Oldest Grand Slam Finalists

At the top of the Open Era list for oldest men’s singles Grand Slam finalists stands Ken Rosewall, who reached the 1974 US Open final aged 39 years, 10 months and 6 days — the oldest recorded men’s singles finalist at a major in the Open Era. Born on 2 November 1934, Rosewall was beaten by Jimmy Connors in the Forest Hills final, 6-1, 6-0, 6-1, on grass.

Rosewall dominates this record more than anyone else: only a few weeks earlier, he had also reached the 1974 Wimbledon final aged 39 years and 8 months, again losing to Connors, this time 6-1, 6-1, 6-4. That 1974 double — Wimbledon and US Open finalist at 39 — remains one of the most extraordinary late-career peaks in Grand Slam history, especially because Rosewall was still beating elite players deep into majors.

Another contemporary longevity marker is Novak Djokovic, who reached the 2026 Australian Open final aged 38 years and 255 days, losing to Carlos Alcaraz 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(4).

A separate modern reference point is Roger Federer, who made his final Grand Slam singles final at Wimbledon 2019 aged 37 years and 11 months, losing an epic final to Novak Djokovic 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-6(4), 4-6, 13-12(3).

In this record, the milestone is not simply entering the draw, but surviving two full weeks and reaching the championship match: Rosewall set the Open Era ceiling at almost 40, while Federer and Djokovic represent the modern elite-career version of the record — all-time greats still reaching Grand Slam finals deep into their late thirties.