The 5 men to win an ATP match in the most seasons: Roger Federer with 24, Nadal 4th

Oli Dickson Jefford 02 Apr 2025 12:17 PM

Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, and Rafael Nadal.

Stan Wawrinka made plenty of history with an epic opening-round win at the Bucharest Open on Tuesday.

In an enthralling contest, the former world No 3 battled past Timofey Skatov 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-6(1) to earn his spot in the second round, win his first ATP Tour match of the year.

At three hours and 18 minutes, the match is the longest-recorded win by any player over the age of 40 since the ATP Tour officially launched in 1990, while he is the fourth-oldest match winner since then.

And, the three-time Grand Slam champion now sits fifth all-time among male players when it comes to separate seasons with at least one Open Era match win.

5) Stan Wawrinka – 22 seasons

Wawrinka’s win over Skatov was his first since turning 40 last week, and a first win of 2025 on the ATP Tour after four previous losses this season.

This is now the 22nd season that the Swiss has won at least one match at ATP level, a record that only four men can beat.

Wawrinka’s first season with a match win came back in 2003, beating Hugo Armando 6-4, 6-4 in Amersfoort for his maiden ATP Tour victory.

The Swiss did not win a match in 2004, but has won at least one match every year from 2005 onwards – with a personal record of 55 wins coming in 2015.

4) Rafael Nadal – 23 seasons

Just ahead of Wawrinka is tennis icon Nadal, who retired from the sport last November after winning a staggering 22 Grand Slam titles.

The Spaniard is one of just a small handful of men to record over 1,000 wins in the Open Era, and his victories on the ATP Tour are spread over 23 separate seasons.

Nadal’s first ATP win came at the 2002 Mallorca Open, with the 15-year-old defeating Ramon Delgado 6-4, 6-4 in round one.

The former world No 1 went on to win at least one match every year for the rest of his career, with his final victory being a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 triumph over Marton Fucsovics at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

=2) Richard Gasquet – 24 seasons

Former world No 7 Gasquet will call time on his career at the French Open next month, though he has already recorded two ATP Tour wins this season.

The Frenchman defeated compatriot Adrian Mannarino in Montpellier back in January, and then beat Botic van de Zandschulp in Bucharest this week.

Gasquet was the world No 589 when he beat Franco Squillari in the opening round of the Monte Carlo Masters in 2002, a first ATP win for the 15-year-old.

Since then, he has won at least one match every year – winning 16 ATP titles.

ATP Tour News

Exclusive: Carlos Alcaraz critics told to look at ‘the big picture’ after ‘unfair’ criticism

Doubts raised over Novak Djokovic’s 25th Grand Slam hopes, but better news for 100th ATP title

=2) Roger Federer – 24 seasons

One of the most successful players of all time, tennis legend Federer won 20 Grand Slam titles and spent 310 weeks as the world No 1 across his legendary career.

The Swiss picked up his first-ever match win on the ATP Tour as a 17-year-old at the 1998 Grand Prix de Tennis de Toulouse, downing Guillaume Raoux and Richard Fromberg in back-to-back matches.

That was the first of 24 straight seasons in which Federer would win at least one match, a run that also saw him win a staggering 103 ATP Tour titles.

Federer’s final tour win came at Wimbledon in 2021, with the Swiss recording a 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 triumph over Lorenzo Sonego in the fourth round.

1) Jimmy Connors – 25 seasons

Connors is the only man to have won more titles than Federer in the Open Era – and is also the only man to have won a match in more seasons.

The American recorded at least one match win in an extraordinary 25 separate seasons across his career, a run marking him out as one of the greatest players in tennis history.

A 17-year-old Connors picked up his first tour-level win in 1970, defeating Jean Baptiste Chanfreau and Allan Stone in consecutive victories in Merion.

The eight-time major champion would win a match every year from 1970 until 1989, with his consecutive streak ending after a 0-3 record in 1990.

However, Connors then won at least one match every year from 1991 to 1995, with his final ever victory being a 7-6(9), 6-0 win over Martin Sinner in Halle.