The Open Era began in 1968.
The historic shift in the tennis landscape enabled professional players to compete in Grand Slam events for the first time.
Prior to 1968, only amateurs were permitted to participate in major tournaments.
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Since then, some of the greatest athletes in men’s tennis history have come and gone: including Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer.
Only five of tennis’ greatest male players have won over 1000 matches on the professional circuit.
Novak Djokovic, Jimmy Connors among the ATP players who have won over 1000 matches
Jimmy Connors leads all other players in this statistical category.
The American tennis icon, who won five US Open Men’s Singles titles, recorded an astonishing 1,274 match wins during his career.
Roger Federer, the 20-time major champion, is next on the list. The Swiss icon won 1,251 of his 1,526 matches.
Novak Djokovic arrives in third place.
The Serbian superstar, the only man on this list still competing on the Tour, has won 1,177 matches in his career so far.
Djokovic also has the best winning percentage in tennis history. The 24-time Grand Slam champion has contested 1415 and has emerged victorious 83.18 per cent of the time.
Rafael Nadal and Ivan Lendl also recorded over 1000 victories during their respective careers.
Nadal won 1,080 of his 1,308 contests, while Lendl achieved a 1068–242 win-loss record on the Tour – the seventh-best win percentage of the Open Era.
| Matches won | Player |
| 1274 | Jimmy Connors |
| 1251 | Roger Federer |
| 1177 | Novak Djokovic |
| 1080 | Rafael Nadal |
| 1068 | Ivan Lendl |
| 951 | Guillermo Vilas |
| 908 | Ilie Năstase |
| 883 | John McEnroe |
| 870 | Andre Agassi |
| 801 | Stefan Edberg |
Jimmy Connors’ first and last victories
At 18 years old, Jimmy Connors was beaten in his first professional match. Stanley Pasarell, Connors’ compatriot, won their first round match 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
Connors recorded his first match win in 1970, beating Jean-Baptiste Chanfreau 6-4, 6-3.
He then knocked out Australian Allan Stone, winning 6-3, 7-5.
Pakistan’s Haroon Rahim ended Connors’ run, triumphing 7-6, 7-5 in the round of 16.
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Almost 25 years later, Connors recorded his final victory on the Tour at the Halle Open.
The American beat Sebastien Laureau and Martin Sinner before losing to Marc Rosset.
Connors played his final Tour match at the 1996 Atlanta Open. He was beaten in the first round by fellow American Richey Reneberg.
