US Open: 4 most successful men's singles players in the Open Era
The last Grand Slam of the year, the US Open, is the oldest Grand Slam event after Wimbledon. With its first edition in 1881, the US Open has been held every year since.
After 93 years on grass, the tournament transitioned to clay for three seasons (1975-77) before moving to a hardcourt surface called "DecoTurf" in 1978.
American Jimmy Connors is the only player to have won the US Open on all three surfaces. He is also one of the most successful players in the history of the tournament, having won five titles.
The US Open is the only Grand Slam of the year which employs a conventional tie-break (first to seven points with a difference of two) at six games all in the fifth set.
Roger Federer has the Open Era record of most consecutive titles at the event (5). Novak Djokovic, the defending champion and Ivan Lendl are the only two players to have come second best in five finals at the US Open.
The trio of Lendl, Sampras and Djokovic, with 8 apiece, have played the most title matches at the US Open. Lendl is the only men's singles player in the Open Era to play 8 consecutive US Open finals.
Let us have a look at the most successful men's singles players at the US Open in the Open Era:
#4 John McEnroe (4 titles)
John McEnroe has won 4 titles at the US Open from 5 title matches.
The American beat Vitas Gerulaitis in the 1979 final to win his first Grand Slam title and the first of his four titles at his home Slam.
McEnroe beat Bjorn Borg in the 1980 title match to become the first player in the Open Era to successfully defend his US Open title. The pair clashed again in the final the next year where McEnroe beat Borg in New York for the second year in a row to complete a 'three-peat'.
In 1984 McEnroe dropped only eight games in the final against Ivan Lendl to win his fourth title at the tournament.
The following year, however, Lendl returned the favour by beating the American in straight sets to win the first of his three consecutive titles at the US Open.