The Longest Winning Streak in Tennis May Well Stand the Test of Time as Sport Enters Ultra-Demanding Era

Tennis is inherently gladiatorial, making it one of the toughest sports to sustain long winning streaks. However, for a select few a winning cadence has become the norm. See who holds the longest winning streak in tennis, and why some prefer certain events.

Who Has the Longest Winning Streak in Tennis?

It is worth noting that professional tennis can be split into several eras – each with their own nuances and styles of play – so unpicking the longest winning streaks requires some contextualisation.

The Open Era – which is everything from 1968 and beyond when tournaments allowed professionals and amateurs to compete together – has seen an abundance of greats come and go.

3. Ivan Lendl – 44 Matches

The inscrutable Ivan Lendl is perhaps best known by modern tennis fans for coaching Andy Murray, and is credited for channelling his aggression into Grand Slams after coaching the Scot for five years.

An eight-time Slam champion himself, the Czech-American is widely regarded as the ‘Father Of Modern Tennis’ after popularising a style of play that emphasises topspin-heavy forehands and baseline power tennis. 

Although he didn’t manage to clinch a major until six years after turning pro, his formative years were perhaps his most fruitful on his way to racking up 94 singles titles.

September 1981 saw the beginning of a 44-match winning streak, where he would clinch titles in Madrid, Barcelona, Basel, Vienna and Cologne before having his purple patch ended in Argentina by Pedro Rebolledo in 1982.

2. Bjorn Borg – 49 Matches

Arguably the most influential figure in modern tennis – Bjorn Borg – inevitably strolls his way onto this list after almost hitting half-a-century of uninterrupted wins. 

The 11-time Grand Slam champion had already won six of his titles by the time this unprecedented streak in men’s tennis began. In March 1978 his dominance took flight at the Davis Cup preliminary rounds, and was eventually cut short in the US Open final that year against Jimmy Connors, one off 50 matches.

During that period the ‘Ice Man’ lifted silverware at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, along with four other singles titles.

1. Martina Navratilova – 74 Matches

This one may well stand the test of time – no man nor woman has come close to matching Martina Navratilova’s breathtaking streak that ran across almost the entirety of 1984.

The 18-time Grand Slam champion not only holds the longest winning streak in professional tennis, but the season before she registered the best professional season winning percentage – 98.8% in 1983 after going 86–1.

Reminiscing on the incredible streak in 2023, she said: “You almost forget how to lose. I had a lot of confidence because I knew I didn’t have to play my best and I could still win – against anybody. I just had to play… normal.”

During the near-year-long run, Martina clinched the French Open, US Open and won all seven of her matches in straight sets at Wimbledon – eventually losing out to her eternal rival Chris Evert in her bid for a seventh consecutive Australian Open title.

Who Has the Longest Winning Streak in the ATP Tour Era?

It is also worth splitting these winning streaks into pre and post-ATP Tour era, with tennis equipment, dietary and health practices and the general speed of the game changing drastically since the early 1990’s.

All-time Grand Slam record holder Novak Djokovic also holds the record for the longest winning streak in the ATP Tour era after sweeping aside 43 challenges across 2010 and 2011. This saw him lift titles at the Australian Open, the Dubai, and the Miami Masters.

As for the WTA, Iga Swiatek surpassed the great Serena Williams in 2022 after the five-time Slam winner accumulated a 135-day, 37-match winning streak; the longest in the 21st century. 

It’s official: Iga Swiatek has the longest win streak of the century. pic.twitter.com/Odnu2Y8pia

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) June 28, 2022

Longest Winning Streaks at Each of the Grand Slams

Wimbledon

Men’s – Bjorn Borg & Roger Federer – 41 Matches

Women’s – Martina Navratilova – 47 Matches

French Open

Men’s – Rafael Nadal – 39 Matches

Women’s – Chris Evert – 29 Matches

Australian Open

Men’s – Novak Djokovic – 33 Matches

Women’s – Monica Seles – 33 Matches

US Open

Men’s – Roger Federer – 40 Matches

Women’s – Chris Evert – 31 Matches