The Open Era is the current era of professional tennis. It began in 1968 when the Grand Slam tournaments allowed professional players to compete with amateurs, ending the division that had persisted since the dawn of the sport in the 19th century. The first open tournament was the 1968 British Hard Court Championships held in April,[1] followed by the inaugural open Grand Slam tournament, the 1968 French Open, a month later.[2] Unless otherwise sourced, all records are based on data from the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP),[3] the International Tennis Federation (ITF),[4] and the official websites of the four Grand Slam tournaments. All rankings-related records are based on ATP rankings, which began in 1973. The names of active players appear in boldface.
Updated as of 2024 Australian Open. Where there are multiple entries for the same record, entrants are ranked on the basis of who achieved the record in chronological order.
There have been three prominent Year-end Championships in the Open Era, each involving only the top performers for the given year. Those championships have been the most coveted titles after the four Grand Slams during the Open Era. (1970–present) This is a combination of the YECs (Year-end Championships) for two separate tours: the ITF Grand Prix that ran until 1989 and the ATP Tour that replaced it. For record-keeping purposes, the ATP has incorporated the entire history of the ITF "Masters Grand Prix" alongside its ATP Finals tournament; thus they are both listed as "ATP" here. In total, these YECs have been held at numerous venues around the globe and played on several surfaces (indoor hard since 2006). (1971–89) The WCT Finals, as the YEC for the World Championship Tennis tour, was held in Dallas, Texas and played on indoor carpet courts. (1990–99) The Grand Slam Cup (GSC) was an ITF tournament for the top performers in the year's Grand Slam tournaments. It was held in Munich, Germany and played on indoor carpet courts.
(1970–1989) Before the ATP took control of the men's professional tour in 1990, the Grand Prix Super Series was the highest class of events after the Grand Slams and the Year-end Championships but unlike the Masters series, the participation of the top players was not mandatory.
(1990–present) The Masters is an annual series of nine top-level tournaments featuring the top professional men players. The Masters events along with the Grand Slam tournaments and Year-end Championships constitute the most coveted titles on the annual ATP Tour calendar.
ATP rankings began in 1973. These weekly rankings determine tournament eligibility and seedings. At the end of each year they also become the official ATP season rankings.
Prize money has increased throughout the Open Era, in some cases greatly in a short time span. For example, the Australian Open winner received A$916,000 in 2004 and received A$3,150,000 in 2024.[15][16]
Career totals include doubles prize money and are not inflation-adjusted.[17]
1 2 Borg withdrew prior to a scheduled match in the midst of both streaks,[9][10] which the ITF does not consider as ending the streak. Likewise, a 1980 news article considered them valid streaks,[11] but Sports Illustrated lists Borg's win streaks at 35 and 41.[12]
1 2 3 4 Carpet courts are no longer in use on the professional tour since 2009.
↑ 5 of Becker's 14 Big Titles were won before the ATP Tour era.
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References
↑ Henderson, Jon (15 June 2008). "Now I'd choose tennis". The Observer. 'Yes, "open" tennis has come at last and Bournemouth has been entrusted with the task of a world shaking launching,' said the programme notes for the 1968 Hard Court Championships of Great Britain, which brought an end to the sport's segregation of amateur and professional players.
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Novak Djokovic 
Rafael Nadal 
Roger Federer 
Pete Sampras 
Björn Borg 
Ivan Lendl 
Andy Murray 
Richard Gasquet 
Mikhail Youzhny 
Philipp Kohlschreiber 
Andreas Seppi 
Rod Laver 
Marin Čilić 
