Top five oldest winners of ATP Finals

The ATP Finals, held annually, is a prestigious event that invites only the top eight players according to their ATP rankings every season. Originally known as the Masters, the tournament was first held in Tokyo. Subsequently, it was hosted by various cities including Paris, Barcelona, Boston, Melbourne, Stockholm, and Houston, before relocating to Madison Square Garden in New York. New York served as the venue from 1977 until 1989.

In 1990, the Masters underwent a name change to the ATP Tour World Championships and was relocated to Europe. The cities of Frankfurt and Hannover alternated as hosts for the event until 1999. In 2000, the event was rebranded once more, becoming the Tennis Masters Cup, and was subsequently held in Lisbon, Sydney, Houston, and Shanghai.

The O2 Arena in London took over as the host in 2009, with the event marking its 50th anniversary in 2020. Turin took over as host city in 2021. Stan Smith claimed victory in the first edition held in 1970. Nastase was the first player to secure multiple titles, followed by John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker, and Pete Sampras, who maintained dominance in the event until 1999.

The turn of the century witnessed the rise of a new generation of champions. Since the year 2000, Leyton Hewitt, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Alexander Zverev have distinguished themselves by winning multiple ATP Finals titles.

In this article, let’s take a look at the top five oldest winners of ATP Finals.

5. Pete Sampras, 1999 –  28 years, 3 months

Pete Sampras began his Grand Slam exploits by becoming the youngest man to win the US Open men’s singles title. At the age of 19 in 1990, he triumphed over fellow American and rival Andre Agassi with a score of 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, marking the beginning of his Grand Slam success. Twelve years later, Sampras claimed his fifth and final US Open title, once again facing Agassi, and secured victory with a scoreline of 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.

‘Pistol Pete’ and his signature slam dunk overhead volley helped him power his way to five ATP Finals trophies. Sampras played in the year-end tournament 11 times, successfully reaching the final six times. Notably, two of his five victories were against Boris Becker. Their epic five-set final lasted four hours, culminating in a triumph for the American, with the final score being 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(4), 6-7(11), 6-4.

4. Ilie Nastase, 1975 – 29 years, 4 months

Ilie Nastase, a Romanian tennis player, was regarded as the original bad boy of the sport prior to the emergence of John McEnroe. Nastase frequently found himself in conflict with linesmen and umpires regarding what he considered erroneous line calls. He secured his first Grand Slam singles title by defeating Arthur Ashe at the 1972 US Open. Nastase gave the tiny European nation of Romania its time in the spotlight. He almost single-handedly guided it to the Davis Cup finals in 1969 and 1971-72. 

The 1973 season marked the pinnacle of his career, during which he secured 16 titles, including his third Masters event, as it was referred to at that time. Between 1971 and 1975, Nastase reached five consecutive finals, triumphing in four of those matches. He emerged victorious against Stan Smith in both 1971 and 1972, and claimed his final Masters title by defeating Swedish player Bjorn Borg in 1975. In the 1974 tournament, however, he was defeated by Argentine Guillermo Vilas in a five-set match, a year after overcoming Tom Okker in the finals of 1973.

3. Andy Murray, 2016 – 29 years, 6 months

Andy Murray's achievements in the realm of sports are highlighted by his possession of two Wimbledon titles, secured in 2013 and 2016, as well as two Olympic gold medals in the singles category. These Olympic victories were attained during the London Games in 2012 and again at the Rio Games in 2016.

The 2016 season also gave Murray his first and only ATP Finals trophy. It was the Scottish player’s first trip to the final in eight attempts. He had reached the semi-final stage thrice (2008, 2010, and 2012). Murray defeated Novak Djokovic in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4 to win on his debut run to the title round.

Murray won his first Grand Slam title in 2012 at the US Open, where he triumphed over Novak Djokovic in a remarkable five-set battle that lasted almost five hours. The final score was 7-6(10), 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2, with Murray emerging victorious. This victory allowed him to overcome the disappointment of his earlier loss to Roger Federer, another prominent member of the big three, in the Wimbledon final just a few months prior.

2. Roger Federer, 2011 – 30 years, 3 months

Upon concluding his career at the 2022 Laver Cup, Roger Federer had achieved a remarkable total of 103 tour-level titles and 1,251 victories. He ranks second in history, trailing only Jimmy Connors, who holds the Open Era record with 109 titles and 1,274 wins.

The Swiss maestro holds the tournament records for the highest number of titles achieved at the Cincinnati Masters (7), Wimbledon (8), Basel (10), and Halle (10). Prior to Novak Djokovic's acquisition of seven ATP Finals titles, Federer maintained the record at that venue with six victories.

Federer made a noteworthy debut in the ATP Finals in 2002, making the semi-finals before falling to eventual winner Lleyton Hewitt. The former World No. 1 subsequently triumphed at the ATP Finals in the following two years, overcoming Andre Agassi in 2003 and Hewitt in 2004. The Swiss great finished with six wins from ten appearances in the championship round of the season finale. Federer made a semi-final run at his final outing at the ATP Finals, losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets.

1. Novak Djokovic, 2023 – 36 years, 6 months

Between 2012 and 2015, the Serbian player achieved a remarkable streak of four consecutive victories in Turin. Within this four-year period, he secured three Australian Open titles in Melbourne.

Djokovic was 35 years and five months old at the time he won the 2022 ATP Final title. By successfully defending his title in 2023, he set a new record as the oldest champion, achieving this feat at 36 years and six months while lifting the trophy for the seventh time. Additionally, the Serbian player surpassed Federer’s previous record of six titles by the conclusion of the season.

Cover Credits - Olympics.com