He began his professional career at Schalke 04, his hometown club. 1 tennis player from Russia. She has a reputation for coming back from way down in matches to win them in three epic sets. In the 2000 US Open, Safin won his first Grand Slam after defeating Pete Sampras in the final. In 2002, when he won titles in Doha and Casablanca, he caused spontaneous celebrations in the streets and reinvigorated Arab pride in tennis. It makes up 24.9% of the worlds population. Dan Rafael of ESPN once even wrote him to be one of the biggest stars in the sport who would sell out arenas before his opponent was even named. Ahead of Sunday's final of the men's eight at the World . Muslim football players are among the best footballers in the world, who have even reached the biggest leagues in the world. Tennis players are the sports persons who play tennis professionally and participate in regional, national and international tournaments. She won her first title in 2006, barely 15 years old. Follow Sports Brief on Twitter for more trending and breaking news! Unfortunately, she retires early at the age of 22 due to injuries. In 1995, he became the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer. 20 years ago, in 1998, Roger Federer took the court by storm, playing and winning the best games. Be the first one to comment on this story. Agassis signature returns of serve and groundstrokes made him a popular player at that time. Karim Benzema Conclusion This incredible showman was born way back in 71 and is still playing at the age of 36, amazingly, even though hes now a family man with a french wife and three sons with strange names: Ewen, Neil, and Noam (Neil El Aynaoui, pleased to meet you). She has left a very powerful impression in the tennis world, fighting fiercely on the court as well as fighting for womens rights and equality in the game. Named one of 30 Legends of Women's Tennis by Time in 2011, she later married German footballer Bastian Schweinsteiger and is now a mother of two. Emmanuel Adebayor, Togo. 1: Nick Kyrgios: 2: Alex de Minaur: 3: Christopher O'Connell: 4: Jason Kubler: 5: . He has won 84 single and 1 doubles career titles. Nonetheless, she earned a spot in the University of Evansville at Indiana to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Performance. Djoker, as he's lovingly called, now has 20 Grand Slam . Once number 1 in singles, Romanian tennis player Ilie Nstase created became the first European to cross $1 million in career prize money. He's an African American Muslim, who was a tennis star like back in the 70s. He also received death threats before the match against Algeria in 2004. Indian actor Sahabzade Irrfan Ali Khan, known professionally as Irrfan Khan or just Irrfan, appeared in a number of major Hollywood and Bollywood . After a series of injuries and surgery, she bounced back into the scene in 2014 with being ranked 47. 1 German player is known for her defensive tactics, speed, and footwork. Ilkay gndoan. She gained the top ranking in 2008 after winning the 2008 French Open and held it for 12 weeks. She has since gone on to win four Womens Tennis Association tournament titles thus far in her career. He also helped his team win the prestigious Davis Cup in 2016. Rasheed Abdul Wallace (Source: Wikimedia.org). One of the best British professional tennis players of all time, Andy Murray is popularly known as the Great Scot since he was born in Scotland. Ribry won nine Bundesliga titles, six DFB-Pokal, one UEFA Champions League, and one FIFA Club World Cup with Bayern. 1. One of the greatest wingers of all time, Franck Ribery converted to Islam in 2002 after being inspired by his wife Wahiba, who is of Algerian descent. Let us take a quick look at the table below before diving into the intricate details of the list. During that period, racism was all over America. Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal, born March 6, 1972, is a Muslim and former American professional basketball player known as "Shaq". In 2002, he wasinducted intothe International Tennis Hall of Fame. Learn how your comment data is processed. Afridi was captain of the national team for all game formats in 2010. Click here to read about Dominic Gutirrez Bio: Net Worth, Wife, Dad & WWE. With an HPI of . 2 Novak Djokovic . She is still in great form and we hope to see her return to the court, stronger than ever and win more titles. She began playing tennis at the age of eight. Tyson is well-known for his ferocious and intimidating boxing style. His name's art Carrington. On number 1, we have non-other than the legend of boxing, Muhammad Ali. Some might dispute this statement because he mastered some surfaces and clearly struggled on the others. Family Life. Hence, some of the best athletes in the world come from Islam. Widely regarded as one of the greatest American tennis players of all time, John McEnroe helped the US team win five Davis Cup titles. He also could catch up with Roger Federer. 1 tennis player. While Aravane has gone on to record victories over such tennis stars as Maria Sharapova, Justine Henin, and Venus Williams. 9. Martina Navratilova is the worlds only tennis player to be no. The Spanish national has won 20 Grand Slam singles titles and holds the record of winning 13 French Open Championships. Serena Williamss career prize money totals $88,233,301. And to think, she started out in the game as her older brothers ball girl. Do you know about some of the best Muslim athletes of all time? Born as Michael Gerard Tyson, he was nicknamed Iron Mike or Kid Dynamite and later The Baddest Man on the Planet.. Shahid Afridi is a professional cricketer from Pakistan. And if she hadnt become a professional tennis player she had designs on becoming a physicist. However, few athletes are non-practicing Muslims due to circumstances. Safin was the first Russian male tennis player to reach the Wimbledon semifinals in 2008. His parents are former tennis players and coaches, while his sister Dinara Safina is also a former world No.1 professional tennis player. He is one of the most significant and celebrated sports figures of the 20th century. Read Australian player profiles, check the latest rankings and view the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame . And his goal celebrations are just as good as his soccer skills. In this her first year on the tour, she reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon and the US Open, taking out three top-20 players. He is currently the captain of Galle Gladiators in the Lanka Premier League. His friend Malik introduced him to the Quran and the Prophet. While in prison, he discovered his passion for boxing, so he decided to use boxing to escape his life of crime. Olajuwon is among one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. AFP Saeed Saeed Apr 19, 2021 Listen In English Listen in Arabic Beta V.1.0 - Powered by automated translation He held multiple featherweight world championships during his career from 1992 to 2002. He's also won an Olympic gold medal in singles and doubles for Spain. He later converted to Sunni Islam in 1975. Ribry then converted to Islam upon marrying his wife at the height of his athletic career. Top 30 Famous Muslim Football Players. The search for the top Muslima in the tennis world takes us to two countries: Iran and France. Franck Ribery is another famous muslim football player. You might find a player's ability to compete at a high level for an extended period more impressive than a shorter career, even if one player in each camp ended up with nearly the same number of titles. Read also. She began playing tennis at the age of eight. Bayern signed Ribry for the then club-record fee of 25 million in 2007. Your login session has expired. Venus Williams (Born: June 17, 1980) Venus Williams is an American professional tennis player. 1, Perry won three successive Wimbledon Championships from 1934. The guys at Al Jazeera headquarters kept referring to him as Captain Karim. The Californian sports star turned pro in 1968 and has 129 career titles to her credit. 61 at the time of his retirement in 2009. In Martina Navratilovas professional tennis career spanning 19 years, she won career prize money worth $21,626,089. Being a professional tennis player is physically as well as mentally demanding. Zidane is a Muslim of Algerian Kabyle descent. This list is made up of many different people, including Maria Sharapova and Roger Federer. Though she retired in 1983 from competitive Tennis, she is still remembered for her never give up attitude and fighting spirit. Now decades after his passing, he still remains one of the biggest faces for the fight against AIDS. He turned pro in 1978 and retired in 1994. He is also one of the most charitable athletes. Muslims travel to the holy city of Mecca for this sacred right. Ngolo Kante 3. The athlete made his amateur boxing debut in 1954 and 1960. In his professional career, he also played for the Los Angeles Lakers. She is coached by her father, while her mother travels with her in the role of physical therapist. Sara Khoshjamal Fekri, Iran. After starting his NBA career with Orlando, Shaq played for other NBA teams like Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, and Phoenix Suns. List of the Best Muslim Football Players in The World Mesut Ozil The midfield player is a well-known German footballer. Marat Safin is a former world No. While Aravane has gone on to record victories over such tennis stars as Maria Sharapova, Justine Henin, and Venus Williams. He is the only person to be honored with the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year award on four occasions. Many famous boxers, NBA players, and soccer players are Muslim. Zinedine Zidane is a former French footballer and one of most famous Muslim footballer ever. Her career prize money amounts to $24,749,074. She finished with 18 Grand Slam singles . Despite this fact, even many fans are unknown of the religion they practice. The German midfielder has had a stellar season with Manchester City this season. . And he is still dominating and playing at the top levels at the age of 39. Like much of the new generation in Europe, shes an ethnic cocktail: her father and coach , Ariff Mohammed, is of Indian descent, was born in Tanzania, and raised in Kenya, her mother, Francoise Paszek, was born in Chile and raised in Austria. Mike Tyson tops our list. Ana's current worth is $16 million. 1 in many online lists of the top 10 hottest tennis players. Hence, in this article, we take you through a list of the top 10 soccer players who are Muslims. An estimated 1.61 billion people on Earth are Muslim, so strictly off of numbers alone we're bound to have a bunch of great athletes who are followers of Islam. In 1987, Nouchine, a physical therapist, gave birth to daughter Aravane. Her game has undeniably stood the test of competition and time. Rezai was among the top 15 best tennis players in 2010. Riyad Mahrez 4. He won six Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam men's doubles titles, besides the Masters Grand Prix. What makes Abdul-Jabbar's scoring record even more impressive today is the way in which he amassed all of those buckets. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Likewise, he contributed to the victory of Russia in the Davis cup in 2002 and 2006. Roger Federer. Between 2000 and 2001, she won 4 of her 7 Grand Slam victories, performing extremely well. Next on our list is a former professional boxer, Nassem Hamed. So, clearly her star is on the rise. Tennis is a very popular game and is played by millions of people of all age groups all over the world. Australian former tennis player Rod Laver is widely regarded to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time. She married Shoaib Malik in 2010. Muslim sports persons in other sports: Outside of Soccer, there are some other games which does involve so many famous Muslim sports persons. Coco Gauff, who has achieved a career-high ranking of 23 in singles, is the youngest player ranked by the WTA in the top 100. (Former World Number One Romanian Tennis Legend), (Retired Serbian Tennis Player Who Was Once World Number One in Singles), (American Tennis Player Who Rose to Fame After Her Win Against Venus Williams at Wimbledon in 2019), (One of the Best Croatian Tennis Players of All Time). Also a table tennis player, Perry was the world champion in 1929. She reached two junior major girls . He was born on March 7, 1960, in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia, and stands tall amongst famous tennis players. Australian Top 10 rankings. Mohamed Elneny, Egypt. A baseline player and hardcourt specialist, Aravane first saw international success by winning gold medals while representing Iran in the Womens Islamic Games in 2001 and 2005. His professional debut game was againstTunney Hunsaker. She is a force to reckon with, as a tennis player and as a woman. Her brother, Anauch, has gone on to become a successful tennis coach. famous muslim tennis players. She has 167 career titles to her credit including 18 Grand Slam titles: 9 Wimbledon, 4 US Open, 3 Australian and 2 French Open titles. It was at the same time, Hopkins converted to Islam. Our editorial content is not influenced by any commissions we receive. Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. changed his name to Muhammad Ali in the 1960s after converting to Islam and joining the Nation of Islam. Nicknamed the dream, 59 year-old Olajuwon is widely considered to be one of the greatest centers and greatest basketball players of all time. She ranked No. His infamous bad temper on court was parodied in satirical TV programs, such as Spitting Image and Not the Nine O'Clock News. Under his captaincy, the Pakistan national team won the 1992 Cricket World Cup, Pakistans first and only victory in the competition. Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka made history by being the first player of Asian origin to hold the world number one rank in singles. Houston Rockets drafted Olajuwon as the first overall selection of the 1984 NBA draft. Her cultural interests range from Bollywood films to Persian poetry and Persian music. After winning his last Grand Slam Title, the US Open in 2002, he retired. For example Diego Armando Maradona Gabriel Omar Batistuta Mario Kempes Lionel Messi Carlos Tevez Maxi Rodriguez and Gabriel Heinze. Mike Tyson converted to Islam in the early 1990s while he was in prison for a rape conviction. I know religion isn't important in football, baseball, or any other sport (it's performance that matters), but it doesn't hurt to know which of the world's famous soccer players are Muslim. Yet another French national football team representative. I have it in my blood, via my parents. Generations of players have come and gone. Here she is at Hajj with her mother in Saudi Arabia. The major European clubs provided Ribry with halal meals and unique rooms for prayer, seeing his eagerness for his religion. She can establish herself as a powerful server and pro athlete in the field of tennis. Tatiana Golovin is a Russian-born French professional tennis player. Hopkins is one of the greatest boxers of the modern era. He was arrested 38 times by the time he was 13, for which he was sent to the Tryon School for Boys. Ivan Lendl is a former Czech-American professional tennis player. He even re-enacted the video of Michael Jacksons thriller and wore a Halloween mask. Tennis is played either between two individuals competing against each other, or between two teams consisting of two players each. In the summer of 1968, Alcindor converted to Islam while at UCLA. Zinedineis one of the greatest players of all time and one of the worlds most successful coaches. Wahbi Khazri, Tunisia . Ryan Clark Wife, Yonka Clark: Family, Children & More! You may be in for some interesting surprises in our list of The 10 Greatest Muslim Athletes of All Time. He was an inspiration for many young players of that time. Her highest WTA world ranking thus far was number 15, achieved just last month. He was clearly comfortable on grass and hard courts. Kareem Abdul Jabbar playing for Milwaukee (Source: Instagram). Stan Wawrinka is a Swiss tennis player who has won three Grand Slam titles so far in his career. Apart from winning an Olympic gold medal, she also won Belgium its first Fed Cup title and won 7 Grand Slam titles. Hamed won the European bantamweight title at the age of 20. He was the first player and only British player to date to achieve a Career Grand Slam. Being a proud Muslim, Hamed frequently recited the Takbir aloud before his fights. Our number 3 of the famous Muslim athletes is the former professional basketball player, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Swiss player Roger Federer, the greatest player of all time is easily justifiable. After retiring from his playing career, Kareem transitioned to a coaching career. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid, France) As one of the most popular Muslim players in Europe A baseline player and hardcourt specialist, Aravane first saw international success by winning gold medals while representing Iran in the Womens Islamic Games in 2001 and 2005. By Parvez Fatteh, TMO, Founder of http://sportingummah.com, sports@muslimobserver.com. And she remains down to earth enough to enjoy a good kebab. So far, the sisters have locked horns in court for a total of 9 times out of which Serena Williams 7 matches. Regarded as one of the greatest women's tennis players of all time, Venus Williams is credited with introducing never seen before power and athleticism to women's tennis along with her sister Serena. And, a tennis star was born. Hakeem Olajuwon is a former Nigerian-American professional basketball player. Similarly, he also holds the record for having the most sixes in the history of ODI cricket. Dominic Thiem. After debuting with Houston, Olajuwon also played for the Toronto Raptors. His professional debut game was against, Zhang Zhilei Bio: Early Life Career & Net Worth. Almost every player on this list openly practices their religion. One of the greatest Argentine players of all time, Juan Martn del Potro also won Olympic bronze and silver in 2012 and 2016 respectively. Tennis is a highly competitive sport and one needs to be trained for a career as a professional tennis player from a young age. Despite enduring several injuries, Federer continues to dominate the tennis court. She became a naturalized American citizen in 1994 and also received . He was an undisciplined player who got into minor fights during his initial years. 39 year-old Ribry is considered a fast and tricky player with excellent dribbling skills. Serena Williams currently holds the open era record of winning the most number of Grand Slam Singles titles, male or female. He won eight Grand Slam tournaments, including a Career Grand Slam. Mohamed Salah The Egyptian forward has taken the Premier League by storm this season since his arrival from AS Roma for a reported fee of around 37.8million. Hakeem Olajuwon playing for Houston (Source: Instagram). He used to wear his straight hair very long and looked like something of a tennis pirate. Please type in your email address below.If you do not receive our email in the next couple of minutes,please check your spam folder. Her career highlights are commendable with 45 career titles including 5 Grand Slam Titles (1 US Open, 1 Wimbledon and 3 Australian Open), 13 Grand Slam Doubles titles, 7 Mixed Doubles titles, and 2 Tour Final Titles. After the 2015 Cricket World Cup, Afridi announced his retirement from ODI cricket. Many may not know, but one of the greatest basketball players, Shaquille ONeal, is also of Islam faith. Even after his retirement, he remains the all-time leader in the points scored, field goals made, and career wins. She has won a total of 59 Grand Slams which includes 18 singles, 31 doubles, and 10 mixed doubles. He also has one Australian Open, two Wimbledon and four US Open titles tohis name. 1. In 1987, Nouchine, a physical therapist, gave birth to daughter Aravane. He represented Germany in Men's International Football at the age of 20. He is the only person to be honored with the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year award on four occasions. In 1988, Hopkins was released from prison after serving almost five years. The list has been prepared with the help of trusted sources around the internet like SportsBrowser, Sportzbusiness, etc. 4. However, he lost the game to Roger Federer. By the age of 13, Hopkins had turned into a life of crime. He took the Arabic name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar which translates to noble one, servant of Almighty. He studied the Quran, and from then, his beliefs were clarified, and his faith was renewed. Please logout and login again. Like fellow Muslim sports stars Mo Farah, Moeen Ali and Amir Khan, the Great Britain rower observes Ramadan each year. He also won an Olympic gold medal in men's doubles in 1992. Rafael Nadal. In 2022, Rafael Nadal became the first man ever to reach 21 Grand Slam titles, further solidifying his place as one of the best players ever. Despite enduring several injuries, Federer continues to dominate the tennis court. And the cartoon made him realize that he hadnt chosen Christianity. Bernard Hopkins at the Golovkin Lemieux Press Conference 2015 (Source: Wikimedia.org). Now, in 2010, she is the top womens tennis player in all of France, and the 18th-ranked womens tennis player in the world. Born to professional tennis players, Czech-American tennis legend Ivan Lendl has eight Grand Slam titles under his belt. Men. Click here to read about Juliana Limas Bio: All About the MMA Artist! He has a record of being number one for 325 weeks. In 2001, she graduated from the university. So, without further ado, lets have a look at the best Muslim athletes of all time. A relatively new entrant into this big boys' league of legends, Serbia's Novak Djokovic has carved a place for himself among the best tennis players in the world. He is also a captain for Serie A club Salernitana. He was an icon for American Muslims. In 2016 when he won the French Open, he became the eighth man to do so. the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame is one of the highest honours Australian tennis players can receive. After transitioning to a coaching career, Wallace worked as an assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons and as a head coach for Jordan High School. Fans of Hamid called him Prince Naseem and Naz. In a 2008 interview with USA Today, Safin identified himself as a Muslim. 17. He has 64 career titles that include 7 Wimbledon, 5 US Open and 2 Australian Open. Conclusion. His career prize money is a mind-boggling sum of $100,564,598. Aravane maintains close relations with her family. Photo: Daniele Badolato Source: Getty Images Similarly, in 2005, he won the Australian Open after defeating Lleyton Hewitt in the final. Mesut Ozil 10. Swiss tennis sensation Martina Hingis made waves when she won the Australian Open at age 16, becoming the youngest Grand Slam singles winner of the 20th century. As a result, he is one of the elite Muslim players of the league who had a strict observance of Ramadan. He also added the name Bilal after his . He is the only tennis player to have won two Olympic gold medals in singles competition. It is equally difficult to break into the tops slots and maintain the ranking consistently. Ali was also an actor and a writer. Originally from Turkey, he was criticized by German fans for calling President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoan as 'My President'. An article with a cartoon message that Christianity was forced on slaves by the white establishment caught Alis eyes. Safin was ranked the world No. Aravane maintains close relations with her family. In the 2009 T20 World Cup Final, Shahid was named the player of the match. Right IconThis ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet. Her highest WTA world ranking thus far was number 15, achieved just last month. It may also result from racial politics that insulted his racial origins in the past. These all-time greatest players are not just brilliant on the court but great off the court as well. He was appointed as a special adviser to Real Madrids first team in 2010 and was with the Real Madrid club but resigned in 2021. He won the 2018 ATP Finals, becoming the youngest champion at the year-end championship in 10 years. Arsalan and Nouchine Rezai emigrated from Iran to France. In the 1971 Test series against England, he started his international cricket journey but made his first-class cricket debut at 16. #4 Venus Williams Venus Williams Californian Venus Williams entered the tennis scene in the year 1994. He was born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. in New York. She is one of three women with a "Grand Slam Boxed Set. She is openly lesbian and had earlier fled her country, Czechoslovakia, due to political issues. Though she made it to the finals of most championships, she consistently lost the title to her sister, Serena Williams. He has played for a total of 6 teams during his 19-year career in the NBA and has won the NBA championship four times. Quentin Grimes Bio: Facts, Early Life & Education, Ellen Rucker Bio: Twins, Career, Business, Marriage & Daughters, Kirk Herbstreits Wife: All About Alison Butler. Here's a list of top Muslim soccer players who are practicing Islam and playing soccer professionally! She sure was an inspiration and will always be, to many upcoming players and will always be remembered for her zeal on the court. At a juvenile detention center, Bobby Stewart discovered Tysons boxing ability. And, a tennis star was born. He played better during Ramadan. He is known for his powerful two-handed backhand and his service returns. Ali fought in several historic matches. Aside from his unconventional boxing skills, Hamed is also known for his spectacular ring entrances. By 20, she had already won the French Open. Ibrahim Afellay is the professional Netherlands team Muslim footballers. And to think, she started out in the game as her older brothers ball girl. Hopkins had a rough childhood. World's top tennis players v China's . Lendl comes from a tennis family. Hes probably best known for a nail-biter five-set loss to Andy Roddick in the Australian Open where he had previously defeated No. His soccer skills are as good as any player's on the planet. However, Olajuwon started getting spiritual and became a more devout Muslim later. He was a part of Real Madrid's La Liga winning team. 1. Pogba is holding the 3rd position on the list of top 10 Muslim football players in the World. She was one of those rare female players who used a single-handed backhand. Though she retired in 1994, she will be remembered as one of the best players who were fierce on the court. Mats Wilander is a former tennis player who won seven Grand Slam singles titles from 1982 to 1988. Former professional tennis player, Pete Sampras, became the winner of 14 Grand Slam singles titles during his career. Simone Manuel became the first . Hes definitely a looker and acts like he knows it: he never hesitates to take his shirt off and once bleached his hair blond. At 31 years of age, he is still an active player and has a lot of tennis milestones ahead of him. 12. Collins lauded his. 1 in nine different years. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Wawrinka won the gold medal for Switzerland in the doubles event along with teammate Roger Federer. One of the biggest stars in Los Blancos squad Benzema is a devout Muslim who follows fasting in the holy month of Ramadan. 19. Novak Djokovic. Zidane is an introverted icon and does not open up more about his religious beliefs. Kareem played basketball in his high school and college career, and after college, the Milwaukee Bucks drafted him as the first pick in the 1969 NBA draft. Popularity is another entirely different matter. The Laver Cup Tournament is named after him. She is also credited with changing the long-standing practice of paying male tennis players more than their female counterparts as she won the fight for equal prize money. He is also the first Russian tennis player to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2016. 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Armed with a lethal forehand, 21 year-old Sania plays with a very high-risk style that generates stunning winners but also cringe-inducing unforced errors. His 20 Grand Slam championships and 310 weeks at number one testify for themselves. Once in the U.S., Navratilova whipped herself into top shape and put together nearly invincible seasons of 90-3, 86-1, 78-2 and 89-3 from 1982 to '86.