- Sport
- Tennis
- Career
- 1947–1974
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 96.0
- Dominance
- 94.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 92.0
GOAT Rank · 15
Greatest Tennis athletes of the 1940s
This ranking uses verified career records and GOAT Rank's published model. Every listed athlete clears the data eligibility threshold.
#AthleteGOAT Score
- Sport
- Tennis
- Career
- 1940–1957
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 90.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 92.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- Tennis
- Career
- 1942–1955
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 94.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- Tennis
- Career
- 1940–1969
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 90.0
- Sport
- Tennis
- Career
- 1946–1956
- Country
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 76.0
- Sport
- Tennis
- Career
- 1949–1959
- Country
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- Tennis
- Career
- 1946–1962
- Country
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 82.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 78.0
- Sport
- Tennis
- Career
- 1940–1954
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 82.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 72.0
- Sport
- Tennis
- Career
- 1947–1956
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 78.0
- Sport
- Tennis
- Career
- 1949–1954
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 60.0
- Sport
- Tennis
- Career
- 1946–1961
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 76.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 80.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- Tennis
- Career
- 1944–1955
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 78.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 76.0
- Sport
- Tennis
- Career
- 1949–1959
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 82.0
- Honours
- 80.0
- Longevity
- 70.0
- Sport
- Tennis
- Career
- 1949–1958
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 80.0
- Honours
- 80.0
- Longevity
- 62.0
- Sport
- Tennis
- Career
- 1949–1962
- Country
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- Peak
- 86.0
- Dominance
- 70.0
- Statistics
- 74.0
- Honours
- 74.0
- Longevity
- 74.0
| # | Athlete | Sport | Country | Career | GOAT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Pancho Gonzales | Tennis | 🇺🇸 United States | 1947–1974 | 92.9 |
| 15 | Louise Brough | Tennis | 🇺🇸 United States | 1940–1957 | 90.7 |
| 25 | Doris Hart | Tennis | 🇺🇸 United States | 1942–1955 | 88.4 |
| 38 | Vic Seixas | Tennis | 🇺🇸 United States | 1940–1969 | 86.5 |
| 44 | Ken McGregor | Tennis | 🇦🇺 Australia | 1946–1956 | 85.8 |
| 52 | Mervyn Rose | Tennis | 🇦🇺 Australia | 1949–1959 | 85.3 |
| 63 | Frank Sedgman | Tennis | 🇦🇺 Australia | 1946–1962 | 84.5 |
| 94 | Jack Kramer | Tennis | 🇺🇸 United States | 1940–1954 | 82.9 |
| 96 | Art Larsen | Tennis | 🇺🇸 United States | 1947–1956 | 82.9 |
| 107 | Maureen Connolly | Tennis | 🇺🇸 United States | 1949–1954 | 82.4 |
| 109 | Budge Patty | Tennis | 🇺🇸 United States | 1946–1961 | 82.4 |
| 121 | Bob Falkenburg | Tennis | 🇺🇸 United States | 1944–1955 | 82.1 |
| 140 | Dick Savitt | Tennis | 🇺🇸 United States | 1949–1959 | 81.1 |
| 206 | Althea Gibson | Tennis | 🇺🇸 United States | 1949–1958 | 78 |
| 236 | Sven Davidson | Tennis | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 1949–1962 | 75.4 |
Compare the leaders
Pancho Gonzales vs Louise BroughRead the full methodology
Sport lists use the raw In-Sport GOAT Score. Cross-sport lists use the official competition-depth adjustment. No scores are recalculated for this page.
Read the full methodologyFrequently asked questions
How is this ranking calculated?
Five verified components are weighted consistently: dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.
Who is included?
Only verified athletes with sufficient career history, metrics, honours and independent sources are eligible.
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