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Winning the US Open is a dream for any and every tennis player. It’s not an easy feat to accomplish and many talented players fail to even attain a US Open title. Only an elite handful of male tennis athletes have secured their legacy in winning one or more US Opens. Let’s take a look at which players have won the most men’s singles title at the US Open and how they created their lasting legacy in the sport.
Starting the competitive list of top male victors of the US Open since 1968 is Rafael Nadal, tied with two other players on the list with a total of four US Open titles. The Spanish tennis player is no stranger to winning Grand Slams (14 French Opens) and comes in tied for second place with four US Open wins, the first of which was in 2010. Three years later, Nadal would win his second in 2013, before winning two more before the end of his career in 2017 and 2019. In 2010, Nadal would achieve a French Open win, a Wimbledon win and a US Open win all in the same year.
Up next is the legendary Serbian known as Novak Djokovic, with four total US Open titles. Djokovic was extremely comparable to his Spanish counterpart, winning the US Open in 2011, 2015, 2018, and most recently in 2023. Although he’d only win three French Opens, one of which was in 2023, Djokovic managed to win the Wimbledon title a whopping seven times, including going back-to-back three times in 2014 and 2015, 2018 and 2019, and 2021 and 2022 securing a legacy loaded with silverware and some of the top tennis trophies out there.
John McEnroe won four US Open titles much like Djokovic and Nadal. To be spoken in the same breath as those two even in modern days is a privilege, as McEnroe managed to win the US Open for three consecutive years from 1979-1981 before winning it one final time in 1984. He may not have as many single titles as his two younger competitors, but with a total of 155 ATP titles, exactly 77 of them were in singles, 77 of them were in doubles and the remaining title was in mixed doubles.
Jimmy Connors started his impressive US Open tear in 1974 before winning four more times in 1976, 1978, 1982, and 1983 to be tied with Pete Sampras and Roger Federer for the most US Open titles of all time. Connors was a legend of the game, winning two Wimbledon singles championships in 1974 and 1982, along with a single Australian Open win in 1974 for eight Grand Slam titles in total to seal the deal as one of the winningest players to hit a tennis ball.
Pete Sampras is one of the few players comparable to that of Roger Federer, tied for the most US Open titles achieved with five to his name. His first would be obtained in 1990, before winning it four more times in 1993, then back to back in 1995 and 1996, before winning one last time in 2002. If you need more of a deciding factor to help with whether Pete Sampras was an elite player, just know he also won seven Wimbledon singles championships with three in a row from 1993 to 1995, then four in a row from 1997 to 2000. He’d also win the Australian Open twice in 1994 and 1997.
Rounding off our list of the male players with the most US Open titles is arguably the greatest of all time, Roger Federer. The Switzerland international was born with winning in his blood, having been the only player to win five consecutive US Opens from 2004 to 2008. A notable record like this outshines almost any competitors, as winning one of the most prestigious tennis trophies for five straight years is truly an impressive feat. In addition to all his titles, Federer won the Australian Open six times, the French Open once and Wimbledon eight times, which included another streak of five consecutive wins from 2003 to 2007.
Liam has been a major sports fan and soccer player for over a decade, with a particular focus on major top-level soccer leagues, including the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and MLS. He has written numerous promotional articles for various top sportsbooks and continues to publish historical and factual sports articles covering the NFL, MLS, NHL, MLB, EPL and more.