Friday, October 7, 2016

Double Digit Grand Slam Winners in the Open Era


Kenneth Randall is an experienced Alabama attorney and the president and chief executive officer of iLaw and iLawGlobal in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Outside of work, Ken Randall enjoys staying active by playing tennis and writing short fiction. 

The open era of tennis began in 1968, when the four major tournaments agreed to allow both amateur and professional players to compete. Since that time, only 10 singles players have been able to secure more than nine major titles. These players include five men and five women.

Roger Federer leads the men’s field with 17 major titles. He has won seven Wimbledon titles, including his first major championship at 2003 Wimbledon and his most recent major victory at the 2012 tournament. Federer is trailed by Rafael Nadal and Pete Sampras, both of whom have won 14 major titles throughout their careers. Novak Djokovic and Bjorn Borg, with 12 and 11 majors, respectively, are the only other men in the open era to win 10 or more grand slam tournaments. Of these five players, only Sampras and Borg are no longer active.

On the women’s tour, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams both hold 22 major titles, more than any other singles players in the history of open tennis. Graf is the only player on the women’s tour to win all four major titles in the same year and one of only two players to do so during the open era. Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova share second place with 18 total majors. Australian Margaret Court finished her career with 11 major titles. Of the five women's players to win 10 or more majors, only Williams remains active.