Top 10 players with most singles titles: Where do Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal rank?

Shahida Jacobs
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal 2008 Wimbledon
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal shake hands at Wimbledon in 2008

As Roger Federer goes in search of his 100th ATP Tour singles title during the Dubai Duty Free Championships this week, we take a quick look at the top 10 all-time record in the Open Era.

*Correct as of February 27, 2019.

10. Guillermo Vilas (Argentina) – 62 singles titles
The Argentine giant dominated tennis in the 70s and it is no surprise that his first-ever singles title came at home when he won the South American Open in Buenos Aires in February 1973.

He won four Grand Slams in the late 70s and by the time he hung up his racket in 1992 he had 62 titles to his name with 48 of them coming on clay.

= 8. Pete Sampras (United States) – 64 singles titles
Pistol Pete started wowing fans in 1988 at the age of 16, but it took him until 1990 to win his first title as he beat Andres Gomez in three sets in the US Pro Indoor final.

Later that year he would win his first Grand Slam when he lifted the US Open and he ultimately ended up with 14 majors, which was the all-time Open Era record until Roger Federer broke it in 2009.

Besides the 14 Grand Slams, his haul of 64 also included five end-of-year trophies, two Grand Slam Cups and 11 Masters titles.

= 8. Bjorn Borg (Sweden) – 64 singles titles
Tied with Sampras for eighth, the Swede won his 64 singles titles between 1974 and 1981 with the first coming in Auckland, New Zealand, and the last one in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Ice Man led the way in terms of Roland Garros trophies with six until a certain Rafael Nadal came along while he also won five Wimbledon titles. He also won 15 Grand Prix Super Series (high category) titles.

7. Novak Djokovic (Serbia) – 73 singles titles
One of three active players in the top 10, Djokovic is quickly closing in on those ahead of him and at the rate he is going, you wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up in first place or second place by the time he calls it a day.

The 15-time Grand Slam winner won the first-ever singles trophy at the Dutch Open in 2006 and nearly 13 years later he has 73 to his name and counting with 32 of those coming at ATP Masters 1000 events.
Novak Djokovic kisses the Australian Open trophy

6. Rod Laver (Australia) – 74 singles titles
You suspect Laver won’t be staying in sixth place for too much longer with Djokovic only one title behind him, but for a man who finished his playing career in 1976, it’s impressive that he is still ranked so highly.

The first of his titles during the Open Era came at the National Tennis League Professional Championships in London in April 1968 and he picked up his final trophy in Detroit in January 1976.

His Open Era haul also includes only five of his 11 Grand Slam titles.

In total, Laver won 200 singles titles (54 during his amateur career, 72 during the professional era and 74 in the Open Era).

5. John McEnroe (United States) – 77 singles titles
The man with the most combined (singles and doubles) titles in the history of the sport with 156, but we are only looking at singles.

The left-hander turned pro in 1978 and by the end of the season he already had five titles to his name. In 1979 in he won his first two Grand Slams (Wimbledon and the US Open).

By the time he called it a day 1994, he had 77 singles title – including seven Grand Slams and 19 super high category Grand Prix Championship Series titles – to his name.

4. Rafael Nadal (Spain) – 80 singles titles
One of the current Big Three on the ATP Tour, Nadal won his first singles title at the age of 18 back in August 2004 when he lifted the Orange Prokom Open trophy in Poland. The following year he won the French Open and nearly 15 years later he is still going strong.

His 80 titles include 17 Grand Slams, 33 ATP Masters 1000 trophies and an Olympic gold medal. Surprisingly, though, Nadal hasn’t won the ATP World Tour Finals.

Of course the 11 Roland Garros, 11 Monte Carlo Masters and 11 Barcelona Open trophies were a big help.

3. Ivan Lendl (Czechoslovakia/United States) – 94 singles titles
The eight-time Grand Slam winner has a nice buffer between himself and Nadal. He won his first title in 1980, two years after turning pro, and when he retired in 1984 he was just six shy of the magical 100.

Outside of the majors, he also won seven year-end trophies and 22 Grand Prix Super Series ATP Championship Series single week titles.

2. Roger Federer (Switzerland) – 99 singles titles
The 20-time Grand Slam winner has been stuck on 99 trophies for more than a year now and all eyes are on him in Dubai to see if he can get to three figures.

He won his first ATP Tour singles title in 2001 at the Milan Indoor and added another 98 during the next 18 years.

His collection includes six year-end finals trophies and 27 ATP Masters 1000 titles. Nine Halle Open and Swiss Indoor titles, eight Wimbledon trophies and seven Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships contributed big time.

1. Jimmy Connors (United States) – 109 singles titles

It is difficult to see anyone surpassing Connors, who competed on the Tour from 1972 until 1996, especially with Federer closing in on retirement.

The eight-time Grand Slam winner, who spent a total 268 weeks at the top of the world rankings, won his maiden singles title in Jacksonville in 1972.

During his two decades on the tour, he also won three year-end titles and 17 super high category Championship Series trophies, but only nine of his 109 titles came on grass.


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