"All records are not made to be broken," said Karl Malone, a famous American athlete.
In the world of tennis, the players are constantly pushing each other to the extreme and making a case for themselves to be considered as the best of the best. And in the meanwhile, setting some benchmarks which are almost impossible for the next generation to ponder upon.
The following is a compilation of major title records that actually matter. We are not going to look at quarter-final or semi-final steaks, but the biggest final streaks and championships that have largely defined the players and the era of tennis. We're not going to get into games, sets or trivial scoring steaks. We will examine records that required several years of great dominance.
For example, we are not going to include Rod Laver's 1969 Grand Slam year and the 2016 year for Djokovic. Eventually, another great player will match this achievement and in fact, acclaim greater respect by doing it over three surfaces.
Here are our five picks on the top tennis records that may never be broken:
Ivan Lendl's 8 consecutive years in the US Open final:
US Open might be the toughest grand slam venue to dominate. It's relatively fast, hard-court surface allows all varieties of styles and rivals. Unlike the French Open or the Wimbledon which is way more specialized, the US Open consistently features many upsets, especially at the latter stages of the tournament against players who can play spoiler on any given match. And hence have some surprise winners like Marin Cilic and Juan Martin del Potro in the recent past.
So it's very unlikely that we will see someone beat Ivan Lendl's record of eight consecutive US Open appearances from 1982-89. For a matter of fact, Lendl only won the tournament on only three separate situations -- 1985, 1986 and 1987. But you cannot expect anyone to beat this record anytime soon, especially gauging the current competitiveness of the sport.
For comparison, Roger Federer made it to six straight US Open finals [2004-09], but he ran into an opportunistic and rising Novak Djokovic in the 2010 semi-final. Not even Rafael Nadal's dominance of the Rolland Garros translated into eight straight finals.
A look back at Ivan Lendl career: Ivan Lendl career
Pete Sampras' 7 Wimbledon titles in 8 years:
Pete Sampras is one of the greatest tennis players on grass and perhaps second only to Roger Federer. He certainly was the most dominant player in the Wimbledon from 1993-2000, a period in which he won seven championships in eight years. It's unfathomable to imagine any player to best this feat.
In comparison, Bjorn Borg won five consecutive Wimbledon titles from 1976-80. But Roger Federer matched it up from 2003-07, and had he won the epic 2008 clash against Rafael Nadal, Federer was in line to win seven straight titles by the time he finished-off Andy Roddick in straight sets in 2009. [Federer added his seventh in 2012 and eighth in 2017, but Sampras' seven titles in eight years are more impressive].
Sampras' only blemish in this period was the quarter-final loss against eventual-champion Richard Krajicek in 1996, a straight-sets defeat over delays and two days.
Sampras and Federer apart, it will take many years and decades, if ever for someone to match these numbers.
Bjorn Borg's combination of 6 French Open and 5 Wimbledon titles:
The undisputed king of European majors is Bjorn Borg, who has 11 titles between London and Paris by the time he was aged 25. Looking at the vast differences in the situation and the court type, it's extremely unlikely that someone will come along and win six French Open and five Wimbledon titles.
Borg made a monopoly of the channel slam -- winning the French Open and the Wimbledon in the same year -- accomplishing this in straight years [1978-80]. Since, Nadal [2008 and 2010] and Roger Federer [2009] have joined the club, albeit with smaller shares.
If at all, Bjorn Borg could have extended his career and played in Australia, Federer might still have been chasing him.
Rafael Nadal's winning the same Grand Slam 12 times:
Rafael Nadal is the undisputed king of clay, having won the French Open title on twelve separate occasions. Really, this shouldn't be possible at a gruelling major venue where a champion should have fresh legs, mad defence and an unwavering killer Instinct.
Nadal started this streak just as he was turning 19, in fact, he had nine French Open titles in his bag in the next ten years [by 2014]. And then added a hat-trick of titles between 2017-19.
We might not see any player winning 12 majors at any venue, let alone Roland Garros. Additionally, being a clay court specialist might become even rarer as all-court specialists like Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic have failed to put across any sort of serious challenge against the Spaniard.
And just think. If Robin Soderling had not hit through Nadal at the 2009 French Open, a decade of total dominance could have been the most unbreakable record by far.
Also Read | Rafael Nadal 12th Roland Garros title
Roger Federer competing in 18 out of 19 major finals between 2005-10:
Surprise. No, Roger Federer's 20 Grand Slam victories don't make the list. There's a chance that either Rafael Nadal [19] or Novak Djokovic [16], or some other future dominator would break this record. It won't be easy, but it's plausible.
Roger Federer has a list of records, including his five straight Wimbledon [2003-07] and US Open [2004-08] victories or 237 consecutive weeks as world number one, but the most unbeatable record of all is Federer getting to 18 major finals in 19 chances. That's right, from Wimbledon 2005 to Australian Open 2010, the Swiss Maestro failed to reach the final only at the 2008 Australian Open.
There's a reason Federer is mentioned at least once in every record over here. No matter what Nadal, Djokovic and any other superstar accomplishes, Federer has a fingerprint over the majority of records. He will be the subject of comparison for decades.
