He is the oldest Grand Slam champion of all time and has won them across three different decades

Posted by Admin January 10, 2025 Tennis

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The 2025 Grand Slam season has now arrived, with the leading ATP and WTA players set to take on the Australian Open over the next few weeks.

Australian Open main draw matches get underway on Sunday, with qualification already on the go in Melbourne.

ATP and WTA veterans will be looking to use all of their experience to emerge victorious, but their plans are under real threat from a long list of young talents.

Stan Wawrinka has an Australian Open wildcard aged 39, while Novak Djokovic wants another Grand Slam title in Melbourne at the age of 37.

The Serbian would become the all-time leader for Grand Slam titles should he triumph, moving one beyond the 24 wins of Margaret Court.

Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

How Ken Rosewall became the oldest men’s singles Grand Slam champion

But he also has the chance to become the oldest men’s Grand Slam singles champion in the Open Era should that be his fate this month.

The current record is held by Ken Rosewall, having won the 1972 Australian Open aged 37 years, two months and one day.

READ MORE: Tim Henman says why he wants Novak Djokovic to ‘struggle’ at the 2025 Australian Open

Djokovic will turn 38 on May 22nd, and will therefore be older than Rosewall was when he beat his fellow Australian Mal Anderson 7-6, 6-3, 7-5 at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club.

Ken Rosewall joins Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in Grand Slam record

Rosewall boasts a long list of honours from his fantastic time on the court, having won eight Grand Slam titles, with four in the Amateur Era and four in the Open Era.

He joins fellow Australians Rod Laver and John Newcombe in that regard, with four of his triumphs coming on home soil.

READ MORE: The history-making Australian Open match which Novak Djokovic once admitted was the greatest win of his career

And regardless of what happens this month, Rosewall and Djokovic are already linked thanks to their superb careers.

The duo, along with Rafael Nadal, are the only men to win Grand Slam singles titles in three different decades.

Titles	Player	Amateur Era	Open Era	Australian Open	French Open	Wimbledon	US Open	Years
24	Novak Djokovic	N/A	24	10	3	7	4	2008-2023
22	Rafael Nadal	N/A	22	2	14	2	4	2005-2022
8	Ken Rosewall	4	4	4	2	0	2	1953-1972

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Ken Rosewall Grand Slam records

Rosewall’s major honours list spans from 1953-1972, compared to 2005 to 2022 for Nadal and 2008 to 2023 for Djokovic.

And just like his fellow former professional Rod Laver, Rosewall has a stadium named after him in Australia.

Constructed for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, Ken Rosewall Arena is the main arena at the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre, and was a host venue of the 2025 United Cup earlier this month.