French newspaper L’Equipe recently came up with the list of most influential tennis stars the game has witnessed
Swiss genius Roger Federer leads the pack among the list of most influential tennis stars according to French newspaper L’Équipe.
With 20 Grand Slam titles to his name, Federer is one of the most distinguished names on the sport, who is considered as one of the all-time greats. Also, he is one of the sports personalities on the planet with a huge fan following behind him.
Such has been the 38-year-old’s influence on the game that he leads the list that also includes other tennis stars such as Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
According to L’Equipe, Federer grabs the pole position due to his influence and the power that he holds in the decision-making process involved within the sport.
A clear example of this was evident just recently when he had an appointment with co-star Nadal in Indian Wells to talk about the departure of Chris Kermode in the ATP.
Following Federer in second place is American tennis great Serena. She is the second-highest Grand Slam winner in the sport of tennis with 23 Majors to her name. She is only one short of former Australian legend Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles wins.
Serena, according to the French media stands out due to her fights on and off the court. The American, over the course of her career, has always been vocal and defended the rights of the black community.
World No.1 Djokovic third in the list
Current World No.1 Novak Djokovic comes third in the list behind Federer and Serena.
The Serbian, who has 17 Grand Slam titles to his name occupies this position due to his on-court rivalries with Federer and Nadal, the other two stars in the ‘Big-Three’ category, over the last decade.
He is also an influential person, who is at present the president of the players union. Nadal, on the other hand, grabbed the fourth spot only.
Despite being one of the biggest names in tennis, Nadal is a little behind in the list due to his disinterest in making decisions and holding onto positions in the tennis world.
Meanwhile, Craig Tiley, director of the Australian Open, retired professionals and legends Billie Jean King and John McEnroe also come in the list of influential tennis stars.
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