Australian Open: 5 players with the most men's singles titles in the Open Era

We are only a few days away from the commencement of the 110th edition of the Australian Open. There has already been a lot of drama in the lead up to the tournament with everything that has gone on with Novak Djokovic lately.

The Serb may now be more determined than ever to win the tournament for a record-extending 10th time. Last year, Djokovic started the competition with an easy win over Jeremy Chardy. He then had to play four sets to beat Frances Tiafoe before being pushed to a fifth set by Taylor Fritz. Following a four-set win over Milos Raonic, the Serb reached the quarterfinals.

Djokovic came back from a set down to beat Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals. He then defeated Aslan Karatsev to set up a title clash against Daniil Medvedev. Djokovic beat the Russian in straight sets to win a ninth crown in the competition.

As usual, Djokovic will be the favorite to win this year's Australian Open but there are some who are very much capable of challenging him.

Rafael Nadal's quality and experience makes him one to look out for while the likes of Medvedev, Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas are formidable competitors as well. Players like Matteo Berrettini and Casper Ruud cannot be written off either as, on their day, they are hard to beat.

Over the past few decades, we have seen several players dazzle crowds at the Australian Open, with some leaving Melbourne with the Norman Brookes trophy. 26 different players have won the men's singles title at the Australian Open during the Open Era. Perhaps we will have a 27th this year?

Let's take a look at the players with the highest number of titles at the Australian Open so far.

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#5 Ken Rosewall, John Newcombe, Guillermo Vilas, Johan Kriek, Stefan Edberg, Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker, Pete Sampras, Jim Courier - 2 titles

Lendl and Becker are among the players who have won this competition twice

A total of nine players have won the Australian Open twice, starting with Ken Rosewall. The Australian was a titan at a stage when players from his country dominated the sport.

Rosewall won the Australian Open in 1971 and 1972, not dropping a single set in the former. His compatriot John Newcombe won the tournament in 1973 and 1975.

Guillermo Vilas won the competition twice in 1978 and 1979 although several top players did not participate in both years. Johan Kriek triumphed in 1981 and 1982, representing South Africa in the former and the United States in the latter.

Swedish maestro Stefan Edberg won the Australian Open in 1985 and 1987. "The Terminator" Ivan Lendl triumphed in 1989 and 1990 while Boris Becker won the competition in 1991 and 1996.

Pete Sampras won the title in 1994 and 1997, while Jim Courier won successive titles in 1992 and 1993.

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#4 Mats Wilander - 3 titles

Mats Wilander won the title in 1983, 1984 and 1988

Mats Wilander's first triumph at the Australian Open came in 1983. That year, he had to survive scares against Americans Ben Testerman and Roscoe Tanner to reach the quarterfinals. He then beat reigning champion Johan Kriek to set up a semi-final clash against John McEnroe.

Wilander came from a set down to beat the American and reach the final. The Swede then defeated top seed Lendl to win his first crown in Australia.

Wilander successfully defended his crown in 1984, beating South Africa's Kevin Curren in the final. His third title came in 1988 when he beat Pat Cash in one of the greatest Grand Slam finals of all-time. Wilander won a thrilling match 6-3, 6-7, 3-6, 6-1, 8-6 via a tiebreaker.

#3 Andre Agassi - 4 titles

Agassi held the record for most titles in this competition at one point in time.

The Australian Open is quite simply Andre Agassi's favorite Grand Slam. He first won it in 1995 by beating compatriot Pete Sampras in a four-set final. Five years later, he defeated the seven-time Wimbledon champion in the semis to set up a final clash with Yevgeny Kafelnikov.

Agassi came from a set down to beat the Russian and win his sixth Grand Slam title. He defended his crown successfully in 2001 beating Frenchman Arnaud Clement in the final.

Agassi's final triumph at a Grand Slam came at the 2003 Australian Open when he defeated Rainer Schuttler in straight sets in the summit clash.

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#2 Roger Federer - 6 titles

Federer has won the title six times.

Roger Federer dominated the Australian Open during his younger days. He first won it in 2004 with a convincing win over future champion Marat Safin in the final. After losing to the Russian in the semis the following year, Federer returned to the final in 2006 and came from a set down to beat Marcos Baghdatis.

The Swiss defended his title in 2007 with a straight-sets win over Fernando Gonzalez. He did not drop a single set in the competition that year.

Federer's next triumph at Melbourne Park came in 2010 with a straight-sets win over Andy Murray in the final. He had to wait another seven years to get his hands on the Australian Open trophy, winning it in 2017 after a five-set thriller against Rafael Nadal.

Federer defended his title in 2018, beating Marin Cilic in a tense final. The Swiss has not won a Major since.

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#1 Novak Djokovic - 9

Djokovic has won the title more times than any other player

Statistically, there is no better competitor in the Australian Open than the current World No.1. Novak Djokovic's first triumph in the Grand Slam came in 2008 when he came from a set down to beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final.

He won his second title in 2011 with a comprehensive win over Andy Murray. The following year, Djokovic beat Nadal in what is considered one of the greatest finals of all time.

He won his third Australian Open in a row by beating Murray in four sets in the 2013 final. Djokovic beat the Scot two more times to win the competition in 2015 and 2016.

The Serb returned to the final in 2019 and beat Nadal in straight sets to win a record seventh title in the competition. He defended it in 2020 after defeating Dominic Thiem in a five-set thriller.

Djokovic won his ninth title at the Asia-Pacific Grand Slam last year with a convincing straight-sets victory over Medvedev. Given his achievements in the competition, it will be a gamble to bet against the Serb in the 2022 edition of the tournament.