On the men's tour it is Roger Federer - I agree with the BBC article that says that Rafa's challenge is what was missing in order for Roger to claim the title of best ever player. This is good for the sport and at 27, he still has plenty to kick it up a few notches. It was heart breaking to see him lose today's final, but I am still a Fed-loyal..

On the woman's tour - I would tip the scale to Steffi Graf!!! No doubt about it.

I think it is important to look back on players that really changed the face of tennis, such as Boris Becker and Steffi Graff. These players turned tennis from a sport reserved for the richest people, to something everyone wanted to do, at least in Germany (their home country). Because of players like this, younger and more talented players have begun to surface and gain popularity.

Federer, Nadal, Rafa may all be popular now, but the owe it to the players of the previous generation who made the sport itself popular.

Andre Agassi! He was a child prodigy, started very young, and dreamed of playing tennis not just to win, but because he loved the sport. Just watch this video interviews below. He's the best because he followed his dreams, which were not about winning! He was passionate about it, and went ahead to follow his goals. He was different from the others, and even dressed differently. He was #1 in the world, then he was ranked #141 in the world, was able to give up a thousand times, and he kept going back because he didn't want to quit, and he wanted to be better, not just to be #1! In 1997 Agassi was the low point of his career. His wrist injury resurfaced, and he played only 24 matches during the year. He won no top-level titles and his ranking sank to World #141 on November 10, 1997. He ultimately finished the year ranked World No. 122. He worked his way back to the top, because he challenged himself to be better! He is not just a great champion, yet a great guy. He would burn the candle at both ends just because he loved the game, not because it was about winning, but about true passion for the game and continuously improving, even when times were tough! He even admits he got burned out, but he still played, and continued to play after his injury, when many would have called it quits and retired, yet Andre Agassi did not quit. In 1998, Agassi won five titles and leapt from World No. 122 at the start of the year to World #6 at the end of it, making it the highest jump into the top 10 made by any player during a single calendar year. He won five titles in ten finals and was runner-up at the Masters Series tournament in Key Biscayne, losing to Marcelo Ríos, who became World #1 as a result of winning that tournament.

Agassi avoided Wimbledon for years and came to win once.

He's a voice for under privileged children, and has a charitable foundation. I don't believe Federer or Nadal will be consider the best ever.

Read this link:

Why Andre Agassi Was the Best Tennis Player of All Time
http://www.sportingo.com/tennis/a8568_why-andre-agassi-was-best-tennis-player-all-time

The best women tennis player is Navratilova. Jean King said about Navratilova in 2006, "She's the greatest singles, doubles and mixed doubles player who's ever lived."