The 7 men with the best winning percentage in finals: Jannik Sinner moves ahead of Carlos Alcaraz
Some players have a winning mentality when it comes to finals and they rarely seem to lose in the biggest matches.
Thomas Muster was one of those as he had an incredible record in ATP Tour finals, but rising stars Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are now also part of the conversation for big-match temperament as they feature highly on the list of players with the best records in finals.
We know you are wondering about the Big Three, but they are all outside the top 10. Although it is a case of the “more finals you play, the more finals you are likely to lose”.
Novak Djokovic comes in at No 12 with a 70.2% win-loss record in finals as he is 99-42 while Nadal is just behind him on 70.2% (92-39). Roger Federer is down in 20th with a 66.03% record (103-53).
As for some of the other greats, Bjorn Borg had 71.7% (66-26) record in finals, John McEnroe 71% (76-31), Jimmy Connors 69% (109-49), Andre Agassi 66.3% (59-30) and Andy Murray 64.8% (46-25).
The 7 men with the best winning percentage in finals:
7. Pete Sampras – 72.7% (64-24)
Pete Sampras was 14-4 in Grand Slam finals – including 7-0 at Wimbledon – 5-1 at the year-end championships and 11-8 at the Masters.
The first of his 64 titles came at the US Pro Indoor in February 1990 while his final title was 2002 US Open when he defeated his great rival Andre Agassi in four sets.
Andy Roddick was the last player to beat Sampras in a final as he defeated the all-time great in the U.S. Clay Court Championships in April 2002.
Facts & Stats Features
6. Rod Laver – 72.7% (72-27)
Rod Laver would no doubt have been higher on the list had the Open Era started earlier, but only records since 1968 are taken into account.
The Australian was 5-1 in Grand Slam finals in the Open Era – including THAT calendar Grand Slam in 1969 – while the official ATP website states overall he won 72 of the 99 finals he appeared in.
5. Thomas Enqvist – 73.1% (19–7)
One of Thomas Enqvist’s seven defeats in a final came at the 1999 Australian Open final when he lost against Yevgeny Kafelnikov.
The Swede, who peaked at No 4 in the ATP Rankings, was 3-1 in the Masters finals while his final title came in Marseille in 2002 when he beat Nicolas Escude.
4. Nikolay Davydenko – 75% (21-7)
Nikolay Davydenko is the only player in the top seven not to have appeared in a Grand Slam final with his biggest title coming at the year-end 2009 finals.
But he was 3-0 in Masters finals with two of those coming against Rafael Nadal in 2008 Miami Open and the 2009 Shanghai Masters. In fact, he faced Nadal in three finals and won all three as he also beat the Spaniard at the 2010 Qatar Open.
3. Carlos Alcaraz – 76.2% (16-5)
Carlos Alcaraz won his first five finals before losing his next two, but he returned to winning ways in the 2022 US Open final.
The Spaniard is 4-0 in Grand Slam finals – including two Wimbledon finals against Novak Djokovic although the Serbian did get the better of him in the 2024 Paris Olympics gold medal match – and 5-1 in ATP Masters showpiece matches.
Djokovic (twice), Jannik Sinner, Lorenzo Musetti and Cameron Norrie are the four players to beat him in finals.
2. Jannik Sinner – 77.2% (17-5)
Jannik Sinner has appeared in eight finals in 2024 and he won seven of them with the Australian Open and US Open titles the two most significant ones.
The Italian is 2-0 in Grand Slam finals and 4–2 in ATP Masters 1000 events.
Daniil Medvedev (2), Hubert Hurkacz, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz – who won their recent China Open final – have beaten Sinner in finals.
Sinner was level with Alcaraz on 16-5, but moved ahead of the Spaniard with his Shanghai Masters title.
1. Thomas Muster – 81.5% (44-10)
Former world No 1 Thomas Masters played in “only” 54 finals, but he won an astonishing 44 of them. He is the only player to win more than 80% of the finals he has played in.
He was 40–5 in finals on clay, 3–3 on hard courts and 1-3 on carpets.
The Austrian made only one Grand Slam final appearance as he won the 1995 French Open while he was 8-2 in Masters finals.