Some of the greatest tennis players have come and gone since the turn of the 21st century.
The likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams have all enjoyed storied careers on the professional circuit, winning a boatload of major honours.
Who could forget Novak Djokovic? The 24-time major champion is still battling away at the grand old age of 39.
Then there is Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner â the upstarts who may well go on to rival the achievements of their legendary predecessors.
Jim Courier, a four-time major champion, has now stated who he believes is the greatest tennis player in history.
Jim Courier believes that Novak Djokovic is the greatest player in tennis history
“I do skew towards the numbers in these type of discussions,” Courier said on the Off Court with Greg Rusedski podcast.
“I put my lawyer’s hat on and think how could I win an argument if I’m in this debate and take Roger or Rafa or Pete or Rod Laver and put them up against Novak’s numbers and I think Novak’s numbers just win all the time.”
Djokovic is undoubtedly the winningest player in tennis history. The Serbian superstar leads almost every statistical category, including Grand Slam titles won, Masters 1000 titles won and weeks at world number one.
Djokovic has competed at a very high level throughout 2026, despite being in the twilight of his career. The tennis veteran reached the Australian Open final in January and almost qualified for the ATP Finals, despite playing only 12 tournaments across the year.
Most Grand Slam singles titles won by male players
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Novak Djokovic â 24
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Rafael Nadal â 22
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Roger Federer â 20
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Pete Sampras â 14
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Roy Emerson â 12
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Rod Laver â 11
Courier, a former world number one, also discussed his toughest-ever opponents on the ATP circuit.
Courier, who competed against the likes of Andre Agassi, Boris Becker and Michael Chang, selected a 14-time major champion as his toughest rival.
“Pete Sampras was the toughest. He was the benchmark in the 1990s and the reason was his second serve. His second serve gave you no relief,” Courier told Rusedski.
“Most players when you played them you could at least feel comfortable and confident you would have a chance on second serve, but that was not the case with Pete.”
Jim Courier names the best match he has ever seen and makes a big prediction for 2027
“I believe it was the 2012 Australian Open final,” Courier said of the best match he has ever witnessed.
“It was Nadal and Djokovic. Novak was the one who ended up on top and both of them needed chairs to sit down in the awards ceremony because they were so exhausted.
“I remember seeing Lendl in the airport the day after and he was the benchmark for physical fitness in his era and both of us could not believe what we had seen physically, let alone the tennis they played in that match.”
Djokovic defeated Nadal 5â7, 6â4, 6â2, 6â7, 7â5 in Melbourne. At five hours and 53 minutes, it remains the longest Grand Slam final in tennis history.
Courier has also made a significant prediction concerning Brazilian starlet Joao Fonseca, who struggled to make his mark on the Tour this year after a breakout 2025 campaign.
“I am going to put Fonseca in the top 10,” Courier stated. “I think it’s his breakthrough year. I think Fonseca has the upside and the weaponry and hopefully he can put it together next year, that would be big for men’s tennis.”
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