As Roland Garros has resumed a few days ago, Wetall invites you to discover who are the tallest tennis players of all time !
Who is the player in the center?
Being tall in tennis has some advantages. First of all in the serve, a tall height allows you to benefit from a longer lever arm which allows you to serve powerful balls. Also on the serve, a tall height also allows you to find better striking angles, due to the greater height of the serve. And if the two characteristics are combined, watch out for the damage! The other asset of the tall tennis player is his coverage, especially at the net. A tennis player who has a wingspan of more than 6 ft 11 in (for the tallest) limits the opponent’s window, just like lobs. On the other hand, the tall player will be less mobile than shorter players like Nadal, Federer, or Djokovic. And this may be what explains why we don’t find the tallest at the top of the ATP. Even though some have done very well like Argentine Del Potro.
The tallest male tennis players in history:
1. Ivo Karlovic – 6 ft 11 in
1. Reilly Opelka – 6 ft 11 in
3. John Isner – 6 ft 10 in
4. Jerzy Janowicz – 6 ft 8 in
5. Kevin Anderson – 6 ft 8 in
5. Dick Norman – 6 ft 8 in
7. Chris Guccione – 6 ft 7 in
7. Marc Rosset – 6 ft 7 in
9. Juan Martin Del Potro – 6 ft 6 in
9. Victor Hănescu– 6 ft 6 in
Let’s discover the champions in more detail!
9. Victor Hănescu– 6 ft 6 in
Romanian professional player active from 2000 to 2016. He had the peculiarity of not hitting with topspin. He was also very expressionless on court. He won a few tournaments in his career and notably reached the quarterfinals of Roland Garros in 2005 before being eliminated by Roger Federer.
9. Sam Querrey – 6 ft 6 in
Sam is second. Who’s the little fourth?
Sam is an American tennis player who had an interesting career. He beat Novak Djokovic many times and reached Grand Slam semifinals. He also won tournaments on all surfaces (even in the same year).
9. Daniil Medvedev – 6 ft 6 in
Davaaaaaaaaaï
Daniil with two “i”s is a Russian tennis player with an impressive record. On the ATP circuit since 2014, he has won 10 titles. His best Grand Slam result is a final at the 2019 US Open. He has also won three Masters 1000 tournaments.
9. Marin Cilic – 6 ft 6 in
Big win
Marin is Croatian and a great server. Marin has won 18 titles on the ATP circuit including one Grand Slam (2014 US Open). He reached 3rd place in the ATP rankings in 2018. He also won a Masters 1000 in 2016. In 2013, he was suspended for doping.
9. Juan Martin Del Potro – 6 ft 6 in
The joy of living
Juan Martin is certainly the best player in this ranking. He has won 22 titles on the circuit including the 2009 US Open. He also won the Davis Cup in 2016 and two Olympic medals (silver and bronze). He reached third place in the world in 2018.
7. Marc Rosset – 6 ft 7 in
Marc and his young promising prospect
Marc is certainly not the best Swiss tennis player in history (the next generation was impressive), but he remains the first Swiss Olympic champion in tennis. Marc also has 15 singles titles and a 9th place in the ATP rankings in 1995.
7. Chris Guccione – 6 ft 7 in
Good serve included
Chris is an Australian tennis player with an honorable record. He has the distinction of hitting very powerful serves. He missed by 1.2 mph to have the fastest serve in the world (154 mph) at that time.
5. Dick Norman – 6 ft 8 in
Dick is a professional tennis player of Belgian nationality. He never won anything but was the elder statesman of the circuit from 2010 to 2013. He also reached 10th place worldwide in doubles.
5. Kevin Anderson – 6 ft 8 in
Kevin comforts a high-potential player after beating him
Kevin was born in South Africa and won 6 tournaments on the ATP circuit. He also reached 13 finals including 2 Grand Slams. In 2018, he reached 5th place worldwide. He also won an ATP doubles title with 4 finals played.
4. Jerzy Janowicz – 6 ft 8 in
Shouldn’t have made him mad
Jerzy is a Polish professional tennis player. He reached the 2013 Masters final and the Wimbledon semifinal in 2013.
3. John Isner – 6 ft 10 in
A class and a racket gap
John is an American champion who has won 15 ATP titles including the 2018 Miami Masters 1000. He reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 2018. He holds the official record for the fastest serve ever recorded (157 mph). He also holds the record for the longest tennis match in history against Nicolas Mahut. It was at Wimbledon in 2010 and the match lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes. To watch it in full:
1. Reilly Opelka – 6 ft 11 in
The joy of playing with young players
Reilly is a young American player with very promising qualities. Not only does he have a powerful serve, but he also performs well with his topspin. He is also a mobile player and ahead of the circuit giants at the same age. So far, he has only 2 ATP titles and two Round of 16 finishes in Grand Slam tournaments, but no doubt he will win many more.
1. Ivo Karlovic – 6 ft 11 in
Which one is Ivo?
Ivo is a 2m11 tall Croatian tennis player. He has been active on the circuit since 2000. In 21 years of career, he won 8 ATP tournaments and played in 19 finals. He was also a Wimbledon quarterfinalist in 2009.
The tallest female tennis players in history:
1. Eva Hrdinova – 6 ft 3 in
2. Akgul Amanmuradova – 6 ft 3 in
3. Naomi Broady – 6 ft 2 in
3. Lindsay Davenport – 6 ft 2 in
5. Maria Sharapova – 6 ft 2 in
Let’s discover the female players in more detail.
5. Maria Sharapova – 6 ft 2 in
Im not the tallest ???
Maria is a former Russian tennis player born in Siberia. She had a very successful career winning 36 singles titles and 3 doubles titles. She also won all Grand Slam tournaments including Roland Garros twice. Maria also won a silver medal at the Olympics.
3. Lindsay Davenport – 6 ft 2 in
With a young prospect
Lindsay is an American tennis player with one of the most beautiful records in the sport. She won 55 titles including 3 Grand Slams. She also won 38 doubles titles, 3 Fed Cups, and Olympic gold! She also remained number 1 in the ATP for 98 weeks.
3. Naomi Broady – 6 ft 2 in
Which one is Naomi?
Naomi is a British tennis player. She won an ATP doubles title and has the distinction of having a brother who is also a professional tennis player.
2. Akgul Amanmuradova – 6 ft 3 in
Where is Akgul?
Akgul is an Uzbek tennis player. She won two WTA doubles titles and reached the Round of 16 in Grand Slams.
1. Eva Hrdinova – 6 ft 3 in
Eva and friend
Eva is a professional tennis player. She mainly competes on the ITF circuit. She reached 5 tournament finals.
That’s it for the rankings of the tallest male and female tennis players in history.