The 7 fastest men to reach 250 ATP Tour match wins: Carlos Alcaraz in 3rd
Carlos Alcaraz’s fine form continued with a victory over Roberto Bautista Agut on Saturday, sealing his place in a second Queen’s Club Championship final.
And, regardless of whether he beats Jiri Lehecka in Sunday’s final, the Spaniard has already achieved another significant career milestone.
The 22-year-old has now recorded 250 match wins, taking the third-fewest matches of any man in the Open Era to attain that feat.
Here, we look at the seven tennis greats who achieved 250 match wins in the fewest number of matches.
=6) Mats Wilander & Ivan Lendl – 250-71
Wilander and Lendl were two of the leading players of the 1980s and among each other’s biggest rivals, meaning there is a sense of symmetry regarding their place on this list.
Both former world No 1’s took exactly 321 matches to achieve 250 tour-level match wins, with 250-71 records to their names.
5) Boris Becker – 250-69
Becker famously won the first of his six Grand Slam titles at the age of 17, triumphing at Wimbledon in 1985, meaning it is no surprise to learn that he amassed 250 tour wins so quickly.
The German had lost just 69 tour-level matches by the time of his 250th match win, the fifth-fewest matches needed to hit that milestone in the Open Era.
4) Rafael Nadal – 250-63
One of the most successful players of all time, ‘King of Clay’ Nadal dominated on the dirt across his career, though the 22-time Grand Slam champion also found huge success on hard and grass courts.
It took the Spaniard just 313 tour matches to seal his 250th ATP Tour win, the fourth-fewest amount of matches needed in the Open Era.
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3) Carlos Alcaraz – 250-61
It is impossible to tell if Alcaraz can match some of the milestones set by his tennis idol Nadal, though the world No 2 has moved ahead of his compatriot in these standings.
Alcaraz sealed his 250th win at Queen’s on Saturday with victory over Bautista Agut, taking just 311 matches to achieve that – two less than Nadal, and a feat only beaten by two fellow tennis greats.
2) Jimmy Connors – 250-60
An eight-time Grand Slam singles champion and one of the most dominant world No 1’s in ATP Tour history, Connors won 109 singles titles in the Open Era – the most of any man.
It is therefore unsurprising to see that Connors quickly recorded 250 tour-level wins across his career, with the American ace losing just 60 matches before his milestone tour victory.
1) John McEnroe – 250-57
McEnroe remains one of the most iconic figures in tennis history, maintaining a huge profile off the court in the decades following his retirement.
He also remains one of the most successful players of all time, and still holds the record for the fewest matches needed to amass 250 wins on the men’s tour.
The American needed just 307 matches to seal 250 victories, a record unlikely to be broken anytime soon.
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