H2H data updated: 2026-09-05 00:00 UTC

John McEnroe vs Ilie Nastase H2H: 5-3

John McEnroe holds a 5–3 lead over Ilie Nastase in their ATP head-to-head. Across 8 main-draw meetings, John McEnroe leads 3–0 on carpet and 2–1 on hard courts. Most recently, John McEnroe won the 1980 Wct Challenge Cup round robin 6-0 6-3.

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John McEnroe
USA Age 67 Left-Handed 180 cm / 5'11"
H2H
5 – 3
8 main draw meetings
Ilie Nastase
ROU Age 80 Right-Handed 183 cm / 6'0"

H2H Match Log

PlayerScorePlayerMatch DataDateRoundTournamentCategorySurface
John McEnroe #2 6-0 6-3 Ilie Nastase #77 Match data Dec 9, 1980 RR Wct Challenge Cup ATP 250 Carpet
John McEnroe #2 6-1 6-4 Ilie Nastase #59 Match data Mar 27, 1980* R32 Milan ATP 250 Carpet
John McEnroe #3 6-4 4-6 6-3 6-2 Ilie Nastase #23 Match data Sep 1, 1979* R64 US Open Grand Slam Hard
John McEnroe #4 6-3 3-6 6-2 Ilie Nastase #12 Match data Feb 3, 1979* QF Richmond Wct ATP 250 Carpet
John McEnroe #5 6-5 3-6 6-4 Ilie Nastase #15 Match data Dec 12, 1978 RR Wct Challenge Cup ATP 250 Hard
Ilie Nastase #13 6-3 7-6 John McEnroe #19 Match data Jul 15, 1978* SF Forest Hills Wct ATP 250 Clay
Ilie Nastase 7-5 4-6 6-3 John McEnroe Match data Apr 24, 1977* SF Virginia Beach ATP 250 Clay
Ilie Nastase #3 7-5 6-4 John McEnroe Match data Feb 19, 1977* R16 Ocean City ATP 250 Hard

Estimated match date where the exact historical date is unavailable. Arrows show an edition's recorded category and documented modern equivalent; unresolved editions keep their recorded category. Asterisked totals include editions mapped from documented historical predecessor categories. Mapping details.

Career Comparison

Player Current Peak Pts Elo W L Win % GS 1000 including documented historical predecessor categories Finals 500 including documented historical predecessor categories 250 including documented historical predecessor categories Titles
John McEnroe #1,219 #1 1,506 2,493 835 191 81.4% 7 0 3 3 64 77
Ilie Nastase #1,075 #1 0 2,294 860 330 72.3% 2 0 4 2 59 67

Career Progression by Age

Seasons are aligned by the age each player spent most of that calendar year. GS and Titles are cumulative career totals through that season.

Age John McEnroe Ilie Nastase
YrW-LWin %RankEloGSTitles YrW-LWin %RankEloGSTitles
17 1976 1–1 50.0% #264 1,516 0 0 — — — — — — —
18 1977 28–14 66.7% #18 1,854 0 0 — — — — — — —
19 1978 77–19 80.2% #4 2,152 0 5 — — — — — — —
20 1979 88–14 86.3% #3 2,294 1 15 — — — — — — —
21 1980 83–17 83.0% #2 2,270 2 24 1968 41–14 74.5% — 1,772 0 3
22 1981 69–9 88.5% #1 2,278 4 34 1969 27–22 55.1% — 1,835 0 5
23 1982 64–10 86.5% #1 2,291 4 39 1970 60–20 75.0% — 1,966 0 7
24 1983 62–9 87.3% #1 2,310 5 46 1971 73–13 84.9% — 2,091 0 15
25 1984 71–2 97.3% #1 2,477 7 59 1972 110–20 84.6% — 2,173 1 27
26 1985 69–9 88.5% #2 2,300 7 67 1973 118–17 87.4% #1 2,212 2 43
27 1986 22–5 81.5% #14 2,199 7 70 1974 80–21 79.2% #10 2,155 2 50
28 1987 30–10 75.0% #10 2,101 7 70 1975 86–20 81.1% #7 2,174 2 56
29 1988 29–9 76.3% #11 2,024 7 72 1976 78–17 82.1% #3 2,202 2 62
30 1989 45–11 80.4% #4 2,100 7 75 1977 44–18 71.0% #9 2,101 2 65
31 1990 33–15 68.8% #13 1,969 7 76 1978 45–21 68.2% #16 2,058 2 67
32 1991 32–18 64.0% #28 1,831 7 77 1979 28–25 52.8% #49 1,796 2 67
33 1992 32–18 64.0% #20 1,882 7 77 1980 19–24 44.2% #77 1,741 2 67
34 — — — — — — — 1981 26–27 49.1% #74 1,725 2 67
35 1994 0–1 0.0% #1219 1,871 7 77 1982 14–24 36.8% #86 1,633 2 67
36 — — — — — — — 1983 6–11 35.3% #118 1,594 2 67
37 — — — — — — — 1984 4–12 25.0% #202 1,574 2 67
38 — — — — — — — 1985 1–4 20.0% #431 1,535 2 67

Surface Results by Age

Seasons are aligned by the age each player spent most of that calendar year. Results cover completed main-draw matches. Bold green marks the higher win percentage when both players have at least 5 matches on that surface at the aligned age.

Age John McEnroe Ilie Nastase
Yr HardClayGrassCarpet Yr HardClayGrassCarpet
W L M Win % W L M Win % W L M Win % W L M Win % W L M Win % W L M Win % W L M Win % W L M Win %
17 1976 — — — — 1 1 2 50.0% — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
18 1977 1 2 3 33.3% 18 9 27 66.7% 6 2 8 75.0% 3 1 4 75.0% — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
19 1978 23 7 30 76.7% 17 6 23 73.9% 5 2 7 71.4% 32 4 36 88.9% — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
20 1979 22 3 25 88.0% 11 3 14 78.6% 9 1 10 90.0% 46 7 53 86.8% — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
21 1980 15 3 18 83.3% 12 5 17 70.6% 17 1 18 94.4% 39 8 47 83.0% 1968 — — — — 40 13 53 75.5% 1 1 2 50.0% — — — —
22 1981 25 1 26 96.2% 6 2 8 75.0% 13 0 13 100.0% 25 6 31 80.6% 1969 11 8 19 57.9% 9 6 15 60.0% 5 3 8 62.5% 2 5 7 28.6%
23 1982 20 4 24 83.3% 4 1 5 80.0% 11 2 13 84.6% 29 3 32 90.6% 1970 12 3 15 80.0% 34 9 43 79.1% 4 2 6 66.7% 10 6 16 62.5%
24 1983 16 4 20 80.0% 9 1 10 90.0% 16 2 18 88.9% 21 2 23 91.3% 1971 21 4 25 84.0% 35 5 40 87.5% 3 2 5 60.0% 14 2 16 87.5%
25 1984 17 1 18 94.4% 11 1 12 91.7% 13 0 13 100.0% 30 0 30 100.0% 1972 29 7 36 80.6% 42 7 49 85.7% 16 2 18 88.9% 23 4 27 85.2%
26 1985 25 2 27 92.6% 10 2 12 83.3% 7 2 9 77.8% 27 3 30 90.0% 1973 27 7 34 79.4% 59 3 62 95.2% 10 3 13 76.9% 22 4 26 84.6%
27 1986 15 3 18 83.3% — — — — — — — — 7 2 9 77.8% 1974 4 2 6 66.7% 43 7 50 86.0% 11 4 15 73.3% 22 8 30 73.3%
28 1987 12 4 16 75.0% 4 2 6 66.7% — — — — 14 4 18 77.8% 1975 10 3 13 76.9% 65 13 78 83.3% 1 1 2 50.0% 10 3 13 76.9%
29 1988 15 4 19 78.9% 3 2 5 60.0% 1 1 2 50.0% 10 2 12 83.3% 1976 17 2 19 89.5% 16 4 20 80.0% 11 1 12 91.7% 34 10 44 77.3%
30 1989 21 5 26 80.8% — — — — 5 1 6 83.3% 19 5 24 79.2% 1977 9 3 12 75.0% 16 5 21 76.2% 6 2 8 75.0% 13 8 21 61.9%
31 1990 21 7 28 75.0% — — — — 3 2 5 60.0% 9 6 15 60.0% 1978 9 4 13 69.2% 15 4 19 78.9% 4 2 6 66.7% 17 11 28 60.7%
32 1991 18 10 28 64.3% 0 2 2 0.0% 3 2 5 60.0% 11 4 15 73.3% 1979 11 9 20 55.0% 7 5 12 58.3% — — — — 10 11 21 47.6%
33 1992 15 7 22 68.2% 2 3 5 40.0% 8 2 10 80.0% 7 6 13 53.8% 1980 7 6 13 53.8% 4 3 7 57.1% 2 1 3 66.7% 6 14 20 30.0%
34 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 1981 13 9 22 59.1% 3 8 11 27.3% 1 4 5 20.0% 9 6 15 60.0%
35 1994 — — — — — — — — — — — — 0 1 1 0.0% 1982 6 8 14 42.9% 5 8 13 38.5% 0 2 2 0.0% 3 6 9 33.3%
36 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 1983 1 4 5 20.0% 4 6 10 40.0% 1 1 2 50.0% — — — —
37 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 1984 3 5 8 37.5% 0 6 6 0.0% — — — — 1 1 2 50.0%
38 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 1985 1 2 3 33.3% 0 2 2 0.0% — — — — — — — —
Career — 281 67 348 80.7% 108 40 148 73.0% 117 20 137 85.4% 329 64 393 83.7% — 191 86 277 69.0% 397 114 511 77.7% 76 31 107 71.0% 196 99 295 66.4%

Advanced Statistics Comparison by Age

Seasons are aligned by the age each player spent most of that calendar year. Metrics are precomputed from eligible main-draw results; point-stat values use the available detailed sample. Bold green marks the stronger value when both underlying samples are sufficient. Lower is better for Schedule because a negative value means a tougher schedule. Career Schedule is normalized per 100 matches.

Age John McEnroe Ilie Nastase
Yr Elo P+ Serve+ Return+ PD TPW% Hard Elo Clay Elo Grass Elo Set Win % Set Margin Dec. Set Tiebreak Pressure+ Schedule Yr Elo P+ Serve+ Return+ PD TPW% Hard Elo Clay Elo Grass Elo Set Win % Set Margin Dec. Set Tiebreak Pressure+ Schedule
17 1976 1517 111.8 — — — — — — — 50.0% +1.00 — 0–1 — +0.04 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
18 1977 1855 156.5 — — — — -222 -44 -147 64.9% +1.04 6–8 (43%) 7–4 (64%) 105.4 -0.87 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
19 1978 2153 163.5 — — — — +35 -221 -375 72.3% +1.45 22–9 (71%) 20–5 (80%) 116.6 -1.16 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
20 1979 2294 175.0 — — — — +111 -292 -360 79.5% +2.13 17–6 (74%) 13–12 (52%) 103.5 -4.92 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
21 1980 2271 176.2 — — — — +103 -287 -81 76.8% +1.92 16–5 (76%) 23–11 (68%) 107.6 -5.58 1968 1772 127.0 — — — — — +103 — 68.8% +1.58 11–4 (73%) — — +2.44
22 1981 2279 175.8 — — — — +77 -268 +21 82.9% +2.37 6–4 (60%) 11–9 (55%) 96.5 -3.31 1969 1835 129.0 — — — — -96 -35 -152 54.7% +0.34 9–10 (47%) 0–1 — -2.11
23 1982 2292 171.0 — — — — +80 -281 +21 82.6% +2.16 6–2 (75%) 14–4 (78%) 104.4 -3.80 1970 1967 149.4 — — — — +28 +67 -244 66.4% +1.24 14–6 (70%) — — -1.85
24 1983 2311 171.6 — — — — +96 -232 +54 79.7% +2.11 10–3 (77%) 13–9 (59%) 98.5 -3.92 1971 2092 153.7 — — — — +128 +61 -359 71.7% +1.57 23–2 (92%) 8–10 (44%) 109.4 +0.96
25 1984 2478 178.8 — — — — +59 -295 -2 90.9% +2.81 8–2 (80%) 13–2 (87%) 106.2 -2.77 1972 2173 157.1 — — — — +39 -11 -72 78.2% +1.92 19–8 (70%) 20–10 (67%) 105.3 +2.45
26 1985 2300 171.1 — — — — +156 -100 +103 80.9% +2.16 11–3 (79%) 16–7 (70%) 98.0 -1.30 1973 2213 158.2 — — — — +30 +151 -184 78.4% +1.96 27–10 (73%) 18–5 (78%) 104.7 +1.08
27 1986 2200 152.5 — — — — +121 — — 77.4% +1.82 3–3 (50%) 5–3 (63%) 95.2 -0.22 1974 2156 159.7 — — — — -27 +191 -140 73.6% +1.63 16–9 (64%) 13–8 (62%) 95.8 -3.01
28 1987 2101 163.1 — — — — +100 +29 — 67.6% +1.06 6–2 (75%) 7–4 (64%) 100.5 -1.58 1975 2175 160.0 — — — — -32 +17 — 75.5% +1.84 17–7 (71%) 17–9 (65%) 104.7 -2.97
29 1988 2025 157.5 — — — — +93 +91 — 74.0% +1.73 4–6 (40%) 7–6 (54%) 91.3 -1.10 1976 2202 168.0 — — — — +37 -12 -118 76.7% +1.74 14–5 (74%) 20–7 (74%) 107.5 -2.87
30 1989 2101 168.5 — — — — +41 — +115 70.3% +1.37 11–1 (92%) 11–7 (61%) 106.8 -3.55 1977 2101 162.0 — — — — +62 +8 -7 63.4% +0.90 16–7 (70%) 11–4 (73%) 103.4 -3.16
31 1990 1970 152.1 — — — — +13 — +206 65.9% +1.12 10–5 (67%) 8–8 (50%) 95.7 -0.66 1978 2058 159.2 — — — — 0 +40 +20 63.5% +0.77 12–11 (52%) 10–3 (77%) 98.0 -2.05
32 1991 1832 148.2 +2.68 +1.47 1.148 52.3% +40 — +312 61.0% +0.89 7–6 (54%) 10–11 (48%) 94.6 +1.04 1979 1796 149.5 — — — — +43 +212 — 53.7% +0.31 7–12 (37%) 2–9 (18%) 83.9 +1.47
33 1992 1883 154.7 +2.89 +2.22 1.132 52.2% +2 +89 +277 59.6% +0.83 10–4 (71%) 8–11 (42%) 97.8 -1.41 1980 1742 151.0 — — — — +2 +216 +338 46.2% +0.01 6–6 (50%) 4–8 (33%) 93.4 -0.92
34 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 1981 1725 136.0 — — — — +64 +84 +186 50.0% +0.11 7–9 (44%) 9–7 (56%) 96.3 +0.26
35 1994 1872 108.6 +5.28 -0.41 0.613 42.4% — — — 0.0% -2.50 — 0–1 — -0.44 1982 1634 132.2 — — — — +74 +87 — 44.8% -0.18 6–13 (32%) 6–8 (43%) 89.4 +1.39
36 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 1983 1595 122.4 — — — — +34 +99 — 40.0% -0.47 2–3 (40%) 1–7 (13%) 93.6 +0.83
37 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 1984 1574 129.5 — — — — +46 +68 — 25.6% -1.79 3–2 (60%) 1–1 — -1.97
38 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 1985 1536 99.7 — — — — +60 — — 23.1% -1.85 1–0 — — +0.29
Career — 2494 173.5 +2.82 +1.83 1.132 52.2% +74 -172 -3 75.4% +1.78 153–69 (69%) 186–115 (62%) 104.4 -3.49 — 2295 157.9 — — — — +30 +75 -98 67.2% +1.22 210–124 (63%) 140–97 (59%) 100.2 -0.84

Career Rivalries

Each player's five most-played main-draw opponents. The current matchup is highlighted when it appears in a player's top five.