As excitement builds for the 2026 US Open, we thought it would be a good time to pay homage to the many great American tennis players who have graced the sport since the inaugural US Open which was held back in 1881.
From Richard Sears, the winner of the first US Open, through to more contemporary stars such as Serena Williams & Taylor Fitz, the United States has produced some remarkable players over the years who have gone on to achieve worldwide fame and fortune. But who actually are the best American tennis players?
Here are our suggestions to help get you in the mood for the upcoming competition.
1. Serena Williams
It's hard to look past Serena Williams in a list of the Best US tennis players. Born in Michigan in 1981, Williams and her elder sister Venus were famously put through a vigorous training regiment by their father "King" Richard Williams from the age of 4 and a half. This would often see the girls working from early in the morning until late in the night, with the story of their rise to the top of the sport being detailed in a 2021 film "King Richard" starring Will Smith.
Although unconventional, Williams' methods ultimately proved to be a major success, helping the family rise from an unprivileged background to the very top of women's tennis, with both of his daughters ultimately going on to be the world number one at different times in their careers.
However, it was Serena who ultimately proved to be the most successful, being classed as the world number one tennis player for 319 weeks in total throughout her career. This included a record equally consecutive run of 186 weeks at number one from February 2013 until September 2016, a record she shares with German Steffi Graf.
2. Chris Evert
Before Serena Williams there was Chris Evert who ripped up the record books. Born in Florida in 1954, Evert's father was a professional tennis coach and the sport was very much a dominant presence in the lives of the whole family, with Chris's sister Jeanne also going on to become a professional tennis player, albeit far less successfully.
As with Williams, Evert began training from a very early age but her father Jimmy had a far more successful background in the sport having won the men's singles title at the Canadian championships in 1947. By 1969, Evert became ranked the number one under 14 girls tennis player and went on to make her first grand slam tournament debut at the 1971 US Open at the age of just 16, making it all the way to the semi-finals at her first attempt.
It was in 1974 that Evert really started to come into her own, winning both the French Open and Wimbledon Championships in a period where she set the record for the most consecutive match wins (55).
By the end of her professional career in 1989, Evert had won a remarkable 18 grand slam singles titles, putting her 4th in the all time list. She does however hold the record for reaching the most finals, with 34 appearances putting her just 1 ahead of Willams. It was this incredible consistency which stood her apart in a career where she won a barely believable 94.55% of all singles matches entered.
3. Pete Sampras
The first male star to make our list of the best American tennis players is Pete Sampras who dominated the game for the majority of the 1990s. Having been ranked as the world number one for 286 weeks and finishing the year number one for six consecutive years between 1993 and 1998, Sampras is easily one of the most successful players of all time.
Unlike the two before mentioned US Tennis Players, Sampras did not receive any significant guidance from his parents when it came to finding his love of the sport. Instead his interest was sparked when he discovered a tennis racket in the basement of his family home at the age of 3. Having spent many hours hitting balls against the wall at his family home, it wasn't until he was 11 that Sampras joined the Jack Cramer Club. It was here that his talent really became apparent with his first tennis coach, Robert Lansdorp, teaching him the forehand which would go on to characterise his playing style.
Turning professional at the age of 16 in 1988, Sampras did not make the same immediate impression on the sport as Evert. In fact, he didn't achieve his first professional singles title until he beat World Number Six Andre Agassi at the Ebel U.S. Pro Indoor in Philadelphia in 1990. It was in this year that he also achieved his first grand slam title, beating John McEnroe at the US Open.
Once Sampras had achieved success, there was no stopping him, leading to his remarkable run as the world number one referenced earlier. He would go on to reclaim this position in 2000 before his form began to dip, leading to his retirement in 2003 following an unexpected revival at the 2002 US Open which ensured he became the first man in the Open era to win the final grand slam tournament in which he competed.
4. Andre Agassi
American tennis was very much at its peak in the 1990s with another star from the era to have made our list of the best American tennis players of all time being Andre Agassi who would go on to win 60 singles titles, including 8 majors in a career where he was ranked the world number one for a total of 101 weeks. This included being ranked the end of year number one player in 1999.
Agassi was a bit of a teen sensation, being ranked the world number 91 at the end of his first year since turning professional in 1986 at the age of just 16. In 1987 he won his first top level singles title, followed by a further six in 1988 which pushed his career prize money up to over $1 million. Coming after just 43 tournaments, this was the fastest that any player had ever surpassed this milestone.
However, it was his partnership with tennis coach Brad Gilbert which really propelled him into the big time resulting in a far greater level of consistency than he had achieved prior to their partnership which began in 1994. This included a 26 match winning streak in 1995, the year in which he first became the world number one.
Agassi overcame numerous controversies during his career, including a failed drugs test in 1997 as he battled a wrist injury. However, he rebounded from this to become the world number one once more at the end of 1999.
One record which stands Agassi apart is that he is one of only three men to have achieved the golden slam of singles titles (led this record subsequently are Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic, putting Agassi in illustrious company. Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open & Olympics), being the first player to achieve this accolade following his victory at the 1999 French Open. The only players to have equal
5. John McEnroe
No list of the best US tennis players would be complete unless it featured the iconic John McEnroe. Growing up in New York, McEnroe began playing tennis at the age of 8 at which point his parents enrolled him in the Eastern Lawn Tennis Association.
However, it wasn't until he was 18 that McEnroe started to catch the attention. At this point, things began to move quite quickly with McEnroe winning both the junior singles and mixed doubles titles at the 1977 French Open before making the semi finals at Wimbledon in the same year. It was this underdog accomplishment which really grabbed the headlines, with McEnroe having made it into the main draw for the tournament having gotten through the qualifying stages. This marked the beginnings of McEnroe's ascent to fame and his lifelong love affair with Wimbledon, a competition he would win three times during his career (1981, 1983 & 1984).
It was the latter of these Wimbledon triumphs which came during what was unquestionably his most successful season, with McEnroe winning 82 of the 85 matches he played throughout the year. He would also play on the winning US World Cup and Davis Cup Teams during this year.
McEnroe's career stats are boosted by his remarkable doubles record, with the American winning 78 doubles titles over his career. This is one more than the number of singles titles he would go on to win, resulting in a combined tally of 155 ATP tennis titles which remains an Open era record.
You can watch the current American tennis stars take on the world elite live and in person when you attend the US Open 2025 with Elegant Sports. We offer tailored made tennis tour packages that are bespoke to you, giving you access to the world's greatest sporting competitions and the best possible accommodation.