Top 5 hardcourt players of all time

With his seventh hardcourt Slam title at the 2015 US Open, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has further established himself as the undisputed king of the concrete courts. His mind-boggling returns, ability to convert defense into attack, awe-inspiring flexibility and mental fortitude are some of the qualities that have catapulted the Serbian tennis genius to the top.With the US Open having come to an end, it is the perfect time to have a look at the hardcourt masters of all time. Who are the other players who have excelled and impressed tennis fans with their hardcourt prowess?Here are the top five hardcourt players of all time, according to their winning percentage on the surface:

#1 Novak Djokovic

Djokovic defeated Roger Federer at this year’s US Open

When it comes to hard courts, Djokovic is close to unbeatable, something that he has been proving time and again for the better part of the last five years. And his records validate that as well.

By now, after 430 wins on the surface against just 85 losses, the Serbian has the best career match winning percentage of all players on hardcourts – 83.49%. Of Djokovic’s 55 career titles, 41 have been earned on hardcourts which includes seven Majors, 17 ATP Masters 1000 and four World Tour Finals trophies.

With five Major triumphs on the slower courts of the Australian Open and two on the faster courts of the US Open, Djokovic’s overall efficiency on this surface is vindicated further.

Considering Djokovic is currently at the peak of his career and fitness, he has a very high probability to add to his already staggering records. And that makes him an even more intimidating prospect for his opponents.

#2 Roger Federer

FedEx was dispatched in the finals of the US Open, but his records speak for themselves

He might have lost a grand opportunity to get his 18th Slam title a few weeks ago, but Roger Federer remains the only player to have inflicted two defeats on Djokovic this year, and both those wins came on hard courts. The World No. 2, who is still a force to reckon with, has already picked up three hardcourt titles this season, taking his collection on this particular surface to 59.

Federer might be No. 2 on the career match winning percentage on hard courts with 83.25%, but all his numbers are bigger when spread over his 17 years of professional career. 646 victories against 130 defeats speak volumes of the man’s mastery. His 9 hardcourt Slams are distributed almost evenly – five at the US Open and four at the Australian Open.

Add to that his unprecedented six World Tour Finals titles, apart from 18 Masters 1000 wins on the concrete, and he looks like the complete package. What’s more striking is his 56-hardcourt match-winning streak beginning from Rotterdam in February 2005 and lasting until Dubai in February 2006; it is the longest hardcourt winning streak in the Open Era.

Federer's records give fans a peek into the kind of hegemony the Swiss maestro had in his peak years during 2004-2007. He might have slipped with age but is still good enough a challenger for anyone on the tour.

#3 Jimmy Connors

The “Brash Basher of Belleville,” Jimmy Connors

Unlike the prevalence of hard courts in the modern era, there used to be fewer hardcourt events during Jimmy Connors' heyday in the 1970s-1980s, with a major chunk of the season devoted to events on carpet. To add to that, the Australian Open (which was, anyway, a far less popular tournament then) used to be played on grass till 1988.

Despite this, the prolonged career of Connors helped him garner enough wins on hard courts to be among the top 3 players of all time, with the third-best winning percentage on the surface. The former World No. 1 had 545 victories on the surface against 112 losses, which makes his percentage 82.95. Of his staggering 109 titles, 50 were won on hard courts, which gives a fair idea of his comfort level on the surface.

The left-hander, nicknamed the “Brash Basher of Belleville” by eminent tennis journalist Bud Collins for his fiery, maverick style, was one of the earliest exponents of the baseline game and thrived on exceptional returns. His unique skills saw him win three of his five US Open titles on hard courts.

#4 Ivan Lendl

Czech tennis legend formerly coached World No. 3 Andy Murray

With his potent baseline game, Ivan Lendl rose to the pinnacle of the world rankings and amassed a whopping 1,071 wins in total on the circuit. Of these, 394 were victories on hard courts, and he lost just 83 matches on this surface in his entire career, giving him an 82.60% success rate.

One of the most dominant players in the 1980s, Czech-born Lendl clinched 31 titles on the concrete. His accomplishments on the surface include silverware at the US Open three times and the Australian Open twice as well (1989 and 1990) which, by then, had changed from grass to hard courts.

Another indication of Lendl’s supremacy on this surface is his record at the Canadian Open. The tournament permanently switched to hardcourt in 1979, and Lendl reached nine finals since 1980, winning on six occasions.

#5 Rod Laver

Laver, at the launch of his own autobiography

One of the most versatile players in tennis history, Rod Laver’s long and illustrious career spanned from 1956 through to 1976, with the Australian seeing phases as an amateur, a professional in the pre-Open Era and finally as a player in the Open Era.

The left-hander, who remains the only player to achieve the coveted Grand Slam twice, had considerable amount of success on all surfaces.

With the landscape of the tennis circuit being completely different in the 1960s, hard courts were even less prevalent during Laver’s peak years. However, his records show 146 wins on hardcourt against just 31 losses, thus shooting his winning percentage to 82.50.

Even though Laver won 11 Major titles, none of them came on a hardcourt. But it has been listed officially that as a professional in the pre-Open Era and during the Open Era, the former top-ranked player managed to capture 29 titles on the surface.