Oldest Grand Slam Semifinalists

At the top of the Open Era list for oldest Grand Slam men’s singles semifinalists stands Ken Rosewall, who reached the semifinals of the January 1977 Australian Open at age 42 years and 60 days. Rosewall was seeded No. 4 and lost in the semifinals to Roscoe Tanner, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. The tournament was played at Kooyong from 3 to 9 January 1977, and Rosewall’s run ended one round before the final.

Second among the oldest Grand Slam semifinalists is Pancho Gonzales, who reached the semifinals at Roland Garros 1968 at age 40. Gonzales was seeded No. 5 and lost to Rod Laver, 6-3, 6-3, 6-1. The 1968 French Open was the first Grand Slam tournament of the Open Era, played from 27 May to 9 June 1968.

Rosewall also appears again near the top of the list for his 1974 US Open run. At age 39, he defeated John Newcombe in the semifinals, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 6-3, before losing the final to Jimmy Connors.

In the modern era, the leading name is Novak Djokovic. At the Australian Open 2026, he reached the semifinals at age 38 years 253 days, advancing after Lorenzo Musetti retired in their quarter-final. Djokovic then defeated Jannik Sinner in the semifinal, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, to reach his 11th Australian Open final.

Roger Federer is another modern entry in this record. At the Australian Open 2020, he reached the semifinals at age 38 years 164 days and faced Djokovic in what became their 50th and final professional meeting; Djokovic won 7-6(1), 6-4, 6-3.

The record number remains 42: Ken Rosewall is the oldest Grand Slam men’s singles semifinalist of the Open Era, followed by Pancho Gonzales at 40 and Rosewall again at 39. Djokovic and Federer represent the modern part of the list, with semifinal runs deep into their late 30s.