Who Won The Most Grand Slams In Tennis?

We take a look at the tennis players with the most Grand Slam wins in history.

Introduction

Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have won the most Grand Slam singles titles in tennis history. They have been dominating the sport for over a decade and don’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. Each of them has won at least 20 Grand Slam titles, with Federer leading the way with a record-breaking 37 titles.

The Early Years

In tennis, a Grand Slam is when a player wins all four of the biggest tournaments in a single year. The four tournaments are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. If a player wins all four tournaments in the same year, it is called a “calendar year Grand Slam.” If a player wins all four tournaments over the course of their lifetime, it is called a “career Grand Slam.” Winning all four tournaments in consecutive years (called a “consecutive Grand Slam”) is very rare.

In the early years of tennis, only amateurs were allowed to play in the tournament. The first Wimbledon tournament was held in 1877. The first US Open was held in 1881. The first French Open was not held until 1891. The first Australian Open was not held until 1905.

The first player to win all four planned Grand Slams (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open) was American Margaret Court. She accomplished this feat twice: once in 1970 and again in 1973.

The Golden Era

The Golden Era of tennis was between 1968 and 1975. The men’s singles Grand Slam titles were shared between Australia’s Rod Laver and American Jimmy Connors. Laver, who is often considered the greatest tennis player of all time, won two Grand Slams in 1968 and 1969. He then added the 1970 US Open to his collection. Connors won his first Grand Slam at the 1972 Wimbledon Championships, before going on to win the US Open later that year. He successfully defended his Wimbledon title in 1974, and completed a second “Grand Slam” by winning the 1974 US Open. The following year, he won Wimbledon for a third time.

The Modern Era

The modern era of Grand Slam tennis is said to have begun in 1968, when Australian Tennis legend Rod Laver completed a ‘calendar year’ grand slam – winning all four majors in the same year. The ‘Open Era’ of tennis, which saw professionals compete alongside amateurs at all of the majors, began in 1969 (the same year as the inaugural French Open).

Since then, there have been a further 17 occasions on which a player has won three or more Grand Slams in a single calendar year. These ‘Grand Slams’ are listed below, with the winner of each one in bold.

-1968: Australian Open – Rod Laver
Wimbledon – Ken Rosewall
US Open -Arthur Ashe
French Open – Ken Rosewall
-1969: Australian Open – Rod Laver
Wimbledon – Rod Laver
US Open – Pancho Gonzales
French Open – Jan Kodeš
-1970: Australian Open – Ken Rosewall
Wimbledon – John Newcombe
US Open – Arthur Ashe
French Open- Jan Kodeš

Conclusion

In conclusion, we can see that Federer has the most Grand Slams with 20, Nadal is in second place with 17, and Djokovic is in third place with 15.