Average Height of Tennis Players: How Tall Are Tennis Players?

Do you have a certain height and wonder if your height is ideal for playing tennis? In this article, we are going to look at the ATP and WTA data to analyze the height of professional tennis players. We will be able to answer if height really matters in tennis or not.

So, how tall are tennis players?

The average height of male tennis players from the top 100 ATP rankings is 187 cm or 6 foot 2 inches, ranging from 170 cm (5’7’’) to 201 cm (6’7’’). For women tennis players from the top 100 WTA rankings, the average height is 175 cm or 5 foot 9 inches, ranging from 157 cm (5’2’’) to 185 cm (6’1’’).

But does height actually matter in tennis? What are the benefits of being tall for tennis? This article will analyze more in-depth about how important height is to tennis players. We will break down the rankings to see how height contributes to the placement of the ranking.

Average Height of Tennis Players

The histogram shows that the largest height distribution is between 185 cm – 190 cm for the current top 100 ATP players.

The histogram shows that the largest height distribution is between 175 cm – 180 cm for the current top 100 WTA players.

Average Height of Male Tennis Players

From the statistics of the current top 100 ATP players, the average height of a male tennis player is about 187 cm or 6 foot 2 inches.

The current top 100 ATP players’ height range is from 170 cm (5 foot 7 inches) to 201 cm (6 foot 7 inches).

This chart below shows the average height of ATP Players based on their ranking range:

The average height of men’s tennis players from the ATP rank 1 – 10 is 190.3 cm.

The average height of men’s tennis players from the ATP rank 11 – 25 is 188.9 cm.

The average height of men’s tennis players from the ATP rank 26 – 50 is 186.6 cm.

The average height of men’s tennis players from the ATP rank 51 – 75 is 186.9 cm.

The average height of men’s tennis players from the ATP rank 76 – 100 is 184.6 cm.

Average Height of Female Tennis Players

From the statistics of the current top 100 WTA players, the average height of a female tennis player is about 175 cm or 5 feet 9 inches.

The current top 100 WTA players’ height ranges from 157 cm (5 foot 2 inches) to 185 cm (6 foot 1 inches).

This chart below shows the average height of WTA Players based on their ranking range:

The average height of women’s tennis players from the WTA rank 1 – 25 is 176.3 cm.

The average height of women’s tennis players from the WTA rank 26 – 50 is 174.7 cm.

The average height of women’s tennis players from the WTA rank 51 – 75 is 174.4 cm.

The average height of women’s tennis players from the WTA rank 76 – 100 is 172.9 cm.

Who is the Tallest Tennis Player?

Tallest Current Tennis Players

Christopher Eubanks is the tallest male professional tennis player in the current top 100 ATP, having a height of 201 cm or 6 foot 7 inches.

Here are the top 5 tallest male professional tennis players in the current top 100 ATP:

ATP Rank	Player	Height (feet inches)	Height (cm)
32	Christopher Eubanks	6’7”	201
3	Daniil Medvedev	6’6”	198
10	Alexander Zverev	6’6”	198
14	Karen Khachanov	6’6”	198
22	Nicolas Jarry	6’6”	198

The tallest women professional tennis player in the current top 100 WTA is Karolina Pliskova, with a height of 185 cm or 6 foot 2 inches.

Here are the top 5 tallest women professional tennis players in the current top 100 WTA:

WTA Rank	Player	Height (feet inches)	Height (cm)
36	Karolina Pliskova	6’1”	185
53	Alycia Parks	6’1”	185
69	Rebeka Masarova	6’1”	185
80	Ashlyn Krueger	6’1”	185
5	Elena Rybakina	6’0”	183

The data above are for current professional players. How about all time?

Tallest Tennis Players of All Time

The tallest tennis player of all time is Ivo Karlovic, with a height of 211 cm or 6 foot 11 inches.

Here are the top 5 tallest male professional tennis players of all time:

Player	Height (feet inches)	Height (cm)
Ivo Karlovic	6’11”	211
Reilly Opelka	6’11”	211
John Isner	6’10”	208
Jerzy Janowicz	6’8”	203
Dick Norman	6’8”	203

The tallest female professional tennis player of all time is Eva Hrdinova, with a height of 191 cm or 6 foot 3 inches.

Here are the top 5 tallest women professional tennis players of all time:

Player	Height (feet inches)	Height (cm)
Ivo Karlovic	6’3”	191
Akgul Amanmuradova	6’3”	191
Naomi Broady	6’2”	188
Lindsay Davenport	6’2”	188
Maria Sharapova	6’2”	188

Who is the Shortest Tennis Player?

Shortest Current Tennis Players

Sebastian Baez is the shortest male professional tennis player in the current top 100 ATP, with a height of 170 cm or 5 foot 7 inches.

Here are the top 5 shortest male professional tennis players in the current top 100 ATP:

ATP Rank	Player	Height (feet inches)	Height (cm)
29	Sebastian Baez	5’7”	170
48	Yoshihito Nishioka	5’7”	170
94	Hugo Gaston	5’8”	173
33	Daniel Evans	5’9”	175
38	Mackenzie McDonald	5’10”	178

The shortest women professional tennis player in the current top 100 WTA is Lauren Davis, with a height of 157 cm or 5 foot 2 inches.

Here are the top 5 shortest women professional tennis players in the current top 100 WTA:

WTA Rank	Player	Height (feet inches)	Height (cm)
64	Lauren Davis	5’2”	157
42	Martina Trevisan	5’3”	160
31	Jasmine Paolini	5’4”	163
68	Yulia Putintseva	5’4”	163
92	Nao Hibino	5’4”	163

The data above are for current professional players. How about all time?

Shortest Tennis Players of All Time

The shortest male tennis player of all time is Olivier Rochus, with a height of 168 cm or 5 foot 5 inches.

Here are the top 5 shortest male professional tennis players of all time:

Player	Height (feet inches)	Height (cm)
Olivier Rochus	5’5”	168
Sebastian Baez	5’7”	170
Yoshihito Nishioka	5’7”	170
Diego Schwartzman	5’7”	170
Rob Laver	5’8”	173

Height of Famous Professional Tennis Players 

Here are more heights of famous professional players who are either retired, not active, or outside of the top 100:

Player	Height (feet inches)	Height (cm)
Roger Federer	6’1”	185
Rafael Nadal	6’1”	185
Andy Roddick	6’2”	188
Serena Williams	5’7”	175
Maria Sharapova	6’2”	188
John Isner	6’10”	208
Andre Agassi	5’11”	180
Pete Sampras	6’1”	185
John McEnroe	5’11”	180
Bjorn Borg	5’11”	180
David Ferrer	5’9”	176
Naomi Osaka	5’11”	180
Steffi Graf	5’9”	176
Michael Chang	5’9”	176

Is Tennis Better For Tall People?

From the analysis above, we can see that there is a trend in height in relation to their ranking. For both men and women, there is a decreasing trend in ranking the lower the player’s height is. 

So yes, taller players are generally better than shorter players in tennis.

But better here does not mean more skilled, but taller players have more advantage that makes the game easier for them than shorter players.

The main advantage of tall players over shorter players is their length. So, naturally, they can cover more ground on the court, making it harder for the opponent to hit a winner.

The more coverage on space per step will also make them generate lesser stamina than shorter players.

Tall players also have a significant advantage on serve, as they can hit the ball from a higher point, generating more power.

This concept also works for regular shots as well. Their taller frame makes them easier to return the ball at a higher angle.

Ok, even though, the data says taller players are better, the difference is not unreachable.

There are many cases in tennis history where short players was able to dominate the court over many taller players.

For example, Michael Chang, having a height of 172 cm (5’8’’), was able to win 34 singles titles. Or the case of Simona Halep, with a height of 168 cm (5’6’’), won 22 singles titles.

Short players also have advantages to the game over tall players, primarily speed and agility.

Shorter players are generally faster than taller players. They also usually have more physical endurance and stamina due to lower body weight.

Furthermore, shorter players usually compensate for their lack of height with more skill training. So, they can have more variety in their shots than taller players.

Top ATP 100 Pro Players Height 

Data was taken from the official ATP men tennis ranking.

ATP Rank	Player	Height (feet inches)	Height (cm)
1	Novak Djokovic	6’2”	188
2	Carlos Alcaraz	6’0”	183
3	Daniil Medvedev	6’6”	198
4	Jannik Sinner	6’2”	188
5	Holger Rune	6’2”	188
6	Stefanos Tsitsipas	6’4”	193
7	Andrey Rublev	6’2”	188
8	Taylor Fritz	6’5”	196
9	Casper Ruud	6’0”	183
10	Alexander Zverev	6’6”	198
11	Alex de Minaur	6’0”	183
12	Tommy Paul	6’1”	185
13	Frances Tiafoe	6’2”	188
14	Karen Khachanov	6’6”	198
15	Felix Auger-Aliassime	6’4”	193
16	Cameron Norrie	6’2”	188
17	Hubert Hurkacz	6’5”	196
18	Lorenzo Musetti	6’1”	185
19	Grigor Dimitrov	6’3”	191
20	Ben Shelton	6’4”	193
21	Francisco Cerundolo	6’1”	185
22	Nicolas Jarry	6’6”	198
23	Adrian Mannarino	5’11”	180
24	Tallon Griekspoor	6’2”	188
25	Alejandro Davidovich Fokina	6’0”	183
26	Sebastian Korda	6’5”	196
27	Jan-Lennard Struff	6’4”	193
28	Borna Coric	6’2”	188
29	Sebastian Baez	5’7”	170
30	Jiri Lehecka	6’1”	185
31	Tomas Martin Etcheverry	6’5”	196
32	Christopher Eubanks	6’7”	201
33	Daniel Evans	5’9”	175
34	Ugo Humbert	6’2”	188
35	Alexander Bublik	6’5”	196
36	Laslo Djere	6’2”	188
37	Denis Shapovalov	6’1”	185
38	Mackenzie McDonald	5’10”	178
39	Andy Murray	6’3”	191
40	Roberto Bautista Agut	6’0”	183
41	Max Purcell	6’1”	185
42	Matteo Arnaldi	6’1”	185
43	Alexei Popyrin	6’5”	196
44	Arthur Fils	6’1”	185
45	Miomir Kecmanovic	6’0”	183
46	Stan Wawrinka	6’0”	183
47	Daniel Altmaier	6’2”	188
48	Yoshihito Nishioka	5’7”	170
49	Sebastian Ofner	6’3”	191
50	Roman Safiullin	6’1”	185
51	J.J Wolf	6’0”	183
52	Aslan Karatsev	6’1”	185
53	Yannick Hanfmann	6’4”	193
54	Aleksandar Vukic	6’2”	188
55	Dusan Lajovic	6’0”	183
56	Emil Ruusuvuori	6’2”	188
57	Marton Fucsovics	6’2”	188
58	Christopher D’Connell	6’0”	183
59	Lorenzo Sunego	6’3”	191
60	Zhizhen Zhang	6’4”	193
61	Roberto Carballes Baena	6’0”	183
62	Jordan Thompson	6’0”	183
63	Richard Gasquet	6’0”	183
64	Matteo Berretini	6’5”	196
65	Juan Pablo Varillas	6’1”	185
66	Luca Van Assche	5’10”	178
67	Botic Van de Zandschulp	6’3”	191
68	Arthur Rinderknech	6’5”	196
69	Thanasi Kokkinakis	6’4”	193
70	Bernabe Zapata Miralles	6’0”	183
71	Pedro Cachin	6’1”	185
72	Dominic Thiem	6’1”	185
73	Gregoire Barrere	6’0”	183
74	Borna Gojo	6’5”	196
75	Rinky Hijikata	5’10”	178
76	Quentin Halys	6’3”	191
77	Thiago Seyboth Wild	6’1”	185
78	Dominic Koepfer	5’11”	180
79	Yosuke Watanuki	5’11”	180
80	Marcos Giron	5’11”	180
81	Alexandre Muller	6’0”	183
82	Jaume Munar	6’0”	183
83	Federico Coria	5’11”	180
84	Alexander Shevchenko	6’1”	185
85	Nuno Borges	6’1”	185
86	Michael Mmoh	6’2”	188
87	Mikael Ymer	6’0”	183
88	Dominic Stricker	6’0”	183
89	Benjamin Bonzi	6’0”	183
90	Daniel Elahi Galan	6’3”	191
91	Fabian Marozsan	6’4”	193
92	Jack Draper	6’4”	193
93	Albert Ramos-Vinolas	6’2”	188
94	Hugo Gaston	5’8”	173
95	Jason Kubler	5’10”	178
96	Tomas Machac	6’0”	183
97	Taro Daniel	6’3”	191
98	Christian Garin	6’1”	185
99	David Goffin	5’11”	180
100	Jurij Rodionov	6’3”	191

Top WTA 100 Pro Players Height 

Data was taken from the official WTA women tennis ranking.

WTA Rank	Player	Height (feet inches)	Height (cm)
1	Aryna Sabalenka	5’11	182
2	Iga Swiatek	5’9”	176
3	Coco Gauff	5’9”	176
4	Jessica Pegula	5’7”	170
5	Elena Rybakina	6’0”	183
6	Maria Sakkari	5’8”	172
7	Ons Jabeur	5’6”	167
8	Marketa Vondrousova	5’6”	167
9	Karolina Muchova	5’11	182
10	Carolina Garcia	5’10”	177
11	Madison Keys	5’10”	177
12	Daria Kasatkina	5’7”	170
13	Jelena Ostapenko	5’10”	177
14	Petra Kvitova	6’0”	183
15	Belinda Bencic	5’9”	176
16	Liudmila Samsonova	5’11	182
17	Veronika Kudermetova	5’8”	172
18	Barbora Krejcikova	5’10”	177
19	Victoria Azarenka	6’0”	183
20	Beatriz Haddad Maia	6’0”	183
21	Donna Vekic	5’10”	177
22	Ekaterina Alexandrova	5’9”	176
23	Magda Linette	5’7”	170
24	Qinwen Zheng	5’10”	177
25	Elina Svitolina	5’9”	176
26	Sorana Cirstea	5’9”	176
27	Anastasia Potapova	5’7”	170
28	Anhelina Kalinina	5’11	182
29	Marie Bouzkova	5’11	182
30	Sofia Kenin	5’7”	170
31	Jasmine Paolini	5’4”	163
32	Xinyu Wang	5’11	182
33	Danielle Collins	5’10”	177
34	Elisabetta Cocciaretto	5’5”	166
35	Lin Zhu	5’8”	172
36	Karolina Pliskova	6’1”	185
37	Anna Blinkova	5’10”	177
38	Sloane Stephens	5’7”	170
39	Marta Kostyuk	5’9”	176
40	Linda Noskova	5’10”	177
41	Elise Mertens	5’10”	177
42	Martina Trevisan	5’3”	160
43	Lesia Tsurenko	5’9”	176
44	Caroline Dolehide	5’10”	177
45	Petra Martic	5’11	182
46	Varvara Gracheva	5’10”	177
47	Emma Navarro	5’7”	170
48	Peyton Stearns	5’8”	172
49	Mayar Sherif	5’11	182
50	Mirra Andreeva	5’7”	170
51	Arantxa Rus	5’11	182
52	Katie Boulter	5’11	182
53	Alycia Parks	6’1”	185
54	Camila Giorgi	5’6”	168
55	Tatjana Maria	5’8”	172
56	Paula Badosa	5’11	182
57	Sara Sorribes Tormo	5’9”	176
58	Xiyu Wang	5’11	182
59	Anna Karolina Schmiedlova	5’9”	176
60	Leylah Fernandez	5’6”	168
61	Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova	5’9”	176
62	Greet Minnen	5’9”	176
63	Lucia Bronzetti	5’7”	170
64	Lauren Davis	5’2”	157
65	Bernarda Pera	5’9”	176
66	Diana Shnaider	5’9”	176
67	Elina Avanesyan	5’8”	172
68	Yulia Putintseva	5’4”	163
69	Rebeka Masarova	6’1”	185
70	Magdalena Frech	5’7”	170
71	Bianca Andreescu	5’7”	170
72	Ana Bogdan	5’7”	170
73	Clara Burel	5’9”	176
74	Irina-Camelia Begu	5’11	182
75	Camila Osorio	5’7”	170
76	Nadia Podoroska	5’6”	168
77	Taylor Townsend	5’7”	170
78	Cristina Bucsa	5’9”	176
79	Clara Tauson	6’0”	182
80	Ashlyn Krueger	6’1”	185
81	Kamilla Rakhimova	5’6”	168
82	Anna Kalinskaya	5’7”	170
83	Yanina Wickmayer	6’0”	182
84	Kateryna Baindl	5’7”	170
85	Katerina Siniakova	5’9”	176
86	Kayla Day	5’8”	172
87	Julia Grabher	5’7”	170
88	Linda Fruhvirtova	5’8”	172
89	Aliaksandra Sasnovich	5’9”	176
90	Tamara Zidansek	5’5”	168
91	Jodie Burrage	5’9”	176
92	Nao Hibino	5’4”	163
93	Rebecca Peterson	5’8”	172
94	Yafan Wang	5’6”	168
95	Viktoriya Tomova	5’6”	168
96	Caty Mcnally	5’11	182
97	Dayana Yastremska	5’7”	170
98	Claire Liu	5’7”	170
99	Kaja Juvan	5’6”	168
100	Jaqueline Cristian	5’11	182

Wrapping Up

From looking at the data from professional players, we see a pattern for an ideal height required to play tennis.

For men, tennis players have an average height of 187 cm or 6 foot 2 inches, with the tallest being 201 cm (6’7’’) and the shortest being 170 cm (5’7’’).

For women, tennis players have an average height of 175 cm or 5 foot 9 inches, with the tallest being 185 cm (6’1’’) and the shortest being 157 cm (5’2’’).

Tall players have an advantage in tennis over shorter players, as backed by the data showing that the top 10 players are all above 6 feet tall.

However, this does not mean that short players cannot play tennis. There are many cases where shorter players (height below 6 feet) were able to dominate the game and win multiple titles, such as David Ferrer, Michael Chang, and many more!

Related Questions

Is Tennis Hard for Tall People?

No, tennis is actually easier for tall people as they can cover more ground faster and hit serve or shots in a much higher trajectory than shorter people. The resulting shots tend to be more powerful and also harder for the opponent to hit a winning shot.

Can a Short Person Play Tennis?

Yes, there are many cases where short players was able to dominate the professional tennis scene and won many titles, such as Michael Chang and David Ferrer. Short players gain an advantage over taller players from their speed and agility.