Sports Stars Name Their Favorite Tennis Players

By Scoop Malinowski

Many sports figures are avid tennis fans. Over the last 15 years I’ve been able to talk with a few about their favorite players…

Roy Jones Jr.: “Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras. True competitors.”

Sammy Sosa: “Agassi. He’s tough, plays with the intensity to win.”

Deion Sanders: “Agassi. He’s got flair.”

Ted Williams: “Sampras, Lendl, Chang. I like to watch Chang play, ‘The Little Man.’ Lots of ‘Go’ with him. He hammers it away with the best of ’em.”

Nick Van Exel: “My man was Borg. Then Pete Sampras.”

Bret Boone: “Martina Navratilova. I always liked watching her. If she’s on, I always keep it on.”

Marty Cordova: “Agassi. He’s from Vegas too. Friend of mine. Back in the day, we used to get together, drink beers and play ping pong.”

Janet Evans: “Monica Seles. I met her in 1991. She came to watch the world swimming championships in Perth. We talked about our favorite things to do – shopping! The thing I remember about her is she seems to have that drive and determination. I respect that.”

Reggie Miller: “Pete Sampras. Total domination of his sport. I think he’s the best thing for tennis, he doesn’t say a lot but he just goes out there and takes care of business.”

Bryan Trottier: “John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg. There’s a higher level of concentration in individual sports. I paid a lot of attention to them.”

Chris Byrd: “Monica Seles. I liked her for a long time. When I play I try to grunt like her. I mean when I TRY to play [smiles].”

Gordie Howe: “Chris Evert. So pretty. I always admired her. She was really tremendous.”

David Duval: “Pete Sampras. He seems to have an unbelievable work ethic. And he’s always fighting, you know?”

Vijay Singh: “The top players in the major tennis tournaments are always nice to watch.”

Rebecca Lobo: “Agassi, Navratilova. Anyone that plays with a lot of passion, plays with a lot of heart.”

Carl Lewis: “Andre Agassi, Monica Seles.”

Wladimir Klitschko: “Roger Federer. I met him at an awards event, he’s a simple, not compicated person.”

Juan Pablo Montoya: “I love tennis players. Martina Hingis. The Williams sisters. Fitness wise, really impressive. Sampras. Agassi. Tennis players are really impressive.”

Annika Sorenstam: “Bjorn Borg was always my hero. Because I grew up playing tennis and I think he had great sportsmanship so I picked him. Today I like Agassi, he’s got great fire.”

Manny Pacquiao: “Federer.”

Mary Lou Retton: “Pete Sampras. Fantastic. Not only #1 for years but he’s a good person. He stands for something good. I like that.”

Amy Van Dyken: “Lindsay Davenport. We were in the Olympics together and I got to meet her. So it’s kind of like I have a tie to her.”

Mike Richards: “Federer, Nadal.”

Gordie Howe: "I always admired Chris Evert"

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