The 10 best tennis players never to become World No. 1

Becoming World No.1 is one of the most difficult achievements in tennis, perhaps bested only by winning Grand Slam titles. Only 25 men have achieved the #1 ranking since the inception of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings system in 1973. Roger Federer does of course hold the recordfor the longest reign as #1 (302 weeks), while Patrick Rafter has had the shortest reign as #1: one week in July of 1999.The accomplishments of those who never made it to the pinnacle of the rankings are rarely highlighted though. Some of them were outstanding athletes in their own right and were a tad unfortunate. Here are the 10 best male tennis players who never achieved the ATPs #1 ranking (players no longer active) along with their peak ranking and earnings (adjusted for inflation).

#10 Manuel Orantes / Peak Rank: #2 / ATP Earnings: $6 Million

Despite being of only average height (he was called “Manuelito” or “Little Manuel” for his boyish demeanor), his accomplishments in the world of tennis from the late 60s to the early 80s can in no way be described as “little”. Despite “just” winning one Grand Slam singles title, he was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2012. He reached as high as No.2.

In the 1975 US Open, in the semis against Guilermo Vilas, Manuel completed one of the greatest comebacks in tennis. At 26 years old, Orantes had dropped the first two sets of the best-of-five sets match and was down 0-5 in the fourth. In fact, fans had begun to rush from the stadium to the parking lot in order to beat the exiting traffic. But Manuel had other ideas: he turned the match around and won 4-6, 1-6, 6-2, 7-5, 6-4.

And again, in the final, no one gave Orantes a chance against Jimmy Connors, who was the best player in the world at that time. He registered an overwhelming 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 win!