Meet the 3 oldest Masters 1000 winners
The ATP Masters 1000 series, introduced in 1990, consists of 9 tournaments in the tennis calendar which award 1000 points to the winner.
Known by various names over the years, the Masters 1000 tournaments are the most prestigious events on the Tour after the four Grand Slam tournaments and the season-ending ATP Tour Finals.
Since 2019, Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome, Coupe Rogers (which alternates between Toronto and Montreal), Cincinnati, Shanghai, and Paris-Bercy have constituted the Masters 1000 series.
Except for Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome, which are played on clay, all the others are hardcourt tournaments. Paris-Bercy is the only indoor Masters 1000 tournament on the tennis calendar, while all the others are played outdoors.
In three decades of its existence, a total of 69 different players from 22 different countries have won a Masters 1000 title. 35 players have triumphed at multiple Masters 1000 tournaments, with the latest to do being Daniil Medvedev, who lifted titles at Cincinnati and Shanghai in 2019.
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Since Mikael Pernfors became the first player aged 30 and above to win a Masters 1000 tournament when at Hamburg in 1996, only 10 other players over the age of 30 have triumphed in the tournament category.
On that note, let us meet the three oldest players to lift a Masters 1000 title.
#3: Rafael Nadal (2019 Coupe Rogers)
The only player to appear in 51 Masters 1000 finals, a 33-year-old Rafael Nadal beat first-time Masters 1000 finalist, Daniil Medvedev of Russia, in straight sets in the 2019 Coupe Rogers title match to win a record-extending 35th title in the tournament category.
During the course of his title run, Nadal surpassed Roger Federer (380) for the most career match wins at Masters 1000 tournaments.
The Spaniard's title triumph marked the first instance of a successful title defence at a hardcourt tournament during the course of his illustrious career as he moved to 5-0 lifetime in Coupe Rogers finals.
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#2: Andre Agassi (2004 Cincinnati)
American legend Andre Agassi lifted the penultimate singles title of his career at the 2004 Cincinnati Masters.
34-year-old Agassi needed successive three-set wins over compatriot Mardy Fish and Mark Philippoussis respectively before a pair of straight-set wins over Juan Ignacio Chela and Carlos Moya helped set up a last-four showdown with another compatriot Andy Roddick.
After dropping the second set on a tiebreak, Agassi clinched the win on a deciding set tiebreak to reach his 39th Masters 1000 final where he beat Australia's Lleyton Hewitt in three sets to win a then record-extending 17th Masters 1000 title.
The title triumph made Agassi the oldest winner of a Masters 1000 title.
#1: Roger Federer (2019 Miami)
Two weeks after losing to Dominic Thiem in the 2019 Indian Wells final, Roger Federer became the first player to appear in 50 Masters 1000 finals after beating young Canadian Denis Shapovalov in straight sets in the 2019 Miami Masters semifinals.
In the title match, the 37-year-old Federer dethroned defending champion John Isner in straight sets to lift his fourth title at the tournament and the 28th Masters 1000 title of his career.
The title run made Federer the oldest player to triumph at a Masters 1000 tournament as he lifted a record 11th title in the tournament category after turning 30.
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