Tennis
The Best British Male Tennis Players of All Time
Britain has produced some special players to the sport of tennis. Many, if not all of them, have left an indelible mark on the tennis world and whilst the majority of their success is on the grass – British tennis players have remained competitive at all four of the male Grand Slam events.
Coach Andy Murray cheers on Novak Djokovic//Getty Images
Methodology
The ranking evaluates players based on the following criteria:
Grand Slam Titles (40%): Performance in the four major tournaments.
ATP Titles and Career High Rankings (25%): Overall career success on the ATP circuit.
Historical Impact and Legacy (20%): Influence on British tennis and global recognition.
Notable Milestones (15%): Unique achievements, such as Olympic medals or Davis Cup contributions.
As is the case with everything in the world of sports, the question of ‘who is the best’ will always enter the fray. We’ve outline the greatest male players to contribute to the game of tennis in Britain, but as for who is the best, we will leave that up to you! At least for now…
Sources Used:
·TennisPal
·Keith Prowse
Britain's Andy Murray waves goodbye//Getty Images
Rufus – a Harris Hawk – is stationed at Wimbledon to keep its sky clear of local pigeons. Rufus has more than 10000 followers on X!
Critical Consensus: Ranking the Best British Male Tennis Players
| Rank | Player | TennisPal Rank | Keith Prowse Rank | Notable Achievements |
| 1 | Fred Perry | 1 | 1 | 8 Grand Slam titles, Career Grand Slam, 3 consecutive Wimbledon wins. |
| 2 | Andy Murray | 2 | 1 | 3 Grand Slam titles, 2 Olympic gold medals, former World No. 1. |
| 3 | Tim Henman | 3 | 2 | 4 Wimbledon semifinals, 15 ATP titles, Olympic silver medal. |
| 4 | Greg Rusedski | NR | 3 | US Open finalist, 15 ATP titles, former World No. 4. |
SportsBoom MetaScale: Ranking the Best British Male Tennis Players
| Rank | Player | Grand Slam Titles (40%) | ATP Titles (25%) | Historical Impact (20%) | Notable Milestones (15%) | MetaScale Score |
| 1 | Fred Perry | 40 | 25 | 20 | 15 | 100 |
| 2 | Andy Murray | 30 | 20 | 20 | 15 | 85 |
| 3 | Tim Henman | 20 | 20 | 20 | 12 | 72 |
| 4 | Greg Rusedski | 15 | 20 | 15 | 12 | 62 |
Here is a complete list of the greatest British male tennis players of all time.
1. Fred Perry
Starting out as someone pretty much obsessed with table tennis, Perry only turned his attention to tennis later in his life. He, nevertheless, excelled in the sport and went on to become one of Britain’s greatest players.
He’s won a total of eight Grand Slams and six major doubles titles throughout his career. Most notably, he has won Wimbledon a hattrick of times! What would have surely been his crowning moment, Perry lifted the Wimbledon title in 1934, 1935 and 1936. These outstanding achievements led him to claiming a world number one spot.
2. Andy Murray
The man at the heart of Britian’s modern era, Andy Murray dominated British tennis for the better part of two decades. Claiming three Grand Slam titles – two of them coming by way of Wimbledon – Murray’s relentless approach to his game has seen his name hailed by British tennis history.
Now, Murray’s playing days have come to an end. However, he is (at the time of writing) Novak Djokovic’s coach, accompanying the 10x Australian Open winner through the 2025 tournament!
3. Tim Henman
A player close to the hearts of the British tennis community, Henman managed to win 15 ATP titles during his professional career. Although never managing a Wimbledon win, Henman managed to reach the top 30 ranked players and was granted a wildcard entry into the tournament.
Glory was finally his when he managed to win a silver medal at the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta. During the same year he was the number one ranked British tennis player on the tour.
4. Greg Rusedski
Greg Rusedski is yet another household name in British tennis. The Canadian-born player took a particular liking to the serve-volley aspect of the game and found a great deal of value through this approach. Although he suffered from various injuries, he spent around 98 weeks as Britain’s No.1 player.
Interestingly, many fans in Britain didn’t acknowledge Rusedski as British, given that he was born in Canada. It wasn’t until he became an absolute force on the tour that he began to receive the welcoming of the British fans.
SportsBoom Suggests
- Fred Perry will remain a household name for British tennis. The former world number 1, who won 10 majors which included eight Grand Slams, gets our nod of approval!
- Andy Murray is arguably the Great Britain’s most successful modern player. Standing on the shoulders of giants like Fred Perry, Murray made the game all the more accessible to a modern audience. He is another one of our solid picks.
- Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski have both got respectable claims of their own. Henman was for a long time, the light at the end of the British tunnel. He was the first Brit to reach the final four of any Grand Slam and reached as high as number four in the world! For Rusedski, many doubters pointed out his Canadian background…but this soon dissolved when the big server started to rack up wins.
Britain has a rich tennis history. One which sees its golden thread run throughout the game’s history. From the elegance of timelessness of Wimbledon, the authenticity of Perry and the modernism of Murray with everything in-between, Great Britain can be proud of their effect on this grand ol’ game.
Ryan Liberty is an experienced sports writer whose articles have featured in some of the biggest sports publications in South Africa. With a strong understanding of all major sports and an in-depth understanding of betting, Ryan consistently delivers insightful content. He's also known for his ability to break down complex topics into engaging, reader-friendly pieces.