The 10 men to win multiple Italian Open titles: Rafael Nadal top, Novak Djokovic with 6
The Italian Open is one of the most prestigious titles up for grabs in tennis, and ten different men have won the event multiple times since the Open Era launched in 1968.
=4) Ilie Nastase – Two titles (1970, 1973)
Nastase was one of the leading players early on in the Open Era and was the first man in the professional age to win multiple Italian Open titles.
The Romanian beat Jan Kodes in four sets to claim his first Rome title in 1970, before thrashing reigning champion Manuel Orantes 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 to claim his second title in 1973.
=4) Bjorn Borg – Two titles (1974, 1978)
One of the greatest clay-courters of all time, it comes as no surprise to see that Borg won multiple titles in the Italian capital.
Borg defeated Nastase in straight sets to claim his first title in 1974, and he regained his title in 1978 with a battling five-set triumph over fellow former champion and home favourite Adriano Panatta.
=4) Vitas Gerulaitis – Two titles (1977, 1979)
Former world No 3 Gerulaitis won his biggest clay-court titles at the Italian, triumphing at the tournament twice in the late 1970s.
The American defeated home favourite Tonino Zugarelli to lift the title for the first time in 1977, and then defeated clay-court great Guillermo Vilas in an epic five-set final to prevail in 1979.
=4) Andres Gomez – Two titles (1982, 1984)
Over half a decade before he lifted the Roland Garros title in 1990, Gomez twice claimed the Italian Open title.
The former world No 4 breezed past Eliot Teltscher in straight sets in the 1982 final, before a four-set win over Aaron Krickstein in 1984 sealed his second title at the event.
=4) Ivan Lendl – Two titles (1986, 1988)
Arguably the leading dirtballer of his era, former world No 1 Lendl reached two finals in Rome and won both of them.
The Czech defeated Emilio Sanchez in four sets to prevail in the 1986 final, before fending off Guillermo Perez Roldan in five sets to regain the title in 1988.
=4) Jim Courier – Two titles (1992, 1993)
Former world No 1 Courier became the first man in the Open Era to successfully defend the Italian Open, thanks to his back-to-back triumphs in 1992 and 1993.
Courier beat Carlos Costa in straight sets to claim his first Rome title in 1992, and thrashed Goran Ivanisevic in the 1993 final to reign once again.
=4) Alexander Zverev – Two titles (2017, 2024)
Reigning champion Zverev is among those to have won multiple Rome titles, winning the title in 2024 to add to his previous triumph back in 2017.
The German had stunned Novak Djokovic to claim his first title at the event back in 2017, before victory over surprise finalist Nicolas Jarry twelve months ago.
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3) Thomas Muster – Three titles (1990, 1995-96)
Muster was one of the leading clay players of the 1990s, and the Italian Open was one of his greatest events, with his three titles ranking among the leading players in tournament history.
The Austrian lifted the title for the first time in 1990, easing past Andrei Chesnokov in straight sets to triumph.
Five years later, he beat former Roland Garros champion Sergi Bruguera to lift the title in 1995, before successfully defending his title with a four-set win over Richard Krajicek in 1996.
2) Novak Djokovic – Six titles (2008, 2011, 2014-15, 2020, 2022)
The Italian Open has been the most successful clay-court event of Djokovic’s career, with the Serbian winning an impressive six titles in Rome.
Djokovic saw off Stan Wawrinka in three sets to claim his first title in 2008, and beat Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the 2011 final.
The Serbian beat Nadal in the final for the second time in 2014, and successfully defended his title twelve months later with a victory over Roger Federer.
Djokovic downed Diego Schwartzman to triumph in 2020, before sealing his sixth and most recent title in 2022 by defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.
1) Rafael Nadal – 10 titles (2005-07, 2009-10, 2012-13, 2018-19, 2021)
Unsurprisingly, it is ‘King of Clay’ Nadal out in front, with a staggering haul of 10 titles to the Spaniard’s name.
Nadal beat Guillermo Coria in a five-set thriller to win his first title in 2005 and also prevailed over Federer in five sets in 2006, before breezing past Fernando Gonzalez to triumph once again in 2007.
The Spaniard then defeated reigning champion Djokovic to regain his title in 2009, and successfully defended his title in 2010 with a straight-sets win over compatriot David Ferrer.
After a defeat to Djokovic in the 2011 final, Nadal gained revenge over the Serbian with victory in 2012, before easing past Federer in 2013.
Nadal ended a five-year wait for his eighth Italian Open title with a three-set win over reigning champion Zverev in the 2018 final, before defending his crown with a triumph over Djokovic in 2019.
He then won his 10th and final title in 2021, once again defeating the Serbian.
