The Biggest "What If's" In Tennis History! 

Seles stabbing was the biggest carrier destroyer in tennis history. Graf got a clear road afterwards.

At the rate Monica was going she was rapidly racking up grand slams. She had become number one, she was beating Steffi every time they met until the stabbing. She probably would have been ahead in grand slam titles if not for that incident.

The only IF in tennis is Monica Seles. The trajectory of her career was cut short not by any sport- related injury, or by being banned or not being allowed in a tournament because of personal beliefs.

Seles never got justice. And for me, she was and will always be better than Graff. I found the German's behavior after the attack absolutely abhorrent!

No "What If", no nothing. Seles is the actual GOAT of the WTA tour history - by an overwhelming gap!

Seles would have been the GOAT. Her percentage in those early years was crazy. She made a successful transition from juniors, where she also dominated, to WTA. The only way to stop her was an attack on her life. So yes, Steffi's accomplishments are great, good for her, but they come with an asterisk. Now another Serbian player overtook her record of most weeks at # 1. Some kind of small revenge. Just to add - only Gabriela Sabatini voted for Monika's ranking to be protected.

No stabbing = Seles 20 grand slams, Graf 16

The fact that Novak has a "what if" case is mind boggling 🤯

5:02 - I think this is missing Novak's most likely Slam taken through covid - Wimbledon 2020 being cancelled

Life really is unfair.

Agassi was never "in love" with tennis in the same way many greats were. He had an incredible aptitude for it, and was forced to play by his father. He had a fantastic career, especially for someone who had to find their own identity on and off the court

My two 'pre-open' choices would be: What if Rod Laver had never been barred from playing majors for 4 years. What if Maureen Connelly never had her riding accident.

Graf and Seles are both legends and they would have been both legends. The attacker didn’t achieve a thing, except robbing us of a great rivalry.

Amazing video mate :) always love talking these "What If" discussions

Andy Murray was not right there with the Big 3. He was clearly better than all the other players, but make no mistake, he was closer to the rest than he was to the big 3. All of the big 3 has at least 17+ slams more than Murray, at least double the amount of masters he has, and at least 4 more year end no.1s and 160+ more weeks at no.1. Murray has a 5-20 record (20% win rate) against big 3 in slams and 29-56 overall (34% win rate). Even before the hip injury he was miles behind them. He was a great player so lets just appreciate him for what he was.

She would have been the number 1 ever. No man or woman, not even Serena or Federer or Graf, has achieved 8 GS at 19. Such a shame.

Venus with Sjogren syndrome that started in like 2009. Venus really was only able to perform for like 10 years.

One big if too: what about if Wawrinka didn't get injured in 2017? He was a major force in the slams during the big 3 dominance. Won AO14, RG15 and USO16 always beating no.1 guys in the finals (Nadal, Djoko).

I'm a big Graf fan, but I think Seles would have been the all time best if not for.

You guys simply ignored or forgot Justin Henin … who in her prime defeated Serene n sharapova

Interesting to see what Chang would do on today’s court surfaces.

Novak is mentioned for missing a few majors for Covid, but what if Rafa didn’t miss so many majors with injuries? He missed 12 and had to withdraw from 2 more! In his career he wins 33% of the majors he enters, so maybe he gets 3 or 4 majors??

You forgot to ask * What if Rafael Nadal had not missed so many majors due to injury, what if Nadal did not have the foot issue....*?

One big "what if" is missing here: What if Jimmy Connors would not have been banned from playing the French Open in 1974? Would he have won a Grand Slam?

If Monika Seles accept to play for USA before stabbing ,everything will be different.If Djokovic accept to play for UK there will not be problems.But 30 years after Stefi Graf loose most week No1 record,detroned by serbian player

What if Dimitrov didn‘t decline in 2018

Only Rick Sánchez could answer all these questions.

Seles Forever

Borg certainly and Seles - those are the big if's. We knows how far these two could have gone

Here's another "What If": If Monica had been allowed to grunt in the 1992 Wimbledon final, she would've beaten Graf and win her Wimbledon title. Most fans know Monica was forbidden to make any noises on court in the final after Navratilova complained to the umpire about Monica's grunting in their semifinal. Natalie Tauziat also complained in the Quarters against Monica. She was most definitely affected negatively by the overblown press coverage on "Grunt Gate" during the 92 Wimbledon. Poor Monica, she basically taped her mouth shut and let Graf run her over in that final.

What if Robin Soderling hadn't gotten sick and been unable to play? Would there have been a Big 5? Would the numbers and records of the big 3 be different?

Graf still would have likely ended up with 15-18 slams even if Seles was there. I think Seles takes most of the French and Aussie Opens that Graf won post-1993, but I just don't see her winning against Graf at SW19 or in NY in that era and all things being equal, the US Opens and Wimbledons that Graf won post 1993 I think she still would have won if Seles was there. The grass at Wimbledon and hard courts at the US Open in that era were much faster than what they play on today and Seles just didn't have the footwork even in her prime compared to Graf to win on those surfaces consistently. Seles gave Steffi a much harder time on the slower surfaces like rebound ace (Aussie open) and clay.

Was that Verdasco in the photo with "the all time greats" at 10:15 ? 🙈

This peace is designed to marginalize what happened with Seles and Djokovic and dissolve it in the heap of gibberish. All those other "what ifs" are referring to the situations where players were in control and made poor decisions. "What is Safin wasn't an idiot" shall never be mentioned together with the stabbing of Seles. This list shall contain only two entries - Seles and Djokovic.

I believe bjorn borg could've had the most grand slams.. quit at 25 and had 11 grand slams.

Good morning since l started watching tennis about thirty years ago l consider Del Potro and Seles the biggest what ifs. Del Potro injuries and Seles stabbing. I would add but to a lesser degree injuries to Murray and Wawrinka.

Monica's was the most tragic ever. What a shame!!! Would have easily rewritten the history.

What if the Williams sisters focused more effort on doubles and played every grand slam throughout their careers? They would probably have won about 30 majors! 🏆

I would have add Sharapova's Shoulder injury, she was No.1 with 3 Grand Slams at 20 before the injury, after she "only" managed to won 2 in the next 12 years of her career, she got multiple surgeries on it and spend almost entire seasons with the problem and almost not playing

Great concept but the entries need a filter. It should separate those cases out of a player's control and those that are. Andy Roddick for example doesnt belong in the same list as Monica Seles. There is always a better player depending on the stage of your career and the surface. The list should consist of Seles, Djokovic, Del Potro and Murray

What if I had been athletic, talented, motivated, and properly trained? ... Couple of slams, I reckon.

Good video but suggesting that the most competitive time in tennis is with the big three or four counting Murray is nuts. The eighties to mid nineties was way more competitive. It had more guys who could and did win multiple slams in their careers. More guys who had hall of fame careers.

"What if" you guys thought to include Martina the brat Hingis! 😂😂😂 BTW, I'm no Hingis stan, but she definitely has a what if kind of career, don't you think ?!!

McEnroe would no doubt be as dominant and unbeatable as he was in his prime (84’ - ‘85) if he played in the tour these days.

Another what if I don’t think we ask ourselves enough is what if VenuS won the 2008 US Open QF with her and Serena

What if we had 2 grand slams on clay instead of 2 on hard courts. How many majors would nadal have won? Novak fans please answer 🙏 😊 💜

One of the biggest What If's wasn't included-- What if Nadal wasn't constantly injured throughout his career?? He's had to miss parts of so many seasons and so many Slams due to major injuries

Rafael Nadal said: "If doesn't exist in tennis"

On the Women's tour you can add Justine Henin, and Kim Clijsters if they had not retired young, and then came back again. Jennifer Capriati if she had not had burnout, depression and a drug problem for a while. Ana Kournikova, and Eugene Bouchard if they focused more on their tennis instead of diverting their attention to modeling so much. There is also Sharapova had she not struggled so much with injuries she could have won a lot more slams. Venus Williams if she hadn't suffered from Sjogrens Syndrome may have won a lot more slams as well. Martina Hingis as well had she not struggled with injuries as much may have won more slams, especially in doubles where she won a bunch of more slams when she came back from all the injuries.

If we're playing 'What if's with Djokovic, here's one for you. In a press conference following his quarter final defeat at the 2022 French Open, he cited the crowd's support of Nadal as a major contributing factor to his loss. So, "What if Djokovic was more likable?"

Awesome to think.. what if ?

The biggest ‘what if’ in my opinion is if Federer changed his racquet size way earlier in his career. No one else would be in the goat discussion

The game is littered with 'what ifs'. The only 'what if's' in my head are Seles and Borg. All the others are just timing and form. These two shocked and rocked the sport to its feet imho...

Seles always gonna be the biggest "IF" in tennis history!! She already won 8 slams during her teen and she's still improving her game every year. She so young and had to faced such a horrific incident, I don't think full grown adult can adjust it properly, mentally... It wasn't her choice, she was forced into it and that should be the biggest IF of all!! As for Borg not a "what if" to me, mainly it's because his retirement was a "personal choice", no one forced him, I honestly don't think he meant to be anything but just a very good player, he just doesn't have the heart for what he does, he simply lost the passion for tennis, and then he feel like to give another try, the game, the play, even the style, everyone else evolved, except him... everything about him stuck in the past, the world don't stop spinning just for you, so... go figure. Other players on this video list because of injuries should not even be a consideration, because we need to understand injury is a part of EVERY sportsman's career, how you taking care of your health and body, shouldn't be an excuse, and as for tennis player, the way the style of the play have lot to do with your injury, because why some players able to have a long career, minimize getting injured or serious injuries through the years, it's all got to do with how smart you are to keep your body in a best possible condition, alter your games to suit every period of your whole tennis career like Roger and Novak, sorry Nadal fans, even though Nadal try so hard to be healthy but he's exactly like his symbol, a bull, unstoppable, his body was damaged and his favour surface is the biggest reason that happened, so... bless him, he give so many to tennis but in the end he paid the price for his success... Anyway, all I'm saying injury not an excuse in this "what if" conversation that's all.

We missed a Federer / Nadal rivalry with the lost of Seles

Just because Djokovic has won the most slams does NOT make him the GOAT. That title belongs to Federer

I heard by Chris evert that Sabatini was the only player that voted yes for Monica!

Nole wasn't forced to miss these tournaments. It was his choice.

Maybe an unpopular opinion but I don't really consider Borg's dropoff a what-if. 25 back then was about mid career (only in recent times has age 30+ been considered the new 25). Mcenroe was in his peak, Connors was still hungry & ready to win slams again. Borg wanted to keep winning, seemed to be a perfectionist (even though of course he rarely showed anger/ emotion on court). Couldve won more slams, definitely french open 1 or 2 more years, but would he have won anything else notable, given he was burned out or whatever else? Debateable and reaching imo Everybody is sleeping on the pre-open era "what-if's", imo some players likely wouldve won 20+ slams by then if they were allowed to earn a living & play in slams

Im sorry but Novaks default in the 2020 USO was no "harsh" decision.

What if, relates to each player. What if the older generation has the advanced equipment and training and money todays players have. Always an interesting question......

If if if doesn't exist

What if every great player prior to 1968 hadn't been banned from grand slams? Pancho Gonzales, Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Don Budge, Fred Perry, Bobby Riggs, Elsworth Vines all would have won a bunch of slams, but they turned pro.

I think Murray played a very complete tennis. He could normally competing with the bigs. I was a huge becker ‘s fan. The character was his biggest problem. And he lost a wimbledon with a little injure to the wrist vs godwin. The one won by krajicek. This was his last chance. Then sampras and agassi overwhelmed him maybe even psichologically.

What if…. there were only 1 hard surface court, 1 grads and 2 clay?!?

I think Mirjana Lucic (now Barroni) will be the name with the biggest question mark for me 🥺 Seles- she would have 40 of GS 😇

The only "IF" is Seles. Managing injuries are part of their job, same as keep motivation and not retire early.

What about Gustavo Kuerten if it weren’t for injuries he could’ve won many more slams.

I love this video!!! "McEnroe's obnoxious rise" had me laughing out loud. Borg is still a legend. As phenomenal a player as Steffi Graf was... there will always be an asterisk by her name in tennis b/c of what happened with Monica Seles. Tragic. I think all the sane people know that if Djokovic hadn't been banned due to vaccination, his slam count would be 26 right now. Rafa at 21, Carlitos at 1. He would've had the calendar slam, but we were robbed of witnessing history due to politicians and a whole bunch of hysterical sheeples. I'm not even a Nole fan.

Why did you include Novak's what if? And not one concerning Rafa? He missed countless majors due to injury and would have had a chance to win some of them for sure. (Not being judgemental, just wondering)

Monica would have dominated the record books by a long shot if she hadn’t been derailed. There is absolutely no question about that. Steffi was able to rack up 22 GS titles and Gunter Parche got exactly what he wanted. It’s incredibly unfortunate.

Biggest of all gotta be Willy Vilas… imagine be the best of the year, and cannot achive enough points to get N1…🥶🥶🥶

Where's Rios?

ВЕЛИКИ!?? Незабравими, грандиозни победи!!!!

I can't phatom why you pointed Djokovic's number of slams but omitted Rafa's genetic foot condition, or Federer dealing with the slowest surfaces in tennis history during the 2008-2016 period 🤷‍♂️

German Open did not pay damages to Seles. I wonder why d stabber was given a seat behind her and no security around d players. They may have planned this all along to favor Graf.

What if the media hadn't painted Nick Kyrgios a huge villain early in his career and kept it up for ten years? What if Tennis Australia had cared about what was going on with him before he was twenty and helped him cope with all that fame? What if the ATP hadn't banned him for three months...for 'tanking' a match in which even Federer said he was beyond exhausted and hardly able to stand up? Nobody cared about him. How could he care about anything at all. Wrong colour, wrong side of the tracks.

What if Federer didn’t play with a small small racquet during his prime?

What if Sampras doesn't have Thalassemia?

Seles GOAT

Don't forget Wimbledon 2020 was cancelled. Novak was a huge favor to win it. Wimbledon 2020, US open 2020, AO 2022 and US open 2022. In my opinion he would win 2 or 3 GS.

Seles could have been the best.

One of the biggest cases isn't even menshionned... What if Nadal was less injured... He would have won a lot more majors and titles.

What if NBA players decided to play tennis instead of basketball?

Marcelo Rios was very talented, became number 1 but never one a slam.

Have to admit that both male and female GOAT are from Serbia!

Good video mahn!! Also What if Federer had got that one point and won the Wimbledon 2019, what if Nadal's back did not pull in Aus 2014 final, What if Nadal capitalised on the 5th set break on Novak in Aus 2012 final, What if Andy Murray did not injure his hip in 2017 and took few slams off Novak, then definitely Novak wouldn't be at even 22

This started out great. Seles definitely took a nose dive and Graff would not have had her run with Seles challenging her. I think Borg went out because he saw that McEnroe had his number, and his game was so different to Borg's, that it would have been difficult to dominate him, except at the French. And the fact McEnroe was ungentlemanly, was a final straw to retire to one who played with grace. Glad you picked up on the Joker not being able to compete due to asserting freedom and common sense to the Globalist Plandemic sheeple. He would have Australia (which would have taken Nadal down one) and a great shot at the US Open. But, it is plain to see what the Globalist tyranny has done to all, except the Dodo bird brains. Aside from the interesting angle (left out of your video), to the story of Agassi reading Becker's tongue for return of serve, all the rest were variations of coulda, woulda, shoulda, that could apply to many, many great players. The what if we got Laver and the Joker and all in between and who is the best? It is not only an exercise in futility, but absurd to anybody who thinks about it. Different times create different circumstances.

Monica😊

This is definitely a Novax channel. Crying for Novax missing 2-3 majors because of stupid decisions, but not mentioning Rafa's foot injury... embarrassing

What if Zverev hasn't been injured at RG 2022 semi-final ? Even if Nadal won, which wasn't sure honestly. Zverev would have surely been world n°1 as Djokovic had no points for Wimbledon and could'nt play at the US Open Series. Sascha was n°2 and first to take his place. Maybe he would have won is first slam too

Graf would not have achieved that level had Seles not been attacked. What a shame ! That man completely destroyed Seles career. He should never lived a normal life if he is still alive . Should live a life of remorse

❗ You didn't talk about the if that for me is the biggest of all: How many slams would *I* have won, if I had become a profesionnal tennis player and not a sales clerk.

❗ One of the biggest ifs of all is: how great a chamption would Maureen Conolly have become if at the age of 19 an accident hadn't ended her career? . A year ago, in 1953 she had won the calender grand slam.

What if Roger Federer was born 10 years later and had to handle Novak and Rafa their prime ;)

Too many players , should've made this a 2 parter but the saddest whatif was Seles, she would've been an equal if not better than Graf. For Borg, his reasoning told me all I need know, mentally he was not willing to be resilient to stay at the top, even though he was a great player, a kind of Federer of his age. Boris is the biggest waste, he burnt out too too early, another one with a fantastic skillset. Murray is the most overrated one of the lot, 2/3 slams he won were lucky ones. 2012 USO, Novak gave him the title as he could not be bothered to deal with the windy conditions, whereas Murray was willing to die out there. In 2016 Wimby, an injured Federer was finally beaten by Raonic, a 1 trick pony, who was then easy meat for Murray. You can't complain about injuries, fitness is all part of the game. Look at Roger, cleary injured in the pre 2016 era and also from mid 2018-2020, yet he made slam finals and semis, what a legend.

Yea, Seles. Laver in the phony ' pro ' era.... etc. right now, I'd say IF. K. Muchova had a durable pro sport capable body. She'd be good. some folks just aren't made out for it - NFL. QB. C. Pennington, NY Jets , J. Garoppolo Niners. NBA - B. Walton. baseball - super talents M. Mantle, S. Koufax.

What if federer was a woman and competed in WTA 🤯🤯

What if Chris Evert didn't skip 8 Australian Opens and 3 French Opens in her absolute prime? Easily would have racked up at least 5 more grand slams if not more. Also, what if she would have switched to a graphite racket two years earlier like Martina and everyone else? She was still competing with a wooden racket in 1984 while mostly everyone on tour had switched to the more powerful graphite racket.

The Seles cry babies are pathetic. She is great but not athletic like Graf. Stabbing or not she couldn’t hold her form as she aged. What happened was tragic for sure but to disparage Graf this way is pathetic