Top five players with longest reign as first-time ATP World No. 1

Roger Federer spent 237 weeks as World No. 1 during his initial run. 

Reaching the ATP World No. 1 ranking is an aspiration for many players. Getting there is proof of a player’s talent and match-winning abilities, but staying there requires consistency. The long stay at the top of the table shows how much resilience is required to stay on top, with other players competing for the top spot.

Here are the five tennis players who have worked towards cementing their legacy in the sport they love, backed by significant opening stints at the much-coveted position of World No. 1. 

Also Read: Top five players with most ATP 1000 Masters final appearances before turning 22

Rafael Nadal – 46 weeks

Rafael Nadal spent 209 weeks as World No. 1, and 46 of those were during his first stint at the top. He first reached the No. 1 spot in August 2008, and Federer ended Nadal’s 46-week reign at the top. Nadal reclaimed the No. 1 ranking after the 2010 French Open for his longest run of 56 weeks. 

A testament to Nadal’s longevity and resilience is the fact that between 2005 and 2023, he was ranked in the top ten for 912 weeks. Nadal also finished as year-end No. 1 five times, a record he shares with Roger Federer.

The Spaniard has registered a record 23 wins over World No. 1 players. All the wins came against Roger Federer (13) and Novak Djokovic (10).   

Jannik Sinner – 52 weeks

Jannik Sinner has entered his 45th week as world No.1 ahead of his return to the tour next month. He claimed the top spot in June last season to become the first Italian No. 1 after the 2024 French Open when he took over from Novak Djokovic. 

The Italian has a 47-3 record as No. 1 and will be in the top spot when he returns to competitive tennis at the Italian Open in May. Sinner will make history when he returns to action at the Italian capital as the first Italian player to compete in his home event on top of the ATP Rankings.

Novak Djokovic – 53 weeks

Novak Djokovic’s opening stint of 53 weeks as World No. 1 leaves him third on this list. The Serb will remain at No. 1 for 122 consecutive weeks. His 428 weeks in the top spot is a tour record, along with his eight-year-end No. 1s.

Despite the significant number of matches Djokovic played as No. 1, he maintained an impressive 485-78 (86.1%) when he occupied the top position. He became the oldest ATP No. 1 in April 2024 at 36 years and 321 days following his semi-final run at the Monte Carlo Masters.

Lleyton Hewitt – 75 weeks

Hewitt was only one of two Australians to rise to the World No. 1 ranking. Although Pat Rafter was the first Australian to be ranked ATP No. 1 before Hewitt, he only stayed there for a week and did not record a win while in the position.

Lleyton Hewitt ascended to the top spot when he defeated Rafter en route to lifting the trophy at the 2001 ATP Finals. This was the start of the then-20-year-old’s 75-week tenure as world No. 1, out of 80 weeks.

The Adelaide native entered the record books as the youngest World No. 1 at the time. Carlos Alcaraz broke the record when he won the 2022 US Open at 19.

Roger Federer – 237 weeks

Even though Novak Djokovic (428) eventually went past Roger Federer (310) for most outright weeks at No. 1, the Swiss player’s 237-week uninterrupted opening run at the top spot is a record unlikely to be broken anytime soon. When No. 1, Federer, amassed a 430-56 for a winning percentage of 88.5%.

Federer recorded five year-end finishes in the coveted position. A special achievement of this legend’s career is that he is the only person to have won more than 100 matches in two different Grand Slams. The former player set the records at the Australian Open (102-15) and Wimbledon (105-14).  

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