Australian Open is one of a kind tournament in the sporting arena where technology supersedes the intervention of human force. From having automatic roofs at players’ benches to having automatic, linesman-free line calls, it is one of the most technologically advanced tournaments at least on the tennis circuit.
However, the play at this picturesque venue is still between humans only! And that can’t be overpowered by any technology whatsoever. The tournament Down Under has witnessed some out-of-the-world tennis since its inception in 1905, particularly since the advent of the Open Era in 1969. This has led to some iconic rivalries, some iconic champions and some iconic memories.
In this article, we will be discussing the top 10 most successful men in the history of the Australian Open. But before we begin, it is important to note that the list includes the names of only those players who have won the Australian Major in the men’s singles category since 1969 (first edition in Open Era). Moreover, players with the same number of titles have been ranked on the basis of the years in which they won, with players having emerged victorious and ranked higher. So, let’s start with our number-tenth-ranked athlete on this list.
Here are the Top-10 Men with Most Australian Open titles:
Ivan Lendl (2 titles)
The tenth and the last place on the list of most successful men in the history of Australian Open goes to Ivan Lendl. The Czech-American, one of the all time greats and an eight-time Major winner has two titles in Melbourne Park. The first one came in 1989 while he successfully defended his crown in 1990.
Stefan Edberg (2 titles)
The penultimate spot on this list with yet another 2 titles Down Under is Stefan Edberg. A six-time Grand Slam champion, Edberg was a proficient player in both singles and doubles, the fact being only one of the two men in the Open Era to achieve no.1 ranking in both the categories. The Swede captured singles titles in Australia in 1985 and 87.
John Newcombe (2 titles)
Another Australian on this list, John Newcombe is one of the few players to attain world no.1 ranking in both singles as well as doubles category. Winner of 7 Grand Slams, Newcombe had the opportunity to lift the singles trophy on his home turf on two occasions; one in 1973 and the other in 1975.
Ken Rosewall (2 titles)
The legendary Australian, who had an outstanding career spanning for more than two decades, Ken Rosewall is next on this list. Rosewall played both in Amateur as well as Open Era, winning as many as 4 Majors Down Under, two of which came pre-1969. His Open Era championship victories in Australia include men’s singles Grand Slams in 1971 and 72.
Guillermo Vilas (2 titles)
First Latin American on this list, Guillermo Vilas had few glorious years in late 1970s where he captured 4 singles Majors. Out of the 4, two came for the Argentine in Australia. Vila’s captured the gold Down Under in 1978 and successfully defended it a year later in 1979.
Johan Kriek (2 titles)
Probably the least known name on this list, Johan Kriek is a South African- American who has tasted less success in professional circuit then the other names mentioned before or after him on this list. Kriek won at the Australian Open in 1981 and 82, the same year in which he became a native of USA. These were the only two times Kriek won a Grand Slam.
Mats Wilander (3 titles)
Moving to the fourth spot, it is occupied 7-time Major winner Mats Wilander. The Swede had a brilliant run in the 1980s, the same decade where he clinched all of his Slams. Wilander at Australian Open has 3 singles titles to his credit, which came in 1983, 84 and 88.
Andre Agassi (4 titles)
The third-ranked player on this list is Andre Agassi. The American great is the only man on earth to have a Career Super Slam (Calendar Grand Slam, plus the Olympic gold medal and the year end Championships). There are 4 Australian singles Slams to his name, with Agassi capturing the top most podium in 1995, 2000, 01 and 03.
Roger Federer (6 titles)
As stated above, the Swiss Maestro Roger Federer has second most number of Majors at Melbourne Park. Federer, a 20-time Grand Slam champion, has lifted the trophy here half a dozen times, doing so in 2004, 06, 07, 10, 17 and 18.
Novak Djokovic (10 titles)
The only man to have won titles in double digits in men’s singles at the Australian Open (Amateur Era and Open Era combined), Novak Djokovic has been at his supreme best Down Under over the years. His dominance can be evidenced from the fact that the second best on this list is Roger Federer with just 6 titles to his name. The Serb has conquered Melbourne in 2008, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21 and 23.
Honourable mention also goes to 4 other names which were not able to make the cut in the top-10 list despite winning 2 singles Grand Slams at the Australian Open. These names include legendary players like Jim Courier (1992-93), Borris Becker (1991, 96), Pete Sampras (1994, 97) and Rafael Nadal (2009, 22).
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