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Grand Slams, comprising the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and US Open, form the pinnacle of the sport.
Throughout the sport's history - encompassing the Amateur and Open Eras - many players have won one of the four tournaments, but only a handful have won multiple titles.
It's the rarefied top echelon of players in tennis history who have done so, proving that they deserve their spots in the pantheons of the sport's greats. So, without further ado, let's take a look at 10 players who have won the most singles titles in Grand Slam history:
#10 Pete Sampras - 14 Grand Slam titles
Pete Sampras is one of the most decorated players in tennis history. The American claimed a memorable 14th Grand Slam title at the 2002 US Open, which turned out to be the final tournament of his legendary career.
Sampras stood atop the men's Grand Slam leaderboard for nearly a decade before Roger Federer overtook him at 2009 Wimbledon. The American was a grasscourt monster, winning what was then a record seven titles at the grasscourt Major.
The former World No. 1 also won two titles at the Australian Open and five at the US Open.
#9 Martina Navratilova - 18 titles
Martina Navratilova was a dominant force in women's tennis in the 1970s and 80s. The legendary left-hander won her 18th and final Grand Slam singles title at 1990 Wimbledon. She beat Zina Garrison to reign supreme at the grasscourt Major for a record ninth time.
The Czechoslovakia-born American is one of eight players in tennis history to win the double career Grand Slam - winning each Major at least twice. Navratilova won three titles at the Australian Open, two at Roland Garros, and four at the US Open - as many as she won at Wimbledon.
Apart from her singles exploits, she also won a record 31 women's doubles and 10 mixed doubles titles. Along with Margaret Court and Doris Hart, Navratilova is the only player to win the singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles at all four Majors i.e., the career boxed set.
#8 Chris Evert - 18 titles
Along with Navratilova, Chris Evert was a dominant force in women's tennis in the 1970s and 80s. Like her long-time rival, Evert is also a double career Grand Slam winner.
The elegant right-hander won her last Grand Slam singles title at 1986 Roland Garros, beating Navratilova. It was a rematch of the previous two finals at the claycourt Major.
Evert won two Australian Open, seven Roland Garros, three Wimbledon, and six US Open titles. She reached an Open Era record 34 Grand Slam finals but lost a record 16.
She maintained a stunning consistency in Majors. It can be gauged from the fact that she made at least the quarterfinals in all but two of her 56 Grand Slam singles main draw appearances.
#7 Helen Wills - 19 titles
Helens Wills is the only player in this list who played in the 1920s and 30s, long before the Open Era came into being.
The American won four titles at Roland Garros, eight at Wimbledon, and seven at the US Open. She never played in the Australian Open.
Apart from her singles exploits, Wills also won nine doubles and three mixed doubles Grand Slam titles.
#6 Roger Federer - 20 titles
Widely regarded as one of the best players in tennis history, the elegant Roger Federer was the epitome of poetry in motion on a tennis court.
The retired Swiss superstar won a record eight Wimbledon and five US Open titles to go with six at the Australian Open and one at Roland Garros. Federer was the outright all-time men's Grand Slam singles leader for more than a decade (2009 Wimbledon to 2020 Roland Garros).
Federer won his 20th and final Major at the Australian Open in 2018, beating Marin Cilic in the final.
The Swiss was twice a swing of his racquet away from becoming a nine-time Wimbledon champion and the oldest Grand Slam champion in the Open Era in the 2019 final against Novak Djokovic, but that was never meant to be.
#5 Steffi Graf - 22 titles
Steffi Graf is one of only three players to have achieved the rare feat of a triple career Grand Slam.
The elegant right-hander, hailing from Germany, won four titles at the Australian Open, six at Roland Garros, seven at Wimbledon, and five at the US Open. Her 22nd and last Grand Slam singles title came at 1999 Roland Garros, where she beat the then up-and-coming Swiss teen Martina Hingis.
Graf is one of only two players in the Open Era to have won the calendar year Grand Slam, which she did in 1988. She's the only player in history to win each Major four times (quadruple Grand Slam).
#4 Rafael Nadal - 22 titles
Rafael Nadal is one of the best players in tennis history. The legendary left-hander is known as the 'King of Clay' for his superhuman exploits on clay, especially at Roland Garros. He has won a staggering 14 titles from as many finals at the French Open.
He last did so in 2022, in the process becoming the first male player to win 22 Grand Slam singles titles.
Nadal is one of three male players to have won the double career Grand Slam. The Spaniard's collection of Major singles titles also include two titles at the Australian Open, two at Wimbledon, and four at the US Open.
#3 Serena Williams - 23 titles
Serena Williams is one of the most decorated female sportspersons in history. The now-retired American's legacy and achievements transcend the sport.
She won her 23rd and final Grand Slam singles title - a record haul in the Open Era - at the 2017 Australian Open, beating her sister Venus in the final.
The fact that Serena was a few months pregnant with her first daughter Olympia at the time made the achievement all the more incredible.
Williams' Grand Slam singles title haul comprises seven titles at the Australian Open, three at Roland Garros, seven at Wimbledon, and six at the US Open.
She's one of only four players in history - three in the Open Era - to win the triple career Grand Slam.
#2 Novak Djokovic - 23 titles
Novak Djokovic is one of the best male tennis players in the sport's history, with a legendary list of jaw-dropping accomplishments.
The Serb created more tennis history on Sunday (June 11) when he beat Casper Ruud in the Roland Garros final. In doing so, he became the first male player to win 23 Grand Slam singles titles.
It was his third title at the claycourt Major, making Djokovic the only male player to complete the triple career Grand Slam and fourth overall in tennis history.
Djokovic is a record 10-time Australian Open, seven-time Wimbledon and three-time US Open champion. With Evert, he holds the record for most Grand Slam final appearances (34).
#1 Margaret Court - 24 titles
Margaret Court is the most successful Grand Slam singles player in tennis history. Eleven of her record haul of 24 Major titles came in the Open Era.
The last of them came at 1970 Wimbledon, where she beat American legend Billie Jean King in the final.
Court won a record 11 titles at the Australian Open, five at Roland Garros, three at Wimbledon, and five at the US Open.
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