Top 10 Tennis Players with the Longest Careers in Age; Two are Still Active
Tennis is one of the most watched and celebrated sports on the planet with year round tournaments and some of the top athletes of the world showcasing brilliant skill sets on the court. The game is not just physically compulsive but demands more mental strength and patience and tests your agility with the years of experience that puts one through wins and loses.
Only a handful of the thousands make it to the professional level and even odd numbers make it to the table top and find the grit in themselves to sustain the position. Apart from the pressure on and off the court, players are put through a tough physical regime that makes them work and hustle for months to prepare for a tour.
Many top seed players start young and carve a way for themselves but only few make a name for themselves with consistency and managing their form even after some tough years. Here are some of the legendary Tennis players who have played for the longest years and their stats.
Top 10 Tennis Players with the Longest Career Span
| No. | Player | Age at Final Match / Current | Career Span | Highest Ranking | Format | Notable Titles / Stats |
| 1 | Martina Navratilova | 49y 326d | 1975–2006 | No. 1 (Singles & Doubles) | Both | 59 Grand Slam titles (18 S, 31 D, 10 XD), 2,189 match wins |
| 2 | Billie Jean King | 47 | 1968–1990 | No. 1 (Singles & Doubles) | Both | 39 Grand Slams (12 S, 16 D, 11 XD); pioneer of WTA and equal pay |
| 3 | Kimiko Date | 46y 364d | 1989–1996, 2008–2017 | No. 4 (Singles) | Singles | 22 WTA titles; comeback at age 37 and competed until 46 |
| 4 | John McEnroe | 46 | 1977–1992, doubles until 2006 | No. 1 (Both) | Both | 7 Grand Slam singles, 10 doubles majors; legendary Davis Cup star |
| 5 | Ken Rosewall | 46 | 1953–1980 | No. 1 (pre-ATP era) | Singles | 18 Grand Slams (8 majors, 10 pro majors); oldest Slam finalist at 39 |
| 6 | Jimmy Connors | 43 | 1972–1996 | No. 1 (Singles) | Singles | 109 ATP titles (record), 8 Grand Slams |
| 7 | Rohan Bopanna* | 43y 326d (Still active) | 2003–present | No. 1 (Doubles, 2024) | Doubles | Oldest ATP No. 1; 1 Grand Slam (2023), multiple Masters titles |
| 8 | Feliciano López | 43y 8m 27d | 1997–2023 | No. 12 (Singles), No. 9 (Doubles) | Both | 7 singles titles, 6 doubles, record ATP appearances |
| 9 | Ivo Karlović | 42–43 | 2000–2021 | No. 14 (Singles) | Singles | 8 titles; over 13,500 aces; oldest ATP finalist (age 41) |
| 10 | Novak Djokovic* | ~37y 9m (Still active) | 2003–present | No. 1 (Singles – record 428 weeks) | Singles | 24 Grand Slam titles; most major wins after age 30 |
*- Still Active
