Top 10 Australian Open singles champions in the Open Era

The Australian Open, unlike other slams, was the forgotten slam for most part of the 20thcentury. Its remote location, timing when it is held (around the Christmas and New year holiday period) and lack of prize money led to it being relegated to a second-tier status. However, for the past three decades or so, the tournament has reinvented itself, and is now one of the tournaments most looked forward to on the calendar, by players and fans alike. Through this article, I will be looking at the top 10 Mens and Womens Singles champions at the Australian Open, players who have left their mark on the tournament on their way to becoming all-time greats.Note: This list only includes champions in the Open Era.

#1 Evonne Goolagong Cawley

One of Australia’s greatest ever players, Evonne Goolangong Cawley, made the Australian Open her own through the mid-seventies, winning four consecutive titles from 1974 to 1977. Apart from her tennis skills, Cawley was also a native Australian, and thus established herself as a role model for the previously disadvantaged community. Through her graceful style of tennis and speed around the court, Cawley managed to beat the best in the business, including a young Martina Navratilova on the way to her four titles.

Cawley retired with 7 Grand Slam titles to her name, with the US Open being the only Slam to elude her. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1988, and then the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame in 1994, getting well-deserved recognition for her feats on court.

#2 Steffi Graf

The woman who needs no introduction, Steffi Graf is the next on this illustrious list. Graf is considered to be one of the greatest players of all time, and rightly so, holding a record 22 Grand Slam singles titles to her name, in addition to the Olympic gold medal.

Graf won four titles at the Australian Open during the peak of her career. Capturing her first title in 1988, the year in which she won all four slams and the Olympic Gold Medal, the German proceeded to win the title the following two years as well. Having lost a tight three-set final to the precocious talent of Monica Seles in 1993, she bounced back and stormed her way to her fourth and final title at the Australian Open, winning the tournament without losing a set.

While Graf could make only one quarterfinal at the tournament following her 1994 success, she will always be remembered as one of the players who made the Australian Open her own.

#3 Monica Seles

Monica Seles, the subject of one of tennis’ perennial ‘what-if’ stories, finds herself next on this list. The Yugoslavian burst on to the scene in the early 90s, challenging the dominance that Steffi Graf had established, and fuelling hopes of a long, promising rivalry for fans to look forward to.

Seles, like Graf, also captured four Australian Open titles. Fresh from her pathbreaking year in 1990, Seles showed that she was anything but a one-Slam wonder as she blazed her way to three consecutive titles at Melbourne Park, winning from 1991-1993, the last of which was a win over her bitter rival Graf in the final.

The tragic stabbing incident later that same year though, proved to be a crushing blow for the then 20 year old, as she struggled physically and mentally on her return to the tour a couple of years later. Nevertheless, Seles managed to eke out one more gutsy win at the tournament she loved, beating German Anke Huber in the final of the 1996 edition, which incidentally was also the last Grand Slam title win of her career.

#4 Martina Hingis

‘Swiss Miss’ Martina Hingis deserves special mention in this list, being the only player to have reached an unprecedented six straight finals at Melbourne Park. Hingis, who was the player to beat during the late 90s, reached the finals from 1997 to 2002, winning the first three years, and finishing runner-up the following three years.

Winning her first title at the age of just 16 in 1997, Hingis quickly racked up two more titles in the following years, before falling victim to Lindsay Davenport, and then Jennifer Capriati in two successive finals in 2001 and 2002, the latter of which was one of the best matches ever in Australian Open history.

Hingis has had her share of success in doubles at the Australian Open as well, winning the women’s doubles four times with four different partners, as well as the 2006 mixed doubles title with Mahesh Bhupathi.

#5 Serena Williams

The last and final player on this list is undoubtedly the greatest female player of this century, Serena Williams. Williams has won 5 titles at Melbourne Park, which is the most by any player in the Open Era. The American broke through in 2003, winning her first title by beating older sister Venus in the final, a win which also made her the holder of all four slams at the same time.

Her legacy at the Australian Open was further enhanced by victories in 2005, 2009 and 2010, however, it is possibly the 2007 triumph for which she will be remembered the most. Entering the tournament as an unseeded player, and ranked an unbelievably low No.95 at the start of the year, Williams slowly made her way though the rounds, before annihilating Maria Sharapova in the final, losing just three games en route to a resounding victory.

And the best part? She is by no means done and is one of the favourites at Australian Open 2015

#6 Stefan Edberg

The man who’s in the logo- Stefan Edberg is next in this illustrious list of champions. Edberg’s distinctive serve and stellar performances at the Australian Open led to him being featured in the logo of the tournament. Edberg has an astounding 56-10 win-loss record at the tournament, winning the title twice in 1985 and 1987. The Swede’s love affair with the first Grand Slam of the year had begun back in 1983, when he won the juniors title, and then proceeded to win his first Major title a couple of years later, when he beat countryman, Mats Wilander, in the 1985 final.

A second title followed in 1987, when he dashed the hopes of millions of fans by beating local favourite Pat Cash in an intense five-set final, incidentally the last year the tournament was held on grass.

Edberg did reach the final thrice more once the tournament switched to hard courts, however, he came up short on all three occasions, with Lendl exacting revenge in 1990, and Courier defeating him in back-to-back finals in 1992 and 1993.

#7 Mats Wilander

Edberg’s compatriot Mats Wilander is the next player to be featured in this list. Wilander was already a star by the time he won his first Australian Open title, beating Lendl in 1983 at the age of just 19. The Swede successfully defended his title the following year, and captured yet another title in 1988 when, just like Edberg the previous year, he outdid local favourite and Wimbledon champion Pat Cash in a five set epic.

With this win, Wilander also became the first and only player to win the Australian Open title on both hardcourts as well as grass.

#8 Andre Agassi

The Australian Open contributed in a large way to Andre Agassi’s late career resurgence, providing him half his Grand Slam titles, as he swept past the competition in the early part of the 21st century to rack up four titles at Melbourne Park. 1995 was the year which saw Agassi win his first Australian Open title, when he recorded what was an immensely satisfying win over his biggest rival, Pete Sampras in the final.

Following his magical comeback year in 1999, the American carried forward his good form into the new millennium, as he won back to back titles in 2000 and 2001, beating Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Arnaud Clement respectively in the finals. Age proved to be just a number for the man from Las Vegas, who went on to win his fourth and final title in 2003, thrashing Rainer Schuettler of Germany at the age of 32, which also happened to be his last Grand Slam title win.

#9 Novak Djokovic

Current World No.1 Novak Djokovic is currently tied for the most number of wins at the Australian Open with 4 titles and goes into this year’s tournament as the favourite as well, a scary thought given that he is still capable of adding atleast a couple more titles at Melbourne Park.

Djokovic won his first Slam at the venue in 2008, when he beat another youngster, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, after beating Federer in the semi-final.

While the next two years were average by his standards, his career-best year in 2011 was given the perfect start with a second triumph at the Australian Open, when he beat Andy Murray in straight sets. Two more titles in 2012 and 2013 followed, as he started to establish a real stranglehold over the competition, with most calling him virtually unbeatable at the tournament. While his dream of ‘four in a row’ was thwarted by Stanislas Wawrinka in an epic quarterfinal last year, Djokovic still remains the favourite at this tournament, and could well be a six or seven time champion by the time he is done.

#10 Roger Federer

And last but by no means least, it’s the greatest of all time, Roger Federer.

Federer has won 4 of his 17 Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open, the first of which was in 2004. His 2004 victory over Marat Safin signalled the start of the stranglehold Federer would hold over the tour for the next 6-7 years, providing him with the confidence to dominate the field. After losing an epic semifinal to Safin the following year, Federer recorded an emotional win over Marcos Baghdatis in the 2006 final, breaking down when the great Rod Laver presented him with the trophy.

2007 saw him win his third title in dominant fashion, not dropping a set throughout the tournament, beating Chilean Fernando Gonzalez in the final. Federer’s final title at Melbourne Park came in 2010, when he beat Andy Murray in the final, just a year after yet another heartbreaking loss to Nadal in the previous year’s final.

Federer has reached atleast the semifinals of the Australian Open in each of the last 11 years, a feat which is not likely to be matched anytime soon. The fact that he is still being talked about as one of the favourites at the age of 33 truly establishes him as one of the Australian Open’s all-time greats.