Who is the King of New York’s biggest geographic borough? No, the answer is not Kevin James. We are asking about tennis’ King of Queens.

In the spring of 1968, the four Grand Slams (the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open) became “open” to all players, professionals and amateurs alike. Originally held at Forest Hills in Queens, New York, the US Open was moved to Flushing Meadows in Queens 10 years later, its current home.

So this poses a simple question:  who is the greatest male US Open player in the Open era? Unfortunately for this exercise, those who competed prior to 1968 need not apply. With that said, it leaves us with three players – Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras, and Roger Federer – who have placed themselves at the forefront of this discussion by virtue of each winning five titles. But before we get to them, let’s look at some other players whom you may think should get a mention but are not among the upper echelon.

Novak Djokovic – Currently the best player on the planet, the world No. 1 would barely find his way onto a top-10 list among the all-time best at the US Open. Despite his remarkable consistency in Flushing, reaching the finals five times (including four consecutively from 2010-13) as well as three other semifinal appearances, Djokovic’s 1-4 record in those finals all but excludes him from this discussion.

Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi, and Stefan Edberg – With two titles apiece, they would vie for the Nos. 6-8 spots. Agassi’s sterling record outside his two titles (four finals – losing three of those to Sampras – and four more semifinals) give him the No. 6 spot. The No. 7 and No. 8 positions are debateable, though. Nadal has made an extra final and has been more consistent overall than Edberg with two other semifinals, but Stefan was able to repeat as champion, and his initial victory was one of the most dominant Grand Slam runs ever. (Ask Ivan Lendl and Jim Courier about the beatdowns they received from the Swede.) His repeat performance also could be argued as the best defense of a major title known to man.

John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl – These two fierce rivals would round up the top five behind the three finalists listed below. While Lendl may have the overall better record, winning three straight titles during his run of eight straight finals (a record), McEnroe trumps him for two reasons. First, he has a fourth title to go along with his three-peat. Also, although he “only” made five US Open finals, the Queens native had to twice beat Borg in finals (1980-81) and Connors in semifinals three times (1979-80 and 1984). The last two of those matches were epic five-setters after which McEnroe summoned the reserves to come out the next day and win the title.

Now it is time to delve deeper to see which player is most worthy of earning the all-time crown.

THE FINALISTS

Jimmy Connors

Not only is he a five-time champion, but Connors also holds the distinction of being the only player to win the US Open on three different surfaces. His first title in 1974 was on grass at Forest Hills, he won it again two years later at Forest Hills on green clay (Har-Tru), and then his final three titles (1978, 1982-83) came on the Deco Turf II hard courts in Flushing Meadows. Also, his consistency in New York was remarkable. Connors recorded 12 consecutive semifinals (from 1974-85) as well as five consecutive finals (from 1974-78).

Pete Sampras

Pistol Pete has two unique distinctions along with his five titles (1990, 1993, 1995-96, and 2002). For one, he was the youngest US champion in history, at 19 years 28 days when he won in 1990, and two, he is the only man to win titles in his teens, 20s, and 30s. He also reached eight finals in total (a record shared with Lendl) and in New York’s signature night matches, he was simply the best. In 20 encounters under the lights, Sampras never lost.

Roger Federer

What’s exceptional about Federer’s five US Open crowns is that he won them consecutively from 2004-2008. No one else in the Open era has won more than three in a row. Over that time frame, Roger also won an Open era record 40 consecutive matches in Queens, and he was pushed to five sets just twice during that run. Add to that six consecutive finals and eight consecutive semifinals, and he also brings a great resume to the table.

THE GREATEST

And the winner is…  Pete Sampras.

Jimmy Connors might arguably have come out on top due to his winning titles on three different surfaces and the tremendous consistency that he displayed, but there were two things overall that nudged Pete’s nose slightly in front of Jimmy’s.

First:  Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Patrick Rafter, Marat Safin, Lleyton Hewitt, Mats Wilander, Todd Martin, and Richard Krajicek. These are not just the names of players that Sampras conquered in New York, but players whom he beat in years that he didn’t even win the title. And the first six are in the Hall of Fame, or they will be when eligible.

Secondly, not only did Sampras win five titles and make eight finals overall, but he also was able to accomplish that despite having three years in his prime when his body failed him. He was the No. 1 seed in…

1994 (age 23) – A shin/fibula injury forced him to miss the summer and then cost him in a loss to Jaime Yzaga in the fourth round.

1998 (age 27) –  He injured his quad while leading defending champion Rafter 7-6 4-6 4-2 in their semifinal and lost in five sets.

1999 (age 28) – He didn’t even play in the Open after damaging a nerve in his back a day before the tournament started.

If you were to remove three prime years at the Open from anyone else’s career, they don’t have a claim to being the greatest. Pete still does, and that’s why he gets the crown.

Jimmy Connors gets the second position not only for the surface mastery and consistency but also the competition that he faced. He engaged in battles with Bjorn Borg (11 career majors) and John McEnroe (seven majors, four US Opens) four times each, as well as Lendl (eight majors, three US Opens) five more times, although two of those were after his semifinal streak ended. That is tougher than what Federer had to deal with during his magical run in Flushing, so he comes in slightly ahead of Roger.

Please know that we are splitting hairs here because these are finest to ever play at the US Open, so it’s not to disparage any of them.