Tennis legend John McEnroe once revealed who he considers the greatest player ever on each surface, offering his verdict on the best performers across every type of court.

With the four Grand Slam tournaments contested on three distinct surfaces — grass, clay, and hard courts — it takes an exceptional athlete to achieve the career Grand Slam by capturing all four major titles. Only nine men and 10 women have accomplished that remarkable milestone.

However, every surface presents unique challenges, and while some players thrive in certain conditions, others find them difficult to master. British star Jack Draper, for instance, admitted that grass is his least favourite surface, a claim that seemed justified when he recently suffered a surprising second-round defeat to Marin Cilic at Wimbledon.

John McEnroe’s Picks For Every Tennis Surface

Clay – Rafael Nadal

When discussing the greatest players by surface, McEnroe began with clay, the surface synonymous with Roland Garros. Unsurprisingly, he selected Rafael Nadal, widely regarded as the undisputed King of Clay.

The Spanish icon captured an astonishing 14 French Open titles over a 17-year period. His first triumph came in 2005, and he remained virtually unbeatable in Paris, with his first defeat arriving against Robin Soderling in one of the tournament’s biggest upsets in 2009.

Appropriately, Nadal received a special tribute at the French Open in recent years, and his footprint has been permanently displayed at Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris.

McEnroe told Inside the NBA when asked who he considered the greatest clay-court player: “Rafael Nadal, on the surface we’re going to see over the next couple of weeks, without a doubt, it’s him on clay at Roland Garros.”

Grass – Roger Federer

In much the same way that Nadal dominated on clay, McEnroe’s choice for the finest grass-court player was Roger Federer.

The Swiss maestro, an eight-time Wimbledon champion and one of Centre Court’s most beloved figures, became famous for his graceful movement and effortless style on grass. McEnroe also acknowledged another grass-court great while discussing the category, adding: “To me, Rod Laver, way back when, was my idol.”

Laver enjoyed tremendous success during the 1960s, collecting 11 Grand Slam singles titles, including four Wimbledon crowns. Nevertheless, Federer’s achievements and sustained excellence on grass placed him at the top of McEnroe’s list.

Hard – Novak Djokovic

Turning to hard courts, the surface used at both the US Open and Australian Open, as well as many tour events throughout the season, McEnroe had no hesitation in naming Novak Djokovic as the greatest ever.

Speaking with Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley during an appearance on their programme, he said: “The best hard-court player of all time would be Novak Djokovic.”

The Serbian superstar owns a record 24 Grand Slam singles titles, with 14 of those coming on the hard courts of Melbourne and New York. Even at 39 years old, Djokovic continues to challenge for major trophies. His versatility across all surfaces and multiple victories at every Grand Slam underline his greatness.

All three selections as the greatest players on their preferred surfaces seem fitting, considering Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic collectively dominated men’s tennis for well over a decade-and-a-half.

Aston Villa are eyeing up a summer move to add FC Barcelona star Ferran Torres to their squad, according to TEAMtalk.

Unai Emery’s side claimed a spot in the Champions League for next season after finishing fourth in the Premier League, while the team also ended a 30-year trophy drought by defeating SC Freiburg in the Europa League final.

Now the club are keen to strengthen their squad further and ensure they are capable of competing at the highest level once again, and a new forward is being eyed up to add more firepower to the side.

Aston Villa Eyeing Torres Deal

Torres, who has been described as a ‘killer in the box’, has just enjoyed the best goalscoring season of his career at the Camp Nou, netting 21 goals and registering three assists as he helped the club to a second consecutive La Liga title.

The Spain international is now entering the final 12 months of his contract with the club, and while Barcelona are considering offering him a new deal, the player is understood to be ready to move unless he receives assurances over his playing time.

Barcelona have already completed a £70m deal for winger Anthony Gordon this summer, while they are also keen on deals for Julian Alvarez and Marcus Rashford. Despite allowing Robert Lewandowski to depart at the end of his contract, should those deals be completed, it raises questions about where in the pecking order Torres would be.

As a result, Aston Villa are among the clubs showing a strong interest in the Spain international, with Emery understood to be a huge fan of the player and his ability to play across the front line.

It’s unclear how much he could cost, but Barcelona could look to cash in on Torres to help balance the books, and Villa are ready to pounce.

Torres a Tammy Abraham Upgrade

Villa knew that they needed attacking reinforcements back in January, and they completed a deal to bring in Tammy Abraham as cover and competition for Ollie Watkins up front.

Torres is good enough to come in and potentially take that starting spot from Watkins, but he is also capable of playing out wide, which could help him to replace Morgan Rogers or Jadon Sancho, should their futures lie elsewhere.

Emery is a big fan of the player, and Torres has Premier League experience too, which should make this deal a no-brainer if he does become available.

As the eagerly anticipated clash between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury nears, former champion Duke McKenzie has urged The Gypsy King to avoid one name.

Following a 15-month layoff, Fury returned to the ring to take on Arslanbek Makhmudov earlier this year, where he cruised to a unanimous decision victory. It was a much-needed boost heading into a busy year, especially after the two defeats to Oleksandr Usyk.

Following Fury’s win over the Russian, it was announced that he would take on Joshua later this year, with both men looking for a warm-up bout first of all over the summer. Joshua’s plans have already been announced, with him taking on Kristian Prenga on the 25th of July. Fury will likely follow suit, but McKenzie thinks he should look past one name that is being floated around.

Tyson Fury Urged to Avoid Particular Heavyweight

Speaking to talkSPORT, McKenzie was asked about a potential match-up with Andy Ruiz Jr. The Mexican, of course, shocked the world back in 2019, as he stopped Joshua in the seventh round, in front of a packed-out Madison Square Garden.

However, McKenzie is adamant that he is NOT a boxer that Fury should be considering as a warm-up fight for the Joshua bout at the end of the year.

“What he does need is somebody tall and rangy. Joshua, I’m talking about, and Fury is going to have to go down the same road,” he said.

When looking to prepare for the Joshua encounter, it is evident McKenzie can’t see much of a reason for the fight. Since the AJ rematch, Ruiz Jr has only been in the ring three times, most recently drawing with Jarrell Miller back in August 2024.

Tyson Fury’s Next Fight

Outside the proposed bout with Ruiz Jr, Fury himself has teased a return for August in Dublin. He recently took to social media to post a video of him training in Thailand, with the caption: “Let’s go August 1, Dublin, Ireland.”

Being prepared for one of the most eagerly anticipated boxing matches in history will be key, especially as both Fury and Joshua have been away from top-level action for so long.

Joshua’s last encounter was back in December, when he broke Jake Paul‘s jaw. After being involved in a fatal car crash, his future in the sport was up in the air.

The Fury mega-fight at the back end of the year could be one of his last fights, and what a way it would be to end it. A sold-out stadium, with two of Britain’s biggest stars finally going head-to-head, after years of build-up.