All male professional singles and doubles players are provided an ATP Ranking. Rankings can be thought of as the best representation of a player’s on-field skills and current form. Many players have succeeded in moving up the ranking ladder over the years, while others have fallen short of expectations.
This ranking system also determines qualification and entry into the ATP and Grand Slam tournaments. Also, it helps to determine the seeding of players before any tournament begins.
It is very challenging to remain consistent, and especially when new players burst on to the scene every now or then, it can become impossible to maintain the rank. However, the ability of a player can be understood for how many weeks he can stay in the top position. In the history of the sport, since 1972, when the ATP rankings were introduced, No.1 ranking has become equally prestigious as winning a Grand Slam title.
Here is a list of top male singles players who spent the highest number of weeks wearing the World No.1 crown.
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5. Jimmy Connors (268 weeks)
Jimmy Connors is one of the greatest players to have played in this sport. He won eight Grand Slam singles titles in his career. However, he was the first person in ATP history to cross 200 weeks as World No.1 in the ATP rankings. He became World No.1 in July 1974 and held that position for 160 weeks straight. He spent a total of 268 weeks at this position in his career.
The American was known for his stupendous backhands and playing technique. He also coached many successful tennis players such as Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova, and Eugenie Bouchard.
4. Ivan Lendl (270 Weeks)
Ivan Lendl is one of the most remarkable names on the list. The Czech-born American won eight Grand Slam singles titles in his career. However, he has the distinction of being the only two players to become World No.1 before even winning a Grand Slam title. He became World No.1 for the first time in February 1983. He spent a total of 270 weeks at this position in his career.
In five different years, Lendl is the only player in professional tennis history to have a match winning percentage of above 90% (1982, 1985, 1986, 1987, and 1989). With his distinct quality as an aggressive baseline power player with a combination of topspin and forehand, he got the sobriquet “Man Who Revolutionized Tennis”. Post-retirement he opted for a coaching career and had been quite successful at it with Andy Murray and Alexander Zverev as his two notable protégés.
3. Pete Sampras (286 weeks)
Pete Sampras is an American tennis icon. He won 14 Grand Slam singles titles in his illustrious career. The American earned the top spot in the ATP rankings for the first time in 1993. He spent a total of 286 weeks at this position in his career.
The American was known for his fast, accurate and formidable serves. It was the reason why many called him “Pistol Pete“.
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2. Roger Federer (310 weeks)
Roger Federer dominated male tennis sport along with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic for almost two decades. The Swiss won 20 Grand Slam singles titles in his incredible career. He climbed to World No.1 spot for the first time in his career in February 2004 and remained in that position for a record 237 consecutive weeks. He spent 310 weeks in total at this position in his career.
The Swiss maestro as he was known, loved to play on grass. He won the Wimbledon title eight times in his career and is also known as the “King of Grass”.
1. Novak Djokovic (378 weeks)
Novak Djokovic is one of the most successful tennis players in the world. He won 22 Grand Slam titles in his magnificent career. The Serbian became World No.1 for the first time in July 2011. He spent a total of 378 weeks at this position in his career. Recently, he beat Steffi Graf as the player to spend the most number of weeks as World No.1 in either the WTA or ATP rankings.
The Serbian dominates the hard court surface. He won the Australian Open a record ten times in his career, with his tenth title winning as recently as in January, 2023.
Article by: Abhar Indorkar
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