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10 Players With the Most Singles Titles in Men’s Tennis

The phrase “Just win, baby” may have been coined by Al Davis, the legendary former owner of the Raiders NFL franchise, but it is applicable to just about every sport on the planet.

There is plenty to be said for taking part, but nobody ever sets out to finish in anything other than first place.

That is particularly true in the tennis world, with competition on all surfaces as fierce as ever. Every ball, point, set and match continues to be chased down with maximum effort – with no quarter given and none asked for.

History

Greats of the game have emerged after mastering the art of emerging victorious, with Novak Djokovic – who sits at -150 in tennis betting odds from Betfair that are focused on the battle for supremacy at the 2023 US Open – claiming more Grand Slam crowns (23) than any other man in history.

The Serbian superstar does not, however, sit at the top of the tree when it comes to the top 10 most singles titles secured across the course of any given career by an elite performer in the men’s game.

Jimmy Connors – 109

Connors was never able to achieve a career Grand Slam – with French Open glory eluding him on the red clay of Roland Garros – but he did win eight majors, reached 164 finals and won 1,274 matches. Nobody else can claim to have emulated those figures.

Roger Federer – 103

The only other man to have reached triple figures as things stand is classy Swiss star Federer. He won 20 Grand Slam titles – including a record eight at Wimbledon – and occupied the No.1 spot in tennis world rankings for 310 weeks.

Novak Djokovic – 95

Already assured of a place among the all-time greats – potentially sitting at the very top of that chart – Djokovic is a sporting phenomenon that boasts the potential to achieve even more.

Ivan Lendl – 94

Famous for his straight-faced approach to life, with it rare to see him crack a smile, Lendl had plenty to be happy about in his playing days. Won just about everything but Wimbledon, with two final defeats suffered on the lush grass of southwest London.

Rafael Nadal – 92

The undisputed ‘King of Clay’, with the French Open crown captured on 14 occasions. Nadal has also won majors on hard courts and grass – proving that he is no one-trick pony – and has 22 Grand Slam titles to his name in total.

John McEnroe – 77

Won Wimbledon three times and the US Open on four occasions, the brash American was a winning machine at the peak of his powers. He only sits sixth on this list though – “You cannot be serious!”

Rod Laver – 72

The greatest Australian ever to have graced the men’s game. Won 198 titles in total, but not all of those were in the Open Era. Won each of the Grand Slams on multiple occasions – a feat few can claim to have matched.

Bjorn Borg – 66

The stylish Swede captivated audiences around the world when gracing the same era as fierce rival McEnroe. Suffered four final defeats at the US Open and surprisingly never made it beyond the third round in Australia.

Ilie Nastase – 64

Nastase won over 100 titles in total, but 45 of those came in the doubles game. The mercurial Romanian is a Hall of Famer and a man who always had crowds on their feet.

Pete Sampras – 64

Another of those that never mastered the clay in Paris, but was an unmovable object at times elsewhere. ‘Pistol Pete’ spent 286 weeks as world No.1.

Immortals

It is refreshing to see so many different eras covered within the winningest top 10 list, with it up to the next generation to prove that they can earn a standing among the immortals. They could do a lot worse than take Davis’ words of advice on board, with wins and points forever equating to prizes.

Jimmy Kraken

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