The 90s were undoubtedly filled with great talents. In our previous videos,
we talked about players like Agassi, Chris Evert, Ivan Lendl, and many others.
Here are the tennis stars of the 90s (part 3).
Venus Williams
Venus might have won a lot more Grand Slam championships if she hadn't had
to face off against her sister Serena. Her sister was like a better version of her.
Serena defeated her sister in seven out of the nine times
the two have faced off in a Grand Slam final.
While Venus's career has been plagued by injuries,
there's no denying that in the early 2000s, she dominated the tour.
She achieved four of her seven Grand Slam championships between 2000
and 2001. And ultimately earned the top spot in the world in 2002,
a position she held on three different occasions.
Wimbledon was Venus' favorite court as she has won five titles there, the most recent coming in 2008.
Currently, Venus has stopped competing because of an autoimmune disease that
lowers one's energy levels, making it very hard to engage in sporting or physical activity.
The syndrome is also linked to other illnesses such as arthritis and lupus. With this new
condition, Venus was unable to play to her full potential on the field, so she had to quit
and work on getting better because she could not perform as needed when on the field.
Many of her fans support her decision, despite the fear and disappointment.
And we are hoping she can battle the illness and return to the court. It seems very unlikely,
but we'd love to see her play again just once.
While she takes a break from the sport,
her other endeavors continue to succeed and are worthy of discussion.
Now to the next star we felt deserves a place on this list.
Justine Henin Henin, known for
her mental and physical strength, was one of the most athletic women ever to play the game.
Despite her small frame, she packed a powerful punch and played a fully complete game that
included a powerful serve and a forehand shot that she delivered with both power and accuracy.
She was known as one of the best volleyers in the game,
and she was as comfortable at the net as from the baseline.
She won both the US Open and the French Open in 2003,
rising to the top of the world rankings. Henin earned her maiden Australian Open championship
and the Gold Medal in the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
She won seven Grand Slam titles in her career, but she retired abruptly in 2008,
citing burnout from over 20 years of competitive tennis.
She had a brief comeback in 2010, which was short-lived,
and she retired for good in early 2011.
Henin has remained active in tennis through her academy and coaching since her final retirement,
and she has also given birth to two children.
In 2016, she was admitted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Serena Williams As you must have guessed,
we can't talk about Venus and not talk about the better version of
the Willaims. After turning pro in 1995, Serena has been unstoppable.
She is one of the strongest and most dominant women in the history of tennis.
Since the late 90s, Serena and her sister Venus have been a strong force in women's tennis.
They have collectively won 14 Grand Slam Doubles championships.
Serena now holds the Open Era record for Grand Slam singles titles by a tennis player,
male or female, with 23 titles, including the 2017 Australian Open.
Her game has endured the test of time and competition
admirably. Her Grand Slam victories span an 18-year period beginning in 1999,
with her most recent triumph coming at the 2017 Australian Open. Just look at the longevity.
Serena was out of competition for most of 2017 due to pregnancy,
which we think affected her numbers a little bit, but regardless, she's a legend!
Even at 40, Serena's desire to break Margaret Court's
record of 24 major slams is still alive and well.
Making the finals of the Wimbledon and US Opens in 2018 and 2019
was surely a step in the right direction,
and everything points to Serena remaining competitive even after turning 40 in 2021.
Although retirement is not in sight for her yet,
Serena has been on the verge of achieving another grand slam triumph for several years.
She was inactive for a few months after suffering a hamstring injury,
which was the reason why she excused herself from 2022 competitions in late 2021.
It wasn't until recently she participated in the 2022 Wimbledon Championships.
And as fans, we think it's time for her to call it a quit and focus on other things.
Serena is currently preoccupied with her fashion line, philanthropy,
and entertainment when she is not on the court.
The tennis world hasn't seen the last of her yet, and everyone is rooting for her to call
it a day by breaking Margaret Court's record. But the major question is will she retire with
her 23 grand slams, or will her trophy cabinet still expand? We'll leave you to answer that.
Todd Martin
Todd Martin was ranked as the number 4 male tennis player in the world at his peak.
He played for Northwestern for two years before turning pro,
won his first title in Coral Springs, FL, and joined forces with Robert Van't Hof as his coach.
In 1994, he reached the Australian Open finals before losing to Pete Sampras. Martin also
made it to Wimbledon in 1994; however, he was defeated once again in the semifinals by Sampras.
He was a member of the Davis Cup-winning squad in 1995
and advanced to the Grand Slam Cup finals. In 1996, he returned to Wimbledon but lost
in the semifinals. He has since claimed that he choked during this match,
which began a run of terrible luck that would continue nearly two years following an injury.
Martin returned to professional tennis in 1999 and reached the quarterfinals of both Wimbledon
and the Australian Open, as well as the finals of the US Open. He lost the final game of the US
Open to Andre Agassi, but his statistics were good enough for him to be ranked fourth in the world.
Though Martin was never a household name as his peers Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras,
he was a highly accomplished player who ascended through the ranks away from the spotlight.
He earned about $9 million during his career and withdrew from the professional tour in 2004.
He is currently the CEO of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Patrick Rafter
Patrick Rafter was one of Australia's best-known tennis players of all time.
He was ranked number one in the world, won two US Open titles, and finished second twice at
Wimbledon. He was also the first non-American to win the US Open since Stefan Edberg in 1995.
After spending much of his ATP career in Bermuda, Rafter returned to Australia after he retired
from the tour in 2002. He now lives in Sunshine Beach, Queensland, with his wife Lara Feltham,
a former fashion model, and their son Joshua and daughter India.
John McEnroe was such a great tennis player. He was recognized for his shot-making and volleying
skills, as well as his aggressive on-court behavior that frequently landed him in trouble
with umpires and tennis officials. Popular regarded as one of the bad boys of tennis
McEnroe has called matches on television for various sports channels since retiring in 1994. He
has also appeared in a number of Hollywood cameo roles, including “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” repeated
appearances on 30 Rock, and even a brief run hosting a game show, The Chair, on CNBC in 2004.
In 1999, McEnroe was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. He is presently
a sports analyst for American television networks like ESPN, CBS, NBC, and USA for the US Open,
Australian Open, and several ATP tournaments, as well as for the BBC in the UK at Wimbledon.
The amount of money that the BBC pays to keep team has been the subject of controversy in the past.
Now McEnroe, at 63, believes he has better control of his temper.
Conchita Martinez
At the age of 16, in her 3rd professional tournament, Martinez reached the fourth
round of Roland Garros. She won three WTA singles titles a year later.
At the age of 21, she won an Olympic silver medal
in doubles with compatriot Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in 1992 in Barcelona.
Martinez is still involved in tennis, working as a broadcaster,
event director, Fed Cup, Davis Cup captain, and recently as a coach for Garbié Muguruza.
After assisting Muguruza at the 2017 Wimbledon Championships,
Martinez took over as Muguruza's head coach in November 2019.
Michael Stitch Michael Stich can always
look back and see an impressive career he made. Not only is he the first German
professional tennis player to have won every German tournament at least once, but his resume
boasts of other athletic highlights like winning the men's singles crown at Wimbledon in 1991.
Now he has chosen a quieter life far off from the spotlight.
He has traveled enough during his career,
and now he says he simply enjoys being home with his wife in Hamburg.
He now devotes his time to charitable endeavors such as the Michael Stich Foundation,
which he founded in 1994. The project aims to satisfy children's everyday life wishes,
such as a CD player or a school bag, while raising awareness about HIV and AIDS.
The foundation conducts prevention work with schools in Hamburg,
sending doctors to speak about HIV and AIDS.
Michael also contributes to projects that help children
and teenagers in need, such as TRIBUTE TO BAMBI, where he serves on the council.
He’s now leaving a life of giving back to society, which is impressive.
Tommy Haas Throughout his tennis career,
Tommy Haas has earned numerous honors. For more than two decades, he participated on the ATP Tour,
winning 15 singles tournaments, reaching four Grand Slam semifinals,
reaching No. 2 in the world, and winning an cfor Germany.
Those who get on court with Haas these days know him as the unofficial dingles ambassador.
Haas, the tournament director of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells,
can't remember how or when he was first introduced to dingles. All he knows is that it has become
his favorite game to play on a tennis court over the last year. While he still likes and
participates in singles matches, post-retirement opponents of his caliber are difficult to find.
When he isn't playing it at his home courts at the Beverly Hills Tennis Club with a consistent group
that includes old Bollettieri Academy sparring partner and fellow tour mate Justin Gimelstob,
Haas is typically promoting dingles at other tennis facilities. He believes the game's
infectious nature will draw more attention to it, potentially increasing its popularity.
If you enjoyed this video, then you'll definitely enjoy part 1
and 2 of this video also. You can check them out!