The Baseline Top 10: The greatest players from California

Warm weather, sunny skies, tons of courts: What could be a better recipe for developing a tennis player? California has all of that and then some.

With the eyes of the tennis world on the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, here’s a look at 10 of the greatest talents to emerge from the Golden State.

1

Arguably the greatest tennis player of all time, Williams grew up in Compton and has since won an astonishing 23 Grand Slam singles titles, with her most recent coming at this year’s Australian Open—as a 35-year-old.

2

The seven-time Grand Slam singles champ is still going strong, just like her younger sister. She just reached the final of the Australian Open this year, 14 years after the last time she played for the title there.

3

"Pistol Pete," who started taking tennis more seriously in Palos Verdes, won his first Grand Slam title at the US Open as a 19-year-old in 1990 and his last in 2002, also in New York. In between those victories, Sampras dominated the sport like few others in the history of the game.

3.

4/5

From the California juniors scene to college at Stanford to their time as pros, the Bryan brothers have been dominant. They’ve raised the bar in doubles, setting records that might never be broken including 109 ATP titles won and 439 weeks at No. 1.

6

San Diego born "Little Mo" made history more than six decades ago when she became the first female player to win all four Grand Slams in one calendar year.

7

The 2014 International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee and Laguna Beach resident won three Grand titles in singles and three in doubles, too. She also reached the top spot in both disciplines.

8

Born in Oakland, Budge was the first player to ever achieve the calendar-year Grand Slam, dominating the game as both an amateur and professional.

9

Who knows what Rolling Hills resident Austin would have achieved if not for injury? She still remains the youngest-ever champion at the US Open, winning it as a 16-year-old.

10

Widely considered one of the game’s all-time greats, King’s accomplishments on and off the court are legendary, and it all began in Long Beach.