The Most Famous

TENNIS PLAYERS from Germany

This page contains a list of the greatest German Tennis Players. The pantheon dataset contains 1,569 Tennis Players, 77 of which were born in Germany. This makes Germany the birth place of the 5th most number of Tennis Players behind Russia, and France.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary German Tennis Players of all time. This list of famous German Tennis Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of German Tennis Players.

1. Boris Becker (b. 1967)

With an HPI of 68.22, Boris Becker is the most famous German Tennis Player. His biography has been translated into 71 different languages on wikipedia.

Boris Franz Becker (German pronunciation: [ˈboːʁɪs ˈbɛkɐ] ; born 22 November 1967) is a German former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Becker won 49 career singles and 15 doubles titles, including six singles majors: three Wimbledon Championships, two Australian Opens and one US Open. He also won 13 Masters titles, three year-end championships, an Olympic gold medal in men's doubles in 1992, and led Germany to two Davis Cup titles in 1988 and 1989. Becker is the youngest-ever winner of the men's singles Wimbledon title, a feat he accomplished aged 17 in 1985. Becker is often credited as the pioneer of power tennis with his fast serve and all-court game. He is among the top ten players with the best win percentages in the Open Era. In 1989, he was voted the Player of the Year by both the ATP and the ITF. He holds a win percentage of 92.70% in Davis Cup singles rubbers, a win loss record of 38–3 and two championships for Germany. In his autobiography, Andre Agassi described Becker as the world's most popular tennis star in the late 1980s. Becker was featured at number 18 in the list of Tennis magazine's 40 greatest players of all time in 2006. After his playing career ended, Becker became a tennis commentator and media personality, and his personal relationships were discussed in news outlets. He has engaged in numerous ventures, including coaching Novak Djokovic for three years, playing poker professionally, and working for an online poker company. In October 2002, the Munich District Court gave Becker a suspended two-year prison sentence for tax evasion. He declared bankruptcy in the UK in 2017. In April 2022, he was sentenced by UK courts to two and a half years in prison for hiding assets and loans that the court required him to disclose to creditors and the bankruptcy trustee. On 15 December 2022, he was released from prison early, having served eight months, and was deported to Germany by UK authorities.

2. Steffi Graf (b. 1969)

With an HPI of 67.45, Steffi Graf is the 2nd most famous German Tennis Player. Her biography has been translated into 81 different languages.

Stefanie Maria Graf ( GRA(H)F, German: [ˈʃtɛfi ˈɡʁaːf] ; born 14 June 1969) is a German former professional tennis player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, she was ranked as the world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for a record 377 weeks, and finished as the year-end No. 1 a record eight times. Graf won 107 singles titles on the WTA Tour, including 22 major women's singles titles, the second-most since the start of the Open Era in 1968 and the third-most of all time. She is the only tennis player, male or female, to have won each major singles tournament at least four times — a quadruple career Grand Slam. A teen phenom, Graf became the youngest-ever player to appear in the main draw of a major at the 1983 French Open aged 13. She gradually improved over the following years and emerged as the player who ended Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova's dominance on women's tennis, winning her first major at the 1987 French Open. In 1988, Graf ascended into dominance, becoming the first tennis player to achieve the Golden Slam by winning all four major titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year. The following few years saw her remain the best player in the world, but struggle with injuries and the rise of young rivals, especially Monica Seles. Following the stabbing of Seles in 1993, Graf returned to dominance on the women's tour for the next several years. Following more injury struggles in 1997 and 1998, in 1999 Graf captured her 22nd and final major title at the French Open, reached the Wimbledon final, and retired from the sport thereafter, aged 30 and ranked as the world No. 3. Notable features of Graf's game were her versatility across all playing surfaces, footwork, and powerful forehand drive. Graf's athletic ability and aggressive game played from the baseline have been credited with developing the modern style of play that has come to dominate today's game. Billie Jean King said, "Steffi [Graf] is definitely the greatest women's tennis player of all time." Graf was named the greatest female tennis player of the 20th century by the Associated Press and when asked in 2016 to name the greatest players of all time, Serena Williams answered Graf and Roger Federer. Graf was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004. Along with Boris Becker, Graf is considered instrumental in popularizing tennis in Germany. She has been married to fellow tennis player Andre Agassi since 2001. They have two children.

3. John McEnroe (b. 1959)

With an HPI of 66.79, John McEnroe is the 3rd most famous German Tennis Player. His biography has been translated into 65 different languages.

John Patrick McEnroe Jr. (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 170 weeks, and as world No. 1 in men's doubles for 269 weeks (third-most of all time). He is one of two male players (alongside Stefan Edberg) to have held both No. 1 rankings, and the only one to hold both simultaneously. McEnroe was best known during his playing career for his shot-making and volleying skills, his rivalries with Björn Borg and Jimmy Connors, and his confrontational on-court behavior, which frequently landed him in trouble with umpires and tennis authorities. McEnroe won an Open Era record 155 career titles: 77 in singles and 78 in doubles. This includes seven singles majors (four at the US Open and three at Wimbledon), nine men's doubles majors, and one mixed doubles major. McEnroe is the only male player to win more than 70 titles in both singles and doubles. His singles match record of 82–3 in 1984 remains the best single-season win rate of the Open Era. McEnroe also excelled at the year-end tournaments, winning eight singles and seven doubles titles, both of which are records. Three of his winning singles year-end championships were at the Masters Grand Prix (the ATP year-end event) and five were at the World Championship Tennis (WCT) Finals, an event that ended in 1989. He was named the ATP Player of the Year and the ITF World Champion three times each: in 1981, 1983 and 1984. McEnroe contributed to five Davis Cup titles for the U.S. and later was team captain. He has stayed active in retirement, often competing in senior events on the ATP Champions Tour, where he has won 25 titles. He also works as a television commentator during the majors.

4. Gottfried von Cramm (1909 - 1976)

With an HPI of 63.23, Gottfried von Cramm is the 4th most famous German Tennis Player. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Gottfried Alexander Maximilian Walter Kurt Freiherr[A] von Cramm (German: [ˈɡɔtfʁiːt fɔn ˈkʁam] ; 7 July 1909 – 8 November 1976) was a German tennis player who won the French Championships twice, so becoming the first non American, British, Australian or French player to win a singles slam title at the 1934 French Open, and reached the final of a Grand Slam singles tournament on five other occasions. He was ranked number 2 in the world in 1934 and 1936, and number 1 in the world in 1937. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1977, which states that he is "most remembered for a gallant effort in defeat against Don Budge in the 1937 Interzone Final at Wimbledon". Von Cramm had difficulties with the Nazi regime, which attempted to exploit his appearance and skill as a symbol of Aryan supremacy, but he refused to identify with Nazism. Subsequently he was persecuted as a homosexual by the German government and was jailed briefly in 1938. Von Cramm figured briefly in the gossip columns as the sixth husband of Barbara Hutton, the Woolworth heiress.

5. Michael Stich (b. 1968)

With an HPI of 57.01, Michael Stich is the 5th most famous German Tennis Player. His biography has been translated into 38 different languages.

Michael Detlef Stich (German pronunciation: [ˈmɪçaːʔeːl ˈʃtɪç] ; born 18 October 1968) is a German former professional tennis player. He was ranked world No. 2 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), achieved in 1993, and No. 9 in men's doubles, achieved in 1991. Stich won 18 ATP Tour-level singles titles, including the 1991 Wimbledon Championships, as well as the 1993 ATP Tour World Championships and the 1992 Grand Slam Cup. He also won ten doubles titles, including the men's doubles title at the 1992 Wimbledon Championships, partnering John McEnroe, and the gold medal in men's doubles 1992 Barcelona Olympics, partnering Boris Becker. Stich was part of the victorious German team at the 1993 Davis Cup, and was also the singles runner-up at the 1994 US Open and the 1996 French Open.

6. Cilly Aussem (1909 - 1963)

With an HPI of 55.95, Cilly Aussem is the 6th most famous German Tennis Player. Her biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Cilly Aussem (German pronunciation: [ˈʦiːli̯ə ˈaʊ̯sm]; 4 January 1909 – 22 March 1963) was a German tennis player. She was the first German, male or female, to win the singles title at Wimbledon, which she did in 1931. She also won the women's single titles at the French Championships and German Championships in 1931. Aussem's coach and mixed doubles partner was Bill Tilden. They won the mixed doubles at the 1930 French Championships. According to A. Wallis Myers of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Aussem was ranked in the world top 10 in 1928, 1930, 1931, and 1934, reaching a career high of world no. 2 in these rankings in 1930 and 1931 behind Helen Wills Moody.

7. Hilde Krahwinkel Sperling (1908 - 1981)

With an HPI of 55.83, Hilde Krahwinkel Sperling is the 7th most famous German Tennis Player. Her biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Hildegard Krahwinkel Sperling (née Krahwinkel; 26 March 1908 – 7 March 1981) was a German-Danish tennis player. She won three consecutive singles titles at the French Championships from 1935 to 1937. Krahwinkel Sperling is generally regarded as the second-greatest female German tennis player in history, behind Steffi Graf. Sperling played a counterpunching game, predicated on speed, and wore down opponents. Helen Jacobs once wrote that Sperling was the third-best player she ever played, behind Helen Wills Moody and Suzanne Lenglen. She became a dual-citizen after marrying a Dane, Svend Sperling, in December 1933.

8. Alexander Zverev (b. 1997)

With an HPI of 55.41, Alexander Zverev is the 8th most famous German Tennis Player. His biography has been translated into 44 different languages.

Alexander "Sascha" Zverev (German pronunciation: [alɛkˈsandɐ ˈzaʃa ˈtsfeːʁɛf]; born 20 April 1997) is a German professional tennis player and the current world No. 2. He has won 23 ATP Tour titles in singles and two in doubles, and has been runner-up at three majors. His career highlights include a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and titles at the 2018 and the 2021 ATP Finals. Zverev is a former junior world No. 1, and won a junior major singles title at the 2014 Australian Open. He had an early breakthrough on the professional tour as well, becoming one of the youngest Challenger Tour title winners in history at the age of 17. As a teenager, Zverev won two ATP titles and upset then-world No. 3 Roger Federer on grass. At 20 years old, he became the youngest player to debut in the top 20 since Novak Djokovic. At the Laver Cup, Zverev has played an instrumental role in Team Europe's early success in the competition, winning the clinching matches in 2018 and 2019. After reaching his career-best results in 2021 and 2022, he suffered an ankle injury at the French Open, from which he recovered to re-enter the top 10 the following year.

9. Angelique Kerber (b. 1988)

With an HPI of 54.39, Angelique Kerber is the 9th most famous German Tennis Player. Her biography has been translated into 64 different languages.

Angelique Kerber (German: [ʔan.d͡ʒɛˈliːk ˈkɛɐ̯bɐ] ; born 18 January 1988) is a German former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 34 weeks, including as the year-end No. 1 in 2016. Kerber won 14 WTA Tour-level singles titles, including three majors at the 2016 Australian Open, the 2016 US Open, and the 2018 Wimbledon Championships. She also won a silver medal in women's singles at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Kerber made her professional debut in 2003 and began her rise to prominence upon reaching the semifinals of the 2011 US Open as the world No. 92. An accomplished left-handed player, Kerber first cracked the top 5 in the rankings in 2012 and would eventually become world No. 1 on 12 September 2016, becoming the 22nd and oldest player to achieve the top ranking. Following a maternity leave, Kerber retired from the sport after the 2024 Paris Olympics.

10. Oscar Kreuzer (1887 - 1968)

With an HPI of 53.09, Oscar Kreuzer is the 10th most famous German Tennis Player. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Oscar Kreuzer (German pronunciation: [ˈɔskaʁ ˈkʁɔʏtsɐ]; 14 June 1887 – 1 May 1968) was a male tennis and rugby player from Germany.

People

Pantheon has 77 people classified as German tennis players born between 1885 and 1999. Of these 77, 72 (93.51%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living German tennis players include Boris Becker, Steffi Graf, and John McEnroe. The most famous deceased German tennis players include Gottfried von Cramm, Cilly Aussem, and Hilde Krahwinkel Sperling. As of April 2024, 18 new German tennis players have been added to Pantheon including Oscar Kreuzer, Helga Niessen Masthoff, and Karsten Braasch.