When it comes to winning Grand Slam titles—whether it’s the Australian Open, Roland Garros (the French Open), Wimbledon, or the US Open—Novak Djokovic is the undisputed men’s champion. But when it comes to who’s won the most matches at the US Open or on the ATP Tour overall in recent years, it’s not Djokovic on top of the leaderboard.
Daniil Medvedev is.
And for women, the story is similar. With five titles, Iga Swiatek has captured the most Slams—but Aryna Sabalenka has notched the most wins at the US Open (21) and on the WTA Tour overall (273).
(Note: Our data goes back to 2018, so you’ll notice many of the all-time greats—Roger Federer, Venus and Serena Williams, Steffi Graf, and Billie Jean King, to name a few—are missing here. Also, we’re only exploring singles tennis, much as we love doubles. Bryan brothers for life.)
Let’s dig into what’s happening here below. Or, you can jump to our tennis data app, built using Domo’s app creation tools.
Why Domo on Data is the only arena that Djokovic hasn’t conquered
Tennis fans know this, but winning the most matches doesn’t always equal winning the most titles. It’s even possible to become number one in the world without winning a Grand Slam. For instance, American player Jessica Pegula reached the top spot in September 2023 but hasn’t yet won or even reached a Grand Slam semifinal.
This is what makes tennis so fascinating and unpredictable to watch. And unlike, say, American football, where a team’s championship chances are often determined when the season starts, tennis remains volatile and full of surprises. Championship winners can come from anywhere, at any time, because especially at the pro level, tennis is as much a mental battle as a physical one.
A player can get hot for a couple of weeks in Slam season only to struggle the rest of the year to find consistent success on the courts. British player Emma Radacanu, for example, amazed everyone by winning the US Open in 2022 after entering the draw as a qualifier. But this year, she enters the US Open ranked #71 in the world.
This month, Domo on Data sheds light on how tennis success is more complex than just notching up match wins. It’s a sport where consistency, timing, and mental strength all play critical roles in a player’s career and success.
Let’s look at the data on tournament participation
Novak Djokovic turned pro in 2003. It’s stunning that the Serbian is still out there dominating. If you missed it, he just won the singles draw of the 2024 Olympics.
But as the tennis legends age, their focus usually shifts. The most seasoned players often stop playing the circuit to concentrate on winning major titles and Grand Slams. This means they tend to play fewer matches and rack up fewer wins, giving the younger players a chance to catch up. When our data set started, Novak was long past needing to build up his experience and ranking.
To see how this plays out in the data, let’s compare Rafael Nadal, the living tennis legend who turned pro in 2001, and Taylor Fritz, an upstart American who turned pro in 2015.
- First, consider Nadal in 2022
Filter by gender (MALE) and select Rafael Nadal. Scroll to the detailed data section, and you’ll see he played in nine tournaments that year: the Grand Slams, the ATP Finals, and just a few other tournaments.
- Now, look at Fritz in 2022
Filter to Fritz’s results. He played in 24 tournaments—almost three times as many as Nadal. Of course, note that Nadal was injured mid-year in 2022, which may have influenced his summer tournament play. However, he was back on the court at New York’s Arthur Ashe stadium by August.
Still don’t believe us? Let’s see one more case in point.
First, consider Daniil Medvedev
Click Medvedev’s name on the Top 25 Winners card.* Since 2018, Medvedev has won the most matches overall (328) and the most at the US Open (29). Despite his victories, he’s only claimed two singles titles: the 2021 US Open, where he is a 5-time runner-up, and the ATP Finals in London in 2020, where he was runner-up in 2021.
*Note: When you filter by player name, you’ll only see a listing of their wins in the Detailed Data card, not their losses.
Compare Medvedev to Alcaraz
Now contrast Medvedev with Carlos Alcaraz, the young Spanish sensation poised to take up the mantle after fellow Olympics teammate Rafael Nadal. Alcaraz has won just 173 pro matches since 2018, placing him at 21 on our Top 25 Winners list. However, he’s won 15 titles, including four Grand Slams in that timeframe. We’d call him an incredibly efficient champion.
Use our app to keep tabs on the US Open
As you watch the US Open, use this app to look up players’ histories. Discover which surface is their strongest and which they have yet to conquer. You can also explore by tournament, winner’s country, and the average age of winner.
Happy watching!