Variations of tennis have been played since at least the 12th Century. It goes back so far many details of its development appear to have been lost to history. But the sport’s popularity around the world is undeniable and continues after roughly a millennium of existence.

Given those facts, it’s probably not too surprising that many influential political figures have also been keen tennis players. Here is a possible all-time tennis field of competitors, factoring in their success on the court and the prominence of the offices they’ve held.

1. Ilie Nastase (Romania)

Ilie Nastase was one of the world’s biggest tennis stars during the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Between singles, doubles and mixed doubles play, he achieved the Career Grand Slam with a total of seven titles altogether. Among his other tournament triumphs were four editions of the Masters Grand Prix.

In group competition, Nastase led Team Romania to the Final of the Davis Cup three times. Not long after, he became the first player to receive the #1 ranking in the world from the ATP, holding the spot for 40 weeks. In 1991, he was inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Five years later, Nastase ran for Mayor of Bucharest, losing to future Prime Minister Victor Ciorbea. Nastase eventually held a seat in the Senate of Romania.

2. Dwight F. Davis (United States)

Not only was Dwight F. Davis a highly successful tennis player, he is the namesake for one of the sport’s most premier events. While a student at Harvard University, Davis won a National Championship as a singles player in 1899. That same year, he won the first of three doubles titles at what would become the U.S. Open.

Along the way, he donated the trophy and played a small role in the development of the competition eventually known as the Davis Cup. Davis himself played on the United States teams that won the event in 1900 and 1902. Later, he played at the 1904 Olympics and was enshrined as one of the very first inductees in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

During World War I, Davis served in the United States Army and received the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. He continued serving with the Army for years afterward, reaching the rank of Major General.

After having been active in local politics in St. Louis, Missouri, Davis ran for a seat in the U.S. Senate, coming up well short of incumbent Selden P. Spencer in the Republican primary. Davis later became a top official in the administration of U.S. President Calvin Coolidge, including as the Secretary of War. In 1929, he was appointed as Governor-General of the Philippines by President Herbert Hoover and held the post until 1932.

Davis’ grandfather Oliver Filley and cousin Chauncey Ives Filley were both elected Mayor of St. Louis. Longtime Federal Reserve Chair William McChesney Martin and British Ambassador to the United States Roger Makins were both sons-in-law to him.

3. Marat Safin (Russia)

Marat Safin is one half of what is perhaps the best brother-sister duo in the history of tennis. He and his sister Dinara Safina notched a combined 35 weeks as the #1 ranked singles players in the world. For her part, Safina won a U.S. Open women’s doubles title in 2007, an Olympic silver medal in 2008 and was part of two Fed Cup Championships.

Meanwhile, Safin won a pair of Davis Cups and was the champion of the U.S. Open in 2000 and the Australian Open in 2005. Featured among his other titles are three at the Paris Masters and one each at the Canada Masters and the Madrid Masters. Additionally, he was a participant at the 2004 Summer Olympics. In 2016, Safin was inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

In 2011, Safin gained a spot in the Russian State Duma from Nizhny Novgorod. He resigned six years later.

Scroll to Continue

Best Visual Hook Ideas and Watermark Remover Tools for Creators

Sexy 50 Year Old Women

How App Analytics Tools Help Track App Store Rankings

4. John Alexander (Australia)

John Alexander is a two-time Australian Open doubles champion and won the 1977 Davis Cup with Team Australia. Other doubles triumphs to his name include two Cincinnati Opens and the 1977 Monte-Carlo Championships. His best Grand Slam results as a single competitor also came at his home tournament, reaching the semi-finals three times. After his retirement from playing, Alexander continued to be a very visible tennis figure as a television commentator, primarily with Seven Sport.

In 2010, Alexander won a seat in Australia’s House of Representatives from New South Wales. He was re-elected four times before opting to step down in 2022.

5. John Boland (United Kingdom)

In 1896, John Boland won both gold medals that were up for grabs in tennis at that year’s Olympic Games. He later spent nearly 20 years as a member of the United Kingdom’s House of Commons from the Irish constituency of South Kerry. Boland’s daughter Honor Crowley and her husband Frederick were both longtime members of the Dail Eireann for the Republic of Ireland. Honor was also part of the Irish delegation to the Council of Europe from 1954 to 1957.

6. Herbert Wilberforce (United Kingdom)

In 1887, Herbert Wilberforce won the doubles tournament at Wimbledon alongside Patrick Bowes-Lyon, whose great-niece would later be known around the globe as Queen Elizabeth II. Wilberforce also won more than a dozen singles titles, including at the 1883 Northern Championships. He went on to be Vice-President and later President of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club for well over 20 years.

In 1900, he unsuccessfully stood as a candidate for the U.K. House of Commons. But Wilbeforce did win a seat on the London County Council the following year and kept it until 1904.

7. Karol Kucera (Czechoslovakia/Slovakia)

During his youth, Karol Kucera competed for Czechoslovakia on two occasions at the Galea Cup and the 1992 Tennis European Junior Championships. Later playing for Team Slovakia, he won the 1998 Hopman Cup and the 2000 World Team Cup, as well as appeared at the Olympics three times.

Kucera’s best Grand Slam result was a semi-finals appearance at the 1998 Australian Open. He matched that result a few months later at the Grand Slam Cup tournament. Among his victories was the 1999 edition of the Swiss Indoors event.

In 2020, Kucera won a place in the National Council of Slovakia. He remained a member until 2023.

8. Frank Fisher (New Zealand)

In 1920, Frank Fisher won the mixed doubles category at the World Covered Court Championships. In the years leading up to the tournament, he’d been a semi-finalist at Wimbledon and the now-Australian Open and was a finalist as a singles player in the latter. In addition, Fisher won a combined eight New Zealand National Championships between men’s doubles and mixed doubles.

From 1905 to 1914, Fisher represented the Wellington area in the New Zealand House of Representatives. In 1912, he was appointed to the Customs and Marine portfolios and in the Cabinet of Prime Minister William Massey. His father George had been Mayor of Wellington and a Cabinet official under Prime Minister Harry Atkinson.

9. Edward McGuire (Republic of Ireland)

Edward McGuire won the Irish National Championship in men’s singles in 1931 and four times in men’s doubles. He also played for Ireland at the eventual Davis Cup 13 times over the course of his playing career.

In 1948, McGuire was appointed to the Seanad Eireann by Prime Minister John A. Costello. He continued to serve as a member until he was defeated in a 1965 round of voting.

10. Yayuk Basuki (Indonesia)

Yayuk Basuki won nearly 50 WTA and ITF titles playing in singles and doubles. Among them were the 1994 China Open, the 1997 Canadian Open and the 2001 Dubai Tennis Championships.

She played for Indonesia at four Summer Olympics and 17 Fed Cups, setting a record for most doubles match victories in the latter. Along with singles and women’s doubles, Basuki also competed in mixed doubles at the Asian Games and the Southeast Asian Games, compiling 15 gold medals.

In 1991, Basuki was named as the Indonesian Athlete of the Year. She is married to three-time Olympian Hary Suharyadi.

Basuki won a seat in Indonesia’s Regional Representative Council. She held onto it until 2019.

11. C.S. Hyman (Canada)

C.S. Hyman was an early cricket star in Canada, serving as captain of the national team. But he was also a noted tennis competitor with a combined seven now-Canadian Open crowns to his credit.

After winning earlier races for the City Council and Mayor of London, Ontario, Hyman first ran for the House of Commons in 1887, losing to incumbent John Carling. He emerged victorious in an 1891 re-match, but lost the seat to Carling again through a bizarre series of events the following year.

In 1896, Hyman gave it another go, but was bested by Thomas Beattie. However, Hyman challenged Beattie again in 1900. Hyman won again and this time he would have staying power. He remained a member of Parliament for several years, eventually joining the Cabinet of Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier.

12. Jim Thomas (United States)

As a player for Stanford University, Jim Thomas was an All-American selection and a member of two National Championship teams. Primarily a doubles competitor as a professional, he won various tournaments and made a semi-final appearance at the 2005 U.S. Open. He later joined the Ohio House of Representatives in 2023.