Oldest Players in Main Draw at Grand Slams

At the top of the Open Era list for oldest players in a men’s singles Grand Slam main draw stands Frank Parker, who appeared at the 1968 US Open aged 52 years and 211 days — the oldest recorded men’s singles main-draw appearance at a major in the Open Era. The first US Open of the Open Era was played on grass at Forest Hills. Parker entered the main draw and later faced Arthur Ashe, the eventual champion, losing in the second round — a run remembered far more as an extraordinary longevity marker than as a competitive benchmark.

Behind him, the top of the Grand Slam longevity list is shaped by early Open Era veterans and great names from the amateur/professional transition, including Pancho Gonzales, Ken Rosewall, Vic Seixas, and later Jimmy Connors. Each represents a different version of late-career endurance, but none pushed the Grand Slam main-draw ceiling beyond Parker’s 52-year mark.

A separate modern reference point is Jimmy Connors. Unlike the older one-off veterans from the early Open Era, Connors remained a genuine tour icon deep into the ATP computer era, making his final Grand Slam singles main-draw appearance at the 1992 US Open aged 41. There, he defeated Jaime Oncins in the opening round before losing to Ivan Lendl in the second round.

In this record, the milestone is simply entering the draw: Parker set the extreme Open Era Grand Slam ceiling at over 52 years, while Connors represents the elite-career version of the record — a former No. 1 and multiple major champion still appearing in Grand Slam main draws more than two decades after his first breakthrough at the top of the sport.