Who tops a combined list of tennis championship wins?

When you combine the total wins in each of the four amateur/Open Era majors (Australian, French, Wimbledon, and US) with the three pro majors (French, Wembley, and US), our own Ken Rosewall tops the list.

The following lists the top 25 players since the end of WWI, combining the win-loss final results from the seven majors.

1. Ken Rosewall, AUS: 23/12 – 35.

2. Rafael Nadal, ESP: 21/8 – 29.

3. Novak Djokovic, SER: 20/11 – 31.

3. Roger Federer, SWI: 20/11 – 31.

5. Rod Laver, AUS: 19/12 – 31.

6. Pancho Gonzales, MEX/USA: 14/7 – 21.

7. Pete Sampras, USA: 14/4 – 18.

8. Bill Tilden, USA: 13/8 – 21.

9. Roy Emerson, AUS: 12/3 – 15.

10. Bjorn Borg, SWE: 11/5 – 16.

11. Don Budge, USA: 10/5 – 15.

12. Fred Perry, GBR: 10/4 – 14.

13. Ivan Lendl, CZE/USA: 8/11 – 19.

14. Jimmy Connors, USA: 8/7 – 15.

14. Andre Agassi, USA: 8/7 – 15.

16. Henri Cochet, FRA: 8/4 – 12.

17. Frank Sedgman, AUS: 7/5 -12.

18. John McEnroe, USA: 7/4 – 11.

18. Mats Wilander, SWE: 7/4 – 11.

20. Rene Lacoste, FRA: 7/3 – 10.

20. John Newcombe, AUS: 7/3 – 10.

22. Tony Trabert, USA: 7/2 – 9.

23. Jack Crawford, AUS: 6/6 – 12.

24. Stefan Edberg, SWE: 6/5 – 11.

25. Boris Becker, GER: 6/4 – 10.

I have omitted pre-WWI players like William Renshaw (seven Wimbledons), Richard Sears, and William Larned (both with seven US Opens) because their wins came from just one major and lacked variety. They also played at a time when competition was still in its infancy.

With the top 25 list in place, it’s still almost impossible to determine who is really the best because of gaps in various players’ championship quests. Rosewall, ranked No.1 here, never won Wimbledon, despite four attempts.

Sampras, ranked No.7, never won or made the final of the French Open. Borg, ranked No.10, never played at the Australian Open and didn’t win the US Open despite four attempts.

Gonzales, the fiery Mex-Tex, ranked No.6, won two US amateur Opens, eight US Pros, and four Wembleys. Although Agassi, ranked equal 14, only won eight majors, he won each of the open majors at least once, which gives him some gravitas.

Only four players in the top 25 list won each of the open majors twice – Emerson (No.9) was the first, followed by Laver (No.5), Djokovic (equal third) and earlier this year Nadal (No.2).

His second win in the Australian Open was probably more important for Nadal than his 21st win overall. It meant he had won each major twice, something his great rival and friend Federer has been unlikely to do and probably won’t ever do.

Djokovic is best placed to equal or pass Rosewall’s unofficial list of 23 majors wins. He will be 35 this year, is generally injury free, fit and healthy and probably has at least two, maybe three productive years remaining. He has even decided to be vaccinated in order to improve his chances of winning more majors.

If Djokovic does become statistically the most successful tennis player in history, unfortunately respect for him as a person will not match respect for his tennis prowess. Of course, it’s up to him what kind of legacy he wants to leave, but at present it leaves something more to be desired.