Men's tennis historical player tier ranking: The Big Three stand alone, with Zverev without Thiem sparking controversy!

Off-season rankings are being eagerly carried out. Recently, a pyramid ranking of the all-time best male singles players has attracted much discussion.

In this pyramid, the Big Three are positioned at the apex. While Djokovic has now surpassed Federer and Nadal in the number of major and Grand Slam titles, most assessments still group these three together because of their special status.

The second tier includes nine players. Leading this group are the closely matched Sampras and Agassi. Other legends include the prematurely retired Borg, the only man to achieve a calendar-year Grand Slam, Laver, and four greats from the early era: Connors, McEnroe, Rafter, and Vilas. The only newcomer to this tier is the young player Alcaraz, who already holds six titles, though many fans question whether he truly merits comparison with Sampras.

The third tier features many familiar names, such as Murray, known as the fourth member of the Big Four with his three Grand Slam titles, and Wawrinka, considered the fifth giant. Several other greats are also present, including Edberg, Becker, Vilas, Courier, and Kuerten. Sinner, who has already won four Grand Slams, has entered this tier, and as he continues to accumulate major titles, his chances of moving up to the second tier will greatly increase.

Most players in the fourth tier have won one or two Grand Slam titles. This includes Safin, Hewitt, and Roddick, who were all heavily overshadowed by Federer during their era. Also here are Arthur Ashe, after whom the US Open center court is named, former Russian top player Kafelnikov, two-time US Open champion Rafter, Roswell, and Del Potro, who is widely regarded as one of the strongest one-time Grand Slam champions.

Among the fifth tier players, the only former world No.1 without a Grand Slam title is Ríos. Several one-time Grand Slam winners are also included, such as Chinese-American star Michael Chang, Croatian veteran Čilić, Austrian clay-court specialist Muster, Russian Medvedev, and coaches Federo and Moyà of Alcaraz and Nadal respectively. However, the most notable name is Zverev, who is the only player on this pyramid list without either a world No.1 ranking or a Grand Slam title.

Zverev is included, yet the first post-90s Grand Slam champion Thiem is absent. Although Zverev holds titles that Thiem does not, such as the year-end ATP Finals and Olympic singles gold, as well as more Masters titles, his position on this list still lacks full credibility. What is your opinion on this?(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Luo Cheng Qiye)