Famous Australian tennis players

Born in Rockhampton, Queensland, on 9 August 1938, Rod Laver is widely regarded as the greatest Australian tennis player in history.

He is the only player to have won all four Grand Slam tournaments in a single year twice — first in 1962 and again in 1969.

Throughout his career, Laver won 184 tournaments. Although the ATP rankings did not exist until 1973, and he was never officially ranked world No. 1, he was widely recognized as the best player in the world for several years.

On court, he was known for his agility and powerful shot, with his topspin being a standout feature. Nicknamed The Rockhampton Rocket, he retired in 1979.

Despite his frail appearance — he was ironically nicknamed Muscles — Ken Rosewall became one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Though he lacked raw power, he made up for it with exceptional mobility and agility, and his backhand became his most dangerous weapon.

Over the course of his career, he won the Australian Open four times and was twice a finalist at both Roland Garros and the US Open. He also helped Australia win four Davis Cups, with the last two victories coming 20 years after the first.

Known for his modest lifestyle while travelling, Rosewall retired in 1980.

Born in Albury on 16 July 1942, Margaret Court is widely regarded as the greatest female tennis player in Australian history — and one of the greatest in the world.

She holds the all-time record for Grand Slam singles titles with twenty-four, including eleven Australian Open, five Roland Garros, three Wimbledon, and five US Open championships.

That’s just in singles — in doubles and mixed doubles, she claimed many more, bringing her total Grand Slam titles to 64. Remarkably, she remains the only player in tennis history to win every possible title at all four Grand Slam tournaments. Nicknamed The Amazon for her powerful game and dominant presence, Court retired in 1977.

Born in Brisbane on 30 March 1984, Samantha Stosur was an outstanding doubles player, forming a strong partnership with North American Lisa Raymond. Together, they won the US Open in 2005 and Wimbledon in 2006. Stosur also won the 2019 Australian Open doubles title alongside her Chinese partner Shuai Zhang.

Besides her success in doubles, Stosur is an excellent singles player. She won the US Open singles title in 2011 and claimed nine WTA tournament victories, including three wins in Osaka and one in Charleston.

Like Rosewall, he was born in Sydney on 23 May 1944. Athletic and powerful, he was the last great Australian tennis star of the 1970s and 1980s. Over his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles: three at Wimbledon and two each at the US Open and Australian Open.

However, he never won Roland Garros, where he never got past the quarterfinals. Still, he did win twice in doubles at Roland Garros—once with fellow Australian Tony Roche and once with Dutch player Tom Okker. The pair with Roche is considered one of the best doubles teams ever, winning 12 Grand Slam tournaments together. He also helped Australia win five Davis Cups.

Known for his charisma and his famous moustache—reportedly insured for $1.981 million—he retired in 1981.

Born in Griffith, New South Wales, on 31 July 1951, she was one of the great tennis players of the 1970s and early 1980s. In singles, she won four Australian Opens, one Roland Garros, and two Wimbledons. However, she never won the US Open, despite reaching three finals—one of which she lost to fellow Australian Margaret Court, whom she also partnered with for several years in mixed doubles. She retired in 1983.

The last great Australian tennis talent was born in Adelaide on 24 February 1981 and reached his peak in the early 2000s. In 2001, he won the US Open, followed by a Wimbledon victory in 2002. He also claimed the ATP World Tour title in both years. In addition, he won two Masters 1000 titles, two ATP 500 titles, and 22 ATP 250 titles.

He held the No. 1 spot in the Association of Tennis Professionals rankings for eighty weeks. Notably, he was the youngest player ever to reach that position, achieving it at twenty years and eight months old. He also became the youngest player to win an ATP tournament, triumphing in Adelaide in 1998 at just 16 years and 10 months old. After several seasons plagued by injuries, he retired in 2016.

Born in Mount Isa, Queensland, on 28 December 1972, Rafter holds some interesting records. He spent the least amount of time as number one in the Association of Tennis Professionals rankings—just one week in 1999.

But that doesn’t mean he was a mediocre player. Far from it. He won the US Open two years in a row (1997 and 1998) and reached two Wimbledon finals. He also claimed ATP Masters titles in Canada and Cincinnati, alongside several other tournaments.

He retired in 2002, still ranked seventh in the ATP rankings, after a serious injury and, in his own words, losing interest in professional tennis.

This player is the youngest on our list, born in Ipswich, Queensland, on 24 April 1996. She paused her tennis career before reaching the heights of Australia’s most famous players.

In 2014, right after being eliminated in the first round of the US Open, she decided to quit tennis and pursue professional cricket in Australia. She was only 18 at the time. Fortunately, just 24 months later, she returned to tennis.

Since then, she has steadily improved. She won WTA singles titles in Kuala Lumpur, Nottingham, and Zhuhai. Partnering with North American Coco Vandeweghe, she claimed her first Grand Slam doubles title at the 2018 US Open.

Shortly after, she entered the top 10 in the rankings. In 2019, she achieved her biggest victory yet—winning Roland Garros by defeating Czech Marketa Vondrousova in the final. Following this and her win in Birmingham, she rose to number one in the rankings.

She became only the second Australian woman to reach this milestone, after Evonne Goolagong, whom we mentioned earlier.

Like the previous player, he is still active, being only 30 years old (born on 27 April 1995 in Canberra), yet he is already one of Australia’s most famous tennis players. He first gained attention in 2013 by winning the Australian Open junior title.

Turning professional in 2014, he made a stunning debut by defeating Rafael Nadal in the Wimbledon knockout stage before he was even 20. Since then, he has become one of the brightest prospects in world tennis. Although he has not yet won a Grand Slam, he has claimed several titles on the ATP World Tour 500 series, including Tokyo, Acapulco, and Washington, along with some ATP World Tour 250 Series wins.

In summary, these are some of the most famous Australian tennis players in history. While some have long retired, others continue to compete, all contributing to the rich legacy of Australian tennis.