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The ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events is the third highest tier of men's tennis events following the 4 Grand Slams and the season-closing ATP Finals. From 2008 onwards all ATP Masters 1000 matches have been contested as best of three-set contests.
Right now, nine tournaments make up the premier ATP Masters 1000 World Tour. They are Indian Wells Masters, Miami Open, Monte-Carlo Masters, Madrid Open, Italian Open, Canadian Open (Montreal / Toronto), Cincinnati Masters, Shanghai Masters and Paris Masters in chronological order of their scheduling. The Canadian Masters, also called 'The Rogers Cup', is held in Montreal in odd-numbered years and in Toronto in even-numbered years.
Here, we jog down memory lane to take a look at the five players with the most ATP Masters 1000 titles.
Note: The Masters events award the winner 1000 ranking points, and although the official 'Masters' moniker was introduced by the ATP only in 1990, there were equivalent events played even before that. The winners of 1000-level tournaments before 1990 are not recognized as Masters champions by the ATP today, because of which Andre Agassi with 17 Masters titles still finds himself in the ATP's top 5 list. However, for the purposes of this article, we have considered Masters champions even before 1990.
#4 John McEnroe
The German-born American John McEnroe, considered among the greatest volleyers the game of tennis has ever had, won a total of 19 Masters titles during the time-frame of 1978-1985 inclusive.
He won an impressive five titles at the London Masters and four each at the Philadelphia and Stockholm events, all of which are no longer a part of the elite Masters 1000 venues today.
The gifted shot-maker, who was also known for his fiery temper and on-court confrontations, was a crowd-puller back in his time. After retirement, he made a successful transition to becoming a tennis analyst.
#3 Ivan Lendl
The man widely considered to be the forerunner to the present-day power baseline slugging, Ivan Lendl won a cool 22 Masters titles between 1980 to 1989 inclusive in addition to his 8 Grand Slam titles.
Packed with power and heavy top-spin, Lendl's forehands regularly caused significant trouble to the game's best. The Czech won an impressive six titles at the Canadian Open (the most among all players active or retired).
Lendl also enjoyed a successful spell as coach of Brit Andy Murray helping the Brit rise to the top of the ATP rankings and coaching him to two Wimbledon triumphs. Lendl is presently rendering his services as coach to young gun Alexander Zverev.
Lendl is the only male tennis athlete to have aggregated a win percentage of 90% or above in five different years. He won 94 singles titles in all. Lendl also enjoyed eight stints as the world's top-ranked player with the most notable being his 7th stint which came in 1989-1990, lasting 157 consecutive weeks.
#2 Roger Federer
The man widely considered to be the 'GOAT', Roger Federer has won a whopping 28 ATP Masters 1000 titles till date in addition to his record tally of 20 Grand Slam singles titles. Since winning his first ATP Masters title in Hamburg, Germany in they year 2002, the Swiss ace has added 27 more ATP Masters titles and will likely further add to his tally before hanging up his racquet.
Federer is a 7-time champion at the Cincinnati Masters - a record among all players, active or retired - in hardcourt Masters events. He is also the only man to have won a single ATP Masters event on three different surfaces; he achieved this remarkable feat by winning the Madrid Masters on hard courts, red clay and blue clay in different years.
Federer has made the finals of an ATP Masters tournament 50 times - an all-time record. He is one of four men to have reached the finals of every single ATP Masters 1000 events.
Federer is also the oldest man to capture an ATP Masters 1000 title. He did so when he won the Miami Open earlier this year at the age of 37.
#=1 Novak Djokovic
In addition to his tally of 15 Grand Slam singles titles, the Serb Novak Djokovic has also captured 33 ATP Masters titles. Djokovic is the only man to have won 6 ATP Masters 1000 titles in a single calendar year; he achieved this in the year 2015 when he won Indian Wells, Miami Open, Monte-Carlo Masters, Madrid Open, Rome Masters and Shanghai Masters.
In the year 2018, Djokovic completed the 'Career Golden Masters' - becoming the only man in the Open Era to have done so. He beat long-time nemesis Roger Federer at the Cincinnati Open in Ohio in the year 2018, thus completing the entire set.
Djokovic's 32nd ATP Masters 1000 victory came at the Shanghai Masters where he overtook Rafael Nadal to get to the top of the ATP rankings after a gap of more than 2 years. His 33rd and record equaling ATP Masters 1000 title at this year's Madrid Masters puts him as a strong contender to win the French Open this year.
#=1 Rafael Nadal
The greatest claycourt player of all time is also the joint record holder of the most ATP Masters 1000 titles. Rafael Nadal has won 33 ATP Masters 1000 titles till date - the same as Novak Djokovic.
Nadal holds the record of playing in the most ATP Masters 1000 matches - 362. He has also featured in 49 finals - just one shy of the all-time record of 50 currently held by Roger Federer.
Nadal has won the Monte-Carlo Masters a record 11 times - a record for multiple victories at a Masters 1000 event. He won the tournament in the French principality a record eight consecutive times between 2005 - 2012 inclusive. He also holds the record for winning at least one Masters 1000 tournament for 10 consecutive years between 2005 - 2014.
Nadal is the second youngest player to win a Masters 1000 event. He achieved that feat when he won the 2005 Monte Carlo Masters beating defending champion Guillermo Coria in 4 sets. Nadal was only 18 years, 318 days old at the time.
After failing to win both Monte Carlo and Madrid this year, the Spaniard will be looking to bounce back to winning ways and look to grab his maiden Masters 1000 title of 2019 by defending his title at the Rome Masters - a tournament he has won a record 8 times.
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
