Ten athletes were considered for this list but only five made the cut. Keep in mind, even though some of the athletes started their careers before 2000; I am only considering what they have done from the year 2000 until now. That kind of changed the dynamics of how the list was constructed. Because when you look at the totality of some of these athletes’ careers and compare it with what they did in the 2000s; it kind of diminished their legacy. Such was the case of Tiger Woods, who had a stellar career from 1996 to 2006; but went downhill after that. With that said, let’s get on the list.
1. Serena Williams (2000-present): You can’t inspire the list and not be number one. She just recently made history by winning her 23rd Grand Slam. Check her stats below
- Williams finished 2002 with a 56–5 W/L record, eight singles titles, and the world No. 1 ranking. She was the first African-American to end a year with that ranking since Althea Gibson in 1958.
- 23 Grand Slam victories most by any player in the Open Era
- 4 Gold Medals the most by a tennis player (Tied with Venus Williams)
- She and her sister Venus are Unbeaten in Grand Slam Finals Doubles Competition
- She is the only tennis player in history (man or woman) to have won singles titles at least six times in three of the four Grand Slam tournaments, and the only player ever to have won 2 of the 4 Majors 7 times each (7 Wimbledon titles and 7 Australian Open titles).
- She also holds an all-time record for the most singles matches won at the Grand Slams (man or woman) with 316 matches (through the 2017 Australian Open).
- 2007 became the first player since Chris O’Neil to win the title whilst not being seeded,
- 7 time WTA Player of the Year
- 6 time ITF World champion
- The oldest woman to hold number 1 ranking
- Only two women, Chris Evert and Babe Didrikson, have been chosen more often as AP Athlete of the Year since the annual awards were first handed out in 1931
- 6 titles after turning 30. most in history
- She is the only player in history to win all four majors at least once after having turned 30
- Serena became only the eighth woman in the Open Era to record 700 match wins in her career
- Only three active players to have won 700 or more matches in singles, the others being Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal
- 186 consecutive weeks ranked world No. 1, tied Steffi Graf‘s for most all time
- Williams became the first woman in the Open Era to win 50 matches at all four of the majors
- Only the third person in history to win each major at least three times, joining Margaret Court and Steffi Graf.
- She’s the first player to win three straight majors since she did it herself during the Serena Slam.
- 2015 won four majors in a row for the second straight time
- 8 consecutive grand slam victories in finals. Most by a female and tying Pete Sampras for most of any player
- 2015 Sports Illustrated announced Williams as their Sportsperson of the Year.She thus became the third solo woman, and first since 1983, to receive the award
- 4-time athlete of the year by Associated Press
2. Tom Brady (2000-present): His victory in this year’s Super Bowl pretty much killed any speculation about him being the best of all time at the quarterback position
- 7 Super Bowl Appearances. (Record for a quarterback )
- 5 Super Bowl Victories (Most by a quarterback)
- 4 Super Bowl MVPs (Most by any player)
- 2 NFL MVPs
- 12 Pro Bowls
- Led the league in passing 3 times
- Most postseason wins by a quarterback
- 14 division titles
- His team set a record for the longest winning streak in 21
- His team set a record for the longest playoff win streak in 10
- He has thrown more postseason touchdowns than any other quarterback in history
- More postseason passing yards than any other quarterback in history
- Most yards in a Super Bowl game
- He and Joe Montana are the only players to win multiple MVPs and Super Bowl MVPs
- He is the first quarterback to throw 50 touchdowns in a season
- He set the record for most consecutive passes without an interception
- The fastest player to 100 wins
- 2009 Comeback player of the year
Name all the person in the photo