The Greatest Hard Court Players of the Open Era

As we are presently in the heart of the North American hard court season, it's time to take a look at some of the greatest hard court players of the Open Era.

I will take a look at the greatest male champions first, analyzing their achievements, games, and what made them great on the surface. In the next article I will focus on the great women hard court players of the Open Era.

There have been some dominant players on the surface in the Open Era, especially since the late 1970s to mid 1980s, when most grass tournaments were pulled up and replaced with low-maintenance hard courts. The rise of hard court tennis coincided with the introduction of graphite rackets and the transition to the modern power game.

The Australian Open is the most high-profile example of this. They switched from grass to rubber hard courts called rebound ace in 1987 and then switched to a medium-paced plexicushion hard court in 2007.

Ivan Lendl

Ivan Lendl is a player that has consistently been presented as the “Father of Modern Tennis” throughout the media in recent times. I can say for sure that the way hard court tennis is played today can certainly be traced back to Lendl.

Lendl won over 20 hard court titles in his career. He’s up there with the very best hard court players of the Open Era. Ivan got to eight consecutive US Open finals between 1982 and 1989, winning three straight between 1985 and 1987, defeating John McEnroe, Miroslav Mecir, and Mats Wilander.

It's also fair to say that Lendl’s losses in US Open finals were to some of the best players of the Open Era in Jimmy Connors, McEnroe, Wilander, and Boris Becker. 

Lendl also won two Australian Opens on rebound ace and was a regular winner on the American hard court circuit.

Most important of all is Lendl’s influence on the way tennis is played both tactically and technically, particularly on hard courts. Lendl had a very strong and big first serve that he used to set up his points very well by getting a short reply, which he could use to dominate the rally or end the point with a short ball he could attack. Lendl also scored many aces with that serve.

Lendl also changed his game significantly early on in the pro tour. When Lendl came on the circuit, he was initially known for a very good slice backhand—similar to many players from the 1970s who used wood racquets.

However, Lendl soon developed a superb topspin backhand, which he used to stay in rallies and to hit as passing winners when attacked by the many attacking players of that era.

With that topspin backhand, Lendl was able to cover mainly the backhand side of the court because Lendl possessed great athleticism and had the best running forehand during the 1980s and early 1990s, which he used to go down the line or crosscourt.

It’s the forehand that Lendl was most famous for, as it’s considered one of the best strokes in history. With the tactic of covering the backhand side of the court, Lendl could run around it and hit punishing inside-out forehands crosscourt or forehands down the line.

Basically a good length ball could become a fairly short ball in those circumstances, and it’s that level of tactics which made Lendl stand out as a superior tennis player. It’s also a tactic that was adopted by many great players after Lendl. However, the key to that strategy was his athleticism to quickly cover the right side of the court should the opponent go down the line to his forehand.

Lendl was also credited for taking fitness and training methods to a new level in tennis and was one of the first players to get a freshly strung racquet every time new balls were called by the umpire to take advantage of fresh strings.

Andre Agassi

Andre Agassi holds the record of the most hard court titles won with 46. Agassi won 60 titles, so three-quarters of his titles were on hard court! That ensures Agassi is one of the very best in the business.

In 1995, Andre won seven titles, all on hard court (including rebound ace).

Agassi won the Australian Open four times on rebound ace. In 1995 he won it in his debut there, defeating Pete Sampras in the final (who was defending champion). Agassi also won the title in 2000, 2001, and 2003.

Agassi also played in six US Open finals, winning in 1994 and 1999 and getting to the final in 2005 as a 35-year-old, losing to Roger Federer. Agassi also holds the record of winning Miami six times.

Agassi’s philosophy and style of play were somewhat different from Lendl’s, due to the fact Agassi is considered to have the gift of great hand-eye coordination and lightning-quick reflexes. Agassi wasn’t as athletic as Lendl, so he preferred to take the ball right on the baseline as opposed to well behind the baseline. Agassi did that to take time away from his opponent and dictate play. 

Agassi also mainly took the position down the middle of the court so he could move his opponent around and wear them out punishing them with deep ground strokes. It’s often cited that Agassi’s father Mike, who was an Iranian boxer, instilled this style and ethic in him.

Agassi was most famous for his return of serve. Due to his superior hand-eye coordination, he had the ability to take the serve and nail it often straight back at the opponent either very hard or to his feet, setting him up for a passing shot off either wing.

In fact, Agassi had a winning record against every serve volleyer / attacking player on the tour bar one player—which is one hell of a feat! Michael Stich never beat him in five matches, and the guys with the closest records were Richard Krajicek and Goran Ivanisevic. Agassi had comprehensive records against Boris Becker and Patrick Rafter.

Agassi was not only known for his hand-eye coordination and great forehand, but also a great double-handed inside-out backhand. Agassi really developed his serve to get a lot of kick because in his early years, his serve was seen as a liability, but he developed a great serve by the time of his retirement.

Roger Federer

Roger Federer has been by far the best hard court player of the Noughties (2000s). Federer won the US Open five straight times—something that may not happen again.Federer also won the Indian Wells / Miami double twice and was a multiple winner at both Cincinnati and the Canadian Open (Rogers Cup). And of course he's a 4 time Australian Open champion, winning in 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2010.

For quite a long period Federer was unbeatable on hard courts, and it's only recently that he has been challenged — for instance, by Novak Djokovic at the US Open and Australian Open in 2010 and 2011. Juan Martin Del Potro also defeated Federer in the 2009 US Open final).

In my opinion Federer took the Ivan Lendl style of play to a new level. Federer dominated points and matches with his forehand like no other player, he’s able to hit winners anywhere on the court, and he covers the left side of the court relying on his athleticism and running forehand—just like Ivan Lendl.

Federer is able to dominate with his forehand by taking advantage of the technology that’s available to the modern player. But Federer is also of his time. By that I mean that Lendl was happy to rally all day at times when he could have pulled the trigger. But with the modern tennis strings now, the philosophy is to just pull the trigger anyway! From that viewpoint, Federer employed this philosophy better than anyone.

At the same time, Federer was more than capable of staying in any extended rally with his superb topspin backhand and slice, and when attacked, Federer came up with great passing shots off both wings. But again, due to the era we are now in, Federer didn’t face too many players who went after him, so he didn’t get opportunities to showcase his passing skills as often.

Federer doesn't go to the net as much to finish off points, especially in the last three years or so, but with a forehand like that, there probably isn't any need! Federer is also a beautifully balanced player, and it seems that his game was made for hard courts.

John McEnroe

John McEnroe has something that can also be said of Andre Agassi. His unorthodox approach was unique to him, and consequently he was seen as a very gifted player.

McEnroe won the US Open four times between 1979 and 1984, defeating Bjorn Borg twice, Vitas Gerulaitis, and Ivan Lendl. In fact, McEnroe won the tournament three times in a row from 1979 to 1981.

Whilst Andre Agassi took the ball very early, many times on the half volley, McEnroe took many shots on the rise. It looked a bit different but it was very effective, and McEnroe was able to generate more power from his strokes than he is probably given credit for by today’s fans and pundits.

McEnroe had a great lefty serve and was also a change-up server, meaning that he used his serve either way for deception, always looking to score aces. He also had the best volleys along with Stefan Edberg; he was able to knock away volleys for fun. When McEnroe rallied, he often did so with a purpose, always looking to get to the net to finish off points. McEnroe wouldn’t hit baseline winners too often in comparison to some of his contemporaries. 

McEnroe was the ultimate chip and charge merchant when it came to returning serve. He really relied on his quickness and athleticism to cut off passing shots with stop volleys and overheads. He was an awesome sight when on top of his game (and not arguing with someone!).

One interesting thing about McEnroe’s style of play is that when he chipped and charged, because he took the ball on the rise well inside the baseline, he sort of bunted the ball and followed it to the net. It looked unusual but nice in its own way, and also effective, taking time away from his opponent.

Jimmy Connors

Jimmy Connors is tied with Roger Federer and Pete Sampras with the most US Open titles won. However, unlike the other players mentioned, Connors won one US Open on grass and green clay. Therefore Connors is in a class of his own. Connors also appeared in 12 consecutive US Open semifinals, which is a record.

Connors also won an astonishing number of tournaments, which is a testament to his durability. He won 109 official tournaments and countless tournaments not sanctioned by the ATP. That record is unlikely to be broken because top players retire on average at a much earlier age than in the past.

Connors' style of play was interesting because he had no big weapons, his serve was adequate, and his forehand was considered a weakness because he used a continental grip. What was in Connors’ favour was his great return of serve which was considered the best in the business. Connors also had the advantage of being left handed which gave him an edge when serving to the on the ad court (the decision court). 

But what really made Connors stand out was his competitive spirit. Connors was the baseliner who was never afraid to attack the net—he hit flat drives down the lines and was always looking to get to net to finish off points. Ion Tiriac once said of Jimmy Connors, “He’s the biggest fighter I’ve ever seen in professional sports.”

Connors was also the player who would use any means to win a match. Whether by getting the crowd on his side or undermining the umpire, he did it all.

Connors was also known for his signature shot, the sky hook, a hooked overhead shot taken after it was christened for the basketball player Kareem Abdul Jabaar, who did a similar shot when he played for the Los Angeles Lakers during that era.

Pete Sampras

Pete Sampras is up there in the all-time list of hard court titles won with Andre Agassi and Roger Federer with 36 titles. Therefore in the era of Sampras and Agassi, they won 82 hard court titles between them.

Many people have said grass was Sampras’ best surface because he won Wimbledon so often. But Sampras had always said that hard court was his favourite surface. He won the US Open five times and played in eight finals. He also won the Australian Open twice, did the Indian Wells / Miami double in 1994, and won Cincinnati and Miami three times each.

Sampras came to everyone’s attention in 1990 when he won the US Open having barely turned 19. From the fourth round onwards he beat Thomas Muster, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, and Andre Agassi back-to-back. In the final, he beat Agassi in 90 minutes of power tennis, breaking Agassi five times in the match but never broken himself.

In the semis, it was probably the most passing shots McEnroe had seen whistle past him in one match. McEnroe sums up Sampras as a hard court player in 1993 whilst commentating at the US Open when he said it was rare to see a serve and volley player with such an all-around game.

That’s what made Sampras the ultimate hard court player. On that surface he played from the net and from the baseline in equal measure, often going toe to toe with the top baseliners of the day in Agassi and Jim Courier. He had the big first serve and second serve, athleticism, and smoothness. 

He could pull off incredible half volleys and turn them into outright winners into the corners. He also enjoyed hitting stop volleys off hard-hit and dipping shots. Sampras also took on the Lendl philosophy of covering the backhand side of the court (the left side) where he would rally, but any sniff of a relatively short ball and he would run around it and hit an inside-out forehand crosscourt or forehand down the line.

Sampras developed the best running forehand in history, which he could hit down the line or crosscourt, flat or loaded with topspin if he was attacked. Unlike many players today, Sampras would hit punishing inside-out forehands to take the net to finish off points—sneaking in, as Pat Cash would call it. Because he played in an era of many attacking players, Sampras often demonstrated great passing shots off both wings against players like Pat Rafter and Boris Becker.

In the last two years of his career, Pete’s style of play mirrored his grass play. He no longer stayed back on his second serve to rally and chipped and charged on return of serve, something he hardly ever did previously. Most people put that down to the influence of his latter coach Paul Annacone, who favoured aggressive play.

Sampras’ signature shots were his swing serve down the middle on the ad court, second serve aces, slam dunk, and running forehand.