Five Grand Slam finals played, five won.
Carlos Alcaraz just about kept his impressive Grand Slam final alive on Sunday, saving three championship points to battle past Jannik Sinner in an instant classic.
The Spaniard is now part of an exclusive Open Era club of players to win their first five Grand Slam singles finals, with only four players across the men’s and women’s games having achieved that.
Carlos Alcaraz – 5
With five wins and no defeats in Grand Slam finals to his name, Alcaraz currently holds the Open Era record for the most Grand Slam men’s singles finals played without tasting defeat.
The Spaniard’s first Grand Slam final win came at the 2022 US Open, where he beat Casper Ruud 6–4, 2–6, 7–6(1), 6–3 to win his first major title.
That was followed by an epic 1–6, 7–6(6), 6–1, 3–6, 6–4 triumph over Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon in 2023, before a 6–3, 2–6, 5–7, 6–1, 6–2 victory against Alexander Zverev at the 2024 French Open.
Alcaraz again beat Djokovic in the 2024 Wimbledon final, prevailing 6–2, 6–2, 7–6(4), before Sunday’s enthralling 4–6, 6–7(4), 6–4, 7–6(3), 7–6(2) comeback against Sinner.
Iga Swiatek – 5
Former WTA world No 1 Swiatek matches Alcaraz with five wins from her five major finals and, just like Alcaraz with the men, holds the women’s record for the most finals played without tasting defeat.
An unseeded Swiatek stunned the tennis world with her first Grand Slam title at the 2020 French Open, breezing past fourth seed Sofia Kenin 6-4, 6-1 to triumph.
The Pole returned to Roland Garros as the world No 1 in 2022 and downed Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-3 to win her second title, before defeating Ons Jabeur 6-2, 7-6(5) in the 2022 US Open final.
Swiatek has since gone on to win two further French Open finals, defeating Karolina Muchova 6–2, 5–7, 6–4 in 2023 and Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-1 in 2024.
Monica Seles – 6
Tennis icon Seles won her first six Grand Slam singles finals before tasting defeat, the longest run of any woman in the Open Era.
The former world No 1 was just 16 when she lifted her first major title at the 1990 French Open, defeating Steffi Graf 7-6(6), 6-4, and then beat Jana Novotna 5–7, 6–3, 6–1 at the 1991 Australian Open.
Seles would go on to win two further Slams in 1991, beating Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 6-3, 6-4 in the French Open final and Martina Navratilova 7-6(1), 6-1 at the US Open.
She would then go on to beat Mary Joe Fernandez 6-2, 6-3 in the 1992 Australian Open final, and made it six wins from six with a thrilling 6–2, 3–6, 10–8 victory over Graf at Roland Garros.
Seles’ run would end in her seventh Grand Slam final, beaten 6-2, 6-1 by Graf at Wimbledon in 1992, and she would finish her career with a 9-4 record in major finals.
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Roger Federer – 7
Alcaraz and Swiatek could well be targeting Federer’s all-time record, with the Swiss winning his first seven Grand Slam finals before his first loss.
Federer defeated Mark Philippoussis 7–6(5), 6–2, 7–6(3) to win his first Wimbledon title in 2003, and rose to world No 1 after beating Marat Safin 7–6(3), 6–4, 6–2 in the 2004 Australian Open final.
The Swiss would go on to win two further major finals in 2004, battling past Andy Roddick 4–6, 7–5, 7–6(3), 6–4 at SW19 before an emphatic 6–0, 7–6(3), 6–0 triumph over Lleyton Hewitt at the US Open.
He again beat Roddick in the 2005 Wimbledon final, easing towards a 6–2, 7–6(2), 6–4 win, before a 6–3, 2–6, 7–6(1), 6–1 victory over Andre Agassi in the 2005 US Open final.
Federer extended his record to 7-0 after seeing off Marcos Baghdatis 5–7, 7–5, 6–0, 6–2 at the 2006 Australian Open, before a 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6(4) loss to Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros that year ended his streak.
Federer ended his career with a 20-11 record in Grand Slam finals.
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