A new viral list ranking the top 100 athletes of all time has caught the attention of the tennis world, and former player Rennae Stubbs is not holding back. After seeing Pete Sampras ranked higher than both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, the 6-time Grand Slam champion took to social media to call the decision “laughable.”
Rennae Stubbs Slams Viral List for Ranking Pete Sampras over Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic
On Sunday, an X account named @Extra_brains posted a thread titled “Top 100 Greatest Athletes of All Time.” The top of the ranking featured undisputed cross-sport legends: Michael Jordan took the No. 1 spot, followed by Muhammad Ali, Babe Ruth, and Michael Phelps. Serena Williams was the highest-ranked tennis player, coming in at No. 7.
However, further down the thread, 14-time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras was placed ahead of both Djokovic and Nadal.
Stubbs, a former world No. 1 in doubles and tennis commentator, quote-tweeted the list: “Pete ahead of Rafa and Novak is LAUGHABLE!”
Sampras was completely dominant in the 1990s and held the all-time Grand Slam record when he retired, but the Big Three are unparalleled in the sport.
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Djokovic holds the all-time men’s record with 24 Grand Slam singles titles and the record for the most weeks spent at world No. 1. Nadal sits right behind him with 22 Grand Slam titles, including an untouchable 14 French Open titles. Both have dominated the sport across all surfaces for nearly two decades, alongside Roger Federer.
Nadal officially hung up his racket in 2024, focusing on his academy in Mallorca and enjoying retirement life. But the 38-year-old Djokovic is proving age is just a number, holding a world No. 4 ranking and competing on tour with the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Near the end of the 2025 season at the Athens Open, the Serb defeated Lorenzo Musetti to claim the championship, marking the 101st ATP Tour-level title of his career and putting him just two titles behind Roger Federer’s total of 103. In the 2026 Australian Open, he edged past Sinner in the semis but lost to Alcaraz in the final. He became the oldest man in the Open Era to reach the Australian Open final.
After his 3-set loss to Jack Draper at Indian Wells in March, he opted to skip the Miami Open and Monte-Carlo for recovery. Djokovic is currently targeting a return to the tour at the Madrid Open or the Italian Open (Rome Masters).
