Make no bones about it, Emma Raducanu knows how to fight.

Down 5-2, double break in the third and final set of her Eastbourne Open round-two clash versus Maya Joint, the Brit looked to be slumping out of the tournament.

But, while she ultimately went down, she went down swinging, pushing her younger rival to the brink in a pulsating end to this tense and often unpredictable clash.

Raducanu broke Joint twice as the 19-year-old Australian, vastly inexperienced on grass, tried to close out the match – and the same scenario repeated itself when Raducanu broke again at 5-5.

The 2021 US Open champion could not quite pull off what could have been one of her greatest comebacks, but the end of the match did highlight one of her biggest qualities.

She rarely makes herself easy to beat, and she certainly highlighted her growing experience, pressing a less-experienced opponent into making big mistakes at key moments.

However, while her strengths were on display, so were her two key weaknesses.

Raducanu is undoubtedly a skilled grass-courter, but Joint’s weight of shot, particularly her huge and heavy forehand, proved a nightmare to handle at times.

But, while her struggles against big hitters remain one issue, the most pressing concern remains her fitness.

Tennis News

Emma Raducanu dealt major blow as Eastbourne Open hopes ended in Round 2

Exclusive: Chris Evert has won her toughest battle and now she wants others to follow her lead

There were no medical timeouts in this match, but watching courtside at Eastbourne, it was obvious that the Brit was moving uncomfortably at points.

Raducanu has been dealing with an ongoing back spasm for several weeks, the latest in the line of physical issues that have afflicted her since her stunning breakthrough four summers ago.

“I think I’ve just been managing it, like I’ve said,” commented Raducanu, in her post-match press conference.

“I mean, normal fatigue, after playing a long match, but, yeah, hopefully I can recover.

“I still have a few days before Wimbledon, so, yeah, I’m looking forward to kind of recovering and hopefully it’s all good.

“I wouldn’t say it’s like I can’t move. I just say like a lot of athletes, we all carry kind of something that we’re managing and playing through.

“But I’d just say that it’s okay, I can play, and I can still put out some pretty decent tennis in the situation.”

World No 39 Raducanu now has less than one week until her opening match at Wimbledon, where she will be among the star attractions for fans at the All England Club.

The Brit reached the fourth round of the tournament in 2024, just months after skipping the 2023 Championships due to a multitude of injury concerns.

It would be easy to cast doubt on Raducanu’s physical state heading into the tournament, considering her chequered history in recent years.

But it seems Wimbledon fans need not fear a potential withdrawal, with Raducanu perhaps more determined than ever to battle against the best at SW19.

She added: “I am going to rest tomorrow, just take it day by day, get some practice in.

“I think it could be a blessing in disguise, you know, having some rest right now. I think I’m looking forward to heading back and then getting on the grass at Wimbledon.

“I think I will likely step on the court regardless.”

Read Next: BBC’s full broadcast team for Wimbledon 2025: Regulars return as Nick Kyrgios axe confirmed

The post Emma Raducanu’s key strengths cannot overcome her most pressing issue appeared first on Tennis365.

Emma Raducanu’s Wimbledon hopes were dented significantly after falling in the second round of her final warm-up event on Wednesday.

World No 38 Raducanu was toppled 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(4) by teen star Maya Joint at the Eastbourne Open, the Australian prevailing in two hours and 33 minutes

Raducanu battled back to beat Ann Li in her opening-round match on Tuesday, though concerns were high about the 22-year-old’s physical state, with her ongoing back spasm issue appearing to trouble her.

She was also visibly emotional on-court in the immediate aftermath of her win, and revealed afterwards in her press conference she had received some unspecified “bad news” before taking to court.

Despite that, the seventh seed was a hesitant favourite heading into her clash versus Joint, whom she beat at the Italian Open in May, though the Australian had beaten two-time Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur in round one in Eastbourne.

The pair twice traded breaks in a competitive opening set, before Raducanu sealed a crucial third break in the ninth game, ultimately holding with relative comfort to close out the opener.

Things appeared to be heading south after that for the 22-year-old, who was swatted aside in the second set and found herself 5-2, double break down in the decider.

Raducanu fought back and broke Joint twice as the Australian tried to serve out the match, and broke again at 6-5 when her opponent was attempting to serve it out for a third time.

But, ultimately, Joint was able to reach the first grass-court quarter-final of her career, holding her nerve in a tense tiebreak – and gain revenge from Rome.

Tennis News

Exclusive: Chris Evert has won her toughest battle and now she wants others to follow her lead

Emma Raducanu reveals ‘pretty bad news’ as she breaks down in tears after Eastbourne win

“Today was really tough. There were a lot of up and downs, a lot of momentum switches, but I’m really glad I was able to tough it out in the end,” said Joint.

“I definitely remember that match [in Rome], it was a fun match to play, so I was looking forward to today.

“It was a bit different because today’s on grass. We both had to change our game’s a little bit. I’m really glad I was able to win this one.”

Defeat means that Raducanu has contested five grass-court matches heading into Wimbledon, not an insignificant amount heading into the third Grand Slam event of the year.

However, the manner in which she fell to defeat in Eastbourne, coupled with ongoing physical struggles, may be a cause for concern for some.

Raducanu will return to court in the opening round of Wimbledon, with the Brit set to be in action on Monday or Tuesday.

Ranked 38th in the world, the 22-year-old has missed out on a seeding in the draw, meaning her fate is in the hands of the draw gods in terms of who she faces in round one.

Read Next: BBC’s full broadcast team for Wimbledon 2025: Regulars return as Nick Kyrgios axe confirmed

The post Emma Raducanu dealt major blow as Eastbourne Open hopes ended in Round 2 appeared first on Tennis365.

Novak Djokovic is synonymous with breaking records so no surprise he is once again in line to set new milestones at the 2025 edition of Wimbledon.

His list of achievements is already lengthy and there is only one place to start and that is the outright record for most Grand Slam titles won by a man as he secured his 24th major when he won the 2023 US Open.

Djokovic has also won a record 40 ATP Masters 1000 titles, spent an astonishing 428 weeks at No 1 in the ATP Rankings and sits at No 1 for in the list of all-time career prize earnings with a whopping $187m.

Since this is about Wimbledon, let’s add a few more Grand Slam records as he is the only man to win a triple career Grand Slams (win all four Grand Slams at least three times), he has also won three consecutive Grand Slams four times in his career and holds the record for most major match wins with 387 victories.

We could go on and on and on.

But Djokovic will be the first to admit that winning Grand Slams is becoming more difficult each year as his last title was that record-extending US Open trophy in September 2023.

Since then he has appeared in one final, the 2024 Wimbledon Championship match, but lost against Carlos Alcaraz for a second consecutive year at the All England Club.

He also reached the semi-final at three other majors, but Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have taken over as the men to beat at the Grand Slams.

But there are still three big records on the spell for Djokovic every time he makes an appearance at the Grand Slams and he will be looking at three particular records when he takes part in Wimbledon 2025.

Outright Grand Slam Record

Djokovic has held the record for most Grand Slams won by a man since 2023 when he lifted the French Open trophy as he moved ahead of Rafael Nadal (22) while Roger Federer retired with 20.

Novak Djokovic News

The 10 greatest male grass court players of Open Era – ranked!

The 5 Wimbledon men’s singles title favourites – ranked!

He then moved to 24 when he won the US Open later in the year and that saw him tie Margaret Court’s all-time record. Of course, the Australian’s 24 majors were split as 13 were won before the sport turned professional in 1968 and 11 came during the Open Era.

One more title and he will move ahead of Court.

Oldest Grand Slam Men’s Singles Champion

Djokovic was 36 years, three months and six days when he won the 2023 US Open and he currently finds himself third on the list for oldest men’s winners.

Ken Rosewall holds the record as he was 37 years, one month and 24 days when we won the 1972 Australian Open.

Forty-six years after Rosewall’s achievement, Federer won the 2017 Australian Open when he was 36 years, months and seven days.

If Djokovic wins Wimbledon this year, he will be the first 38-year-old man to win a Grand Slam as he celebrated his birthday May 22.

Equalling Federer’s Wimbledon Tally

Djokovic moved to joint-second with Pete Sampras on the list for most Wimbledon titles won in the Open Era when he beat Nick Kyrgios in the 2022 final at the All England Club with Roger Federer holding the record with eight.

His other titles came in 2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2021.

The Serbian had an opportunity to join Federer on eight in 2023, but he lost the Wimbledon final in five sets against Carlos Alcaraz with the Spaniard also denying him the Calendar Grand Slam.

And Alcaraz again prevented him from equalling Federer’s tally last year.

Will it be third time lucky for Djokovic at Wimbledon in 2025?

The post Novak Djokovic in pursuit of three major records at Wimbledon appeared first on Tennis365.

Emma Raducanu made it through to the second round of the Eastbourne Open with a battling 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-1 win over American Ann Li, but there were worrying scenes at the end of the match.

Raducanu pulled out of last week’s WTA 500 tournament in Berlin with a recurring back spasm problem and she looked uncomfortable for most of her match against Li.

The trademark smile that Raducanu brandishes when she is winning tennis matches was absent, even as she stormed back into contention after losing an error-strewn opening set.

She also appeared to be flat as she struggled to get out of first gear in front of a muted Eastbourne crowd who looked and sounded a little confused by the lack of energy coming from the 2021 US Open champion.

Yet it was clear that she was struggling to compete physically and that made her ultimate victory all the more impressive.

More Tennis News

Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu romance rumours set to be fuelled over the next few weeks

Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu ‘a very exciting couple’

Raducanu could not hold back the tears the moment she won the last point of the match, as it became clear that she had overcome a lot of hurdles to secure this win.

“I want to thank the crowd for getting me through some really sticky moments,” Raducanu said in her on-court interview.

“It really meant a lot to me and I’m really proud of how I fought back after losing the first set.

“It was tough, it was up and down. But from the middle of the second set I think I found another gear and another level.”

While Raducanu’s relief and joy after winning this match was understandable, she has to be concerned about her back problem as her injury concerns continue to rise to the surface.

Even though she is now working with physio Matt Little, who was a key member of Andy Murray’s backroom team throughout his time at the top of the game, Raducanu does not appear to be able to get through long runs on the WTA Tour without breaking down physically.

This back injury appears to be a problem she has struggled to solve, with her comments prior to this match against Li confirming she has been battling to find a solution to the issue for some time.

“I’m still managing it to be honest,” said the British No 1 as she was asked about her back problem.

“I have good days and bad days. I trained a fair bit last week in London and it was good. I was getting a lot of treatment and then woke up pretty stiff at the weekend, took a day off and then trained yesterday and today.

“But it needs a lot of work and it is up and down. I’m just trying to manage it as best as I can.

“I’m doing everything: needles, soft tissue, some muscle stimulation stuff, taping, everything,’ she said. ‘It’s just ongoing.”

From the evidence of what we all witnessed in her opening match in Eastbourne, this problem will not be healed by the time she plays 19-year-old Australian Maya Joint in her next match.

The bigger concern must be Raducanu’s hopes of going on an extended run at Wimbledon, where she reached the last-16 a year ago.

She does not look ready to challenge for a place in the second week at the All England Club this year and as her injury worries continue, there have to be doubts over whether Raducanu’s body will allow her to sustain a career at the top end of the sport.

READ NEXT: Emma Raducanu overcomes injury concerns as she battles through Eastbourne opener

The post Alarming scenes as Emma Raducanu breaks down in tears after Eastbourne win appeared first on Tennis365.

Emma Raducanu overcame injury concerns as she roared back from a set down to beat Ann Li in her opening match at the Eastbourne Open.

The seventh seed at the WTA 250 event, Raducanu rallied from a set down to beat world No 64 Li 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-1 in her first match since withdrawing from the Berlin Open last week.

Raducanu responded quickly after falling an early break down in the opening set to Li, though ultimately spurned a 5-3 lead in the tiebreak to fall behind her US rival.

Concerns grew for the Brit after she was broken in the opening game of the second set, though she was immediately handed the break back following a sloppy game from her opponent.

Raducanu grew in confidence from there and broke twice more to force a deciding set, before claiming victory in two hours and 18 minutes.

“I feel incredible,” said a visibly emotional Raducanu in her on-court interview. “I just want to thank the crowd for getting me through some really sticky moments.

“It really meant a lot to me, and I’m so proud of how I fought back after losing the first set.

“It was a tough match. Ann was hitting winners all over the place. It was obviously very windy, but I’m really happy just to have come through that.

“It was tough, it was up and down, but I really think from the middle of the second set I found an extra gear, I found an extra level. I’m really proud of how I came through that.”

The Brit struggled with injury in her Queen’s Club Championships quarter-final defeat to Zheng Qinwen, with a lingering back issue proving to be a problem.

That forced the world No 38 out of last week’s WTA 500 event in Berlin, and there were lingering questions regarding her fitness heading into Eastbourne.

Tennis News

Emma Raducanu responds to Carlos Alcaraz saying she ‘took a while’ to accept his doubles request

Emma Raducanu praises Wimbledon for ‘amazing job’ after stalker scare

Raducanu appeared to be struggling physically at points in the first set, though she looked to be in fine fettle as she ultimately stormed to victory.

The Brit dropped two places to world No 38 in the WTA Rankings after missing action last week, and she has provisionally fallen to world No 40 in the WTA Live Rankings.

An early exit would have put Raducanu at risk of dropping back out of the top 40 just weeks after returning to that milestone, though victory here has boosted her hopes.

The 22-year-old remains at 40 in the WTA Live Rankings but now holds 1,321 ranking points, ahead of live world No 41 Dayana Yastremska.

Ukrainian Yastremska is also playing in Eastbourne this week and could have overtaken Raducanu with a round-two victory, had the Brit been beaten in round one.

Yastremska made it through to the second round on Tuesday after Magda Linette retired injured in their round-one contest.

Raducanu will now face Maya Joint in the second round, with the Australian having beaten Ons Jabeur on Monday.

Read Next: Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu romance rumours set to be fuelled over the next few weeks

The post Emma Raducanu overcomes injury concerns as she battles through Eastbourne opener appeared first on Tennis365.

The BBC has revealed its broadcast team for Wimbledon 2025 and most of the familiar faces and voices will once again feature while a couple of former tennis stars won’t return to the studios.

Clare Balding – who took over from commendatory icon Sue Barker in 2023 following the 1976 French Open winner’s retirement the previous year – and Isa Guha will again front the coverage at the grass-court Grand Slam.

Former England cricketer Guha will set the Wimbledon ball rolling every morning on BBC Two while Balding will headline the afternoon’s play with the action switching to BBC One in the evening.

Several Grand Slam champions will also form part of the coverage from the BBC studio as tennis legends John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Pat Cash, and Tracy Austin will provide some insight and analysis.

“Top class tennis in the most prestigious setting,” Balding said.

“Epic five set thrillers to keep you on the edge of your seats, informed insight from Grand Slam winning pundits, in-depth analysis and fascinating features that build up the characters on court. John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, Tim Henman, Tracy Austin and Pat Cash will all be back.”

The five major champions will be joined by former British stars Tim Henman and Annabel Croft.

Andrew Castle is once again set to be the lead specialist commentator while he will be joined by Cash and Croft while other famous names include Naomi Cavaday, Andrew Cotter, Jo Durie, Colin Fleming, Daniela Hantuchova, Dom Inglot, Abigail Johnson, Anne Keothavong, Robbie Koenig, David Law, Nick Lester, Alicia Molik, Ryan Harrison, John Lloyd and Todd Woodbridge, among others.

BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds’ live coverage will be presented by Gigi Salmon and Clare McDonnell with Steve Crossman on evening duty.

Wimbledon champions Cash and Marion Bartoli will provide insight and analysis along with former world No 1 Clijsters, Croft, Laura Robson, Naomi Broady, Mark Woodforde, Jeff Tarango, Leon Smith, Coco Vandeweghe, Greg Rusedski, and Daniela Hantuchova.

Meanwhile, McEnroe and Henman will be back for Radio 5 Live’s iconic 6-Love-6 feature.

Wimbledon News

The 5 Wimbledon women’s singles title favourites – ranked!

The 5 Wimbledon men’s singles title favourites – ranked!

Three names who are missing from this year’s line-up after appearing in 2024 are former world No 1 Ashleigh Barty, 2022 Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios and former British No 1 Johanna Konta.

Barty and Kyrgios made their BBC debuts during last year’s grass-court Grand Slam, but former champion Barty has just given birth to her second child, a daughter named Jordan, while Kyrgios revealed last week that he won’t return.

“It’s unfortunate but it’s probably their loss more than mine,” he told The Guardian.

The Australian added: “When someone’s beaten Federer, Nadal, Murray and Djokovic and has incredible insights, it’s very strange you wouldn’t want that person adding knowledge to tennis fans.”

The post BBC’s full broadcast team for Wimbledon 2025: Regulars return as Nick Kyrgios axe confirmed appeared first on Tennis365.

As Emma Raducanu appeared on the member’s balcony for the final few minutes of Carlos Alcaraz’s semi-final at the Queen’s Club, the story of the day had already been written for a prominent section of the media pack.

The rumours that five-time Grand Slam champion Alvaraz has a crush on 2021 US Open champion Raducanu have been peddled by websites that have a job to generate clicks, even if the story they are selling has no credibility.

Yet this was a week that had seen Alcaraz and Raducanu confirmed as mixed doubles partners at the US Open in August and the duo posting a cheeky video together to promote their joint upcoming appearance at Flushing Meadows, the idea that these tennis superstars may be more than just on court partners was inevitably spun by the gossip media.

Alcaraz was asked about Raducanu’s appearance at his Queen’s Club match and hinted he would like to watch her playing at Wimbledon, with the news media who attach themselves to tennis at this time of the year getting all the ammunition they needed to fuel the romance story.

Wimbledon is a magnet for reporters who are accredited to report on their one and only tournament of the year and you won’t see them sitting on Centre Court watching too many matches.

More Tennis News

Wimbledon 2025 women’s singles seeds confirmed: Sabalenka & Gauff lead, Swiatek’s lowest position since 2021

Emma Raducanu praises Wimbledon for ‘amazing job’ after stalker scare

Instead, they are the reporters who will ask questions in press conferences that will make tennis writers cringe, as they quiz players on the food they like to eat, their choice of clothing and their personal lives.

Venus Williams was infamously asked about the pink bra she was wearing at Wimbledon back in 2015 and her response said much about the unusual nature of the exchange.

“I don’t like talking about bras in press conferences. It’s weird,” she said. “I don’t want to talk about my undergarments. It’s kind of awkward for me. I’ll leave that to you. You can talk about it with your friends. I’m going to pass.”

Venus was absolutely right to take that stance and the reporter asking about her bra should have been ashamed, but it is not uncommon at a Wimbledon press conference that welcomes too many non-tennis media inside the gates at the All England Club.

Female players, especially, can be targeted for inappropriate questions and it will be no surprise if Alcaraz and Raducanu are asked about the prospects of a potential romantic twist in their partnership when they carry out their pre-Wimbledon media duties next weekend.

For the news and gossip media, any suggestion of a romance between two of the biggest names in tennis will be too much to resist and Alcaraz’s comments on Raducanu when their mixed doubles pairing was announced confirmed he is excited to share a court with her.

“She’s gonna be the boss. I’m super excited about it,” said Alcaraz. “I think it’s going to be great. It was an amazing idea for the tournament.

“I’ve known Emma for a really long time ago, so we know each other. I have a really good relationship with her. We are going to enjoy it, for sure.

“I will try to bring my doubles skill. We will try to win, but obviously it’s going to be really, really fun.

“I was thinking that I couldn’t play better unless it was with Emma. I just asked Emma if she wants to play doubles with me. Yeah, I made that special request.”

Raducanu was also asked about the US Open pairing as she prepared to play at the Eastbourne Open and it was clear that she was excited by the prospect.

“I’ve known him for years and actually in Wimbledon 2021, it was like kind of the first time I started getting to know him, and I had a good run there and then also again in the US Open in 2021,” she said.

“And I remember he was always playing the day before me and I was playing like the second day of the round. And I would see him win and then I would have the motivation to win and get myself into that position too.

“And I remember he beat Stef [Tsitsipas] in the third round and it was like a big win, his breakout kind of win on a big stage and it was really cool to kind of, I guess, go through that tournament together and then I kept going through the US Open, but we were staying in touch for the whole time and yeah, it’s nice.

“We have a good relationship still. He’s obviously overtaken me a lot, but it’s nice that we have that from a while ago.

“I think for all of us, we really kind of value those connections that we had from when we were young because when you become a bit more known or a bit more successful, you just find yourself reverting back to people you knew from a young age because you’re like, that’s a real genuine connection because it becomes very busy and you have a lot more friends, but the ones that you’ve known for a long time mean a lot more to you.”

The front page of The Sun newspaper on Tuesday featured an image of Alcaraz and Raducanu as they looked to promote the possibility that a partnership on the tennis court could become more and as the Wimbledon hype machine builds, these stories are certain to be pushed time and again by a non-tennis media who thrive on controversy and gossip.

READ NEXT: Emma Raducanu responds to Carlos Alcaraz saying she ‘took a while’ to accept his doubles request

The post Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu romance rumours set to be fuelled over the next few weeks appeared first on Tennis365.

Grass-court tennis has helped produce some of the greatest tennis champions of all time.

Several ATP Tour icons have thrived and forged incredible legacies on the surface, but who are the greatest of them all?

Factoring in players who competed solely in the Open Era, and looking at Wimbledon success, overall grass-court triumphs, and match wins and win percentage, we rank the 10 greatest male grass-court players of the modern age.

10) Rafael Nadal

Nadal may be the ‘King of Clay’, but he wasn’t half bad on grass courts either.

At the peak of his powers, the Spaniard reached five Wimbledon finals in the space of six years, famously lifting the title in 2008 and 2010.

With further titles in Queen’s and Stuttgart to his name, and a solid win percentage of 79.17% on the surface, Nadal’s success on grass is perhaps underrated.

9) Stefan Edberg

One of the most graceful players of all time, Swedish icon Edberg won four of his six Grand Slam titles on grass.

The former world No 1 triumphed at the Australian Open in 1985 and 1987, the final two tournaments before the switch to hard, while lifting Wimbledon titles in 1988 and 1990.

Edberg was also runner-up at SW19 in 1989 and was a Queen’s champion in 1991, with an impressive win percentage of 78.57% on the surface.

8) Andy Murray

Murray’s Wimbledon triumph remains one of the most iconic, with the former world No 1 ending a 77-year wait for a home men’s singles champion at the All England Club in 2013.

He would go on to win a second title at the tournament in 2016, alongside reaching the final in 2012 and appearing in 10 consecutive quarter-finals from 2008 to 2017.

With a record five titles at the Queen’s Club to his name, alongside his gold medal at London 2012, the Brit cemented his place as not only a leading grass-court of his era, but one of the best of all time.

7) Jimmy Connors

Connors was up against some of the greatest grass-court players of all time during his career, but still amassed a huge amount of success on the surface.

The American’s win percentage of 82.79% is the seventh-highest of the Open Era, with his 178 grass-court wins being the second-highest tally of the modern age.

He reached six Wimbledon finals, lifting the title in 1974 and 1982, and won the 1974 Australian Open title on grass, with his nine titles the joint-third highest tally of the professional age.

6) Boris Becker

This year marks exactly four decades since Becker memorably won his first title at Wimbledon, the tournament that would come to define the legendary German’s career.

Becker would win further Wimbledon titles in 1986 and 1989, and progressed to seven finals in total, alongside an impressive four victories at the Queen’s Club.

The former world No 1 won 116 matches on the surface, with a win percentage of 82.27% across his career.

5) John McEnroe

A player whose game was naturally made for grass, McEnroe achieved a staggering 85.82% win percentage on the surface – the second-highest of the Open Era.

The American famously reached five straight Wimbledon finals from 1980-84, lifting the title in 1981, 1983, and 1984, while he was also a four-time Queen’s winner.

McEnroe won an impressive eight titles overall on grass, picking up an impressive 121 individual match wins.

Tennis News

The 15 men with the most grass-court match wins: Roger Federer 192, Novak Djokovic 12th

The 4 Spanish men with the most grass-court titles: Alcaraz draws level with Nadal

4) Bjorn Borg

One of the most iconic figures in tennis history, Borg’s staggering feat of winning five straight Wimbledon titles has only been matched by one man in the 45 years since.

The Swede famously ruled over SW19 from 1976 to 1980, reaching a further final in 1981, and also won a further two titles on grass across his short yet successful career.

Borg won 83.72% matches on the surface, the fifth-highest win percentage of the Open Era, and remains one of the most dominant grass-courters in history.

3) Pete Sampras

Few have dominated on grass quite like US icon Sampras, who won Wimbledon seven times in the space of eight years from 1993 to 2000, only missing out in 1996.

With a further three Queen’s Club titles to his name, ‘Pistol Pete’ won 10 titles on grass courts across his career, a tally only beaten by one man in the Open Era.

Sampras won an impressive 83.47% of his matches on the surface, the sixth highest among male players in the professional age.

2) Novak Djokovic

Few expected Djokovic to ever become a natural grass-courter, though the Serbian has ultimately developed into one of the greatest-ever players on the surface.

The former world No 1 has won eight titles on grass and seven of them have come at Wimbledon, with a further three finals to his name at the All England Club.

Djokovic won four straight SW19 titles from 2018-22 and has won an impressive 120 matches on the surface, while his win rate of 85.71% is the third-highest of the Open Era.

1) Roger Federer

Could anyone else have been at the top of this countdown?

Federer’s haul of eight Wimbledon men’s singles titles, including five straight triumphs from 2003-07, remains an Open Era record, with a further four finals to his name.

The Swiss also won 10 Halle Open titles, and his overall haul of 19 grass-court titles is another Open Era record, as is his win percentage of 86.88% (min. 50 wins), and his 192 total wins on the surface.

With so many grass-court records to his name, Federer is undoubtedly the male grass-court player of the Open Era.

Read Next: The 7 men with the best win percentage on grass: Djokovic 3rd, Federer with 86.9%

The post The 10 greatest male grass court players of Open Era – ranked! appeared first on Tennis365.