Top five players with most consecutive weeks in ATP top 10 rankings

Only one player has spent more than 900 consecutive weeks in the ATP top 10 rankings.

Roger Federer is renowned for his distinctive playing style, characterised by effortless full-court coverage, particularly on the green surface. The former Swiss tennis player is also well known for his famous run as the world No. 1 between 2004 and 2008.

While the Swiss maestro tops several exclusive lists related to tennis, a few others are still being updated due to the longevity of Serbia’s Novak Djokovic. However, while the former fails to top the list, the other misses it.

The Serbian tennis star spent 555 consecutive weeks in the top 10 rankings between 2007 and 2017. However, his streak came to an end due to an elbow injury. His current streak, which began in 2018, has yet to reach the 400-week mark.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the top 5 players with the most consecutive weeks in the ATP top 10 rankings.

5. Pete Sampras: 565 weeks

Pete Sampras dominated the US Open and the Wimbledon Championships for years. Also known as ‘Pistol Pete’, he won 14 men’s singles Grand Slam titles in his professional career while spending 565 consecutive weeks in the top 10. Much like other tennis stars, Sampras also made his professional debut at the age of 16.

He broke into the top 10 rankings for the first time in 1990, after winning the US Open. He later dropped out of the top rankings in 2002, the same year in which he played his last professional match.

4. Ivan Lendl: 619 weeks

Former tennis star Ivan Lendl turned professional in 1978 and reached his first Grand Slam singles final in 1979. He later dominated the sport for the subsequent years, winning eight singles Grand Slam titles and staying in the top 10 rankings for 619 consecutive weeks before he dropped out of the top ranks in 1989.

Lendl was ranked 14th at the end of 1989 and later dropped out of the top 800 before the end of 1990. However, he made a remarkable return with a quarterfinal finish in the 1991 US Open before retiring in 1996.

Also Read: Five players to spend most weeks in top 10 without winning a Grand Slam

3. Roger Federer: 742 weeks

Swiss maestro Roger Federer has spent a total of 742 consecutive weeks in the ATP top 10 rankings. However, the Swiss icon is more famous for his time as the ATP World No. 1 from 2004 to 2008. Meanwhile, Federer has spent the most (968 weeks) in the top 10 rankings.

Federer made his debut at the age of 16 in 1998 and won his first Grand Slam title at 21, the 2003 Wimbledon Championships. Later, he won 22 Grand Slam titles before hanging up his boots after playing his last professional game at the 2022 Laver Cup alongside arch-rival and friend Rafael Nadal.

2. Jimmy Connors: 789 weeks

Jimmy Connors spent 789 consecutive weeks in the top 10 rankings. Connors made his professional debut in 1972. He broke into the top 10 rankings for the first time in 1973 and became the world No. 1 in July 1974. Jimmy Connors managed to stay at the top spot for 160 consecutive weeks, creating a new record which was later broken by Roger Federer.

1. Rafael Nadal: 912 weeks

Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal has spent the most consecutive weeks, 912, in the ATP top 10 rankings. He’s also the only player to cross the 900-week mark in the exclusive list. He made his professional debut at the age of 14 in 2001. By the age of 15, he broke into the top 50 rankings.

In the same year, he became the third-youngest player to win an ATP match. Rafael Nadal first entered the top ten rankings in April 2005 and remained in the top charts until March 2023.

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