe is best remembered for his three Grand Slam singles wins. He became the first Black player to be named to the U.S. Davis Cup team. He contracted AIDS from a blood transfusion during a bypass surgery and devoted his final years to AIDS awareness campaigns.
Birthdate: November 22, 1943
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Long Beach, California, United States
Tennis legend Billie Jean King has won 39 Grand Slam titles, including 12 singles titles and 16 doubles titles. The former world no. 1 beat Bobby Riggs in the "Battle of the Sexes" match in 1973. She also founded the Women's Tennis Association and the Women's Sports Foundation.
Birthdate: August 17, 1970
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Sanford, Florida, United States
Birthdate: August 30, 1982
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Omaha, Nebraska, United States
Former world number 1 tennis player Andy Roddick is best known for his US Open win in 2003. He reached the finals of three Wimbledon championships and US Open 2006, only to be defeated by Roger Federer each time. Following his retirement, he focused on his non-profit, Andy Roddick Foundation.
Birthdate: July 14, 1987
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Nassau, The Bahamas
Ryan Sweeting is an American former tennis player who served as a practice partner during the 2006 World Group semifinal for the U.S. Davis Cup team. Sweeting won his only ATP World Tour singles title in 2011 when he defeated Japanese tennis player Kei Nishikori in straight sets in the final of the US Men's Clay Court Championship.
16
Madison Keys
(Professional Tennis Player Known for Her Powerful Forehands & Aggressive Playing Style)
Birthdate: February 17, 1995
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Rock Island, Illinois, United States
Birthdate: September 2, 1952
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Belleville, Illinois, United States
18
Taylor Fritz
(American Professional Tennis Player)
Birthdate: October 28, 1997
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: San Diego, California, United States
19
Stan Smith
(American Former Professional Tennis Player)
Birthdate: December 14, 1946
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Pasadena, California, United States
20
Amanda Anisimova
(American Professional Tennis Player)
Birthdate: August 31, 2001
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Freehold Township, New Jersey, United States
21
Althea Gibson( The First African American to Win a Grand Slam Title )
Birthdate: August 25, 1927
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Clarendon County, South Carolina, United States
Died: September 28, 2003
22
Vincent Van Patten
(American Actor and Former Professional Tennis Player)
Birthdate: October 17, 1957
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Bellerose, New York, United States
23
Jack Sock
(American Professional Tennis Player)
Birthdate: September 24, 1992
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Lincoln, Nebraska, United States
24
Sebastian Korda
(American Professional Tennis Player)
Birthdate: July 5, 2000
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Bradenton, Florida, United States
25
Mary Joe Fernández
(Former American Professional Tennis Player Who Won a Bronze Medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics)
Birthdate: August 19, 1971
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Birthdate: March 13, 2004
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Coco Gauff is an American tennis player who became the youngest singles WTA Tour title-holder since 2004 when she won her first WTA title at the 2019 Upper Austria Ladies Linz at the age of 15. Coco Gauff, who has achieved a career-high ranking of 23 in singles, is the youngest player ranked by the WTA in the top 100.
27
Pancho Gonzales
(American Tennis Player)
Birthdate: May 9, 1928
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States
Died: July 3, 1995
28
Vitas Gerulaitis
(American Professional Tennis Player)
Birthdate: July 26, 1954
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Died: September 17, 1994
29
Pam Shriver
(American Former Professional Tennis Player)
Birthdate: July 4, 1962
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland, United States
30
Lindsay Davenport
(American Former Professional Tennis Player)
Birthdate: June 8, 1976
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Palos Verdes Peninsula, California, United States
31
Michael Chang
(American Former Tennis Player and the Youngest Ever Male Player to Win a Grand Slam)
Birthdate: February 22, 1972
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Hoboken, New Jersey, United States
Michael Chang is an American retired professional tennis player. Chang became the youngest male player in Grand Slam history to win a major title when he won the 1989 French Open at the age of 17. In 2008, he was made an inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Since 2014, Chang has been coaching Japanese player Kei Nishikori.
32
CoCo Vandeweghe
(American Professional Tennis Player)
Birthdate: December 6, 1991
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
33
Bethanie Mattek-Sands
(American Professional Tennis Player)
Birthdate: March 23, 1985
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Rochester, Minnesota, United States
34
Reilly Opelka
(American Professional Tennis Player)
Birthdate: August 28, 1997
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: St. Joseph, Michigan, United States
35
Frances Tiafoe
(Tennis Player)
Birthdate: January 20, 1998
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Hyattsville, Maryland, United States
36
James Blake
(American Former Professional Tennis Player)
Birthdate: December 28, 1979
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Yonkers, New York, United States
37
Jessica Pegula
(High Ranking American Professional Tennis Player)
Birthdate: February 24, 1994
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Buffalo, New York, United States
38
Sloane Stephens
(Tennis Player)
Birthdate: March 20, 1993
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Plantation, Florida, United States
The daughter of swimmer Sybil Smith and football player John Stephens, Sloane Stephens was first introduced to tennis by her mother at age 9. The 2017 US Open champion has 6 singles titles in her kitty. Through the Sloane Stephens Foundation, she supports the needs of disadvantaged tennis players.
39
Cathy Lee Crosby
(American Actress and Former Professional Tennis Player)
Birthdate: December 2, 1944
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States
40
Mardy Fish
(American Former Professional Tennis Player)
Birthdate: December 9, 1981
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Edina, Minnesota, United States
41
Jennifer Capriati
(Former World No. 1 Tennis Player)
Birthdate: March 29, 1976
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
42
John Isner
(Professional Tennis Player)
Birthdate: April 26, 1985
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Greensboro, North Carolina, United States
43
Bill Tilden
(American Tennis Player Who was the World No. 1 Amateur for Six Consecutive Years, From 1920 to 1925)
Birthdate: February 10, 1893
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: June 5, 1953
44
Tam O'Shaughnessy
(American Former Professional Tennis Player & Founder of the Education Company 'Sally Ride Science')
Birthdate: January 27, 1952
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: San Andreas, California, United States
45
Jack Kramer
(American Tennis Player of the 1940s and 1950s)
Birthdate: August 1, 1921
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Died: September 12, 2009
46
Tracy Austin
(The Youngest US Open Female Singles Champion)
Birthdate: December 12, 1962
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Palos Verdes Peninsula, California, United States
47
Tommy Paul
(American Professional Tennis Player)
Birthdate: May 17, 1997
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Voorhees Township, New Jersey, United States
48
Alexandra Stevenson
(American Former Professional Tennis Player)
Birthdate: December 15, 1980
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: La Jolla, California, United States
49
Shelby Rogers
(American Professional Tennis Player)
Birthdate: October 13, 1992
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, United States
50
Lauren Davis
(American Professional Tennis Player)
Birthdate: October 9, 1993
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Gates Mills, Ohio, United States
