Top 5 youngest players to become World No.1 in ATP rankings

Becoming the world’s number 1 ranked player is nothing short of a humongous achievement in tennis, it is one of the most coveted and sought-after achievements that players work all year for and give their all to reach the number 1 ranking in the ATP and stay there for a long period of time.

There have been many players over the course of history who have been ranked world number 1 and in this article, we will be looking at the Top 5 youngest players to become world number 1

5. Bjorn Borg

One of the all-time greats of the sport, Bjorn Borg was only 21 years and 78 days old when he achieved the feat of becoming world number 1 in the ATP rankings, he took that spot back on the 23rd of August 1977, even before reaching the top spot. Bjorg was a four-time grand slam champion and already one of the best in the world.

He was world number 1 six times in his career and he stayed at pole position for 109 weeks throughout his career, today he is revered as one of the all-time greats of the sport and a true tennis legend.

4. Andy Roddick

American former world number 1 Andy Roddick achieved the pole position in the ATP rankings back on the 3rd of November 2003 for the first time in his career. Roddick was just 21 years and 65 days old when he achieved this feat that defined his career and made people recognize him as a formidable opponent for any player in the world.

Roddick beat Federer to his first Masters 1000 title and that is when he was recognized as one of the best players in the world, which commenced Roddick’s unbelievable run which ended with him winning the US Open title.

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3. John McEnroe

Yet another American former professional and another one of the greatest of all time, John McEnroe was a force to be reckoned with on the court and not just because of his playing ability, McEnroe was a ‘bad boy’ on the court and his antics were a sight to behold back in the days.

McEnroe was just 21 years and 16 days old when he became the world number 1 and he achieved the ranking on the 3rd of March 1980 as he overtook long-time rival, Bjorn Borg.

2. Marat Safin

Former Russian professional, Marat Safin is the second youngest player to reach the world number 1 rank, he achieved the feat when he was just 20 years and 298 old, and he got the pole position in the ranks on the 20th of November 2000. Safin was ranked world number 38 back in February 2000 and he made quite the jump by being ranked so high by the end of the year.

He won his first-ever US Open title as well after defeating Pete Sampras and really put himself on the map of men’s tennis.

1. Lleyton Hewitt

Almost a year after Safin became the youngest player to be ranked world number 1, Hewitt came in and broke the record once again as he was just 20 years and 268 days old when he achieved the feat. The 2001 ATP finals was when Hewitt was crowned as the number 1 player in the world.

Hewitt held the world number 1 rank for 80 weeks in total, with 2 grand slam titles to his name, Hewitt was one of the best players in the world on his day.

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