In 2009, Juan Martin del Potro beat Roger Federer to win the US Open for Argentina; 17 years later, he remains the last non-European Grand Slam winner | Tennis News

Juan Martin del Potro is the last non-European to win the Grand Slam title (Image: X and Agency)

There was a time when men’s Grand Slam tennis had champions from across the globe. Australia, the United States, Argentina and South Africa all produced major winners, adding different styles and stories to the sport’s biggest tournaments. But the landscape has changed dramatically.Juan Martin del Potro’s historic 2009 US Open triumph remains the last time a non-European man won a Grand Slam singles title. The Argentine defeated five-time defending champion Roger Federer in a five-set final at Flushing Meadows, producing one of the biggest upsets of his career. More than 17 years later, that victory still stands as the most recent men’s singles Grand Slam title won by a player from outside Europe.Since then, the men’s Grand Slam scene has been dominated almost entirely by European stars. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic drove the first part of that era, before the next generation led by Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev continued the trend.The numbers make the change particularly striking. From 2010 through 2026, every completed men’s singles Grand Slam has been won by a European player. The only exception in terms of a tournament not having a champion was Wimbledon in 2020, which was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

From the Big Three to Alcaraz, Sinner and Zverev

Federer, Nadal and Djokovic were responsible for much of Europe’s extraordinary dominance during the 2010s. Nadal repeatedly ruled Roland-Garros, Djokovic collected titles at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open, while Federer continued to add major trophies.Andy Murray of Great Britain also broke through during this period, winning Wimbledon twice and the 2012 US Open. Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka, Croatia’s Marin Cilic and Austria’s Dominic Thiem were among the other Europeans to lift Grand Slam trophies.The transition to the next generation has not changed the geographical pattern.Spain’s Alcaraz won the 2026 Australian Open, completing a career Grand Slam at just 22 years old. He became the youngest man to win all four major singles titles.Germany’s Alexander Zverev then captured his maiden Roland-Garros title in 2026 before adding the US Open trophy yesterday in New York. His Paris triumph also made him the first German man to win Roland-Garros in the Open Era.Italy’s Jannik Sinner, meanwhile, continued his rise by winning Wimbledon in 2026.

The sport has produced major champions from outside Europe before, with the likes of Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Michael Chang, Arthur Ashe, Guillermo Vilas and Del Potro proving that Grand Slam success is not restricted to one continent.But the modern era tells a very different story. From Federer and Nadal to Djokovic, Alcaraz, Sinner and Zverev, European players have controlled the biggest stages for more than a decade and a half.