US Open: 5 most successful male players of all time
Roger Federer, just before his semifinal against eventual champion Marin Cilic at the 2014 US OpenThe biggest stars of tennis will make their way to Flushing Meadows this week as the final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open, is set to commence on Monday.The epic tournament proper has seen many illustrious names hold aloft the gleaming Tiffany trophy over the years.With hopefuls all geared up for the final Major tournament of the 2015 calendar year, it is time for us to have a brief look back at some of the stars of the game who have shone brightest at the Arthur Ashe stadium.Here are 5 players of the Open era who succeeded the most under the New York sun, in no particular order.
#1 Jimmy Connors
James Scott “Jimmy” Connors, one of America’s greatest tennis stars and former World No.1, has been crowned the champion of US on a total of 5 different occasions, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1982 and 1983, making him one of the only three players to have clinched the championship as many times.
Having plied his trade in tennis for 24 long years, the Illionis native has won a total of 8 Grand Slams titles in his glittering career and also held the Open-era record for appearing in the top 10 of the year-end rankings for a staggering 16 years.
The only player in the history to have won the US open on three different turfs - clay, grass and hard court, Connors made it to the semi-finals as many as 14 times. The last of these times, he was 39 years old.