Top five U21 players with most Grand Slam match wins on hard court in Open Era

Published at :January 31, 2024 at 11:59 PM

Modified at :February 1, 2024 at 12:03 AM

Carlos Alcaraz has the highest wins before turning 21

It is no surprise that the more established players on the ATP Tour have a significant collection of both trophies and records. However, when a young and rising star makes a mark, it is a reason to celebrate. The younger they are, the more impressive their achievements are and the more they showcase their talent.

Hard court events dominate the tennis calendar, and the artificial turf is known to be one of the most challenging surfaces in tennis, unlike grass or clay. Therefore, any remarkable record on hard courts deserves special attention.

In this article, we highlight five under-21 tennis players who have the most Grand Slam wins on hard courts since the start of the Open Era.

Michael Chang – 20 wins

Michael Chang is the youngest player ever to win a Grand Slam at the age of 17 years and three months. He defeated Stefan Edberg in the 1989 French Open final after being down two sets to one (6-1, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2). He also pulled off a stunning upset against then World No. 1 Ivan Lendl in the fourth round. Chang won 34 singles titles in his career and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2008.

Lleyton Hewitt – 20 wins

Lleyton Hewitt’s playing style was intense, an attribute that made him the youngest men’s World No. 1 and earned him his maiden tour-level trophy as a 16-year-old in Adelaide. He remains the youngest No. 1 on record since ATP rankings began in 1973. Hewitt won two major championship singles titles – the U.S. Open in 2001 against Pete Sampras 7-6 (7-4), 6-1, 6-1, and Wimbledon in 2002 over David Nalbandian 6-1, 6-3, 6-2. The Australian spent 80 total weeks at No. 1 in the world and was also the first Australian to win Wimbledon since Pat Cash in 1987.

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Novak Djokovic – 20 wins

At 36, Novak Djokovic is one of the fittest players on tour and is still chasing and breaking records. Djokovic made the top 100 of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) in 2005, and by July 2006 he won his first ATP event at Amersfoort. The Serbian won his first Grand Slam in 2008 – the Australian Open, the first of his ten wins in Melbourne. Djokovic also has 71 major titles to his name – 40 Masters, 24 Grand Slams, and seven year-ending ATP Finals titles. He also holds an impressive record against top ten players with 257 wins, the most by any player in the Open Era.

Andy Roddick – 21 wins

Andy Roddick won 32 ATP singles titles, including one Grand Slam singles title and five ATP Masters 1000 singles titles. Roddick won the U.S. Open – his sole Grand Slam in 2003. The same year, he won two Masters titles at Cincinnati and Canada. The other three Masters titles came at Miami (2004, 2010), and Cincinnati (2006). Shortly after winning at Flushing Meadows, Roddick became number one in the world for 13 weeks.

Then the three players who would dominate men’s tennis for the foreseeable future came – Federer, Nadal, Djokovic. Roddick would never reclaim the number-one ranking or win another major. He lost four finals to Federer – three at Wimbledon and one at the U.S. Open. Roddick ranked in the year-end top 10 for nine consecutive years (2002–2010) – a testament to his consistency.

Carlos Alcaraz – 23 wins

Carlos Alcaraz reached the Quarterfinals of the 2024 Australian Open With the fourth-round win, he set a record for the most wins on hard courts at a Grand Slam, surpassing Djokovic and tying with Andy Roddick. Alcaraz has 23 wins on hard courts at major events. The second-round fixture was also his 200th match on the ATP tour.

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