Category: Tennis

Top 10 Most Dominating Athletes in the Past 20 Years

Awards, Basketball, Boxing, College, Football, Golf, Media, NBA, NCAA, NFL, Olympics, PGA, Rivalry, Sports, Tennis

A few days ago, Colin Cowherd gave us his list for top ten most dominant athletes in the last 10 years. His influence came from ESPN the magazine when they decided to list their most dominant athletes in the past 20 years to celebrate their 20 year anniversary. His list consists of Floyd Mayweather, Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, LeBron James, Lionel Messi, Tom Brady, and Barry Bonds. I respect Colin’s list but I don’t agree with it. Ultimately, his list influenced me to create my own with the assistance of my good friend D.Reed. The list is completely unbiased and each ranking is based on accolades during their dominance in this 20-year window. Some of the athletes that didn’t crack the top ten include Kobe Bryant, Derek Jeter, Sidney Crosby, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Peyton Manning. Let’s take a look.

10) Maya Moore

  • WNBA champion (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017)
  • NCAA champion (2009 and 2010)
  • WNBA Finals MVP (2013)
  • WNBA MVP (2014)

9) Jimmie Johnson

  • Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2016)

8) Roger Federer

  • 97 Career wins, 20 Grand Slam wins
  • Australian Open champion (2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2017, 2018)
  • French Open champion (2009)
  • Wimbledon champion (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2017)
  • US Open champion (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)

7) LeBron James

  • NBA champion (2012, 2013, 2016)
  • NBA Finals MVP (2012, 2013, 2016)
  • NBA Most Valuable Player (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013)
  • 7 Straight Trips to the NBA Finals (2011-2017)

6) Tom Brady

  • Super Bowl champion (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX, LI)
  • Super Bowl MVP (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XLIX, LI)
  • NFL Most Valuable Player (2007, 2010, 2017)

5) Floyd Mayweather

  • 50-0 record (27 KO)
  • Boxing Writers Association of America Fighter of the Year award (2007, 2013, and 2015)

4) Michael Phelps

  • 28 Olympic Medals (23 gold)
  • 8 in Athens (2004), 8 in Beijing (2008), 6 in London (2012), 6 in Rio (2016)

3) Usain Bolt

  • 8 Olympic Medals (8 gold)
  • 2 in Beijing (2008), 3 in London (2012), 3 in Rio (2016)

2) Tiger Woods

  • 79 PGA Tour wins, 14 Majors wins
  • Masters Tournament (1997, 2001, 2002, 2005)
  • U.S. Open (2000, 2002, 2008)
  • The Open Championship (2000, 2005, 2006)
  • PGA Championship (1999, 2000, 2006, 2007)

1) Serena Williams

  • 72 WTA wins, 23 Grand Slam wins
  • Australian Open (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2017)
  • French Open (2002, 2013, 2015)
  • Wimbledon (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016)
  • US Open (1999, 2002, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014)

The top 4 on this list are arguably the greatest of all time in their respective sports. Their level of dominance is unmatched. Their competition isn’t “cupcakes” either which makes their success much more fulfilling. Floyd Mayweather’s undefeated record is impressive, however, during the prime of his career he avoiding fighting certain opponents such as Manny Pacquiao. That fight happened 6 years too late. Tom Brady has been dominant in an era with Peyton Manning and Drew Brees. LeBron James finally got over the hump in 2011 and has been to the finals ever since. Roger Federer was dominant until injuries started to get the best of his abilities and field caught up with him. Jimmie Johnson was unstoppable from 2006-2010. Maya Moore has been sensational since her iconic days playing for UConn. She’s arguably the best female basketball player since Sheryl Miller. I’m sure this list may be different from most but I can defend every spot. Let me know what you think!

JGOOD