Tennis players have proven in years gone by that height does not guarantee success at the highest level, although there are advantages for one towering over another on the court.
Indeed, a towering stature can often enhance a player's powerful serve and volley, and also their ability to produce unreachable shots from all angles on the court.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at who is the tallest active player in tennis and the tallest players of all time in the men's and women's game.
WHO IS THE TALLEST TENNIS PLAYER?
The tallest active tennis player is 27-year-old Reilly Opelka, who is known for his powerful serves and aggressive playing style, and has spent the last eight years on the ATP tour since making his debut at the 2016 US Men's Clay Court Championships.
Opelka won the 2015 Junior Wimbledon tournament, defeating Junior world No.1 Taylor Fritz, and also reached the finals of the Boys' Doubles event with Akira Santillan at the 2015 Wimbledon Championships before making his ATP debut.
The American, born in St. Joseph, Michigan, has never won a Grand Slam, but he has won four ATP singles titles and one doubles title, while he has also celebrated seven victories over top-10 players in his career. Opelka achieved his highest singles world ranking of 17th in 2022.
REILLY OPELKA HEIGHT
Reilly Opelka is known for his towering presence on the court and the American stands at a whopping 6ft 11in (or 2.11m) tall!
WHO IS THE TALLEST TENNIS PLAYER OF ALL TIME?
Reilly Opelka is the joint-tallest ranked tennis player in history along with Ivo Karlovic, who officially retired from the sport in February 2024 after two-and-a-half years of inactivity.
Karlovic, now 45, was widely regarded as one of the best servers on tour in his prime, and he once held the record for the fastest serve recorded in professional tennis, measured at 251.0 km/h (156 mph), which was officially surpassed by John Isner (253.0 km/h or 157.2 mph) in 2016 and has since been beaten by current record holder Sam Groth (263.4 km/h or 163.7 mph).
The Croatian turned professional at the age of 21 and went on to win eight ATP Tour singles titles between 2007 and 2016. He never won a Grand Slam, but one of his biggest scalps was defeating former world No.2 and reigning Wimbledon champions Lleyton Hewitt in the first round of the 2003 tournament as a 203-ranked player.
REILLY OPELKA, IVO KARLOVIC HEIGHT
Like Reilly Opelka, Ivo Karlovic is known for his immense stature on the court and he also stands at 6ft 11in (or 2.11m) tall.
WHO IS THE TALLEST WOMEN'S TENNIS PLAYER?
The tallest female tennis player of all time is Eva Hrdinova, who stands at 6ft 3in (or 1.91m) tall.
Hrdinova, now 40, won a total of 22 titles on the ITF Women's Circuit, three singles titles and 19 doubles titles. She achieved her highest singles world ranking of 168th in April 2008, while the Czech-born player peaked at No.55 in the WTA doubles rankings.
Hrdinova never won a Grand Slam, with her best finish coming in 2008 and 2009 when she reached the first round of Wimbledon and the US Open respectively.
TEN TALLEST TENNIS PLAYERS IN HISTORY
=1. Ivo Karlovic – 6ft 11in
=1. Reilly Opelka – 6ft 11in
3. John Isner – 6ft 10in
=4. Jerzy Janowicz – 6ft 8in
=4. Kevin Anderson – 6ft 8in
=4. Dick Norman – 6ft 8in
7. Chris Guccione – 6ft 7in
=8. Sam Querrey – 6ft 6in
=8. Marin Cilic – 6ft 6in
=8. Juan Martin Del Potro – 6ft 6in
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