The five men who have successfully defended the Canadian Open title in the Open Era as Ben Shelton chases tennis history
Ben Shelton is currently on course to defend his Canadian Open title.
The American captured his first Masters 1000 title at last year’s event, beating Karen Khachanov in the final.
This year, Shelton has advanced to the quarter-finals and is the highest seed remaining in the draw.
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All four players missed out on a golden opportunity to win the French Open…
Shelton now has an incredible opportunity – he could become only the sixth man in the Open Era to defend the Canadian Open Men’s Singles title.
Ivan Lendl
Lendl, a seven-time major champion, is the most successful player in the history of the Canadian Open Men’s Singles event.
The Czech star won two straight titles in 1980 and 1981. He won his third title in 1983 and added three more from 1987 to 1989.
Lendl’s 1989 title marked his 80th tournament victory on the professional circuit.
Lendl retired in 1994 with 94 titles to his name [fourth all-time].
John McEnroe
McEnroe, an iconic figure within the international tennis community, won back-to-back Canadian Open titles in 1984 and 1985.
McEnroe defeated Vitas Gerulaitis in the 1984 final, triumphing 6–0, 6–3.
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A year later, McEnroe prevented Ivan Lendl from winning his fourth title in six years, beating the Czech 7–5, 6–3 in the championship match.
Earlier that year, McEnroe also defeated Lendl in the $315,000 Volvo International tournament at Stratton Mountain.
Andre Agassi
Seven years after McEnroe’s final triumph in Canada, Andre Agassi won his first title at the event.
The eight-time major champion – like McEnroe – defeated Ivan Lendl in the 1992 final, triumphing 3–6, 6–2, 6–0.
Agassi won his second and third titles in 1994 and 1995, becoming only the third man to successfully defend their crown at the event.
Agassi beat Jason Stoltenberg and Pete Sampras in the respective finals.
Andy Murray
Murray, a three-time Grand Slam champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist, made Canadian Open history in 2010 by becoming the fourth man to defend his Canadian Open title.
The British star, who defeated Juan Martin del Potro in the 2009 final, overcame the challenge of Roger Federer in 2010, triumphing 7–5, 7–5 in the showpiece event.
“It’s so tough closing out a match against Roger,” Murray said afterwards, as reported by the BBC.
“It was incredibly difficult conditions for both of us.”
Novak Djokovic
An Open Era tennis list wouldn’t be complete without the presence of Novak Djokovic, would it?
Immediately after Andy Murray added his name to the list, Novak Djokovic decided to join the party.
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The Serbian superstar won back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012, beating Mardy Fish and Richard Gasquet in the respective finals.
Djokovic, who won his fourth title in 2016, has not competed in Canada since 2018.
Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal is the second-most successful player in Canadian Open Men’s Singles history.
The Spaniard won five titles before retiring in 2024, including consecutive titles in 2018 and 2019.
Nadal, a 22-time major champion, beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in the 2018 final and Daniil Medvedev in the 2019 final.
“I played a solid match, my best match of the week so far without a doubt,” Nadal said after beating Medvedev 6-3, 6-0 in the 2019 final, as reported by nine.com.
The most successful male players at the Canadian Open in the Open Era
- Ivan Lendl: 6 [1980, 1981, 1983, 1987, 1988, 1989]
- Rafael Nadal: 5 [2005, 2008, 2013, 2018, 2019]
- Novak Djokovic: 4 [2007, 2011, 2012, 2016]
“I did a lot of things well — changing directions, changing rhythms.
“He was playing very well during the whole week. So for me, it was important in the beginning that he doesn’t take advantage, because finals are always a little bit more difficult for everyone.”
