Nadal passes Agassi for most weeks in top ten of ATP rankings, moves to third all-time behind Federer and Connors
Rafael Nadal, the 18-time Grand Slam champion and record 35-time Masters 1000 titlist, completed a record 748 (uninterrupted) weeks inside the top ten of the ATP rankings, as on August 19, 2019.
In doing so, the Spaniard has surpassed American Andre Agassi for third-most weeks in the top-ten (behind Federer and Connors). Weeks after being thwarted by Roger Federer in his first Masters final at 2005 Miami, Nadal became one of the youngest members of the top-ten club after winning his fourth title of the year in Barcelona.
Following his Barcelona triumph, the then 19-year-old Nadal embarked on a 24-match win streak to become the first teenager to win a Grand Slam (2005 Roland Garros) since Pete Sampras won at the US Open in 1990.
The teenaged Spaniard endured early exits on grass at Halle and Wimbledon respectively before beating Andre Agassi to win his first hard court title at the Coupe Rogers in Montreal.
With his tenth title of the year and second on hard court at the Beijing Open, Nadal broke Mats Wilander's 32-year record of most title haul in a season by a teenager. Nadal won his career-best 11th title of the year on the indoor hard courts of Madrid to tie Federer for most titles in the season en-route to making the best year-end ranking (2) for a Spaniard.
Ever since breaking into the top-ten of the ATP rankings in April-2005, Nadal has been a member of the exclusive club for a record uninterrupted period of 748 weeks as on August 19, 2019.
Nadal is one of only four players in the world to have had a top-ten ranking for 700 weeks or more. With only 720 points to defend in the remainder of the year (Nadal closed his 2018 season following a loss to Juan Martin Del Potro in the US Open semifinals), the Spaniard's uninterrupted reign in the top ten isn't in imminent danger of ending.
