According to ESPN Stats & Info, Monfils has now won at least one Grand Slam match in 22 consecutive seasons, tying Federer and Djokovic for the longest streak in men’s tennis in the Open Era.

While Monfils may no longer boast the raw athletic dominance of his prime on the ATP Tour, he continues to prove that longevity and experience matter, delivering impressive performances despite facing numerous career setbacks.

Even as legends like Federer make ceremonial returns to the tour—such as his recent exhibition appearance at Flushing Meadows—Monfils remains locked into competitive play, striving for peak performance in what could be one of the final Grand Slam appearances of his career.

Monfils’ 2026 season

Across the Grand Slams and ATP Tour, Monfils has maintained his trademark flair and athletic shot-making. Though he suffered early exits at the Australian Open and French Open—including a hard-fought five-set battle on home soil against Hugo Gaston—he continued to pick up solid tour-level wins in Acapulco, Indian Wells, Monte-Carlo, and Montreal.

He also captivated New York crowds by teaming up with his wife, Elina Svitolina, to reach the mixed doubles semifinals at Flushing Meadows. Here is a snapshot of his 2026 season stats:

• Overall Record (Singles): 4–7 (11 total matches)
• Tournaments Played: 7 events across Grand Slam and ATP Tour levels
• Tiebreaks: 3–1 record

Reaching this historic milestone on his 40th birthday, September 1, Monfils now has an opportunity to cap off a memorable year, proving that high-level execution on tennis’ biggest stages is still very much within his reach.

“To be honest, I’m very nervous. I haven’t played a single match in, I don’t know, maybe five years. I don’t know how I’ll do it. There’s a lot of uncertainty, but also a lot of joy to be able to return. I’ll really have the opportunity to say thank you and goodbye, which I think is important for some people,“ Federer said candidly to the media regarding his return to Flushing Meadows.

Reflecting on the long road leading to this final farewell, Federer noted that various off-court commitments and personal circumstances repeatedly delayed his ability to schedule an exhibition match earlier.

Even as active rivals like Novak Djokovic continue to rewrite the record books, Federer remains focused on securing a proper final curtain call at the very venue where he dominated with five consecutive titles from 2004 to 2008.

Federer’s stats at the US Open

Roger Federer dominated the US Open with five consecutive titles from 2004 through 2008, tying the Open Era record alongside Pete Sampras and Jimmy Connors. Across 19 main draw appearances, he compiled an 89–14 record (86.4% win rate) and established a tournament-record 40-match winning streak.

His championship run featured victories over top rivals, including Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray. Reaching seven total finals and 13 quarterfinals, Federer maintained a flawless 37–0 record in the first two rounds throughout his career at Flushing Meadows.

Who is playing against Federer?

At the “Roger Federer: An Icon Returns to New York” exhibition event at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Federer faces his longtime rival Andy Roddick in a single-set singles match, revisiting their classic 2006 US Open final matchup.

Following the singles set, Federer will team up with four-time US Open champion John McEnroe for a doubles match against the tandem of Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi. Beyond his return to Flushing Meadows, Federer is also scheduled to play in “The Roger & Friends” celebrity doubles match at the Shanghai Masters in October 2026.

The victory means Djokovic has officially taken standalone possession of one of tennis’s most coveted records. By making his 82nd Grand Slam appearance, he breaks his tie with Federer (81). For the Serbian star, the statistics continue to lean heavily in his favor as the former world No. 1 shows no signs of slowing down, even as the next generation of players hits its stride.

Djokovic’s ability to absorb his opponents’ best shots and respond with tactical precision highlighted why he remains the most feared competitor in the sport, even as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner play some of the best tennis of their young careers.

Meanwhile, Sinner recently set an all-time Masters 1000 record by surpassing Djokovic with a win over Andrey Rublev. Yet, Djokovic’s latest performance was a classic display of problem-solving under pressure, reminding the tennis world that beating him across five sets still requires an almost flawless performance.

Breaking a legendary tie with Roger Federer

By securing the win, Djokovic officially broke his tie with Federer for the most career match victories at Grand Slam tournaments. This latest milestone adds to a staggering resume that already includes the record for most total weeks at No. 1 and the most Masters 1000 titles in tennis history.

Overcoming a slow start at Roland Garros to secure history

The record-breaking moment did not come without its share of drama on the clay, as Djokovic had to overcome a sluggish start to defeat French talent Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in a grueling four-set battle, 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4.

After dropping the opening set to the young powerhouse’s blistering serve, Djokovic relied on his signature counter-punching and veteran composure to tilt the momentum back in his favor.

As Roland Garros progresses, all eyes will remain on Djokovic to see how far he can extend this newly minted record. With the physical hurdles of the opening rounds cleared, the top seed has sent a clear message to the rest of the draw that he remains the standard-bearer in men’s tennis.

By securing the win over Ofner in the Round of 64, Sinner has officially matched Federer’s mark of 29 consecutive victories in Masters 1000 events. He will have the opportunity to surpass the Swiss legend on Monday, May 11, when he faces the winner of the match between Alexei Popyrin and Jakub Mensik.

Currently, Novak Djokovic holds the absolute historical record for the longest Masters winning streak, having secured 31 consecutive wins in 2011 and another 30 between 2014 and 2015. If Sinner reaches the semifinals in Rome, he could potentially stand alone at the top of that list.

Sinner aims for the Career Golden Masters

The Italian is on the verge of rewriting tennis history in the Eternal City. Beyond the winning streak, Sinner is chasing a milestone that would see him join the most elite company in the sport’s history. Should he claim the trophy this week, Sinner would achieve the Career Golden Masters—winning all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments at least once.

To date, Djokovic is the only player to have achieved this feat, doing so twice. The 24-time Grand Slam champion first completed the set in 2018 at Cincinnati and repeated the achievement at the same venue in 2020.

Ending a national drought

Sinner also carries the hopes of the home crowd as he looks to make Italian history. If he captures the title, he will become the first Italian man to win in Rome since Adriano Panatta in 1976, ending a half-century wait for a homegrown champion at the Foro Italico.

By defeating Cobolli, Zverev became only the fourth man to reach the semifinals at each of the first four Masters 1000 events of the season (Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, and Madrid) since the series began in 1990. He joins an elite list featuring Federer (2006), Nadal (2010, 2011), and Sinner (2026). “It’s amazing but, of course, I need to get past this stage now,” Zverev said with a smile during his on-court interview.

While he reached the semifinals in the three previous Masters events this year, he fell to Sinner on all three occasions. Fortunately for the German, the World No.1 is on the opposite side of the bracket this time; Zverev will face Alexander Blockx, who is coming off an upset win over reigning champion Casper Ruud.

Zverev gets redemption against Cobolli

The victory was particularly sweet as it came just two weeks after Cobolli defeated Zverev in the Munich Open final (6-3, 6-3). While the loss in Munich cost Zverev a title on home soil, the story was different in Madrid.

“No revenge. I love Flavio. He’s one of my favorite guys on Tour,” Zverev told the ATP Tour website. “I have a great relationship with him and a great relationship with his father. This is sport… Sports can change very quickly. In Munich, he played an amazing match and I didn’t play a very good match. Today, it was maybe the opposite”.

A new German milestone on clay

Beyond the tournament bracket, the win was historic for German tennis. With his victory over Cobolli, Zverev now records 179 career wins on clay. This breaks his tie with Philipp Kohlschreiber (178), making Zverev the German player with the most wins on this surface in the Open Era.

By reaching the final four in Madrid, Sinner has now reached the semifinals of all nine Masters 1000 tournaments. He becomes only the sixth player to complete the semifinal set, joining Nadal, Djokovic, Federer, Andy Murray, and Alexander Zverev.

Furthermore, Sinner has reached the semifinals of the first four Masters 1000 events of the season (Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, and Madrid). He joins Federer (2006) and Nadal (2010, 2011) as the only players to achieve this feat while ranked World No. 1.

Sinner chasing the Career Golden Masters

Sinner is currently enjoying a dominant season, having swept all four Masters 1000 titles so far in 2026. He is now on a collision course with history as he seeks the Career Golden Masters—winning all nine Masters 1000 tournaments at least once.

If Sinner triumphs in Madrid and follows it up with a win at the upcoming Rome Masters, he will complete the collection. Currently, Novak Djokovic is the only player in the Open Era to achieve this feat, completing it in 2018 and incredibly repeating the cycle in 2020.

Sinner praises rising star Jodar

The Italian faced a stern test against the 19-year-old local favorite. Jodar’s incredible run in Madrid included his first Top 10 win over Alex de Minaur and a victory over Joao Fonseca. While Sinner cruised through the first set, Jodar pushed the second to a tiebreak. However, Sinner’s experience shone through as he swept the breaker 7-0.

“He pushed me to the limit,” Sinner said of Jodar in his post-match interview. “He’s an incredible player. I tried to be ready as much as I could. I’m incredibly happy; it was a very high-quality match. I got a bit lucky in the second set, but also had a bit of experience. I’m obviously very happy to be in the semis here for the first time. It means a lot to me”.

Reaching the mark in just 367 matches (300-67), Alcaraz now sits tied with John McEnroe as the third-fastest player in the Open Era to achieve the feat. By comparison, Nadal required 373 matches to reach 300 wins, while Djokovic took 389 and Federer 423.

Alcaraz’s rapid ascent is a testament to his immediate impact on the tour. While Federer and Djokovic faced steeper learning curves in their early twenties, Alcaraz has maintained an elite win percentage since his debut.

At just 22 years old, the Spaniard has already captured 7 Grand Slam titles—including his historic 2026 Australian Open win that completed his Career Grand Slam—and 19 additional ATP trophies.

Which two players reached 300 wins quicker than Alcaraz?

Despite the Spaniard’s surprising statistics, there are two players who achieved 300 career wins faster than Alcaraz. Jimmy Connors did it in 363 matches, while the legendary Rod Laver achieved it in 355, making him nearly impossible to surpass.

What about Sinner?

Alcaraz’s biggest competition on the ATP Tour today is World No. 2 Jannik Sinner, with whom he has already played seven finals, including three Grand Slams in 2025. However, the Spaniard outpaces the Italian in the race to 300 wins, as Sinner took 381 matches to reach the milestone.

The Monte-Carlo Masters is slowly preparing to host another final between the two stars after both players cleared their quarterfinal hurdles. Sinner will now face Alexander Zverev in the semifinals, while Alcaraz will take on the winner of the match between Valentin Vacherot and Alex de Minaur.

By taking down the Canadian, Sinner extended his winning streak to 20 consecutive matches at the ATP Masters 1000 level. He becomes just the fourth player in the history of the series (dating back to 1990) to reach that mark, joining the legendary “Big Three” of Djokovic, Federer and Nadal.

The World No. 2 will now face Alexander Zverev in the semifinals after the German dispatched rising star Joao Fonseca. Sinner remains focused on his first title in Monaco as he pursues another record held by Djokovic: becoming only the second player to win the Miami Open and Monte-Carlo Masters back-to-back.

Sinner finds rhythm after set streak ends

The five-time Grand Slam champion entered the quarterfinals boasting a dominant run of 18 consecutive Masters 1000 match wins without dropping a single set.

While his streak of 37 consecutive sets won finally ended in a second-set tiebreak against Tomas Machac in the previous round, Sinner noted that his performance against Auger-Aliassime was a significant step forward in form.

“I feel like it was a step forwards today,” Sinner said during his post-match interview. “It was a very tough match. I knew I had to get better in certain areas. The serve is not there yet, where I would love it [to be], but all things considered I’m very happy. Yesterday I was very tired. I recovered very well… Let’s see what’s coming tomorrow, but in any case, very happy to be back in the semis”.

When is Sinner playing vs Zverev?

With the semifinal bracket nearly set, Sinner is scheduled to face Zverev on Saturday, April 11. On the other side of the draw, Carlos Alcaraz advanced by defeating Alexander Bublik and awaits the winner of the match between local Valentin Vacherot and Alex de Minaur.

Ahead of the start of the 2026 Australian Open, Federer spoke with ESPN, indicating that he will be following Lionel Messi’s journey closely. The Swiss maestro expressed his hope that the Argentine captain can achieve the fairytale ending he desires for his career—by lifting the trophy once again. “I’ll definitely be following him… Switzerland has also qualified, so I might go. I hope Messi gets the ending he wants for his career,” Federer told ESPN.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion also revealed his deep admiration for Messi as a primary reason for his support in the upcoming World Cup. “He’s done incredible things in soccer, and I’m a big fan of him,” Federer said. “The way he dominated and changed the game is amazing”.

Defending the title won at Qatar 2022 will be Messi’s ultimate goal this year with Argentina, as this is widely expected to be his final appearance for the national team in a World Cup. Both he and Cristiano Ronaldo are set to reach a historic milestone this summer, becoming the first players to ever participate in six different World Cups.

Relief after Qatar 2022

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar remains a defining moment in Messi’s life, as it was the year the Argentine finally secured the world title after the heartbreak of the 2014 final loss to Germany. However, it wasn’t just Argentina celebrating; fans worldwide were rooting for Messi to finally lift the trophy.

Federer was among those supporters who celebrated Messi finally capturing the title that had eluded him for his entire career. Nevertheless, the Swiss legend noted that while the 2022 victory was a massive weight off his shoulders, it doesn’t eliminate the immense pressure that comes with representing a nation on the world stage.

“I’m happy that he’s already won a World Cup, so he won’t have that pressure next time,” Federer added. “Although there’s always huge pressure when you play a World Cup”.

Argentina and Messi will officially begin their title defense in Group J alongisde Algeria, Austria and Jordania. On paper, the Albiceleste are heavy favorites to advance, but as Federer hinted, the pressure of being the defending champions is unique.

It is clear that all three would have been great champions, but the reality is that they constantly pushed each other to the limit in their quest to win, making them lethal competitors. This competitive pressure is easy to understand when one considers that before the Big Three’s emergence, the all-time leader in Grand Slam titles was Pete Sampras with 14 crowns.

Djokovic currently holds 24 Majors and, in the final stretch of his career, dreams of reaching number 25. Rafael Nadal retired in 2024 with 22 Majors, and Roger Federer did the same in 2022 with 20 Grand Slam titles.

On the court, they were massive rivals who competed for absolutely everything, but the relationship among the three was fundamentally based on respect, which remains one of the great legacies these legends left, alongside their immense title haul.

“I feel happy to have been able to be part of this history. Without taking any merit away from Sinner and Alcaraz, who want to do things well, I think we have contributed to new generations being able to think that one can be a fierce competitor without needing to hate the rival. You can have a relationship that is not one of friendship, but excellent. It is a good legacy that we leave in an era of maximum competition,” Nadal emphasized during an interview with Jorge Valdano on Universo Valdano.

Nadal on his relationship with Djokovic and Federer

There is no doubt that the rivalry among the members of the Big Three is the greatest in tennis history, as all three players mutually helped each other reach the supreme level they displayed on the court.

Nadal explained that initially, the competition among the three was lived more intensely, but that things softened over the years as they all matured, leading to a healthy rivalry.

“I believe you go through phases; in the end, when you are younger, you live everything in a much more intense way. Then with the years, things soften, we all grow up, and I believe the positive thing about our era is that we have ended our careers and we can go out to dinner together without any problem, and I think that is something to be proud of,” explained the 14-time Roland Garros champion.

“In the end, we have been competing at the highest level, for the most important things you can compete for in our sport, and aside from the very marked rivalries, we have not taken them to the extreme. I believe the rivalries stayed on the court and the personal relationships were always of respect, admiration, and I believe even a certain friendship toward the rivals,” he concluded.

The Cyprus native became the first player from his country to reach a Grand Slam final, achieving the feat at the 2006 Australian Open, where he fell to Roger Federer. He also rose into the Top 10, reaching a career-high ranking of World No. 8 in August 2006.

Speaking with Tennis365, Marcos Baghdatis chose the most difficult rival of his career: “I would pick Novak Djokovic, simply because I never beat him, but it is very difficult to choose. And I don’t say the Big Three were the only toughest opponents, but there were many others,” he explained.

“That generation of Andy Murray, Rafa, Roger, Novak… of course, those were the four best players who dominated the sport for many years in which I played, but behind them, there were players like Juan Martin del Potro, Stan Wawrinka, Marin Cilic, David Ferrer, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tomas Berdych, and many other players, I think, of a very high level,” the Cypriot, who won four ATP titles, added.

What sets Djokovic apart from Nadal and Federer

Marcos Baghdatis has a long history of facing the members of the Big Three. The Cypriot played Rafael Nadal ten times, only achieving a single victory while he faced Roger Federer in eight opportunities, recording also one win.

However, against Novak Djokovic, they faced each other eight times, and Baghdatis couldn’t secure a single victory. During the interview, he explained that, unlike Nadal and Federer, after a massive loss against Djokovic, he felt that he could never beat the Serbian throughout his career. And that is exactly what happened.

“Whenever I played against Novak, the matches were very even. That is my opinion. Perhaps I am wrong, but what do I remember? Once he gave me a good beating, and that was at Indian Wells. It was a 6-1, 6-3. I left the court and felt like he had given me a lesson. I never felt that way with any other player,” Baghdatis said.

“I never felt that way with Roger or Rafa, even when I was younger and played against Roger, I always thought: ‘Next time I can beat him.’ I always felt that, but with Novak, I didn’t have that feeling, especially after that match,” he concluded.