Who amongst the legends has the best ATP Finals record?

Who amongst the legends has the best ATP Finals record?
The electric atmosphere of the Nitto ATP Finals is unparalleled

The Nitto ATP Finals will commence on the 15th of November at the O2 Arena in London. The premier event is set to feature the top eight players from this season, including Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and others. While Swiss legend Roger Federer may not be participating this time around, he sure had some of his most memorable matches here.

As the 50th edition is about to start, let us check out the win records of some legendary players in the season-ending extravaganza.

Roger Federer: King of the ATP Finals

Roger Federer at the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals

Pulling up the statistics of the previous editions has given no real surprise. Here are the top 10 players with the most match wins in the history of the ATP Finals:

FS Video
Pos.Player NameWin-Loss RecordWinning %age
1ROGER FEDERER59-17.777
2IVAN LENDL39-10.796
3BORIS BECKER36-13.735
4NOVAK DJOKOVIC36-14.720
5PETE SAMPRAS35-14.714
6ILIE NASTASE23-3.885
7ANDRE AGASSI22-20.524
8JOHN MCENROE19-11.633
9RAFAEL NADAL18-14.563
10STEFAN EDBERG18-14.563
11JIMMY CONNORS18-17.514
Source: Nitto ATP Finals

As shown by the statistics, Roger Federer comes up top in this field with a mind-boggling 59 wins. The Swiss legend has consistently been a part of the ATP Finals, qualifying for a record 18 seasons. He also holds the record for the most ATP Finals titles, with six to his name. The 39-year-old won his titles in two consecutive years, on three separate occasions. He has chosen to skip this year’s edition, taking the extra time to recover from knee surgery.

Next on the list is legendary Czech player Ivan Lendl with 39 wins. The 8-time Grand Slam winner also has five ATP Finals titles to his name. Additionally, he won two World Championship Tennis Finals titles. Interestingly, Lendl has a higher winning percentage than Federer because of the fewer matches played.

Following close behind Lendl are Boris Becker and Novak Djokovic (36 wins each) and Pete Sampras (35 wins). Djokovic and Sampras are tied with Lendl at 5 ATP Finals titles each. Recently, Djokovic also tied Sampras for 6 years ending as world no. 1. However, Sampras managed to get his record in consecutive years – a near-impossible achievement in today’s age.

Rafael Nadal has historically struggled at the ATP Finals

Rafael Nadal during the 2019 edition

Coming after Pete Sampras is Romanian Ilie Nastase. One of the top players in the 1970s, he has the highest winning percentage in the season-ender. With 22 victories and just 3 losses, he won the title four times – a respectable haul.

Capping off the list are the American trio of Andre Agassi, John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors, and Swedish Stefan Edberg.

A glaring find from the stats is that Rafael Nadal is very low on the list! The Spaniard has a record of 18-14, netting a win percentage of just 56%. He has shown a history of struggling to compete in the fringe tournaments of the season (coming towards the end). Nadal has never won the ATP Finals title, despite finishing as a finalist twice. He usually never got to perform at his best due to injuries and poor form on the indoor hardcourts.

Nadal is coming off a semifinal finish at the Rolex Paris Masters. The world no. 2 was blown out in straight sets by Alexander Zverev.

This will be the final edition of the ATP Finals being played in London, with the venue set to shift to Turin, Italy next year. Stay tuned as we cover all the latest bits from the season-ending event.

Also Read: Despite having ‘nothing left to prove’, Roger Federer’s commitment is ‘incredible’, says former British player