The best player of the year is named Matthew Dellavedova... and he threatens a record of Ivan Lendl

Carlos Navarro - 22 Oct 2026 | 15:45
ATP ITF historia Matthew Dellavedova

The player with the most professional wins of the year is an Australian who has not left Asia and is about to break a historic record. This is his incredible story.

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Matthew Dellavedova, incredible story.

In tennis, you sometimes have to dig deep to find the best stories. Untapped gems that over time find their way, unimaginable events that leave a mark (not always positive) on their protagonists, true workers of this sport who accumulate milestones that barely receive attention. Every player has an exciting story behind them that would resonate with the coldest hearts, and reaching the top involves a series of sacrifices that would frighten even the bravest. One of the stories of the season, without a doubt, features a semi-unknown protagonist for the general public... but who can call himself the best player of the year: Matthew Dellavedova.

"Being better," in an individual sport like the one we are passionate about, can only have one main benchmark: winning. Victories. Wins. Proving day after day that you are superior to the guy across the net. To date, no one has won more matches than Matthew Dellavedova in 2026. That's not all: there are hardly any players who have accumulated more wins than this peculiar Australian... in the last 40 years. His story is worth sharing: on one hand, it highlights the extreme inequality in economic terms that exists in this sport; on the other, it speaks of a tale of resilience, overcoming challenges, and the ability to push your body to the limit... almost solely to survive.

96 wins and only one week of rest: this is Dellavedova's story

Dellavedova started the year outside the top-500; today he has just broken into the top-250. Many only need a spark, a great tournament, a run of confident events, to break these barriers. For Matthew, however, it has taken almost a whole year. He has rested for only one week!: his 2026 has been marked by one continent, Asia, and one category of tournaments, the ITF Futures, in which he has crushed opponent after opponent to threaten a record that has stood for 40 years.

96 wins and 9 titles, all of them from the lowest tier in the tennis pyramid. He has achieved this without leaving Asia: in countries like Japan, China, Taipei, or Thailand, he has built an empire of victories that have allowed him to progressively climb the ranking, almost inch by inch, until reaching the threshold he set as his great goal: to advance to the qualifying rounds of the 2027 Australian Open. A curious paradox: in a year where he has only rested for one week, he has won more than any other professional player and has competed continuously... he is still far from the amount of money awarded by the first Grand Slam of the year just for participating in its qualifying rounds.

His mantra is very clear: "no days off". His stories are even more outrageous. What’s striking about it all? He started the year with four losses in five matches, which forced him to change his plans: instead of playing Challengers in Europe, as in previous seasons, he decided to focus on the Asian continent, cutting costs and concentrating on ITF tournaments. Soon these became too small for him, but don't be mistaken, there have also been losses at all levels: the key lies in the massive number of matches played, competing every week where there was action.

He himself admitted that the decision to stay in Asia was primarily due to economic reasons. It was the only thing that "made sense." Matthew began a string of wins, demonstrating a physical reliability and a capacity for endurance that shattered his opponents. He built his ranking without straying far from home, although we shouldn't underestimate distances: precisely his last title, won last week in the city of Qian Daohu, comes with an incredible story that becomes a faithful reflection of the sacrifices these tennis players make to compete (and earn money each week) at the lowest tiers of the sport.

"After Qian Daohu, I had to return home (he is playing an ITF in Australia this week). It was tough: I played the tournament final on Sunday and needed to catch the only train that connected me to Shanghai. That train left at 2:30 PM, and I had the final at 10 AM. I knew that if the final went to three sets, it was very likely I would miss the train, and thus I would miss the flight to Australia. Additionally, that Sunday was the 30th day of my Chinese visa, so I knew that if I missed that train, I would have problems".

As if it were a life-or-death task, the truth is that Dellavedova handled the pressure well: victory 6-4 and 7-6 and a happy ending to a story that could have left him face to face with Chinese authorities. "It was a brutal day. I won the final, caught the train, from there caught a flight to Sydney, I didn't sleep at all on that flight, and then, five hours by car to Tamworth (where this week's tournament is held). Luckily, my first match is on Wednesday and my body has gotten used to it".

If he reaches the semifinals this week (he is already in the second round), Dellavedova will reach the milestone of 100 wins: the last to achieve this in a full season was Ivan Lendl in 1982. 44 years without anyone coming close to such figures, a completely historic mark that, however, Matthew is not focused on. His goal for the year, breaking into the top-300, has already been achieved: now he aims for the qualifying rounds of the Australian Open, from which he is very close. 96 victories, countless anecdotes, an indomitable will, and a financial reward that is far from reflecting the effort: perhaps stories like the Australian's teach us to advocate for solid tennis at its foundations, that doesn't "force" its laborers to play every week just to survive within the top-350. Where will our protagonist's winning count stop? We will have to keep an eye on him in upcoming events.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El mejor jugador del año se llama Matthew Dellavedova... y amenaza un récord de Ivan Lendl