Novak Djokovic breaks Roger Federer's record of most weeks as World No. 1
Novak Djokovic has surpassed Roger Federer's record of most weeks spent as World No. 1 in the official ATP rankings. Djokovic started his 311th week as the No. 1 player in the men's rankings on Monday, marking a watershed moment in tennis history.
Roger Federer spent 310 weeks as the World No. 1, 237 of which came on the trot. The 20-time Major champion had held the record for most weeks as No. 1 the entire last decade, but he now finds his tally overtaken by Novak Djokovic.
The Serb had reclaimed the top ranking from Rafael Nadal in February last year, and he hasn't looked back since. While the ATP rankings were frozen for a few months due to the pandemic, Djokovic created an unassailable lead at the top with triumphs at the 2020 Cincinnati Masters, the 2020 Rome Masters and the 2021 Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic continues to exert his supremacy over Big 3 rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal
Since the time computer rankings were first introduced in 1973, there have been several all-time greats that have occupied the coveted top spot. From Ilie Nastase, who was the first player to be recognized by ATP as the World No. 1, to Novak Djokovic, there have been 26 players in the Open Era who have been ranked numero uno in the men's rankings.
There have been some dominant World No. 1s over the years, like Pete Sampras and Ivan Lendl who were ranked at the top for 286 and 270 weeks respectively. That said, Roger Federer was the first male player to make the No. 1 ranking his own personal property.
Federer is the only player, male or female, to be ranked No. 1 for four consecutive years. He is also the only player ever to occupy the top spot for more than 200 consecutive weeks, a record that is likely to stand the test of time.
But with Novak Djokovic showing no signs of slowing down, the Serb might just end up leaving Federer's total number of 310 weeks in the dust.
The third member of the 'Big 3', Rafael Nadal, has been ranked No. 1 in the ATP rankings for 209 weeks. The Spaniard has spent more weeks as the No. 2 ranked player than he has as the No.1; Nadal is only sixth in the list of male players with most weeks at the top spot.
Here is the list of male players with the longest reigns as World No. 1 in the ATP rankings:
1. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 311 weeks
2. Roger Federer (SUI) 310 weeks
3. Pete Sampras (USA) 286 weeks
4. Ivan Lendl (CZE) 270 weeks
5. Jimmy Connors (USA) 268 weeks
6. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 209 weeks
7. John McEnroe (USA) 170 weeks
8. Bjorn Borg (SWE) 109 weeks
9. Andre Agassi (USA) 101 weeks
10. Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) 80 weeks