Novak Djokovic and Margaret Court. If you’re looking for the short answer to who has the most Grand Slam titles in tennis history, those are the two names sitting at the very top. 24 each. But honestly, just looking at a number on a page doesn’t even begin to cover the drama, the era-shifting arguments, and the sheer physical toll it took to get there.
The "Grand Slam most winners" list is kind of a battlefield. It’s not just about who hit the best forehand; it’s about who outlasted entire generations. We’re talking about players who won majors while their current rivals were still in diapers.
Right now, as we head into 2026, the landscape is shifting again. The "Big Three" era is technically over with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal retired, leaving Djokovic as the lone wolf still hunting for that elusive number 25. On the women's side, the shadow of Serena Williams still looms large, even though she finished one trophy shy of the all-time record.
The Men’s Leaderboard: Novak’s Lonely Peak
For about two decades, we were spoiled. You had Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic basically passing the trophies around like they were at a private dinner party. But things have settled into a very specific order now.
Novak Djokovic stands alone at 24. He’s the only man to win every major at least three times. That’s absurd. Think about the surface changes—from the lightning-fast grass of Wimbledon to the grueling red clay in Paris. Most players specialize. Novak just conquered everything.
Rafael Nadal finished his career with 22. Fourteen of those came at Roland Garros. Read that again. Fourteen. Some legendary players go their whole lives without winning fourteen total tournaments, let alone fourteen of the same Grand Slam. It’s a record that’ll probably never be touched.
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Roger Federer sits at 20. He was the first to break the old Pete Sampras record (14), and for a long time, we thought 20 was the ceiling. It turns out it was just the basement for the next level of greatness.
The Upstarts Chasing the Ghost
Here’s where it gets interesting. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner aren’t just "promising" anymore. They are the new reality. By the start of 2026, Alcaraz has already banked 6 Grand Slams, including a dominant 2025 where he snagged the French Open and the US Open. Sinner isn’t far behind with 4.
The question isn’t if they’re good; it’s whether they have the 20-year durability that Novak showed. Novak is 38 now. He’s still a top-tier threat, but the "Sincaraz" duo is starting to make the Grand Slam most winners list look like a historical document rather than a current events report.
The Women’s Record: The 24 vs. 23 Debate
If you want to start a fight in a tennis club, bring up Margaret Court. She has 24 titles. Serena Williams has 23.
Most experts—and honestly, most fans—view Serena as the actual record holder. Why? Because 13 of Court’s titles were won before the "Open Era" began in 1968. Before that, Grand Slams were technically for amateurs. Professional players weren't even allowed to play. Also, back in the 60s, a lot of the top international players didn't even bother traveling to the Australian Open because it was too far and the prize money was non-existent.
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Serena, on the other hand, won all 23 of hers in the most competitive era the sport has ever seen. She won her last one while she was literally eight weeks pregnant. That’s the kind of stuff that makes the "Grand Slam most winners" conversation so complicated. You can't just count the metal; you have to look at the context.
Current Power Players
While the all-time record feels safe for now, the current WTA tour is a slugfest.
- Iga Swiatek is the clay queen, sitting on 6 majors (four of them in Paris).
- Aryna Sabalenka is the hard-court monster, holding 5 titles after a massive 2025 season.
- Coco Gauff is right there in the mix, having proved she’s not just hype.
None of these women are likely to hit 24 anytime soon, but the consistency of Swiatek at such a young age (she’s only 24) makes people wonder if she could eventually challenge Steffi Graf’s 22.
What Most People Get Wrong About "Most Winners"
People love to talk about the "Greatest of All Time" (GOAT), but they usually forget about the doubles. If we’re talking total Grand Slam most winners across all categories, the list changes completely.
Martina Navratilova has 59 total Grand Slam titles (18 singles, 31 doubles, 10 mixed). She was a machine. If you walked onto a court against her in the 80s, you were basically playing for second place.
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Then there’s Roy Emerson, who held the men's record for decades with 12 singles titles before Sampras came along. But Emerson also won 16 doubles titles. We tend to ignore doubles because singles is where the money and fame are, but in terms of pure tennis mastery, those numbers are staggering.
Why the Numbers Might Stop Growing
We might be entering an era where nobody ever hits 20 again. The Big Three were an anomaly. They were three of the greatest athletes in human history appearing at the exact same time and pushing each other to get better.
Before them, the record was 14. Before that, it was 12. The jump to 24 is a massive statistical outlier. With Alcaraz and Sinner splitting the big trophies now, they might end up "cannibalizing" each other’s careers, much like McEnroe and Borg did, finishing with high but not "God-tier" numbers.
The Actionable Takeaway for Fans
If you're following the race for Grand Slam most winners, don't just look at the total count. Watch the Surface Slam stats. Winning on grass, clay, and hard court in the same year is the true test of a complete player.
Next Steps to Track the Greatness:
- Watch the Australian Open 2026 results: This is Djokovic's last stand for #25. If he doesn't get it here, the window might finally be shut.
- Monitor Swiatek’s Wimbledon progress: To be a truly legendary "most winner," she has to prove she can win on grass consistently.
- Check the "Weeks at No. 1": Titles are great, but total weeks at the top of the rankings tells you who was actually dominant day-in and day-out.
The hunt for 25 is the only thing left for the old guard. For the rest of the tour, it's just about trying to survive the new era of Alcaraz and Sinner.