Australia's top-ranked tennis stars since 1990: The 'golden era' that inspired a generation of Aussie stars

Despite its small population, Australia has always punched above its weight in sport.

Tennis is no different.

Since 1990, Australia has had three world No.1s and a raft of others have cracked the top-10 – Alex De Minaur the most recent.

So who are the others that have cracked the top-40? Can you name all of them?

Wide World of Sports has the list.

Sydney's Alexei Popyrin achieved his career-high ranking of 39 towards the end of the 2023 season, marking a career-best year.

The rangy right-hander with a booming serve and big forehand has long been thought to have the potential to be a top 20 player. At the age of 24, he is approaching the prime years of his career.

A cult figure at his home grand slam during the 2010s, big Marinko had a power game capable of putting fear into the sport's very elite.

He reached a career high of 39 in February 2013 and defeated the likes of Milos Raonic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on his best days.

The South African born Perth based star reached a career high of No.4 in the world in doubles and in October 2018 peaked at 39 in singles.

Despite this relatively lofty ranking, Ebden only reached the third round of a grand slam on one occasion, at Wimbledon in 2018.

A shining light of Australian tennis, Smylie went pro in the early 80s and her singles career peaked at world No.20.

By the 90s she was past her best but was still a top 50 player in singles, holding a best ranking of 38, and one of the world's best doubles players.

She won two mixed doubles slams in the 90s, one at Wimbledon and the other at the US Open, and was also a doubles finalist at the Australian Open in 1993.

A cult figure on the circuit during the late 90s and early 2000s, Ilie was box office on the outside courts of Melbourne Park, making a name for himself for his audacious and powerful groundstrokes and his shirt-ripping celebration.

The bandana-wearing, sometimes combustible figure twice won through to the fourth round of the Australian Open and three times progressed to the third round of the French Open. He achieved his top ranking of 38 in May 2000. 

Tenacious and pint sized, Pratt punched well above her weight for much of her career, achieving some excellent results from the late 90s to the mid 2000s.

A career highlight was her run to the fourth round at the 2003 Australian Open and her rankings peak was 35 in the world.

After turning pro in 1981, Victorian Anne Minter spent over a decade mixing it with the best in the world, peaking at world No.23 in 1988.

She still had plenty of good tennis in her by the 90s, peaking in that decade with a run to the fourth round of Wimbledon in 1991. She held a highest ranking in the 90s of 34.

Never considered the most talented player on the tour, Millman made his reputation for being super fit and wearing opponents down with a crafty baseline game that scored him some massive wins on the big stages.

His career highlight was undoubtedly a surprise quarter-final appearance at the 2018 US Open, beating Roger Federer in an incredible fourth round boilover that rocketed him up the rankings. His peak was 33 a couple of months later.

Better known these days as one of the world's best coaches, Cahill also had a good career as a player, peaking at No.22 in the world back in 1989 before starting a slow slide in the 90s.

His peak ranking in the 90s was 32.

Having competed under her native Croatia in the early part of her career, Tomljanovic began competing under the Australian flag in 2014 and announced herself to her adopted home with a giant-killing run to the fourth round at Roland-Garros that year.

After making the quarters at Wimbledon in 2021, her career peaked in 2022 with two more grand slam quarter-finals appearances at Wimbledon and the US Open (which included a third-round victory over Serena Williams, her final professional match).

She reached a career-high ranking of No.32 in April of 2023.

Proficient in both singles and doubles, Rachel McQuillan's career highlight was an Olympic mixed doubles bronze with David Macpherson at Barcelona 1992.

She achieved a singles career-high of No.28 in 1991.

Although her career highlight came in doubles (she's made the final at all four Slams, and won the mixed title at Roland-Garros in 2011 with Scott Lipsky), Casey Dellacqua was also a more than capable singles player.

She made the fourth round of her home slam twice, and reached a career-high of No.26 in 2014.

Wolfe is another Aussie who was proficient in singles and doubles.

She too has a slam title, winning the mixed doubles crown at the 2013 Australian Open with Matthew Ebden.

Despite having only WTA titles to her name and two fourth-round slam appearances, Gajdošová reached her career-high No.25 in May 2011.

Nicole Bradtke was at the peak of her powers in 1992, although it was again in the doubles arena she was most reknowned.

With Mark Woodforde, the pair won the Australian and US Opens, and claimed bronze at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

She backed it up with a her second fourth-round singles appearance at the Australian Open in 1993, and even beat then-world No.1 Steffi Graf in a Fed Cup tie.

She peaked at No.24 in May 1993.

Richard Fromberg showed promise as a junior, making the final of the 1987 Junior Australian Open in both singles and doubles.

His best year was undoubtedly 1990 – he claimed two titles and rose to No.24 that August.

Daria Saville (nee Gavrilova) has become a fan-favourite since her naturalisation in 2015.

Although her career of late has been hampered by several leg injuries, 'Dasha' is still capable of competing with the best of them on her day.

Her career peak to-date was 2017, when she made the fourth round her her home slam before clinching her first WTA Tour title at the Connecticut Open in the August, which saw her climb to No.20.

Mark Woodforde is undoubtedly better known as being one half of 'The Woodies' doubles partnership with Todd Woodbridge.

But his singles career was no slouch either – he claimed four career singles titles, and even made the semi-final of the Australian Open in 1996.

Although he lost in straight sets to eventual champion Boris Becker, that stunning run helped catapult him to his singles career-high of No.19.

Although they were perfectly in-sync when on the court, it's still a little spooky both Woodies reached a career-high singles ranking of No.19.

As they were in doubles, it was on grass Woodbridge was most dangerous, and it was at Wimbledon where he achieved most of his singles career highlights.

He's one of only seven people to beat Pete Sampras at the All-England club, and is also one of only 17 players to inflict a triple bagel defeat in the open era. He beat swede Johan Örtegren 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 in the final round of qualifying in 2001.

He also made a semi-final appearance in 1997, but lost in straight-sets to Sampras, who went on to win.

That semi-final lifted him to his career-high No.19.

Woodbridge is one of Nine's leading tennis analysts and sports broadcasters.

A former junior world No.1, Jason Stoltenberg won four titles as a pro, and reached a career-high No.19 in October 1994.

He would later reach a Wimbledon semi-final in 1996 where he lost to eventual champion Richard Krajicek in straight sets.

Post-retirement, Stoltenberg spent 18 months as Lleyton Hewitt's coach in the early 2000s.





In what is a strong example of a player failing to fulfil his talent, Bernard Tomic absolutely dominated as a junior.

He won two junior slams and began competing in men's competition full-time aged just 16.

He reached his career-high singles ranking of No.17 in January 2016, just days before he began his run to the fourth round of the Australian Open, which would be an equal-best showing.

Injury struggles began not long after though, and his decline proper began in 2017. Having made the third round at the Australian Open, Tomic bombed out in the first round at each of the other slams. His decline from then on is well-documented.