Ranking the players over 37 to win an ATP title since 1990 as Gael Monfils joins Roger Federer and co
Gael Monfils made history at the Stockholm Open as he became the oldest player to win the tournament, but he also joined a very exclusive club of players over the age of 37 to win an ATP Tour singles title.
Frenchman Monfils won his 12th ATP title on Sunday when he defeated qualifier Pavel Kotov in the final of the ATP 250 event in Sweden.
In the process, he became the oldest player to lift the trophy as he was 37 years, one month and 15 days on the day of the final. Monfils also won the Stockholm Open in 2011 and the 12-gap between his first title and last title is also the biggest in history.
Monfils, though, is not quite the oldest player over 37 to win a singles title since 1990 – the year when the ATP Tour was officially launched.
So where does the Frenchman fit in on the list of players over 37 to win an ATP title since 1990?
In case you didn’t know, there are only four players on this list with Roger Federer, Ivo Karlovic and Feliciano Lopez the other stars to have achieved the feat.
Gael Monfils – 37 years, one month and 15 days
Veteran Frenchman Monfils is the youngest player to have achieved the feat, but given that he is still going strong he could get a few more entries in 2024 or even break the record.
Ivo Karlovic – 37 years, four months and 11 days
The big-serving Ivo Karlovic was the first player to win an ATP Tour singles title over the age of 37 as he set the record at the Halle of Fame Open in July 2016.
Ivo Karlovic – 37 years, five months and eight days
Just over a month after becoming the first 37-year-old to win a singles title, Karlovic broke his own record as he defeated Feliciano Lopez to win the Los Cabos Open.
Incredibly, the Croatian played in two more finals before he retired as he lost the 2017 Rosmalen Championships and the 2019 Maharashtra Open. He was 39 years, 10 months and three days on the day of the Maharashtra Open final.
Roger Federer – 37 years, six months and 17 days
Tennis great Federer broke Karlovic’s by a mere month in early March 2019 when he won the Dubai Championships, beating 20-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.
Roger Federer – 37 years, seven months and 10 days
And Federer bettered his own milestone on March 31, 2019 when he won the Miami Open – which turned out to be his final ATP Masters 1000 trophy.
Incidentally, Federer is the oldest ATP Masters 1000 champion although not the oldest over all as Pancho Gonzales won a Masters title at the age of 41 years, four months and 28 days in 1969.
Feliciano Lopez – 37 years, eighth months and 27 days
Spanish legend Feliciano Lopez called time on his career earlier in 2023, but he does sit quite highly on this list thanks to his 2019 Queen’s Club Championship title.
Lopez won seven ATP titles and his final one came in June 2019 when he beat Gilles Simon at Queen’s Club and he did the double as he teamed up with Andy Murray to win the men’s doubles trophy as well.
Roger Federer – 37 years, 10 months and nine days
Federer once again broke his own record in June 2019 when he won the Halle Open – just a couple of months shy of his 38th birthday.
Roger Federer – 38 years, two months and 13 days
Roger Federer currently holds the record as the oldest player to win a singles title since the ATP Tour was formed.
Federer won the Swiss Indoors in Basel in October 2019 – the final title of his career – just a couple of months after he celebrated his 38th birth, which means he is also the only player on the list to win a title after turning 38.
American Pacho Gonzalez also holds the record for the oldest-ever men’s singles title winner as he was 44 years, seven months and four days when he won the Kingston title in 1972.
