5 players with the longest reign as World No. 1 ft. Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer
The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) has been ranking players based on their performances in various tournaments on a weekly basis since 1973. The rankings are determined by a computer system, and since its inception, 28 players have held the title of world number 1.
The duration of their reign as world number 1 varies, with some players holding the title for just one week while others have held it for hundreds of weeks during their careers. Novak Djokovic is currently the world number 1 after winning his 10th Australian Open title.
#5. Jimmy Connors (USA), 268 weeks
Jimmy Connors is a former American tennis player who previously held the record for the most consecutive weeks at number one, at 160 weeks. His career as a professional spanned from 1972 to April 29, 1996, when he announced his retirement.
Connors was ranked as the ATP's number one player for a total of 268 weeks. He won 1,274 matches out of 1,557 and earned 109 titles, including eight major titles.
#4. Ivan Lendl (CZ), 270 weeks
Ivan Lendl holds the record for being the only man with a winning percentage of over 90% in five different years. He was ranked number 1 for a total of 270 weeks, making him the fourth highest.
Lendl is regarded by many as one of the greatest tennis players in history, being the first player to contest 19 major titles and winning eight of them. He is tied with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer as players with the most runner-up finishes in major titles, with 11 each.
#3. Pete Sampras (USA), 286 weeks
Pete Sampras, nicknamed "Pistol Pete" for his powerful serve, won 14 major titles during his career, which spanned from 1988 to 2002. His 14 major titles were a record at the time.
He went on to win a total of 69 titles and became world number 1 for the first time in 1993, a ranking he held for a total of 286 weeks throughout his career. Sampras was also the first tennis player to win seven Wimbledon titles.
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#2. Roger Federer (SUI), 310 weeks
Roger Federer broke numerous records throughout his career, including being the first to win 20 Grand Slam titles. He was considered by many as the greatest tennis player of all time at the peak of his career.
He holds the record for the most Wimbledon wins (8) and the joint-most US Open and year-end championship titles, 5 and 6, respectively. Federer revolutionized the sport and holds the record for the longest consecutive reign as the world number 1 tennis player for 237 weeks from Feb 2, 2004 to Aug 17, 2008.
He retired in 2022 with a record of being the world's number 1 tennis player for a total of 310 weeks, according to the ATP ranking.
#1. Novak Djokovic (SRB), 374 weeks
22 time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic holds the record for being the player with the most weeks as the ATP world number 1 player with a total of 374 weeks.
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He is part of the "Big Three," alongside Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, and is tied with Nadal for the most Grand Slam titles at 22.
However, Djokovic missed out on several major titles in 2021-2022 due to his refusal to get vaccinated. He has also set numerous records, including being the only player to win all nine Masters tournaments and achieve a career Golden Masters, which he has done twice.