Success at the US Open brings many things. There’s fame and fortune - Grand Slam prize money is enormous - but perhaps most crucially, you join that illustrious list of players to have won the tournament.
Being a Grand Slam champion is what every aspiring tennis betting player dreams of.
It’s hard to imagine what that moment feels like - a lifetime on tennis courts, leading to that Grand Slam victory. Some players are fortunate enough not to just experience it once but make a habit of winning Grand Slams.
Their adulation with each victory barely seems to wane, such is the desire for victory, and with every successful fortnight, their place in tennis’ history books becomes more significant.
The US Open is the final Grand Slam opportunity of the calendar year. Failure here leaves several months to wait before giving it another go in Melbourne at the start of 2020.
Here are a few players who, instead of dwelling on disappointment, had those months to enjoy the glory of US Open victories…
Chris Evert
Chris Evert dominated the US Open throughout the 1970s. The Florida-born right-hander won four consecutive US Open titles between 1975 and 1978 before losing the final to Tracy Austin in 1979.
Evert bounced back immediately, however, winning her fifth US Open title in 1980. Just two years later, a record sixth US Open crown followed.
Two final defeats to Martina Navratilova in 1983 and 1984 prevented a seventh US Open for the American, but she continued her astonishing US Open record with three more semi-final and two more quarter-final appearances before her final tournament in 1989.
In Evert’s first 16 US Opens, she was never eliminated before the semi-finals. A remarkable achievement for a sensational player.
Serena Williams
What is any list of this ilk without Serena Williams?
The only player to have won as many as Evert’s six US Open crowns, Williams suffered a controversial loss in the 2018 final to Naomi Osaka, which was her first defeat in a US Open final since 2011.
Serena won three in a row between 2012 and 2014, building on her second and third triumphs in 2002 and 2008.
It was 1999 that stood out for the greatest to play the game. Williams hadn’t made it past the fourth round of a Grand Slam when she won the 1999 US Open. That set the platform for her to become the iconic figure she is today and introduced Serena Williams to the world.
Two decades later, she’s still going strong and is one of the favourites in 888’s sports betting to win the 2019 US Open.
Steffi Graf
In the way the 1970s belonged to Evert, Steffi Graf took control of the US Open – and much of women’s tennis – through the late 1980s and 1990s.
Her first US Open title came in 1988, completing a Golden Slam. Graf defended her crown in 1989, but had to wait until 1993 for her next US Open glory.
Then in 1995 and 1996, Graf elevated her level again. Going from one of the best to absolutely unstoppable, Graf won the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open in both ’95 and ’96.
Only Serena and Evert have more US Open titles than Graf. Her five total is more than Monica Seles and Venus Williams combined.
Jimmy Connors
Jimmy Connors’ long career means he holds a lot of records. One such title is the most US Open titles won by a men’s singles player, which he shares with fellow all-time greats Roger Federer and Pete Sampras.
Connors competed in 22 US Open fortnights, reaching seven finals and winning five of them. Connors’ first came at the end of a magical 1974 season – which started with his first Slam in Australia and finish as the reigning champion in Paris and New York.
Overtaken for the best male tennis player title by Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, Connors’ place among the greats is still without question, and his US Open victories are a large part of that.
Roger Federer
In the Open Era, no other male tennis player has won five straight US Open titles. That’s what Roger Federer did between 2004 and 2008, a run that came to an end in 2009 in that epic final defeat to the vastly talent Juan Martin del Potro.
Peculiarly, the US Open is the only Grand Slam Federer hasn’t won since 2008. After losing the 2009 final, the brilliant Swiss had to wait until 2015 to make the last two, though that again ended in disappointment against Djokovic.
Well supported in New York, Federer will be eyeing a record-breaking sixth US Open this September. Even after turning 38 years old, Federer remains one of the top three in the world.
Beating Djokovic is a big ask, but that epic Wimbledon final will give Federer hope he can topple the Serbian.
Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras’ career, like others on this list, was kickstarted by a triumphant US Open.
It was 1990 when Sampras announced himself as a genuine Grand Slam contender, making it past the fourth round for the first time in his career and cruising past Andre Agassi in straight sets in the final.
The victim of one of the most memorable shock results at Wimbledon, Sampras’ time at the US Open wasn’t without disappointment.
The big-serving American lost three finals, including 2000 and 2001 before his glorious 2002 finale when he again defeated Agassi to lift his fifth US Open and 14th Grand Slam of his decorated career.
Better remembered for his Wimbledon supremacy, that shouldn’t downplay Sampras’ record in New York where he boasted an 88.75% winning percentage.
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*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
