Big Titles: Federer Leads But Novak’s Strike Rate Dazzles

They are the biggest tournaments in our sport, where participation is mandatory, entry is reserved for the world’s best and success is rewarded with fame and a rich haul of points and prize money.

Claiming a title at each level – Grand Slam, Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and ATP World Tour Masters 1000 – has its unique challenges. But the tournaments are all stages upon which legends are made, where careers are defined and where victory earns players universal respect from peers, fans and media. Not surprisingly, the players with the best ‘Big Titles’ records are regarded as the giants of the game.

So which players have the most ‘Big Titles’ and best strike rates at these elite events?

Roger Federer leads the field with 47 Big Titles, including 17 Grand Slams and six Barclays ATP World Tour Finals – both records. He is third all-time with 24 Masters 1000 crowns, including seven in Cincinnati. The Swiss has played 203 tournaments at this level, averaging one title for each 4.3 events played.

Novak Djokovic, who on Sunday won a record-setting 29^th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title in Madrid, is just two trophies behind Federer with 45 Big Titles. A five-time Barclays ATP World Tour Finals champion, Djokovic has by the far the best conversion rate of any player, past or present, winning one Big Title for every 3.2 events played at this level.

Rafael Nadal also boasts an exceptional strike rate, winning one Big Title for every 3.5 appearances. He is joint second all-time for most Grand Slam titles won with 14, and outright second all-time for most Masters 1000 titles won with 28 crowns, just one behind Djokovic’s record haul.

Andy Murray, who throughout his career has competed against the suffocating dominance of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, has won 13 Big Titles. The Scot has 11 Masters 1000s (the same amount as all-time great Pete Sampras) and two majors. Murray wins one Big Title for every 10.4 tournaments played.

Since the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 series launched in 1990, Sampras has been the only player to rival the Big Titles strike rates of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer. A winner of 14 Grand Slam titles and five Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, the six-time year-end World No. 1 averaged one Big Title per 4.9 tournaments played.

One other player whose strike rate is in singles figures is Andre Agassi, who at one time was the record Masters 1000 title holder with 17 titles, including six Miami crowns. Agassi also won eight majors and one season finale. His 26 Big Titles from 164 tournaments played came at an average of one title per 6.3 events played.

Those historical averages put in perspective the utter dominance Djokovic has displayed in his past 21 outings at this level dating back to the 2014 BNP Paribas Masters in Paris. During that time the Serb has won one Big Title for every 1.23 events he’s played, going 4 of 5 at Grand Slams, 11 of 14 at Masters 1000s and 2 for 2 at Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

Current and Former Champions (Records Since 1990)

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