Tennis 'Big 4': Who has the best career winning percentage?

Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, and Murray, the quartet whose rivalry transformed tennis.

The Big 4 of men’s tennis emerged between 1998 and 2005, controlling the narrative of competitive tennis for nearly two decades. Djokovic is the last man standing among them, with Federer and Murray retired and Nadal joining them after the Davis Cup Finals in November. As of now, the four of them have together won 341 ATP-level titles.

Each of the four players brings something to the table. Federer leads with the most ATP titles, Nadal owns an impressive clay-court record, while Djokovic impresses with his haul of Grand Slam trophies. Perhaps the most impressive achievement of these four is Murray’s. He is the only player in tennis history to have won multiple Olympic gold medals in tennis singles.

Federer stood out for his elegance and one-handed backhand in an era where the double-handed backhand became increasingly common. Djokovic is known for his relentless machine-like efficiency in wearing down opponents and as an aggressive baseliner. 

Nadal relies on his ability to bring out his topspin heavy forehand, mental toughness, and unparalleled tenacity. Andy Murray relies on a mix of delicate drop shots, top spin, and change of pace to pull through his contests. 

Also Read: Full list of players to complete Sunshine Double

Over the years, the ‘Big 4’ have also racked up impressive statistics, the most obvious being their collection of ATP match wins. They have accumulated a healthy record of match wins, leading to a robust percentage overall.

Roger Federer

Roger Federer, with an overall match-winning count of 1251 on the ATP tour, is second only to Jimmy Connors with numbers of 1274 – 283 (82%). By the time the Swiss great wrapped up his career, his tally placed just 24 short of Connors. Federer’s 1251-75 figures translate to a win percentage of 82%, making him the leader among the Big 4 in terms of matches won. 

A 103 ATP-level wins later, Federer has 20 Grand Slams, 28 Masters, and 6 Nitto ATP Finals trophies in the bag. He also won a silver at the 2012 London Olympics in the singles event, adding to his doubles gold from Beijing 2008 with Stan Wawrinka. 

Federer’s record at Grand Slams is 369-60 (86%), placing him second on this list after Djokovic when it comes to outright wins at 369. The Swiss are 381-108 (78%) in Masters events.

Federer never retired in 1,526 singles and 224 doubles matches during his career, in addition to reaching 17 consecutive finals in 2005 and 2006. His largest haul of Grand Slam titles was the eight Wimbledon trophies he picked up at SW19.

Rafael Nadal 

Nadal turned pro in 2001, three years after Federer came onto the scene. He accumulated 1080 wins against 227 losses, giving him an 83% winning percentage. The Spaniard won 92 tour-level titles, including 22 Grand Slams and 36 Masters events. Sixty-three of these 92 titles came on clay, including 14 French Open trophies, his favourite surface. 

Rafael Nadal has never been able to lay his hands on the Nitto ATP Finals trophy despite making the cut 11 times and reaching the title match twice. Both his losses in the summit clash came against Federer and Djokovic.

The Spaniard’s record on clay is a jaw-dropping 484-51 (90.5%) and a 112-4 record on the clay courts of Roland Garros. He also spent a record 912 consecutive weeks in the top 10 (2005-23), including a total of 209 weeks as No. 1. Nadal is level with Djokovic’s winning percentage in Slams, 314 – 44 (88%) and Masters events 410 – 90 (82%).

Nadal also has two gold medals in the Olympic Games. First is a gold from the singles event at the 2008 Beijing Games and in doubles from the Rio Olympics in 2016 along with Marc Lopez.

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic leads in terms of overall winning percentage in ATP level matches, 1124 – 222 (84%) The Serbian has won 99 titles, including 24 Grand Slams, 40 Masters, and 7 Nitto ATP Finals titles. He is 377 – 51 (88%) in Grand Slams and 409 – 90 (82) in ATP 1000 events. 

Sixteen years after winning the singles bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Serb accomplished his long-cherished dream of an Olympic gold at the 2024 Paris edition at 37. By capturing the gold in Paris, he joined Agassi and Nadal in adding the Career Gold Slam. 

One of the Serb’s remarkable achievements is winning 30 consecutive Grand Slam singles matches. The winning streak began with a first-round win over Philipp Kohlschreiber at Wimbledon in June 2015 until he lost to Sam Querrey in the second round, coincidentally also at Wimbledon in June 2016.

Djokovic won four Grand Slams during that year – Wimbledon 2015, US Open 2015, Australian Open 2016 and French Open 2016.

Andy Murray

Coming in fourth is Andy Murray, the first Briton to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936. His overall record stands at 739 – 262 (74%). Among his 46 tour-level titles are 3 Grand Slams, 14 Masters, and a Nitto ATP Finals trophy. Murray has registered 200 wins against 57 losses in Grand Slams (78%) and 220-101 (70%) in Masters events. 

However, Murray’s greatest prize is the two Olympic gold medals he won at the event, which takes place every four years. Scott is the only man in Olympic history to achieve this feat. The first of his two golds came at the 2012 London Games, with the second coming in 2016 in Rio. Murray also picked an Olympic silver, which he claimed alongside Laura Robson in the mixed doubles event of the 2012 Games.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram