The first hard-court Grand Slam event was not held until 1978 but, less than five decades on, the surface is the most common on the ATP Tour.
Several all-time greats of the sport have found huge success on hard courts across the globe, but who are the greatest hard-court players of all time?
Here, we rank the 10 greatest male hard-court players of the Open Era.
Grand Slam success is a factor, though we also factor in that the US Open was not on hard until 1978, and the Australian Open was not on the surface until 1988.
We also look at overall impact and legacy on the surface, big titles and overall titles won, match wins and win percentage, and the era each player was competing in.
Agree or disagree with our list? Let us know in the comments.
10) Jannik Sinner
It may feel a little presumptuous to put Sinner on this list, though the world No 1 is one of just three men to have won three consecutive hard-court Grand Slam titles.
The Italian already has back-to-back Australian Open titles and a US Open title to his name, with a further four victories at Masters 1000 level and an ATP Finals title on hard courts.
At the end of 2024, Sinner’s hard-court career win percentage (79.13%) was the eighth-highest of all time, and it feels as if the best could be yet to come for the 23-year-old.
9) Andy Murray
Across his career, Murray won 34 of his 46 ATP Tour titles on hard courts – a tally that only five men in the Open Era can beat.
The Brit triumphed at the US Open in 2012 and achieved a further five Australian Open runner-up finishes, also winning Olympic gold on the surface at Rio 2016.
Murray won 12 Masters 1000 and the 2016 ATP Finals title on hard courts, and holds an overall career win percentage of 74.08% on the surface – with an impressive 503 match wins.
8) John McEnroe
Tennis great McEnroe was one of the leading players when hard courts became more prominent in the sport, and the US star found huge success on the surface.
McEnroe won 22 hard-court titles across his career, ranking him joint-11th in the all-time standings, with an impressive four US Open crowns his standout successes.
The American won 81.36% (288-566) of his hard-court matches across his career, the sixth-highest win percentage in ATP history.
7) Ivan Lendl
One of the dominant forces of the 1980s, Czech great Lendl cemented his place as one of the leading hard-court stars of his era, and one of the best of all time.
The Czech won three straight US Open titles on the surface, reaching eight finals in a row in New York across the 1980s, and also claimed back-to-back Australian Open titles once the event switched to hard.
Lendl’s record of 82.45% ranks as the fourth-highest win percentage on the ATP Tour, with only six men having won more hard-court titles (31) than the former world No 1.
6) Jimmy Connors
Though the gradual move to more hard-court events came midway through Connors’ career, the US icon more than made his mark on the surface.
His 45 hard-court titles rank him fourth all-time, with his 530 match victories also the fourth-most among men recorded on the ATP Tour.
Three of Connors’ five US Open titles came on hard courts, with a highly impressive overall win percentage of 82.55% on the surface.
5) Pete Sampras
Sampras was the leading player of the 1990s, and a significant chunk of his success came on hard courts across his legendary career.
The American won an impressive 36 titles on the surface, including five US Open and two Australian Open titles, alongside one of his five ATP Finals triumphs across the 1990s.
Sampras’ overall match wins (426) and win percentage (80.53%) both rank him seventh in ATP Tour history.
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4) Rafael Nadal
Up against the No 1 and No 2 picks on our countdown (more on them shortly), Nadal well and truly held his own on hard courts in a hugely competitive era.
Despite his opposition, the Spaniard managed to pick up four US Open and two Australian Open titles, with 25 overall titles on the surface – including 10 victories at Masters 1000 level.
Nadal’s 516 match wins are the fifth-most in ATP Tour history, with an overall win percentage of 77.48% across his career.
3) Andre Agassi
Agassi found success on all surfaces across his career, though hard courts proved to be his happiest hunting ground.
Forty-six of his 60 ATP Tour titles came on the surface, the third-highest tally in tour history, with 14 Masters titles, with a total of 596 match wins across his career on hard courts.
Agassi won two US Open titles in the 1990s and was a four-time Australian Open champion, despite not playing the event for the first decade of his career.
The American’s CV on the surface is boosted by an impressive win rate of 78.94%, the ninth-highest on the ATP Tour.
2) Roger Federer
Few have dominated on hard courts quite like Federer, whose 71 tour titles on the surface is an Open Era record.
Eleven of those titles came at Grand Slam-level, with five straight US Open titles won from 2004-08, coupled with an impressive six Australian Open titles.
The Swiss won 22 Masters titles on hard courts and has an overall career win percentage of 83.26%, the second-highest on the surface.
Federer won a total of 776 matches on hard courts, the most of any man.
1) Novak Djokovic
Though Djokovic and Federer are level with 71 hard-court titles, the tilt of other stats in the Serbian’s favour means he is our pick as the greatest male hard-court player.
No man has won more Grand Slam titles than Djokovic on hard courts, with a record 10 Australian Open crowns joined by four US Open triumphs across his career.
The Serbian has also won a record 29 Masters 1000 titles on hard courts, with his 708 wins (as of the end of 2024) only beaten by Federer.
Djokovic’s hard-court win percentage of 84.09% (as of 2024) is the highest of all time, cementing his place our No 1 pick.
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