The 9 men with the most Italian Open match wins: Nadal, Djokovic, Federer top 3
Rafael Nadal holds the record for the most Italian Open men’s singles match wins, though key rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are also high up in the all-time standings.
Here, we look at the nine men to have won the most matches at the iconic event.
=8) Thomas Muster – 28 wins
One of the greatest clay-court players of all time, former world No 1 Muster won 40 ATP titles on the dirt—three of which came in Rome in 1990, 1995, and 1996.
The Austrian won 28 matches in Rome across his career, ranking him joint-eighth in the Open Era.
=8) Adriano Panatta – 28 wins
Joining Muster on 28 wins is former world No 4 Panatta, who remains the last Italian man to triumph in the men’s singles event on home soil.
Panatta lifted the title in Rome in 1976, later going on to lose the 1978 final to Bjorn Borg.
=6) Jan Kodes – 29 wins
Kodes was one of the leading clay-court players of his era and twice triumphed at Roland Garros, though he never triumphed in Rome, losing three straight finals from 1970-72.
The Czech recorded 29 wins at the tournament, ranking him joint-sixth among men in the Open Era.
=6) Eddie Dibbs – 29 wins
Former world No 5 Dibbs never made it to the Italian Open final across his ten tournament appearances, losing three straight semi-finals across the 1970s.
However, the American still managed to record an impressive 29 match wins, joining Kodes in joint-sixth place.
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=4) Ilie Nastase – 33 wins
Nastase was one the best clay courters in the early years of the Open Era, with his 1970 and 1973 Italian Open triumphs – alongside his 1974 runner-up finish – a testament to that.
The Romanian won 33 matches in Rome across his long career, ranking him joint-fourth in the all-time standings.
=4) Guillermo Vilas – 33 wins
Joining Nastase on 33 Italian Open match wins is former world No 2 Vilas, who was also among the leading dirtballers of the 1970s.
The Argentine triumphed in Rome in 1980, having previously reached the final in 1976 and 1979.
3) Roger Federer – 34 wins
Just ahead of both Nastase and Vilas is Federer, who recorded 34 Italian Open match wins across his 17 appearances at the Masters 1000 event.
Federer holds the unfortunate record of the most match wins without ever lifting the title, losing in the final four times.
The Swiss was beaten in the championship match in 2003, 2006, 2013, and 2015.
2) Novak Djokovic – 68 wins
Comfortably in No 2 position ahead of Federer is fellow former world No 1 Djokovic, with the Italian Open arguably the most successful clay event of the Serbian’s career.
Djokovic claimed 68 match wins in Rome, highlighted by winning the tournament on six separate occasions.
The Serbian lifted the title in 2008, 2011, 2014-15, 2020, and 2022, alongside reaching a further six finals at the Foro Italico.
1) Rafael Nadal – 70 wins
Unsurprisingly, it is ‘King of Clay’ Nadal who sits at the very top of this countdown, with the Spaniard’s 70 wins just about pipping Djokovic to the top of the standings.
Nadal’s success in Rome is highlighted by his tournament record of 10 men’s singles titles, starting with three straight triumphs from 2005-07.
The Spaniard then won further titles from 2009-10 and 2012-13, before his final three triumphs in 2018-19 and 2021.
Nadal was also twice a beaten finalist in Rome and holds a 70-9 record overall, with a win percentage of 88.61%.
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