Until now, the absolute record for the number of Grand Slams won was held by a single tennis player, Margaret Court. Since Sunday September 10, we can add Novak Djokovic. By winning the US Open final against Russian Daniil Medvedev, the Serbian now has 24 Grand Slam titles, equaling the record held by an Australian tennis player (between 1960 and 1973).
Holder of the absolute record for men since his victory at Roland-Garros in June, he now takes a comfortable lead over Rafael Nadal (22 titles). With Roger Federer (20 titles), these three players have dominated world tennis for twenty years, leaving only crumbs to their challengers. Their hegemony is impressive: since Federer’s first victory in 2003, these three have accumulated 66 Grand Slam tournament victories out of 83 editions – three tournaments having been canceled during the Covid-19 pandemic. Each of them crushed Pete Sampras’ previous record and his 14 major tournaments won in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Roger Federer (41) retired in 2022, but Rafael Nadal (37) and Novak Djokovic (36) continue their race towards the unprecedented. In July, the Serb fell in the Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz, missing out on his dream of achieving the Grand Slam in a single year. With victories in Melbourne, Paris and New York this year, the London final left a sour taste. No man since Australian Rod Laver in 1969 has lifted all four major tennis trophies in the same year.