Tennis is a sport where numbers carry real weight. Typically, matches are decided by a specific set of numerical conditions, making it easy to track and analyze performance through statistics.
Among the most fascinating metrics is a player’s record against opponents ranked in the top 10 at the time of their match. It’s a unique stat that reveals which players performed best against the highest-level competition of their era. Below, we examine the all-time greats, standout performers from this year, and even a few surprise names you might not have expected to see.
All-Time Best Performers Against Top Opponents
In this section, we’ll take a look at the five players in history with the best records against top-10 opponents.
- Björn Borg
Unsurprisingly, Bjorn Borg sits at the top of this list with a remarkable 74% win rate and a career record of 113–46 against top-10 opponents. The Swedish legend was arguably the best player of his generation, not at least on grass, dominating the sport until his early retirement.
Had he continued playing, his achievements could have been even greater – but that’s a story for another day. This stat alone cements his legacy as one of the most dominant players in history when facing elite competition.
- Novak Djokovic
Second on this list is Novak Djokovic, who trails Borg by only a small margin. His achievement is arguably even more impressive because he boasts a 68% win rate against top-10 opponents – but over a much larger sample size.
Djokovic has played 379 matches against top-10 players, nearly twice as many as Borg, and won 261 of them – the highest number of top-10 victories by any player on this list. No one has beaten top-10 opponents as often as Novak Djokovic. Read more about Djokovic current racquet.
- Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz makes this list despite being early in his career. He’ll no doubt remain on it as time goes on, though it remains to be seen where he’ll ultimately rank. For now, he sits at number three with a 66% win rate against top-10 opponents.
While he’s played only 63 matches so far, it’s a solid enough sample size to earn him a well-deserved spot on this list.
- Boris Becker
Another legendary player on this list is Boris Becker, who played a substantial number of matches against top-10 opponents. He holds a 65% win rate in those matchups, with 121 wins and 65 losses. His career speaks for itself, so his inclusion here is certainly well-deserved.
- Roger Federer
Naturally, this list wouldn’t be complete without one of the most popular tennis players to ever set foot on a court – Roger Federer. He ranks second all-time in wins against top-10 opponents, with an impressive 224 victories.
His overall win rate in those matchups sits at 64%, not far behind Djokovic and the other top performers. That said, he also lost 123 times—some in matches that were certainly within reach—which prevented him from topping this list.
The Best Players Against Top Opponents This Year
In this segment, we’ll highlight players who have performed exceptionally well against top-10 opponents in 2025.
- Carlos Alcaraz
Naturally, as one of the best players in the world and someone who made several deep runs this year, Alcaraz faced many top-10 opponents—and defeated most of them. He boasts an 87% win rate in 2025, winning seven of the eight matches he’s played. His only loss came against Djokovic at the Australian Open.
- Jakub Mensik
Interestingly, Jakub Mensik ranks number two on this list, largely thanks to his breakout run at the Miami Open, where he defeated several top-tier players – including his idol, Djokovic, in the final. That performance boosted his win rate against top-10 opponents to an impressive 80%, with a 4–1 record overall.
- Casper Ruud
One name that might surprise people on this list is Casper Ruud – and that’s largely thanks to his Madrid Open run as well. He had a strong showing, defeating high-level opponents like Daniil Medvedev and Jack Draper, which boosted his win rate against top-10 players to 75%. That said, the sample size is small, with a 3–1 record overall.
- Holger Rune
Number four on this list is Holger Rune, who also had the opportunity to face some big names over the opening half of the season. While he didn’t win any major events, he often outperformed his opponents in the earlier rounds of tournaments.
This year, he holds a 66% win rate with a 4–2 record overall.
- Jannik Sinner
Naturally, this list wouldn’t be complete without Jannik Sinner. The Italian hasn’t been back long, but in the two events he’s played, he reached the final both times – defeating some big names along the way. That explains why he holds a 66% win rate against top-10 players, with a 4–2 record overall.
Players Who Surprise Against the Very Best
In this section, we’ll take a look at some players whose records against top-10 opponents may surprise you—both in a positive and a negative way.
- Francisco Cerundolo
Cerundolo has a reputation for playing really well against top-tier opponents. Over the past 52 weeks, he’s played 13 matches against top-10 players and holds a 54% win rate. Going 7–6 is pretty impressive for someone who hasn’t cracked the top 10 himself.
- Daniil Medvedev
In contrast to Cerundolo, Daniil Medvedev has struggled lately. Over the past 52 weeks, he’s faced top-10 players 11 times and lost eight of those matches, giving him a win rate of just 27%. That’s quite underwhelming for a player who has been in the top 10 for a long time and is a former world number one.
- Alexander Zverev
When you hear the name Alexander Zverev, you tend to think of a top-tier player – someone who’s reached Grand Slam finals, nearly won them, and came close to being world number one. Yet his win rate against top-10 opponents isn’t impressive.
The German has played 128 matches against the top 10 in his career and won only 55 of them, giving him a win rate of just 43%. That’s surprisingly low for arguably one of the best players of his generation.
- Juan Martin Del Potro
Juan Martin Del Potro is famously known as a player who has beaten the Big Three many times. In fact, very few players have earned more wins against them. However, his overall record against top-10 opponents is somewhat poor.
He was a fantastic player in his time, but he has only a 40% win rate—winning 53 of the 131 matches he played. That seems low considering how great a player he was at his peak.
- Nick Kyrgios
Another player who hovers around the 40% mark is Nick Kyrgios. For him, this might be surprising because we’re talking about a player who has generally underperformed for most of his career – and worse, didn’t take it seriously.
Considering that, it’s pretty amazing that he has a 39% win rate against top-10 opponents, which is on par with Del Potro and Zverev – players many would consider significantly better. In fairness, Kyrgios has only played 68 matches against the top 10, which is significantly fewer than those two.
