Players with most Grand Slam semi-final appearances in Open Era

Novak Djokovic surpassed Chris Evert to lead the list with 53 appearances.

Novak Djokovic and Chris Evert jointly hold the record for most semi-final appearances at Grand Slams in the Open Era as of July 2025, with the former equalling Evert’s long-standing record by reaching the last four stage at Wimbledon 2025 following his victory over Italian Flavio Cobolli in four sets.

Like he did in the quarters, Djokovic had to fight back from a set down to defeat his opponent and advance to a record-equalling 52nd semi-final at Grand Slams. This was also his third consecutive Grand Slam semi-final appearance of the season, but he had failed to make it past this stage in the previous two majors.

Here’s a breakdown of the five players with most Grand Slam semi-final appearances in the open era.

Players with most Grand Slam semi-final appearances in Open Era

5. Serena Williams (40)

The legendary American, Serena Williams, was peerless in her dominance in the past two decades, prior to her retirement last year. She held the World No. #1 ranking in singles for 319 weeks, including a joint-record 186 consecutive weeks, and finished as the year-end No. #1 five times.

In her 40 Grand Slam semi-final appearances, Serena went on to win the title a record 23 times—third highest in tennis history. She remains the only player to accomplish a Career Golden Slam [winning all four majors and Olympic gold] in both singles and doubles categories.

4. Martina Navratilova (44)

Another former World No. #1, Martina Navratilova, is amongst the greatest female tennis players of all-time. She formed a fierce rivalry with Chris Evert, and the duo competed at the highest level throughout the 70′ and 80’s.

In the Open Era, Navratilova won 18 majors in singles, 31 in women’s doubles, and 10 in mixed doubles—for a combined total of 59 major titles, which is only second to Margaret Court’s record of 64 Grand Slams.

She was ranked World No. #1 in singles for a total of 332 weeks and for a record 237 weeks in doubles. This made her the only player in tennis history to have held the top spot in both disciplines for over 200 weeks. Her status as of the greats is elevated when her 44 semi-final appearances look like a footnote in a legendary career.

Also Read: Top five youngest tennis players to reach Grand Slam finals on all three surfaces

3. Roger Federer (46)

The indomitable Swiss legend, Roger Federer, makes it to the second spot with 46 appearances in the semi-finals in a career spanning 20 Grand Slam titles, as well as being ranked World No. #1 for 310 weeks. He also has the record of finishing World No. #1 five times in his career including a record 237 consecutive weeks as the top ranked player.

Federer’s Grand Slam achievements include an Open Era record—eight Wimbledon titles and five at US Open. He played in 21 slam finals in a six-year span between 2003-2009. His only French Open triumph came in 2009, which helped him complete the Career Grand Slam.

2. Chris Evert (52)

Chris Evert was a former World No. #1. Throughout her career, she won 18 tennis majors in singles, which includes seven French Open and six US Open titles. Evert stayed as World No. #1 for 260 weeks at her prime and was a dominant force in women’s tennis in the 1970s till the ’80s. She also had the honour of reaching 34 major finals, which is still the highest in women’s singles history.

Even more incredible is the fact that she reached the singles semi-finals in each of her first 34 Grand Slam appearances—a period stretching from 1971 US Open through to 1983 French Open, during which she also won 15 titles and played 24 title matches.

Also Read: Top five longest tennis matches in Grand Slam history ft. Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal & more

1. Novak Djokovic (53)

Arguably the best men’s singles player in history, Serbian great Novak Djokovic broke Chris Evert’s 36-year-old record at US Open 2025, with win over the American star Taylor Fritz in a four set battle in the quarterfinals.

At Wimbledon 2025, he matched the record of Evert when he overcame a first-set deficit to beat Italian Flavio Cobolli and advance to the last four stage. 

He’s now chasing the 25th – most in tennis history inculding men and women at the US Open 2025. Djokovic also became the oldest man to reach the semifinals of all four Grand Slams in a single season at 38 years and 3 months old. At US Open, it marks the Serb’s 14th semifinal appearance, equaling Jimmy Connors’ record.

The 38-year-old is also the only other player apart from Federer to win 100+ matches at two different Grand Slam events. Of his 25 tennis majors, 10 have come at his favourite Australian Open, seven at Wimbledon, four at Flushing Meadows and three at Roland Garros. Djokovic also recently joined Federer and Jimmy Connors as one of only three players to win 100 or more ATP career titles.

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