Updated 24 Aug 2023 9:05 pm:
The ATP Rankings marked its 50th anniversary on Wednesday. It was on the 23rd of August 1973 that the first ATP Rankings were published and in that time, 28 men have managed to climb to the top of the rankings and been able to say that they were the best tennis player on the planet.
In order to mark a historic moment in the history of the game, here is a look back at the 28 players who have achieved the top spot in the rankings.
1. Illie Nastase
First Time Ranked as World Number 1: 23rd of August 1973
Last Time Ranked as World Number 1: 2nd of June 1974
Total Number of Weeks at World Number 1: 40
Grand Slam Singles Titles: 2
The Romanian was the first player to be ranked as the ATP World Number 1 when the initial rankings were released. This was off the back of winning his only two Grand Slam singles titles at the 1972 US Open and the 1973 French Open which were the only two majors that had been contested by all the top players in the previous year.
Nastase won 17 tournaments in 1973 including winning the French Open without losing a set. He won 64 singles titles overall in his career as well as making it to the final of Wimbledon twice in 1972 and ’76. He also managed to win the Masters Cup (later known as the World Tour Finals), 4 times between 1971 and ’75. Nastase held the top position for the first 40 weeks of the ATP Rankings but was never able to win the top position back after he had lost it.
2. John Newcombe
First Ranked as World Number 1: 3rd of June 1974
Last Ranked as World Number 1: 28th of July 1974
Total Number of Weeks at World Number 1: 8
Grand Slam Singles Titles: 7
John Newcombe was at the age of 30, the oldest man to have gained the Number 1 Ranking for the first time, albeit he had been considered by many to be the best player beforehand, particularly in 1970 when he captured the 2nd of his 3 Wimbledon Titles.
Newcombe was the winner of the final amateur year of both Wimbledon and the US Championships (later the US Open) in 1967 and formed a legendary doubles partnership with Tony Roche where they won 12 Grand Slam Doubles titles together. Newcombe went on to win 7 Slam Titles in Singles with the 1973 US Open helping him become the World Number 1 in June of 1974. He also won 2 Australian Open titles in 1973 and ’75 and 41 singles titles as listed by the ATP.
3. Jimmy Connors
First Time Ranked as World Number 1: 29th of July 1974
Last Time Ranked as World Number 1: 3rd of July 1983
Total Number of Weeks at World Number 1: 268
Grand Slam Singles Titles: 8
Jimmy Connors was the first man to truly dominate the ATP Rankings after he captured the top spot for the first time shortly after winning the 2nd of his 8 Major Titles at Wimbledon in 1974. 1974 was an unbelievable year for Connors which started with him capturing his only Australian title in January, followed by his Wimbledon success in July before winning the US Open in September which makes him one of only 5 players to win 3 Grand Slams in the same year since Rod Laver’s 2nd Grand Slam in 1969.
Connors was prevented from entering the 1974 French Open because of him being signed to World Team Tennis at the time. Connors went on to hold the top spot for 160 consecutive weeks and 244 out of 245 weeks between his initial capturing of the top ranking until April of 1978 (apart from the week of the 23rd of August 1977) when Bjorn Borg was ranked at World Number 1.
Connors won the US Open on all three surfaces throughout his career and managed to turn back time in the early 1980s when he was considered past his best, he won a 2nd Wimbledon Championship in 1982, a full 8 years after his first (which is a record in the men’s game at Wimbledon in the Open Era) as well as successive US titles in 1982 and ’83. In this period, he managed to get back to the top of the rankings until July of 1983 with an impressive 268 weeks in the top spot over 7 different stints. He also won a record 109 titles on the ATP Tour.
4. Bjorn Borg
First Time Ranked as World Number 1: 23rd of August 1977
Last Time Ranked as World Number 1: 2nd of August 1981
Total Number of Weeks at World Number 1: 109
Grand Slam Singles Titles: 11
Bjorn Borg accomplished so much so young, fans and pundits alike to this day still argue about how many majors he would have won, if he hadn’t retired shortly after losing the World Number 1 Ranking for the last time in August of 1981. The Swede won 6 French Opens and 5 straight Wimbledon Titles including completing the French Open-Wimbledon double 3 years in a row between 1978 and ’80.
With his extremely cool temperament on the court and with fitness levels that well exceeded that of his rivals, he was able to clean up in the late 1970’s around the world. He won 66 titles on tour during his career but the emergence of John McEnroe had a massive impact on Borg after he defeated the American in the epic Wimbledon Final of 1980.
5. John McEnroe
First Time Ranked as World Number 1: 3rd of March 1980
Last Time Ranked as World Number 1: 8th of September 1985
Total Number of Weeks at World Number 1: 170
Grand Slam Singles Titles: 7
John McEnroe was ranked World Number 1, a record 14 different times through his career all of which happened between 1980 and 1985. The American left-handed was an absolute genius at the net with his serve and volley game helping him to 77 singles titles of which 7 were major titles.
He won 3 successive US Open titles between 1979 and ’81, becoming the first man in the Open Era to defend the US Title as well as capturing 3 Wimbledon Crowns in 1981, ’83 and ’84 and a fourth US Open in ’84.
His 1984 season is statistically the best win-loss percentage for a season in the men’s game with an outstanding 82-3 record for the season. He also won 9 Men’s Doubles Slams as well as the 1977 Mixed Doubles title at the French Open.
6. Ivan Lendl
First Time Ranked as World Number 1: 28th of February 1983
Last Time Ranked as World Number 1: 12th of August 1990
Total Number of Weeks at World Number 1: 270
Grand Slam Singles Titles: 8
For many, the “Father of Modern Tennis”, Ivan Lendl took fitness and discipline to the next level during the 1980’s. Lendl built his game around power and consistency of the ground with his forehand being one of the best that the game has ever seen.
This did not come without its struggles though as he lost his first 4 major finals before breaking through at the 1984 French Open, upsetting John McEnroe in 5 sets in the final. He had become World Number 1, just over a year before for the first time and is one of only two players in this list who became World Number 1 without having won a Major.
Lendl went on to win 8 majors, spend 270 weeks at the top of the rankings and collect 94 singles titles overall which puts him at number 4 on the all-time list behind Connors, Federer and Djokovic.
7. Mats Wilander
First Time Ranked as World Number 1: 12th of September 1988
Last Time Ranked as World Number 1: 29th of January 1989
Total Number of Weeks at World Number 1: 20
Grand Slam Singles Titles: 7
Mats Wilander was a great contrast to Lendl in the sense that he couldn’t dominate his opponents through sheer power. He had to win matches by outsmarting his opponents and not committing many unforced errors and he did so with relentless consistency.
He shocked the world when he won the 1982 French Open at the age of 17 but he soon proved that this victory was no fluke as he captured successive Australian Open Titles in 1983 and ’84 and a second French Title in 1985.
But it would be in 1988, where he would have his career-defining year where he would win all the majors with the exception of Wimbledon including ending Lendl’s 3-year hold on the US Open which also saw him capture the Number 1 ranking for the only time. He went on to win 33 titles in his pro career.
8. Stefan Edberg
First Time Ranked as World Number 1: 13th of August 1990
Last Time Ranked as World Number 1: 4th of October 1992
Total Number of Weeks at World Number 1: 72
Grand Slam Singles Titles: 6
Wilander’s countryman, Stefan Edberg was completely the opposite of Wilander in terms of game style although both had extremely great temperament on the court. Edberg was a serve and volley player in every respect and was always looking for a way to attack the net. Edberg completed the junior Grand Slam in 1983 and won his first two majors at the Australian Open in 1985 and ’87.
At Wimbledon, he became part of a famous rivalry with Boris Becker with the Swede winning two out of their three finals in 1988 and 1990. He also won successive US Open Championships in 1991 and ’92. He spent 72 weeks as the World Number 1 Player and won 41 singles titles in his career. He is one of only two players, (the other being McEnroe) to have been Number 1 in both singles and doubles.
9. Boris Becker
First Time Ranked as World Number 1: 28th of January 1991
Last Time Ranked as World Number 1: 8th of September 1992
Total Number of Weeks at World Number 1: 12
Grand Slam Singles Titles: 6
Boris Becker announced himself to the world by winning Wimbledon aged 17 in 1985 with a powerful serve which earned him the nickname ‘Boom-Boom’. He managed to defend his title in 1986 before capturing a third success in 1989 as well as making the final an additional 4 times.
He won the US Open in 1989 as well as two Australian Opens in 1991 and 1996. It was after the first of these two successes, Down Under that he would achieve the Number 1 Ranking for the first time and hold the ranking for 12 weeks during the 1991 Season. He won 49 titles in singles as well as winning Olympic Gold in doubles in Barcelona with Michael Stich.
10. Jim Courier
First Time Ranked as World Number 1: 10th of January 1992
Last Time Ranked as World Number 1: 12th of September 1993
Total Number of Weeks at World Number 1: 58
Grand Slam Singles Titles: 4
Courier is probably overlooked among many tennis-watchers in part because of his more celebrated countrymen in Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi but it didn’t stop him from having a CV that most tennis players would envy. Courier is the youngest player in ATP history to reach the final of all 4 major championships when he finished runner-up to Sampras at the 1993 Wimbledon Championships at the age of 22.
He had previously won successive French Open titles in 1991 and ’92 as well as successive wins in Australia in 1992 and ’93 with Edberg, his defeated opponent on both occasions. He also reached the final of the 1991 US Open where he was beaten by Edberg which was his best result at his home slam. He also won 2 Davis Cups with the US in 1992 and ’95 as well as 23 singles titles overall and spending 58 weeks at the top of the rankings.
11. Pete Sampras
First Time Ranked as World Number 1: 12th of April 1993
Last Time Ranked as World Number 1: 19th of November 2000
Total Number of Weeks at World Number 1: 268
Grand Slam Singles Titles: 14
Before the “Big 3” in Men’s tennis who would dominate the period of 2003-23, Pete Sampras dominated the ATP Tour and its world rankings for almost a decade. “Pistol Pete” as he was known, had what is considered to be the greatest serve of all time and used that serve as well as his powerful forehand and excellent volleys to clean up at Wimbledon throughout the 1990’s.
Sampras won 7 Wimbledon’s in 8 years between 1993-2000, his Wimbledon reign began just a couple of months after he became World Number 1 for the first time in April 1993. He is the youngest winner of the US Open at just 19 years and 28 days old when he won at Flushing Meadows in 1990 and would go onto win the title again in ’93, ’95, ’96 and most famously of all in 2002 when he played his final match in claiming the title.
Sampras would set the record for most weeks at Number 1 in 1999 when he surpassed the mark set by Ivan Lendl of 270 weeks and would hold the record until the 16th of July 2012 when Roger Federer broke it following his 7th Wimbledon Title. He was the year-end number 1, six years in a row which is a record that still stands and in all likeliness will never be broken. He won 64 titles overall throughout his career.
12. Andre Agassi
First Time Ranked as World Number 1: 10th of April 1995
Last Time Ranked as World Number 1: 7th of September 2003
Total Number of Weeks at World Number 1: 101
Grand Slam Singles Titles: 8
If Pete Sampras was the greatest server of all time, Andre Agassi was the finest returner the game has ever seen. Agassi helped change the game from becoming a serve-and-volley monopoly of the sport and helped cement the baseline game as the modern way in which to play the game.
Agassi’s return game was so good that he managed to win Wimbledon in 1992 in an era where the odds were extremely stacked against him. He became World Number 1 following his victory at the 1995 Miami Masters over Sampras (having won the 1994 US and 1995 Australian Open titles beforehand) and followed that up with an Olympic Gold Medal in 1996.
Agassi’s game then suffered a massive fall down to 141 in the rankings before a remarkable resurgence allowed him to complete the Career Grand Slam at the 1999 French Open. He would win another 4 grand slam titles with his last coming at the 2003 Australian Open which preceded him later that year becoming the then-oldest World Number 1 at the age of 33. Agassi won 60 singles titles throughout his career and is the only man to have won all four majors, the Olympic Gold Medal in singles and the ATP Finals in his career.
13. Thomas Muster
First Time Ranked as World Number 1: 12th of February 1996
Last Time Ranked as World Number 1: 14th of April 1996
Total Number of Weeks at World Number 1: 6
Grand Slam Singles Titles: 1
Whilst Agassi’s comeback in 1999 was impressive, Thomas Muster’s comeback is simply unbelievable. Muster was one of the hardest workers, the game has ever seen and it allowed him to reach the 1989 Miami Open Final. However, he would never play that final because of a drunk driver hitting his car and shattering his knee. Yet by September of that year, he was back on the match-court and in 1995, he would win the French Open for his sole major success.
Dubbed the ‘King of Clay’, Muster captured almost all of his 44 titles on the clay and was one of the finest players to ever play on the surface. His 6-week stint as World Number 1 is a testament to his hard-work and training that all great champions since have tried to match.
14. Marcelo Rios
First Time Ranked as World Number 1: 30th of March 1998
Last Time Ranked as World Number 1: 23rd of August 1998
Total Number of Weeks at World Number 1: 6
Grand Slam Singles Titles: 0 (Best Result: 1998 Australian Open, Runner-Up)
The only World Number 1 to have not won a major, Marcelo Rios was an exceptional talent whose craft and ability helped him overcome his rivals. His success came on slower courts as he was the first player to win all three of the Clay Court Masters events of Monte-Carlo, Hamburg and Rome in his career as well as winning the Sunshine Double of Indian Wells and Miami in the same year in 1998.
It was with these two successes that he became the World Number 1 and were among his 18 career victories on tour. His only major final came at the 1998 Australian Open where he was beaten by Petr Korda.
15. Carlos Moya
First Time Ranked as World Number 1: 15th of March 1999
Last Time Ranked as World Number 1: 28th of March 1999
Total Number of Weeks at World Number 1: 2
Grand Slam Singles Titles: 1
One of the many great Spanish Clay-Court Players, Carlos Moya had a game that was designed to conquer Roland Garros and that was what he was able to achieve in 1998. Moya had first made a name for himself by reaching the 1997 Australian Open where he lost to Pete Sampras after upsetting defending champion Boris Becker in the first round.
He reached the semi-finals of the US Open in 1998 before losing to Mark Philippoussis before becoming Number 1 in March 1999 after reaching the final in Indian Wells, thus becoming the first Spaniard to hold the position. He won 20 titles throughout his career.
16. Yevgeny Kafelnikov
First Time Ranked as World Number 1: 3rd of May 1999
Last Time Ranked as World Number 1: 13th of June 1999
Total Number of Weeks at World Number 1: 6
Grand Slam Singles Titles: 2
Kafelnikov was an extremely talented player who seemed to thrive much like Moya and Rios on the slower courts of Melbourne and Paris where he would achieve his two major successes. In 1996, he won the French Open where he ended Sampras’ best run at the tournament in the semi-finals before beating Michael Stich in the final and then winning the 1999 Australian Open after which he became the World Number 1 later that year.
He was victorious on tour on 26 occasions and also captured the Olympic Gold Medal in Sydney. He also reached the final of the ATP Finals in 1997 where he lost to Sampras. His success at the 1996 French Open Doubles also made him the last man to win both the singles and doubles titles at the same major tournament.
17. Patrick Rafter
First Time Ranked as World Number 1: 26th of July 1999
Last Time Ranked as World Number 1: 1st of August 1999
Total Number of Weeks at World Number 1: 1
Grand Slam Singles Titles: 2
Whilst Patrick Rafter has the fewest weeks of any World Number 1, it overlooks a brilliant career that showed resilience and courage in equal measure. Rafter struggled with working out, what would be his best game at first but it all came together in 1997 where he would win the US Open and finish that year at No.2 in the rankings.
The following year, he captured the title in Canada, Cincinnati and then defended his US Open title which allowed him to become Number 1 in July of 1999. He would go on to reach 2 Wimbledon Finals, win a Davis Cup and won 11 titles overall during his career. He also holds a 3-0 record against Roger Federer.
18. Marat Safin
First Time Ranked as World Number 1: 20th of November 2000
Last Time Ranked as World Number 1: 22nd of April 2001
Total Number of Weeks at World Number 1: 9
Grand Slam Singles Titles: 2
Safin was one of the most talented players that the game has ever seen. Blessed with a massive serve and a superb backhand, particularly down the line, he was the player that everyone feared if he was on his day. Safin made his mark when he absolutely thrashed Pete Sampras in the final of the 2000 US Open, later becoming the World Number 1 in November of that year.
Injuries hampered him for a couple of years after that before he showed his Grand Slam-winning form by capturing the 2005 Australian Open which was the last of his 15 titles on tour. That victory included a win in one of the single-greatest matches ever played when he defeated Roger Federer 9-7 in the fifth in the semi-finals from match point down before beating Lleyton Hewitt in the final. His sister Dinara became the WTA Number 1 in 2009 thus becoming the only brother-sister tandem to have both been ranked Number 1.
19. Gustavo Kuerten
First Time Ranked as World Number 1: 4th of December 2000
Last Time Ranked as World Number 1: 18th of November 2001
Total Number of Weeks at World Number 1: 43
Grand Slam Singles Titles: 3
Better known as Guga; Kuerten was one of the most passionate and beloved players on tour particularly on clay and at Roland Garros where he would win 3 titles in a 5-year period around the Millennium. His victory at the 1997 French Open was one of the sport’s greatest surprises where as the World No.66, he came through to take the title and with it the French crowd.
He went on to win the title again in 2000 and 2001 as well as the 2000 ATP Finals in which he became the World Number 1 for the first time. He won 20 times on the ATP Tour as well as spent 43 weeks as Number 1.
20. Lleyton Hewitt
First Time Ranked as World Number 1: 19th of November 2001
Last Time Ranked as World Number 1: 15th of June 2003
Total Number of Weeks at World Number 1: 80
Grand Slam Singles Titles: 2
Hewitt conquered the game at an early age, winning his first tour title at the age of 16 in Adelaide before continuing a rapid rise up the rankings over the next 3 years. In 2001, much like Safin a year before, he thrashed Pete Sampras in the US Open Final and then won the ATP Finals to become at the age of 20, the youngest World Number 1 at the time.
In 2002, he became the youngest to go a full year in the top spot with the highlight being winning Wimbledon over David Nalbandian. He reached a second US Open Final in 2004, losing to Roger Federer and the Australian Open Final in 2005 losing to Marat Safin. He won 30 titles throughout his career.
Juan Carlos Ferrero
First Time Ranked as World Number 1: 8th of September 2003
Last Time Ranked as World Number 1: 2nd of November 2003
Total Number of Weeks at World Number 1: 8
Grand Slam Singles Titles: 1
Ferrero was another of the great Spanish Clay-Courters winning the French Open in 2003 after reaching the previous year’s final and becoming the World Number 1 after reaching the US Open Final that same year. He won Masters Tournaments in Monte Carlo, Rome and Madrid as well as won the Davis Cup on three occasions. He ended up winning 16 tournaments throughout his career and now coaches the current number 1, Carlos Alcaraz.
22. Andy Roddick
First Time Ranked as World Number 1: 3rd of November 2003
Last Time Ranked as World Number 1: 1st of February 2004
Total Number of Weeks at World Number 1: 13
Grand Slam Singles Titles: 1
The powerful American was blessed with a powerful serve and forehand combination which allowed him to get to the top of the rankings and win the US Open in 2003. He had been the 2000 Junior World Number 1 and quickly rose up the rankings and had his breakout year in 2003 with two further Grand Slam semi-finals to go along with his US Open crown. He won 5 Masters Titles during his career to go along with a Davis Cup and 32 singles titles throughout his career before he retired in 2012.
He would have won a lot more majors if it wasn’t for his career overlapping with the great Roger Federer whom he lost to in 3 Wimbledon Finals, a US Open Final in 2006 and 2 semi-finals in Australia. Still, he had a thoroughly impressive career that he can be completely proud of.
23. Roger Federer
First Time Ranked as World Number 1: 2nd of February 2004
Last Time Ranked as World Number 1: 24th of June 2018
Total Number of Weeks at World Number 1: 310
Grand Slam Singles Titles: 20
The man who many consider to be the Greatest Player of All Time, Roger Federer took the game to new heights with a game that at its best was peerless to even some of the greatest players to ever play the game. Federer announced himself to the world in 2001 when he dethroned Sampras at Wimbledon before winning the title himself 2 years later in 2003 for the first time.
He became World Number 1 for the first time in February 2004 after winning his first Australian Open and he would hold onto the top spot for the next 237 straight weeks which remains an all-time record.
Federer won 11 majors out of 16 between 2004 and 2007 in which Rafael Nadal at the French Open, prevented him from successive Grand Slams in 2006 and ’07. He is the only male player to have won 3 of the 4 Grand Slams at least 5 times as well as the only player to have won 2 of the majors 5 times apiece. He won the World Tour Finals, a record-equalling 6 times as well as an Olympic Gold Medal in Doubles with Stan Wawrinka.
24. Rafael Nadal
First Time Ranked as World Number 1: 18th of August 2008
Last Time Ranked as World Number 1: 2nd of February 2020
Total Number of Weeks at World Number 1: 209
Grand Slam Singles Titles: 22
The King of Clay, Rafael Nadal is without question, the greatest player on one particular surface with 14 French Open titles being an achievement that is quite simply, out of this world. But he was more than just being a great clay court player with 4 US Opens, 2 Wimbledon titles and 2 Australian Open wins and an Olympic Gold Medal meaning that he is rightfully considered among the greatest of all time.
Nadal was No.2 behind Federer for 160 straight weeks before becoming World Number 1 in August of 2008. His 2 wins in Australia were 13 years apart which shows his ability to maintain his level over a long period of time. He has won 92 singles titles including 36 Masters titles and is the only player to have been ranked Number 1 in 3 different decades.
25. Novak Djokovic
First Time Ranked as World Number 1: 4th of July 2011
Last Time Ranked as World Number 1: 25th of June 2023
Total Number of Weeks at World Number 1: 389
Grand Slam Singles Titles: 23
Also considered by many to be the Greatest of All Time, Novak Djokovic has the record weeks at World Number 1 and the most major titles in history in the men’s game. He became Number 1 in July 2011 following his maiden Wimbledon title which was his 3rd slam success.
He has won 10 Australian Open titles, 7 Wimbledon Championships and 3 US and French Open titles apiece. He has also won 6 ATP Finals titles, all part of 95 titles (so far) on the tour. He also lost 22 weeks at Number 1 because of the pandemic and is likely to get the Number 1 ranking back after the US Open in September.
26. Andy Murray
First Time Ranked as World Number 1: 7th of November 2016
Last Time Ranked as World Number 1: 20th of August 2017
Total Number of Weeks at World Number 1: 41
Grand Slam Singles Titles: 3
No player had more pressure to win a major title than Andy Murray at Wimbledon. The host nation hadn’t had a winner of the men’s singles for 77 years before Murray won in 2013 over Djokovic in the final. This followed an Olympic Gold in London and the US Open in 2012 after 4 major final defeats. No player had to work harder to get to the top spot as he had to deal with the Big 3 throughout his career and he did make it a Big 4 for the period of 2008-17 before injury ruined his opportunity for further major success.
He did have an amazing year in 2016 with a second Wimbledon and Olympic titles becoming the only two-time winner of the Olympic Singles Gold. He has won 46 times on the ATP Tour at the present time. He has also been a 5-time runner-up of the Australian Open and the 2016 French Open Runner-up as well.
27. Daniil Medvedev
First Time Ranked as World Number 1: 28th of February 2022
Last Time Ranked as World Number 1: 11th of September 2022
Total Number of Weeks at World Number 1: 16
Grand Slam Singles Titles: 1
Medvedev ended the Big 4’s hold on the World Number 1 in February 2022 after winning the US Open in 2021 preventing Djokovic from winning the Grand Slam and losing in the Australian Open in 2022 to Nadal. One of the more unorthodox players in the world, Medvedev has 20 titles already at the age of 27 which includes the 2020 ATP Finals title as well. His 16 weeks at Number 1 could easily increase in the future but at the moment, his CV is an impressive one.
28. Carlos Alcaraz
First Time Ranked as World Number 1: 12th of September 2022
Last Time Ranked as World Number 1: Incumbent Number 1
Total Number of Weeks at World Number 1: 33*
Grand Slam Singles Titles: 2
The reigning Number 1, the youngest ever to hold the top spot. Carlos Alcaraz has already achieved so much for one so young, it is exciting to see what the future will hold. At the age of 19 years and 3 months, he won the US Open and became World Number 1 at the same time as Casper Ruud and has gone to another level in 2023.
He underlined his superiority at the top of the game when he ended Djokovic’s reign at Wimbledon and has won 12 titles on tour so far. However, when he does hang his racket up, who knows what number his weeks at Number 1 could be.
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