Gaileen Sutton

Modern tennis has gone through many changes, and the’80s were the years that served as the transition for this. Racquets quickly went from wooden ones to graphite ones, and much more happened as well.

I’d like to take a trip down memory lane by writing about my favorite five’80s tennis players. These all come down to my personal preferences and they’re not based on merit. Nonetheless, I’ll be curious to see how these compare with yours.

Bjorn Borg. The Swedish maestro who may be referred to as the best to ever play the game had his career lasted just a little bit longer.

Next on my list is Stefan Edberg, whose career began in the’80s and lasted into the’90s. The Swedish net player was one of the best volleyers in the history of the sport, and one of the last pure volleyers as well.

Boris Becker. Ah, the jump serve. Becker popularized this method of serving in the’80s, and just about everyone I knew tried to emulate it in their own way. Becker was a true warrior on the tennis court, and I’m a big fan of what he did for the sport.

While he wasn’t exactly a fan favorite, I absolutely love what Ivan Lendl did for the sport. He sat atop the rankings for longer than anyone before him in modern tennis had, and he won more tournaments than one could possibly dream of winning today.

At number one on my list is John McEnroe. His personality and his talent were both top notch, and he played the sport with all of his heart. McEnroe may very well be the most beloved American tennis player in the history of the sport.

There are many more classic’80s tennis players than the ones mentioned here. Guys like Mats Wilander, Andre Agassi (though he was more’90s), Jimmy Connors, and many others rounded out a classic decade of tennis and brought just as much enjoyment to the sport.

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