In honor of Novak Djokovic’s milestone of breaking the record for the number of weeks spent as No. 1 in the tennis rankings, we’ve compiled a list of the 5 longest-running No. 1 players.
Novak Djokovic broke the 26-year-old record held by Martini Hingis. The former tennis player was number one for a record 377 weeks. Now, Novak Djokovic has beaten Hingis to start his 378th week at the top of the chart. In honor of Djokovic setting a new record for number of weeks spent as No. 1 in tennis rankings, we’ve compiled a list of the 5 players who have been No. 1 the longest.
The ATP has compiled weekly rankings of tennis players based on their performance in various events since 1973. A total of 28 players have held the world number one position since the introduction of the ranked system.
- Novak Djokovic, 378 weeks
Novak Djokovic is one of the “Big Three” of tennis alongside Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and is tied with Nadal for the record for the most grand slam titles in history with an impressive 22. He is the player with the most weeks spent in the role number 1 ranking. In total, he spent 378 weeks at the top of the ATP.
- Roger Federer, 310 weeks
Throughout his career, Roger Federer set a number of new benchmarks and records, including being the first player to win 20 grand slam titles. At the height of his career, many considered him the best tennis player in the history of the sport. He has won Wimbledon eight times and shares the record for the most US Open and year-end titles with five and six wins respectively. Federer also holds the record for the longest uninterrupted reign as the world’s No. 1 tennis player for 237 weeks from February 2, 2004 to August 17, 2008. In total, he was at the top of the rankings for 310 weeks.
- Pete Sampras, 286 weeks
His strong serve earned Pete Sampras the nickname “Pistol Pete”. He won 14 Slams during a career that spanned from 1988 to 2002. He won a total of 69 titles and first became the world number 1 in 1993, which he held for a total of 286 weeks throughout his career. Sampras was also the first tennis player to win seven Wimbledon titles.
- Ivan Lendl, 270 weeks
Ivan Lendl is the only guy ever to achieve a win percentage above 90 percent in each of five separate years, which is why he now holds the record for that achievement. He held the No. 1 spot for a total of 270 weeks, making him the fourth most decorated athlete of all time.
- Jimmy Connors, 268 weeks
He once held the record for the most consecutive weeks spent at number one, at 160 weeks. The year 1972 was the beginning of his professional career, and on April 29, 1996 he made a declaration of retirement. Connors held the top spot in the ATP rankings for a total of 268 weeks throughout his career. He won 1,274 of his 1,557 matches and amassed 109 trophies, including eight major titles.
