Tennis is extremely popular in Russia and has become a part of their tradition. But it was the same always. In fact, tennis was not seen as an important sport before 1990. The former president Boris Yeltsin was a patron of the game and made the game popular in the country.
Since then, Russia has slowly begun to have an impact on the game. Many great players have come from the country in the last two decades.
Let’s check on the 10 best Russian tennis players of all time. We are going to feature both male and female players based on the amount of success they had in their careers.
Best Russian Tennis Players
| Player | Pro Career |
| Maria Sharapova | 2001-2020 |
| Svetlana Kuznetsova | 2000-present |
| Vera Zvonareva | 2000-2015, 2018-present |
| Daniil Medvedev | 2014-present |
| Yevgeny Kafelnikov | 1992-2003 |
| Elena Dementieva | 1997-2010 |
| Marat Safin | 1997-2009 |
| Anastasia Myskina | 1998-2007 |
| Dinara Safina | 2000-2014 |
| Elena Vesnina | 2002-2018 |
1. Maria Sharapova
| Full Name | Maria Yuryevna Sharapova |
| Date of Birth | April 19, 1987 |
| Place of Birth | Nyagan, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Height | 6 feet 2 inches (188 cm) |
| Weight | 130 pounds (59 kg) |
| Turned Pro | 2001 |
| Prize money | $38,777,962 |
| Highest ranking | Singles: 1st doubles: 41 |
| Career record | Singles: 645–171 doubles: 23–17 |
- Grand Slam Singles Titles: 5 times (2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open, 2008 Australian Open, 2012 French Open, 2014 French Open).
- Career High Singles Ranking: World No. 1 (August 2005).
- WTA Tour Singles Titles: 36 times.
- Olympic Silver Medalist in Singles: 1 time (2012 London Olympics).
- WTA Finals Champion: 1 time (2004).
You surely were not expecting someone else to top the list, were you? Maria Sharapova is one of the greatest female tennis players ever and undoubtedly the best Russian player. She won five grand slam singles titles in her nearly two-decades-long career.
In August 2005, she claimed her position at no.1 in the ranking. She won 36 WTA tour singles titles. Sharapova was not much interested in doubles and played only forty games, while she won 645 games in singles games in opposition to 171 losses.
She has earned more prize money than any other Russian tennis player. There is only one emptiness in her successful career, and that is that she could never become an Olympic gold medalist, although she won the silver medal in singles in the 2012 London Olympics.
Maria Sharapova had tremendous power in her shots and could hit the ball very hard on both sides. Besides, she had a strong serve and could hit it with a lot of pace and accuracy. Her serve was a key weapon in her game and helped her win many free points.
With the most number of grand slams, Sharapova is undisputedly the best Russian tennis player ever.
2. Svetlana Kuznetsova
| Full Name | Svetlana Aleksandrovna Kuznetsova |
| Date of Birth | June 27, 1985 |
| Place of Birth | Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Russia |
| Height | 5 feet 8 inches (173 cm) |
| Weight | 152 pounds (69 kg) |
| Turned Pro | 2000 |
| Prize money | $25,816,890 |
| Highest ranking | Singles: 2nd doubles: 3rd |
| Career record | Singles: 670–348 doubles: 259–135 |
- Grand Slam Singles Titles: 2 times (US Open 2004, French Open 2009).
- Grand Slam Doubles Titles: 3 times.
- Olympic Bronze Medalist in Women’s Singles: 1 time (2004 Athens Olympics).
- WTA Tour Singles Titles: 18 times, including reaching world No. 2 in 2007.
- WTA Tour Doubles Titles: 16 times, including reaching world No. 3 in 2004.
- Fed Cup: 4 times (2004, 2005, 2007, 2008).
Does Svetlana Kuznetsova need an introduction? If you are a regular fan of female tennis, then you already know her. There is no way you have not seen her competing in the top tournaments. She has competed in over a thousand singles games.
Kuznetsova has won five grand slams in her career, two angles, and three doubles. She won her first singles grand slam in the US Open in 2004, a few months later than Myskina. The same year she won the bronze medal in women’s singles at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Kuznetsova started her pro career at the age of 15 and quickly became a top player by winning a grand slam in 2004. In addition, she has won 18 WTA Tour singles titles, and 16 WTA Tour doubles titles. And let’s not forget her four winnings of the Fed Cup.
So many titles! With so much by her name, she is easily one of the most successful tennis players in the world. Still, she never ranked no.1 in singles or doubles. But that does not put a shadow on her bright career.
Kuznetsova had a powerful and aggressive playing style, with a strong serve and a heavy forehand, as well as a solid two-handed backhand. On top of that, she had variety, daring to take risks, and mental toughness, which made her a very dangerous opponent.
3. Vera Zvonareva
| Full Name | Vera Igorevna Zvonareva |
| Date of Birth | September 7, 1984 |
| Place of Birth | Moscow, Russia |
| Height | 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm) |
| Weight | 132 pounds (60 kg) |
| Turned Pro | 2000 |
| Prize money | $15,567,264 |
| Highest ranking | Singles: 2nd doubles: 9th |
| Career record | Singles: 584–307 doubles: 262–166 |
- Grand Slam Singles Titles: 2 times runner-up.
- Grand Slam Doubles Titles: 4 times.
- Olympic Bronze Medalist in Women’s Singles: 1 time (2008 Beijing Olympics).
- WTA Tour Singles Titles: 12 times, including reaching world No. 2 in 2010.
- WTA Tour Doubles Titles: 11 times, including reaching world No. 2 in 2010.
- Fed Cup: 1 time (2004).
Vera Zvonarvea is a four times doubles grand slam title winner. Her career-best ranking in doubles is 9th. She did win the grand slam in a single competition but had been runner-up twice and once ranked second in female tennis ranking.
Zvonareva was born in 1984 and became a pro tennis player in 2000. Was she a great player? You bet she was. She is an Olympic bronze medalist, which she won in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She had WTA 12 singles tour titles and 11 doubles titles.
She represented Russia in the Fed Cup on multiple occasions and won the cup in 2004. She had an incredible year in 2010, when she reached two finals, though she lost both. One is to the great Serena Williams, and the other final she lost to Kim Clijsters.
Though she has not won any singles grand slam in her long career, she has 584 wins to her name. At the age of 39, she is still playing and winning matches. No doubt she is one of the best Russian tennis players ever.
4. Daniil Medvedev
| Full Name | Daniil Sergeyevich Medvedev |
| Date of Birth | February 11, 1996 |
| Place of Birth | Moscow, Russia |
| Height | 6 feet 6 inches (198 cm) |
| Weight | 182 pounds (83 kg) |
| Turned Pro | 2014 |
| Prize money | $27,949,109 |
| Highest ranking | Singles: 1st doubles: 170 |
| Career record | Singles: 288–120 doubles: 16–23 |
- Grand Slam Singles Titles: 1 time (US Open 2021).
- Grand Slam Singles Titles: 2 times runner-up (US Open 2019, Australian Open 2021).
- Olympic Silver Medalist in Men’s Singles: 1 time (2020 Tokyo Olympics).
- ATP Tour Singles Titles: 14 times, including reaching world No. 2 in 2021.
- ATP Tour Finals: 1 time (2020).
- Davis Cup: 1 time (2019.
By now, you must have been wondering why there is no man on the list yet. Well, here is one, Daniil Medvedev. He was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1996. You must have noticed that most players turn pro by the age of 16 or 17. But for Medvedev, it was 18 when he turned pro.
Daniil Medvedev might have been a late bloomer, but ever since her pro debut, he has been consistently improving. He won the US Open in 2021 only at the age of 25. He also became the no.1 in the singles ranking and held the position for sixteen weeks.
He already has 14 ATP tour singles titles to his name and also won the 2020 final. Currently, he is in the sixth position in the ranking. He has found much success in singles and so wanted to try his luck in doubles. However, that has been a disappointment for him so far.
Medvedev turned pro in 2014 and has already earned over 27 million dollars worth of prize money, making him one of the richest Russian tennis players. He is definitely going to accomplish many more accolades in his career.
With so much success in such a short time, Medvedev stands no. 4 in our top 10 best Russian tennis players ever. He is loved by his countrymen, and his biography became an overnight bestseller and has been translated into forty languages.
5. Yevgeny Kafelnikov
| Full Name | Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Kafelnikov |
| Date of Birth | February 18, 1974 |
| Place of Birth | Sochi, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Height | 6 feet (183 cm) |
| Weight | 179 pounds (81 kg) |
| Turned Pro | 1992 |
| Prize money | $23,883,797 |
| Highest ranking | Singles: 1st doubles: 358–213 |
| Career record | Singles: 609–306 doubles: 4th |
- Grand Slam Singles Titles: 2 times (1996 French Open, 1999 Australian Open).
- Career Grand Slam in Doubles: 2 times.
- Career Grand Slam in Mixed Doubles: 1 time.
- Career High Singles Ranking: world No. 1 (May 1999).
- ATP Tour Singles Titles: 26 times.
- Olympic Gold Medalist in Singles: 1 time (2000 Sydney Olympics).
- Davis Cup Champion: 2 times (1992, 1996).
Yevgeny Kafelnikov is one of the all time best Russian tennis players and also the pioneer of Russian tennis. He had accomplished pretty much everything there was for him. He became a two times grand slam singles and two times doubles, and one mixed titles winner.
He won all these five grand slams within a span of seventeen years. Kafelnikov was born in 1974 and started playing in the pro tournaments in 1992. Soon, he became number one in the singles ranking.
He has 26 ATP tour singles titles and an Olympic gold medal in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Kafelnikov was a versatile player and could adapt himself to any surface. He had a strong two-handed backhand, which he could use to hit winners or create angles.
Kafelnikov was a smart and tactical player who could read his opponent’s game well. His mental toughness and solid nerve would assist him in toying with his opponents.
6. Elena Dementieva
| Full Name | Elena Viacheslavovna Dementieva |
| Date of Birth | October 15, 1981 |
| Place of Birth | Moscow, Russia |
| Height | 5 feet 11 inches (180 cm) |
| Weight | 143 pounds (65 kg) |
| Turned Pro | 1998 |
| Prize money | $14,867,437 |
| Highest ranking | Singles: 3rd doubles: 5th |
| Career record | Singles: 576–273 doubles: 152–86 |
- Olympic Gold Medalist in Singles: 1 time (2008 Beijing Olympics).
- Grand Slam Singles Finalist: 2 times (2004 US Open, 2010 French Open).
- WTA Tour Singles Titles: 16 times.
- Career High Singles Ranking: World No. 3 (April 2009).
- Fed Cup Champion: 2 times (2004, 2008).
Elena Dementieva is perhaps one of the finest players in the world, never to win any grand slam titles. But that did not stop her from being one of the most famous and beloved tennis players in Russia. Dementieva’s biography became very popular and was translated into forty-seven languages.
She reached the singles glam slam finals twice in her career but never won the grand slam. She competed in seven semi-finals, too but always fell short of winning the big games. However, that does not mean that she did not accomplish anything in her career.
In the 2000 Olympics, she won a silver medal, but that was not enough for Dementieva. She proved her greatness by winning the Olympic gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She reached her career-best 3rd ranking in 2009.
Dementieva was born in 1981 and turned pro in 1998 at the age of 17. She represented Russia multiple times in the Fed Cup and also won the title twice, in 2004 and 2008. She had a W/L ratio of over 67% in singles.
Elena Dementieva had all the potential to achieve more in her career. Nonetheless, she decided to retire from the game as she was suffering from injuries and also wanted to start her family. Therefore, she retired in 2010, only after twelve years of turning pro.
Dementieva achieved many things in a comparatively short time, which makes her the sixth entrant in the 10 best Russian tennis players ever.
7. Marat Safin
| Full Name | Marat Mubinovich Safin |
| Date of Birth | January 27, 1980 |
| Place of Birth | Moscow, Russia |
| Height | 6 feet 4 inches (193 cm) |
| Weight | 195 pounds (88 kg) |
| Turned Pro | 1997 |
| Prize money | $14,373,291 |
| Highest ranking | Singles: 1st doubles: 71st |
| Career record | Singles: 422–267 doubles: 96–120 |
- Grand Slam Singles Titles: 2 times (2000 US Open, 2005 Australian Open).
- Career High Singles Ranking: World No. 1 (November 2000).
- ATP Tour Singles Titles: 15 times.
- Davis Cup Champion: 2 times (2002, 2006).
- Olympic Silver Medalist in Singles: 1 time (2000 Sydney Olympics).
Marat Safin became the second tennis player from Russia to become the world’s number 1 in singles competition. He turned pro in 1997 and quickly won his first grand slam in the 2000 US Open. Five years later, he won his second grand slam in the 2005 Australian Open.
Besides, Safin won two Davis cups and won the Silver medal in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He has 15 ATP tour titles by his name. He definitely had a very eventful career. However, he, too, had to retire early in 2009.
It is unclear why he had given up on tennis, but his constant knee injury could be the major reason for it. Besides, he likes to do a lot of pirates, and because of tennis, he was not able to settle down with regular life. Moreover, he found some early success which burnt out his desire and passion for the game.
Safin was a creative player on the court, and he would move around his opponent and look for openings. His powerful and aggressive shots would make the opponents helpless.
8. Anastasia Myskina
| Full Name | Anastasia Andreyevna Myskina |
| Date of Birth | July 8, 1981 |
| Place of Birth | Moscow, Russia |
| Height | 5 feet 8 inches (173 cm) |
| Weight | 143 pounds (65 kg) |
| Turned Pro | 1998 |
| Prize money | $5,606,725 |
| Highest ranking | Singles: 2nd doubles: 15th |
| Career record | Singles: 355–191 doubles: 100–92 |
- Grand Slam Singles Title: 1 time (2004 French Open).
- WTA Tour Singles Titles: 10 times.
- Career High Singles Ranking: World No. 2 (September 2004).
- Fed Cup Champion: 2 times (2004, 2005).
- Won the Season Ending WTA Tour Championships in Doubles: 1 time (2004).
- Olympic Doubles Bronze Medalist: 1 time (2004 Athens Olympics).
Anastasia Myskina is the pioneer of Russian tennis. She started her pro career in 1994. In 2004, she became the first ever Russian to win a grand slam, which helped her rank second in a singles competition. She also has won 10 WTA tour singles titles.
Myskina won two back-to-back Fed Cups in 2004 and 2005. 2004 was the best year of her career. The same year she won the Olympics doubles bronze medal.
Myskina was a versatile player and was equally good at both playing aggressively and defensively. Her backhand was her best shot, and she used it to great effect throughout her career. In addition, she was technically sharp and had mental toughness, which helped her add numerous titles to her accolades.
Like some of the other players on the list, luck was not very kind to Myskina either. She had to retire in 2007 as she was suffering from injuries throughout her career. Also, in an interview, she stated that she lost her motivation to continue the sport as she had been playing for years.
Besides, she had given birth to a baby in 2006, so her priority shifted. She wanted to become a better mom, so she put off her bat. Still, her contribution to Russian tennis is beyond description. She has inspired thousands of youngsters. She will always be remembered as one of the best Russian Tennis players of all time.
9. Dinara Safina
| Full Name | Dinara Mubinovna Safina |
| Date of Birth | April 27, 1986 |
| Place of Birth | Moscow, Russia |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) |
| Weight | 154 lb (70 kg) |
| Turned Pro | 2000 |
| Prize money | $10,585,640 |
| Highest ranking | Singles: 1st doubles: 8th |
| Career record | Singles: 360–173 doubles: 181–91 |
- Grand Slam Singles Titles: 3 times runner-up (French Open 2008, 2009; Australian Open 2009).
- WTA Tour Singles Titles: 12 times, including reaching world No. 1 in 2009.
- WTA Tour Doubles Titles: 1 time.
You may wonder why Dinara Safina is in the ninth position without winning any grand slam. Well, you cannot always judge a player by his or her trophies. Sometimes, there is more than that. Safina is certainly one of the best players in the world, but she is not just lucky enough.
Safina has been runner-up in three grand slam singles. After turning pro in 2000, she became the first Russian to rank no.1 in a singles tennis competition in 2009. She had to retire early in 2014 due to an injury. Otherwise, she could have achieved many more things.
Despite having a short career, she won 360 singles games and 181 doubles. She won the Olympic silver medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She showed aggressiveness and mental toughness on the court, which helped her accomplish many successes.
Her aggression has been praised highly by the experts. However, she was an excellent defender too. And, of course, she was careful about her fitness. It was really unfortunate that she had to retire so early.
10. Elena Vesnina
| Full Name | Elena Sergeyevna Vesnina |
| Date of Birth | August 1, 1986 |
| Place of Birth | Lviv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine) |
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Weight | 65 kg (143 lb) |
| Turned Pro | 2002 |
| Prize money | $13,011,023 |
| Highest Ranking | Singles: 13 doubles: 1 |
| Career record | Singles: 419–341 doubles: 435–229 |
- Grand Slam Doubles Titles: 3 times.
- Olympic Gold Medalist in Women’s Doubles: 1 time (2016 Rio Olympics).
- WTA Tour Doubles Titles: 16 times, including reaching world No. 1 in 2017.
- Fed Cup: 2 times (2007, 2008).
Elena Vesnina found much success in doubles competition, winning the grand slam doubles three times. She also won a gold medal in a doubles competition at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Vesnina was born in 1986 and became a pro at the age of 16 in 2002. Since then, she has competed in more than twelve hundred tennis games. She has a doubles record of 435 wins against 229 losses. In July 2018, she ranked no.1 in women’s doubles.
Vesnina has won the WTA tour doubles titles 16 times, more than any other Russian player. She depended on her technique and skill to move around her opponent to find an opening. Dominating the rallies with her groundstrokes has been her strength throughout her career.
Vesnina added two more medals to her accolades by winning back-to-back Fed Cup in 2007 and 2008. Vesnina contributed to the victory of her team greatly, which made her a hero of the nation.
Elena was great, consistent, and powerful on the forehand. However, she used to produce her best shots with her backhands. She played her last match in March 2021 and announced her retirement in 2022.
Conclusion
This was our list of the 10 best Russian tennis players of all time. These players had achieved many accomplishments and made their nation proud. They have become role models for the upcoming generation of players and will be remembered as the finest players in the country.
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