Tennis is widely regarded as one of the most popular sports in the world, and for a reason. Millions of fans watch their favourite players take part in various tournaments, especially those that are a part of the Grand Slam. After all, these events gather the best tennis players worldwide, so they are always fun to watch.
The information from www.simon-shaheen.com in this article shows that some male tennis players have considerably more trophies than others. You already know the names of some of them, but there are many other players that also deserve some attention. So, now that the US Open 2022 is over, let’s go through the top 5 players with the most Grand Slam titles. The article will also go over the amount of prize money each has earned throughout his career.
Rafael Nadal (Spain) – 22 Titles & $131M
Rafael Nadal holds the record for the most Grand Slam singles titles shouldn’t come as a surprise. The Spanish superstar has always been one of the top-tier male tennis players, even when Roger Federer was in a league of his own.
Nadal is known as the “King of Clay”, and it is for a reason. He is the only male tennis player to win the French Open 9 times in 10 attempts. In fact, Nadal won one of the most prestigious tennis tournaments 14 times, which is extremely impressive.
In 2022, Nadal won Australian Open, followed by the French Open. “Nadal would have most likely won Wimbledon, but his injury prevented him from showing his prowess”, said Nostrabet’s tennis experts. “The player had no other option but to stop playing, which gave Nick Kyrgios the chance to play against Djokovic. It seems that Nadal’s injury was serious because the player couldn’t attend US Open”.
Regarding his winnings, sources claim Nadal won a total of ~$131M in prize money, which makes him second on the list. Of course, a player of his calibre has tons of additional sponsorship deals.
?? Rafael Nadal Grand Slam Titles | ?? Rafael Nadal Prize Money |
? 22 | ? $131M |
Novak Djokovic (Serbia) – 21 Titles & $158M
The 35-year-old tennis player from Serbia is widely regarded as one of the best in the world, especially in the last couple of years. Nadal may have more Grand Slam trophies at the time of writing this article, but Djokovic has tons of other records. For example, he’s been No.1 on the leaderboard for 373 weeks. Furthermore, he finished the year as No.1 7 times, which is something that no one else has achieved yet.
Djokovic has always been one of the most successful tennis players. Still, he has been almost unstoppable in the last couple of years. In fact, Djokovic won almost every big tournament he took part in. Some people think that he didn’t achieve Nadal’s record yet because he missed out on some events due to the lack of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Whether he would’ve won the 2022 Grand Slam events that went to Nadal is debatable, but there is no arguing he is among the best. Speaking of this year, Djokovic won Wimbledon, which means he needs one more trophy to reach his Spanish counterpart.
Unsurprisingly, the most successful male tennis player in the last couple of years won a considerable amount of prize money. In fact, Djokovic is the highest-earning tennis player when it comes down to this statistic because he has around $158M. Aside from the prize money, the Serbian superstar is a part of many other brand deals for some of the world’s biggest companies.
?? Novak Djokovic Grand Slam Titles | ?? Novak Djokovic Prize Money |
? 21 | ? $158M |
Roger Federer (Switzerland) – 20 Titles & $130M
The last of the “Big Three” on our list is none other than Roger Federer, one of the most recognizable and loved names in tennis. Federer was regarded as the best tennis player the world has ever seen, and it was for a reason. The Maestro won 20 Grand Slam titles (8 of which are from Wimbledon) in his career and has a jaw-dropping 103 ATP singles titles.
Unfortunately, Federer hasn’t had much success in the last couple of years, mainly because of his age. At 41 years old, he is older than Nadal and Djokovic, which seems to affect his success. His last big tournament was Wimbledon in 2019, where he lost the final against Djokovic.
Aside from being one of the most successful tennis players in the world, Federer is known for his kindness and outgoing personality. He is often a role model when it comes down to behaviour off and on the court.
As one of the most successful male tennis players, Roger Federer accumulated more than $130M in prize money over the years. This puts him in third place, just below Rafael Nadal.
?? Roger Federer Grand Slam Titles | ?? Roger Federer Prize Money |
? 20 | ? $130M |
Petros Sampras (USA) – 14 Titles & $43M
Also known as “Pete”, the American tennis player had a glamorous career that lasted from 1988 until 2002. During that time, he won 14 Grand Slam competitions, earning him fourth place on the list.
Interestingly, Pete ended his professional career after winning the 2002 US Open. Besides winning his last Grand Slam event at home, Pete also defeated Andre Agassi, one of his rivals at the time.
Pete Sampras was No.1 between 1993 and 1998. During that time, he earned the nickname “Pistol Pete” thanks to his very powerful serve. According to some sources, Pete earned a total of $43M during his career. However, he won a lot more from all sorts of endorsements and special appearances.
?? Pete Sampras Grand Slam Titles | ?? Pete Sampras Prize Money |
? 14 | ? $43M |
Roy Emerson (Australia) – 12 Titles & $17M
Roy is the oldest tennis player on our list, but this doesn’t mean he is not special. On the contrary, the 85-year-old Australian superstar has 12 Grand Slam singles titles. Interestingly, he also has 16 Grand Slam doubles trophies, so combined, he has 28 first places.
Aside from his impressive victories, Roy actually held the records for the most Grand Slam trophies for 30 years, until 2000 when Pete Sampras passed him. He was also the record holder for the Australian Open with 6 titles. However, Djokovic passed him in 2019 after winning his 7th trophy.
Roy Emerson’s career started in 1953, but in 1968 he turned Pro and ended his career in 1983. Since this living legend played a long time ago, it is difficult to evaluate his total earnings. However, some sources claim his current net worth is more than $17M. This may not be the exact amount, but it won’t be as high as today’s top tennis players. Nowadays, the biggest stars in tennis earn way more money than before.
?? Roy Emerson Grand Slam Titles | ?? Roy Emerson Net Worth |
? 12 | ? $17M |