Australian Open: 5 players with the most men's singles titles in the Open Era
We are only a few days away from the commencement of the 110th edition of the Australian Open. There has already been a lot of drama in the lead up to the tournament with everything that has gone on with Novak Djokovic lately.
The Serb may now be more determined than ever to win the tournament for a record-extending 10th time. Last year, Djokovic started the competition with an easy win over Jeremy Chardy. He then had to play four sets to beat Frances Tiafoe before being pushed to a fifth set by Taylor Fritz. Following a four-set win over Milos Raonic, the Serb reached the quarterfinals.
Djokovic came back from a set down to beat Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals. He then defeated Aslan Karatsev to set up a title clash against Daniil Medvedev. Djokovic beat the Russian in straight sets to win a ninth crown in the competition.
As usual, Djokovic will be the favorite to win this year's Australian Open but there are some who are very much capable of challenging him.
Rafael Nadal's quality and experience makes him one to look out for while the likes of Medvedev, Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas are formidable competitors as well. Players like Matteo Berrettini and Casper Ruud cannot be written off either as, on their day, they are hard to beat.
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Over the past few decades, we have seen several players dazzle crowds at the Australian Open, with some leaving Melbourne with the Norman Brookes trophy. 26 different players have won the men's singles title at the Australian Open during the Open Era. Perhaps we will have a 27th this year?
Let's take a look at the players with the highest number of titles at the Australian Open so far.
#5 Ken Rosewall, John Newcombe, Guillermo Vilas, Johan Kriek, Stefan Edberg, Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker, Pete Sampras, Jim Courier - 2 titles
A total of nine players have won the Australian Open twice, starting with Ken Rosewall. The Australian was a titan at a stage when players from his country dominated the sport.
Rosewall won the Australian Open in 1971 and 1972, not dropping a single set in the former. His compatriot John Newcombe won the tournament in 1973 and 1975.
Guillermo Vilas won the competition twice in 1978 and 1979 although several top players did not participate in both years. Johan Kriek triumphed in 1981 and 1982, representing South Africa in the former and the United States in the latter.
Swedish maestro Stefan Edberg won the Australian Open in 1985 and 1987. "The Terminator" Ivan Lendl triumphed in 1989 and 1990 while Boris Becker won the competition in 1991 and 1996.
Pete Sampras won the title in 1994 and 1997, while Jim Courier won successive titles in 1992 and 1993.
#4 Mats Wilander - 3 titles
Mats Wilander's first triumph at the Australian Open came in 1983. That year, he had to survive scares against Americans Ben Testerman and Roscoe Tanner to reach the quarterfinals. He then beat reigning champion Johan Kriek to set up a semi-final clash against John McEnroe.
Wilander came from a set down to beat the American and reach the final. The Swede then defeated top seed Lendl to win his first crown in Australia.
Wilander successfully defended his crown in 1984, beating South Africa's Kevin Curren in the final. His third title came in 1988 when he beat Pat Cash in one of the greatest Grand Slam finals of all-time. Wilander won a thrilling match 6-3, 6-7, 3-6, 6-1, 8-6 via a tiebreaker.
Icing on the cake in Melbourne 🏆 🏆 🏆
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