Roger Federer winning his 19th Grand Slam title and 8th at Wimbledon makes it 14 years between his first and most recent major Tennis championship. While that beats out most players who have enjoyed longevity and multiple Grand Slam championships, surprisingly it isn’t the longest timeframe between first and last since the Open Era began.
* We included players who won their first slam titles before the open era, but their last one came after 1968.
Novak Djokovic: 8 Years
Djokovic won his first Grand Slam title in 2008, opening his era of dominance in the Australian Open, a tournament he has won six times so far, tied for the record. His last Grand Slam title to date was the 2016 French Open. It’s his only win in Paris, and one that marked the completion of a career Grand Slam, taking his tally up to 12.
John Newcombe: 8 Years
The former world number one Australian won his first slam before the Open era, taking the trophy home in the 1967 Wimbledon. His final title however was well after the Open era began, claiming his 7th title overall and second in Australia, winning the 1975 Australian Open.
Jimmy Connors: 9 Years
With 109 singles titles, Connors leads the tally during the Open Era. A 8-time Grand Slam champion (five of those in the US Open), Connors’ first Slam championship came in 1974, winning the Australian Open. His last one was in 1983, claiming his 5th US Open trophy.
Rod Laver: 9 Years
Laver won six of his 11 Grand Slam titles before the Open Era, including the Calendar Slam of 1962. He also succeeded in doing it in 1969, the only player in the Open Era to win all four titles in the same year. Laver’s first title was in 1960, winning the Australian Open. His last was in the 1969 US Open.
Andre Agassi: 11 Years
Agassi won 8 Grand Slam titles in his career, and completed his career-slam in 1999. His first major was the 1992 Wimbledon. His final one was in 2003, winning the Australian Open for the 4th time in his career.
Boris Becker: 11 Years
Still the youngest male player to win Wimbledon, Becker retired with six Grand Slam titles to his name. The first came at Wimbledon in 1985 when he was 17 years old and 227 days. His last title came in Australia, winning the Melbourne Tournament in 1996.
Rafael Nadal: 12 Years
Nadal has 15 Grand Slam championships over the years, the last of them at the Roland Garros of 2017. The best clay player ever and the undisputed king of the red courts in Paris, Nadal won his first Slam at the French Open too in 2005.
Pete Sampras: 12 Years
When Sampras retired in 2002, he was the record holder with 14 Grand Slam titles, 7 of them at Wimbledon. However, both his first and last majors were a US Open title. The first came in 1990, the last in 2002.
Roger Federer: 14 Years
14 years and counting by the looks of it. Federer, a 19-time (record) Grand Slam champion, including a career slam completed in 2009, won his first major in 2003, surprising many with his first Wimbledon title. He won his 8th title on the London Grass in 2017, becoming the oldest male player to win at Wimbledon in the Open Era.
Ken Rosewall: 19 Years
Hardly ever mentioned as one of the best ever, Rosewall won his first Grand Slam before the open era (1953). In fact, he won four of his 8 slams before the open era. However, he was quite successful in the early 1970’s, winning his last title in Australia (1972). He also lost a Wimbledon final in 1974, failing to claim the only tournament he never won.