The Players with the Most Tennis Grand Slams: Who Rules the Court?

The ATP and WTA Tours both mirror their schedules around four major tournaments on their calendars; the grand slams. The Australian Open kicks off the year in January, with the best players in the sport competing in Melbourne.

That's followed by the French Open, where Nadal has dominated the clay court surface for over a decade. Wimbledon is the third major, which is held at the All-England Club in London. It's the only grass surface of the major tournaments.

The major seasons concludes in the early fall with the U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York.

Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal lead the way for the men after playing a massive role in the growth of the sport since the turn of the century. They have the most tennis grand slams by a wide margin. Nadal and Federer have been dubbed kings of their respective best surfaces, with the Spaniard (Nadal) dominating clay and the Swiss (Federer) excelling on grass. Prior to their arrival, Pete Sampras carried the torch for the United States and the men's side of the game with 14 titles.

Out of the bunch, Djokovic has become the most well-rounded player over the years by winning the most majors all time. His most recent Grand Slam came at the 2023 US Open.

Serena Williams (23) was knocking on the door of the all-time women's record, which belongs to Margaret Court (24), before retiring in 2022. There are seven women with 10 or more major championships, as I will illustrate below.

1. Novak Djokovic (Serbia) - 24 majors

• Australian Open: 9 (2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023)
• French Open: 3 (2016, 2021, 2023)
• Wimbledon: 7 (2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022)
• US Open: 4 (2011, 2015, 2018, 2023)

2. Rafael Nadal (Spain) - 22 majors

• Australian Open: 2 (2009, 2022)
• French Open: 14 (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022)
• Wimbledon: 2 (2008, 2010)
• US Open: 4 (2010, 2013, 2017, 2019)

3. Roger Federer (Switzerland) - 20 majors

• Australian Open: 6 (2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2017, 2018)
• French Open: 1 (2009)
• Wimbledon: 8 (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2017)
• US Open: 5 (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)

4. Pete Sampras (USA) - 14 majors

• Australian Open: 2 (1994, 1997)
• French Open: None
• Wimbledon: 7 (1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)
• US Open: 5 (1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2002)

5. Roy Emerson (Australia) - 12 majors

• Australian Open: 6 (1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967)
• French Open: 2 (1963, 1967)
• Wimbledon: 2 (1964, 1965)
• US Open: 2 (1961, 1964)

T-6. Rod Laver (Australia) - 11 majors

• Australian Open: 3 (1960, 1962, 1969)
• French Open: 2 (1962, 1969)
• Wimbledon: 4 (1961, 1962, 1968, 1969)
• US Open: 2 (1962, 1969)

T-6. Bjorn Borg (Sweden) - 11 majors

• Australian Open: None
• French Open: 6 (1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981)
• Wimbledon: 5 (1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980)
• US Open: None

8. Bill Tilden (USA) - 10 majors

• Australian Open: None
• French Open: None
• Wimbledon: 3 (1920, 1921, 1930)
• US Open: 7 (1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1929)

T-9. Jimmy Connors (USA) - 8 majors

• Australian Open: 1 (1974)
• French Open: None
• Wimbledon: 2 (1974, 1982)
• US Open: 5 (1974, 1976, 1978, 1982, 1983)

T-9. Fred Perry (England) - 8 majors

• Australian Open: 1 (1934)
• French Open: 1 (1935)
• Wimbledon: 3 (1934, 1935, 1936)
• US Open: 3 (1933, 1934, 1936)

T-9. Andre Agassi (USA) - 8 majors

• Australian Open: 4 (1995, 2000, 2001, 2005)
• French Open: 1 (1999)
• Wimbledon: 1 (1992)
• US Open: 2 (1994, 1999)

T-9. Ivan Lendl (Czechoslovakia & USA) - 8 majors

• Australian Open: 2 (1989, 1990)
• French Open: 3 (1984, 1986, 1987)
• Wimbledon: None
• US Open: 3 (1985, 1986, 1987)

T-9. Ken Rosewall (Australia) - 8 majors

• Australian Open: 4 (1953, 1955, 1971, 1972)
• French Open: 2 (1953, 1968)
• Wimbledon: None
• US Open: 2 (1956, 1970)

1. Margaret Court (Australia) - 24 majors

• Australian Open: 11 (1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973)
• French Open: 5 (1962, 1964, 1969, 1970, 1973)
• Wimbledon: 3 (1963, 1965, 1970)
• US Open: 5 (1962, 1965, 1969, 1970, 1973)

2. Serena Williams (USA) - 23 majors

• Australian Open: 7 (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2017)
• French Open: 3 (2002, 2013, 2015)
• Wimbledon: 7 (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016)
• US Open: 6 (1999, 2002, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014)

3. Steffi Graf (Germany) - 22 majors

• Australian Open: 4 (1988, 1989, 1990, 1994)
• French Open: 6 (1987, 1988, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1999)
• Wimbledon: 7 (1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996)
• US Open: 5 (1988, 1989, 1993, 1995, 1996)

4. Helen Wills (USA) - 19 majors

• Australian Open: None
• French Open: 4 (1928, 1929, 1930, 1932)
• Wimbledon: 8 (1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1938)
• US Open: 7 (1923, 1924, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1931)

T-5. Chris Evert (USA) - 18 majors

• Australian Open: 2 (1982, 1984)
• French Open: 7 (1974, 1975, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986)
• Wimbledon: 3 (1974, 1976, 1981)
• US Open: 6 (1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1982)

T-5. Martina Navratilova (USA) - 18 majors

• Australian Open: 3 (1981, 1983, 1985)
• French Open: 2 (1982, 1984)
• Wimbledon: 9 (1978, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990)
• US Open: 4 (1983, 1984, 1986, 1987)

7. Billie Jean King (USA) - 12 majors

• Australian Open: 1 (1968)
• French Open: 1 (1972)
• Wimbledon: 6 (1966, 1967, 1968, 1972, 1973, 1975)
• US Open: 4 (1967, 1971, 1972, 1974)

T-8. Maureen Connolly (USA) - 9 majors

• Australian Open: 1 (1953)
• French Open: 2 (1953, 1954)
• Wimbledon: 3 (1952, 1953, 1954)
• US Open: 3 (1951, 1952, 1953)

T-8. Monica Seles (Serbia) - 9 majors

• Australian Open: 4 (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996)
• French Open: 3 (1990, 1991, 1992)
• Wimbledon: None
• US Open: 2 (1991, 1992)

T-10. Suzanne Lenglen (France) - 8 majors

• Australian Open: None
• French Open: 2 (1925, 1926)
• Wimbledon: 6 (1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1925)
• US Open: None

T-10. Molla Mallory (Norway) - 8 majors

• Australian Open: None
• French Open: None
• Wimbledon: None
• US Open: 8 (1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1926)

Grand slams are tough enough to win as it is, but a Golden Slam is even more challenging. It requires players to win an Olympic gold medal on top of all four major titles in the same calendar year.

Steffi Graf is the only female to complete this feat in 1988.

Diede de Groot and Dylan Alcott were able to complete the Golden Slam in the wheelchair singles and wheelchair quad singles divisions, respectively.

Meanwhile, Bob and Mike Bryan won the 'Golden Bryan Slam' with five consecutive titles from 2012 to 2013, which included the London Olympics.

Six players have won all four Grand Slams in the same calendar year, but nobody's done it since Steffi Graf in 1988. Meanwhile, Rod Laver is the only player to complete this amazing feat on two different occasions.

• Don Budge - 1938
• Maureen Connolly - 1953
• Rod Laver - 1962 and 1969
• Margaret Court - 1970
• Steffi Graf - 1988