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Novak Djokovic was handily beaten in the 2021 US Open final by Daniil Medvedev last week, bringing to an end his Calendar Slam bid. Djokovic was playing on his favorite surface - hardcourt - and was the clear favorite going into the match. But unfortunately for him, hardcourt is Medvedev's best surface too.
Novak Djokovic is known for his relentless accuracy and court coverage, and is widely considered one of the best hardcourters in the history of the game. However, the Serb struggled to stay with Medvedev in their New York encounter, eventually dropping to an underwhelming 3-6 win-loss record in US Open finals.
That said, Djokovic is still undefeated in Australian Open finals. The 34-year-old's 9-0 record in championship matches in Melbourne is second only to Rafael Nadal's 13-0 streak in Roland Garros finals.
Speaking of Nadal, the Spaniard is the only player who has come close to matching Djokovic's hardcourt success over the last decade, winning four US Open titles. But he has won only five hardcourt Slams overall, and hasn't taken a set off the Serb on the surface since 2013.
But where do both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic stand on the list of the greatest hardcourters of all time? Here is our top 10 list:
#10 Stefan Edberg
Hardcourt match wins: 387
Hardcourt titles won: 22
Big hardcourt titles won: 1991 US Open, 1992 US Open, 1987 Cincinnati Masters, 1990 Cincinnati Masters, 1986 Stockholm Open, 1987 Stockholm Open, 1990 Indian Wells Masters
Hardcourt Grand Slam titles won: 2
Stefan Edberg first rose to prominence in the mid-1980s, when he won his first three Major titles on grass, but it wasn't until 1990 that the Swede tasted success on hardcourts. Edberg initially struggled to win big titles on the concrete surface, with the Cincinnati Open in 1987 and the Grand Prix Super titles in Stockholm being his only major accolades.
He turned his fortunes around at the beginning of the 90s decade. Although Edberg retired due to injury in his first hardcourt Slam final against Ivan Lendl (Australian Open 1990), he eventually redeemed himself by winning back-to-back titles in New York (1991-92).
Edberg also finished as the year-end No. 1 in 1990-91, on the back of consistent results and titles on hardcourt - which had become the dominant surface on the ATP tour by then.
#9 Andy Murray
Hardcourt match wins: 455
Hardcourt titles won: 31
Big hardcourt titles won: 2012 US Open, 2008 Cincinnati Masters, 2008 Madrid Masters, 2009 Miami Masters, 2009 Canada Masters, 2010 Canada Masters, 2010 Shanghai Masters, 2011 Cincinnati Masters, 2011 Shanghai Masters, 2013 Miami Masters, 2015 Canada Masters, 2016 Rio Olympics, 2016 Shanghai Masters, 2016 Paris Masters, 2016 ATP Finals
Hardcourt Grand Slam titles won: 1
Andy Murray competed alongside three of the greatest male players ever for most of his career. While Murray's success at the Majors was heavily constrained by his rivals, he still managed to secure two things every top player desires: a Grand Slam title and a spell as the World No. 1.
Andy Murray first shot into the limelight in 2008, when he reached his maiden Major final at the US Open (losing to none other than Roger Federer). The Brit remained at the top of the game for years along with Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, but was usually made to look like the weak fourth wheel in front of three gods.
Murray regularly beat the 'Big 3' at the ATP Masters tournaments, but failed to break their dominance at the Majors. He lost another two Slam finals - both at the Australian Open (2010-11) - before finally breaking through in 2012 by beating Novak Djokovic in a five-set final at the US Open.
Murray succumbed to Djokovic in three more Australian Open finals (2013 and 2015-16) after his triumph in New York. But he took his revenge on the Serb at the 2016 ATP Finals after a scintillating chase for the year-end No. 1 finish.
Murray injured his hip the following season, which forced him to undergo a major surgery. The Brit has been a shadow of himself since then, but has continued to play on the tour in hopes of a resurgence.
#8 Jimmy Connors
Hardcourt match wins: 530
Hardcourt titles won: 53
Big hardcourt titles won: 1978 US Open, 1982 US Open, 1983 US Open, 1973 Pacific Southwest Open, 1973 U.S. Pro Championships, 1973 South African Open, 1974 Pacific Southwest Open, 1976 Las Vegas Tennis Classic, 1977 Las Vegas Tennis Classic, 1978 Australian Indoor Championships, 1982 Las Vegas Tennis Classic, 1983 Las Vegas Tennis Classic, 1984 Congoleum Classic
Hardcourt Grand Slam titles won: 3
Although Jimmy Connors was always a force to be reckoned with, there was a time in his career - from 1978 through 1981 - when his results at the Majors hit a lull. Connors did win the 1978 US Open by beating an injured Bjorn Borg, but the American failed to do any damage at the big events for years after that.
Connors eventually turned his fortunes around in 1982 as he mounted a late-career resurgence. The American defeated Ivan Lendl to win the 1982 US Open, after which reclaimed the ATP No. 1 ranking. Connors got the better of Lendl again the following year at Flushing Meadows.
Numbers arguably don't do justice to Jimmy Connors' legacy at the US Open. After the tournament switched to hardcourts, the American reached at least the quarterfinals a whopping 16 times out of 18 appearances.
#7 John McEnroe
Hardcourt match wins: 288
Hardcourt titles won: 21
Big hardcourt titles won: 1979 US Open, 1980 US Open, 1981 US Open, 1984 US Open, 1978 Stockholm Open, 1978 US Indoor National Championships, 1978 Australian Indoor Championships, 1979 Stockholm Open, 1981 Australian Indoor Championships, 1981 Grand Marnier Tennis Games, 1981 Cincinnati Open, 1982 Pacific Coast Championships, 1982 Australian Indoor Championships, 1983 Australian Indoor Championships, 1984 Canadian Open, 1984 Stockholm Open, 1985 Stockholm Open, 1985 Canadian Open, 1989 US Men's Hardcourt Championships
Hardcourt Grand Slam titles won: 4
John McEnroe was just 20 when he joined the winners' circle by triumphing at the 1979 US Open. The American established a legendary rivalry with Bjorn Borg in the following years, and the 1980 Wimbledon final between the two was then considered to be the best match ever played at SW19.
McEnroe lost that epic, but he got the better of Borg in a rematch at the 1980 US Open for his second Major title. The 'Superbrat' truly peaked in 1984, as he accumulated a stunning 82-3 win-loss record on the main circuit - the best single-season win rate among men in the Open Era.
McEnroe's 1984 season was punctuated by a slew of wins on hardcourt, grass and carpet. The American served-and-volleyed his way to titles in New York, Toronto and Stockholm, and reached the business end of several other hardcourt tournaments.
McEnroe went into a slump following his career-best season, after which he was never quite the same. That said, the American can still take pride in his career at the US Open, where he notched up four titles.
#6 Rafael Nadal
Hardcourt match wins: 489
Hardcourt titles won: 22
Big hardcourt titles won: 2009 Australian Open, 2010 US Open, 2013 US Open, 2017 US Open, 2019 US Open, 2005 Canada Masters, 2005 Madrid Masters, 2007 Indian Wells Masters, 2008 Canada Masters, 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2009 Indian Wells Masters, 2013 Indian Wells Masters, 2013 Canada Masters, 2013 Cincinnati Masters, 2018 Canada Masters, 2019 Canada Masters
Hardcourt Grand Slam titles won: 5
While Rafael Nadal's claycourt pedigree is what propelled him to GOAT status initially, the Spaniard's hardcourt results have helped translate his image from a one-dimensional specialist to that of an all-surface expert.
Nadal struggled to decode the hardcourt Majors in his early years, failing to reach a final there until 2009. The Spaniard's first Slam final outside of Wimbledon and Roland Garros came at the 2009 Australian Open. There, he took on none other than Roger Federer, in what is considered to be one of the best matches ever.
Nadal ended up defeating Federer, who was widely considered the king of hardcourts back then, in five sets to earn his first hardcourt Major. With that win, the Spaniard also became just the fourth male tennis player - after Jimmy Connors, Mats Wilander, and Andre Agassi - to win a Grand Slam title on hardcourt, grass and clay.
Nadal would subsequently suffer almost non-stop bad luck in Melbourne, failing to win a single title there following his 2009 run. But the Spaniard fared much better at the US Open, where he has won four titles.
Remarkably, Nadal is the only male player in the Open Era to win at least 450 matches on two different surfaces (hardcourt and clay).
#5 Andre Agassi
Hardcourt match wins: 596
Hardcourt titles won: 46
Big hardcourt titles won: 1995 Australian Open, 2000 Australian Open, 2001 Australian Open, 2003 Australian Open, 1994 US Open, 1999 US Open, 1988 U.S. National Indoor Championships, 1990 Verizon Tennis Challenge, 1990 Miami Masters, 1992 Canada Masters, 1994 Canada Masters, 1995 Miami Masters, 1995 Canada Masters, 1995 Cincinnati Masters, 1996 Miami Masters, 1996 Cincinnati Masters, 2001 Indian Wells Masters, 2001 Miami Masters, 2002 Miami Masters, 2002 Madrid Masters, 2003 Miami Masters, 2004 Cincinnati Masters
Hardcourt Grand Slam titles won: 6
Andre Agassi was the first player after Ivan Lendl to be touted as the "King of Hardcourts". Although Agassi started raking in the titles at a very young age, it wasn't until the mid-90s that he attained all-time great status.
Agassi went on a tear at the start of 1995, defeating his arch-rival Pete Sampras to win his first Australian Open title. The American won six more titles on hardcourts that year, four of which came on the trot (Washington, Cincinnati, Montreal, New Haven).
Agassi carried his rich vein of form into the 1995 US Open, where he looked almost invincible. His 26-match winning streak, however, came to an unceremonious end as Sampras beat him in the final at New York.
The American went into a major slump after that loss, and it took him a few years to regain his confidence.
Agassi was back with a bang in 1999 though, becoming only the second male player to complete the elusive Career Grand Slam. The American would go on to win three more titles in Melbourne, making him the first male player ever to win four Australian Open titles.
#4 Ivan Lendl
Hardcourt match wins: 390
Hardcourt titles won: 30
Big hardcourt titles won: 1985 US Open, 1986 US Open, 1987 US Open, 1989 Australian Open, 1990 Australian Open, 1980 Canadian Open, 1981 Las Vegas Tennis Classic, 1981 Canadian Open, 1982 Washington Open, 1982 Cincinnati Open, 1983 Canadian Open, 1986 Miami Open, 1987 Canadian Open, 1988 Canadian Open, 1989 Eagle Classic, 1989 Miami Open, 1989 Canadian Open, 1989 Australian Indoor Championships, 1989 Stockholm Open
Hardcourt Grand Slam titles won: 5
Ivan Lendl is often cited as the father of power baseline tennis, which has now become the archetype on hardcourts in the modern era. Although the Czech took his time to win his first Major, there was no stopping him once he got the taste for glory at the big stage.
Lendl finally broke his duck at Roland Garros 1984, following which he took over the circuit as the undisputed numero uno player. He dominated his opponents week-in, week-out during his prime; the Czech won 90% of his matches in his best years (1985-87), a record that has only been matched by Roger Federer.
Lendl won three back-to-back titles at the US Open and two back-to-back titles at the Australian Open (after the tournament switched from grass to hardcourts), underscoring his supremacy in the mid-80s. The Czech also notably featured in every US Open final from 1984 to 1989, making a good case for him to be considered the most successful player in the tournament's history.
#3 Pete Sampras
Hardcourt match wins: 426
Hardcourt titles won: 35
Big hardcourt titles won: 1990 US Open, 1993 US Open, 1994 Australian Open, 1995 US Open, 1996 US Open, 1997 Australian Open, 2002 US Open, 1992 Cincinnati Masters, 1993 Miami Masters, 1994 Indian Wells Masters, 1994 Miami Masters, 1995 Indian Wells Masters, 1997 Cincinnati Masters, 1997 ATP Finals, 1999 Cincinnati Masters, 2000 Miami Masters
Hardcourt Grand Slam titles won: 7
Pete Sampras, widely considered the most dominant tennis player after Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, excelled on both grass and hardcourts during his prime.
The American finished as the year-end No. 1 a record six consecutive times in 1993-98. Sampras was a constant force on hardcourts in that period; it was in the 90s that hardcourt became the surface of choice on the ATP tour.
Sampras' rule did have a few roadblocks though. The big-serving American had some cut-throat competition from countryman Andre Agassi, who seemed to have his number in 1995. But that was a minor inconvenience for Sampras as he continued racking up titles at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open before the turn of the century.
The American did have a minor slump at the beginning of the 2000s, but had one last hurrah at the 2002 US Open as he beat none other than Agassi to win his 14th Major title.
#2 Roger Federer
Hardcourt match wins: 776
Hardcourt titles won: 71
Big hardcourt titles won: 2004 Australian Open, 2004 US Open, 2005 US Open, 2006 Australian Open, 2006 US Open, 2007 Australian Open, 2007 US Open, 2008 US Open, 2010 Australian Open, 2017 Australian Open, 2018 Australian Open, 2003 ATP Finals, 2004 Indian Wells Masters, 2004 Canada Masters, 2004 ATP Finals, 2005 Indian Wells Masters, 2005 Miami Masters, 2005 Cincinnati Masters, 2006 Indian Wells Masters, 2006 Miami Masters, 2006 Canada Masters, 2006 Madrid Masters, 2006 ATP Finals, 2007 Cincinnati Masters, 2007 ATP Finals, 2009 Cincinnati Masters, 2010 ATP Finals, 2011 Paris Masters, 2011 ATP Finals, 2012 Indian Wells Masters, 2012 Cincinnati Masters, 2014 Cincinnati Masters, 2014 Shanghai Masters, 2015 Cincinnati Masters, 2017 Indian Wells Masters, 2017 Miami Masters, 2019 Miami Masters
Hardcourt Grand Slam titles won: 11
Roger Federer was statistically the most successful hardcourt player in the history of the game for a long time. The Swiss has dominated two different hardcourt Majors, for a rich haul of six Australian Open titles and five US Open titles.
Federer also spent a record 310 weeks as the No. 1 ranked player in the world - 237 of which came in succession. Given that more than 70% of the tennis calendar has come to be played on hardcourts (including two Grand Slams), the Swiss' run at the top of the rankings serves as evidence that no player came close to matching him in his prime.
Although Federer didn't enjoy as much success in the 2010s, he still achieved a fair few records during that period. The Swiss has reached the semifinals or better in Melbourne a whopping 15 times, and in 2018 he temporarily tied Novak Djokovic's record tally for most Australian Open titles won.
It is also pertinent to note that Federer still holds the record for most year-end championships won, and he is also the only player in the Open era to win five consecutive US Open titles. The Swiss also deserves plaudits for finding a second wind in his career; over the last seven years, Federer has been the only player who has actively challenged Djokovic on hardcourts.
#1 Novak Djokovic
Hardcourt match wins: 617
Hardcourt titles won: 61
Big hardcourt titles won: 2008 Australian Open, 2011 Australian Open, 2011 US Open, 2012 Australian Open, 2013 Australian Open, 2015 Australian Open, 2015 US Open, 2016 Australian Open, 2018 US Open, 2019 Australian Open, 2020 Australian Open, 2021 Australian Open, 2007 Miami Masters, 2007 Canada Masters, 2008 Indian Wells Masters, 2008 ATP Finals, 2011 Indian Wells Masters, 2011 Miami Masters, 2011 Canada Masters, 2012 Miami Masters, 2012 Canada Masters, 2012 ATP Finals, 2013 Shanghai Masters, 2013 Paris Masters, 2013 ATP Finals, 2014 Indian Wells Masters, 2014 Miami Masters, 2014 Paris Masters, 2014 ATP Finals, 2015 Indian Wells Masters, 2015 Miami Masters, 2015 Shanghai Masters, 2015 Paris Masters, 2015 ATP Finals, 2016 Indian Wells Masters, 2016 Miami Masters, 2016 Canada Masters, 2018 Cincinnati Masters, 2018 Shanghai Masters, 2019 Paris Masters, 2020 Cincinnati Masters
Hardcourt Grand Slam titles won: 12
Novak Djokovic has won the most hardcourt Slams and ATP Masters 1000 titles (26 of his 36 Masters titles have come on hardcourt) in the Open Era. The Serb has accumulated a 623-117 win-loss record on hardcourts during his career, making him the most successful player on the surface.
Djokovic is the only male player to win each Grand Slam and Masters title twice in the Open Era. He has also won the second-most year-end championship titles (one fewer than Federer).
In fact, Djokovic won the ATP Finals four consecutive times in 2012-15, beating his Big 4 rivals Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray in epic fashion en route.
The Serb currently holds the Open era record for most Australian Open titles won by a player, male or female. And while he has not enjoyed as much success at the US Open, he has still made the championship match there nine times.
Djokovic's hardcourt records are unlikely to be matched any time soon. The 34-year-old is the only male player to win three consecutive Australian Open titles in the Open Era, which he has done twice (2011–13 and 2019–21).
Djokovic has also spent a record 339 weeks as the No. 1 ranked player, indicating how he has consistently bested Nadal and Federer (due to the hardcourt skew) over the last decade.
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