With two hard-court Grand Slams, the last few decades have given players more opportunities to play themselves into the list of the greatest hard-court tennis players of all-time.
Greatest Tennis Players On Hard Court:
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Novak Djokovic
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Roger Federer
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Serena Williams
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Steffi Graf
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Chris Evert
Hard courts allow players of different skillsets to succeed. Where grass and clay can be restrictive at times, leaving certain playstyles excluded, hard courts represent an opportunity for any player to excel.
Of course, there are variations between different courts, but hard courts are generally a thorough test of a player’s overall game.
With matches played all over the world throughout the year on the ATP and WTA tours, we have a huge sample of matches to analyse when compiling a list of this nature.
5) Chris Evert
Chris Evert was a master of the clay courts. Change was plentiful throughout her career, with the US Open using clay, grass, and hard courts throughout her time at the top. Just before Evert’s retirement, the Australian Open switched from grass courts to hard courts.
As a result, Evert did not have the same opportunity as her successors to rack up hard court titles, especially at the Slam level. Evert, however, still has the second-best winning percentage on hard courts ahead of Martina Navratilova, Serena Williams, and Monica Seles.
Evert’s 35 total titles on hard court are only bettered by the two women above her in these rankings.
Clay might have been her speciality, but Evert was almost as good on hard courts. That reflects her brilliance across a lengthy career.
4) Steffi Graf
Steffi Graf played 376 matches on hard courts. She lost just 36 of them. That is, unsurprisingly, the greatest record of all-time on the surface, putting her just ahead of Evert.
Graf won nine Grand Slams on hard courts and has the second-most hard-court titles of any female player ever.
Winner of 120 hard-court Grand Slam matches, Steffi Graf was the undisputed greatest female hard-court player ever at the time of her retirement.
The only person to have won each Grand Slam four times, Graf was the most versatile of the GOAT candidates in women’s tennis thanks to her flawless forehand and athleticism.
3) Serena Williams
Three women, including the two already included on this list, have a better hard-court winning percentage than Serena Williams. Williams, though, is the consensus GOAT, and won 11 more titles than anyone else on the surface.
A perennial online betting favourite at the Australian and US Opens, Williams has seven titles in Melbourne and four in Flushing Meadows (that’s the most combined of anyone in the Open Era).
Since 1988, Williams has the most Tier One titles, leading Victoria Azarenka by six. Of players to win over 75 matches at the US Open, only Evert has a better winning percentage. Williams also shares the record with Graf for the most hard-court Grand Slams won without losing a set (four).
A case can be made to take Graf over Williams on hard courts alone, but it would be unjust to have Serena any lower than fourth in these rankings.
She transcended women’s tennis throughout the 2000s and 2010s, with few players capable of laying a glove on her on hard courts in her pomp.
2) Roger Federer
The case for Roger Federer is clear. He has won 191 hard-court matches at Grand Slams, along with six Australian Opens and five US Opens. He has the most wins at the Australian Open and the second-most at the US.
The 783 match wins on a hard court are 82 ahead of Novak Djokovic and almost 200 clear of anyone else.
There are numerous other records which we could make an entire article listing, including five consecutive US Open titles (a standalone record), and 30 consecutive sets won at the Australian Open.
Federer has excelled on hard courts away from the Slams, including seven ATP Finals wins, eight titles in Dubai, and seven in Cincinnati.
A few years ago, it was a no-brainer to put Federer in top spot here, but that has changed with the continued brilliance of one of Federer’s fiercest rivals.
1) Novak Djokovic
Where Roger Federer has the edge on the grass, Novak Djokovic is just ahead of the Swiss on the hard courts.
As of July 2024, Djokovic has four more Australian Open titles than Federer and only one fewer US Open. Djokovic only has nine fewer wins on the Grand Slam hard courts, while matching Federer’s 71 titles on the surface.
Still active and near the top of the world rankings, Djokovic is bound to surpass Federer’s win tally and titles. Deep into his thirties, Djokovic is regularly among the tennis betting favourites whenever a hard-court event appears on the calendar.
Djokovic has a better winning percentage than Federer on hard courts overall and at Slams. Of course, Federer’s numbers took a hit in the latter stages of his career, and Djokovic could yet experience similar regression.
For now, though, Djokovic is on a trajectory to beat Federer’s counting stats and do so with a better winning percentage. He has to take top spot.
*Credit for the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
