Jannik Sinner suffered a heartbreaking defeat in Paris, as he came up short in the French Open final.
At the French Open, Sinner won 20 of the 21 sets required to clinch the title without dropping a single set.
Unfortunately for the Italian, his rival, Carlos Alcaraz, mounted an otherworldly comeback from that point on.
In a five-set classic, Sinner lost to Alcaraz 6-4, 7-6, 4-6, 6-7, 6-7, as he missed out on a maiden Roland Garros title.
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Understandably devastated by the loss, it may take some time for Sinner to recover from his first defeat in a Grand Slam final (now 3-1).
He could, however, take some positives from a major ATP milestone he reached recently, joining an illustrious group of tennis legends.
Sinner has now held the world number one ranking for 52 consecutive weeks, a feat only nine other players in the men’s game can say they’ve accomplished.
The ten players who were ranked number one in the world for a year consecutively1. Roger Federer (237 weeks/ >4.5 years)
Swiss star Roger Federer was dominant in the 2000s, taking the game to new heights.
Federer assumed the number one ranking in February 2004 and held onto the top spot until Rafael Nadal took it off him four and a half years later in August 2008.
During this period, he picked up ten of the available 18 Grand Slam titles, enjoying particular dominance at Wimbledon and the US Open.
Remarkably, Federer never had another year-long reign as world number one following his four-year stint at the top of the rankings, although he did manage 48 weeks between 2009 and 2010.
2. Jimmy Connors (160 weeks/ >3 years)
Becoming just the third player to hold the number one ranking in 1974, Jimmy Connors wasn’t prepared to let go, remaining at the top for 160 weeks.
His dominance was briefly interrupted for one week in 1977 when Sweden’s Bjorn Borg stole the top spot, before Connors returned to the summit for another 84 weeks.
Connors was ranked number one in the world for 244 of 245 weeks, a record even Federer couldn’t top.
3. Ivan Lendl (157 weeks/ >3 years)
Czech legend Ivan Lendl traded the top spot with Connors and John McEnroe for large parts of the 1980s before he found a way to fend off the opposition for an extended period.
Ending McEnroe’s 14th reign as number one in 1985, Lendl held the position until 1988, when Sweden’s Mats Wilander rose to the top.
20 weeks later, Lendl regained the ranking, holding it for a further 80 weeks.
4. Novak Djokovic (122 weeks/
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic became world number one for a third time in July 2014, having already enjoyed two lengthy stints (53 weeks and 48 weeks) on top.
Standing firm for over two years, Djokovic put his number one ranking on the line when he played Britain’s Andy Murray in the final of the 2016 ATP Finals.
Coming up short 3-6, 4-6, Djokovic handed the number one ranking over to Murray.
Djokovic did, however, enjoy a further 52 weeks at the top between 2018 and 2019, and 79 weeks between 2020 and 2022.
5. Pete Sampras (102 weeks/
After spending 82 weeks as number one a few years earlier, Pete Sampras was after an even longer stay at the top when he surpassed Thomas Muster in 1996.
Sampras remained number one for 102 weeks before Chile’s Marcelo Rios overtook him in 1998.
6. Lleyton Hewitt (75 weeks/
The Australian youngster enjoyed his best period between 2001 and 2003, spending 75 weeks ranked number one in the world.
Lleyton Hewitt became world number one following his win at the US Open in 2001, and added a second Major to his collection during his time at the top when he won Wimbledon in 2002.
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
When Andre Agassi snatched the number one spot from him in April 2003, Hewitt returned two weeks later, adding another five weeks to his tally.
7. John McEnroe (58 weeks/ >1 year)
McEnroe’s 14 reigns as number one are the most of any player in tennis history, although his longest stint stands at 58 weeks.
Taking the top spot from his biggest rival, Borg, in 1981, McEnroe held the ranking for over a year before Connors began his fourth stint as world number one.
8. Rafael Nadal (56 weeks/ >1 year)
The legendary Rafael Nadal enjoyed a one-year reign as world number one in 2010 when he overtook Federer in June.
Winning the French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open in 2010, Nadal held onto the top spot until Djokovic snatched the ranking away from him in July 2011.
9. Jannik Sinner (53 weeks/ >1 year)
Sinner became world number one for the first time in June 2024, and has barely blinked since, winning two Major titles, coming a point away from adding a third at Roland Garros.
Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images
Holding a 2,000-point lead over the world number two, it seems more than likely we’ll see Sinner rise a few spots up this list before too long.
10. Andre Agassi (52 weeks/ 1 year)
Agassi held the number one ranking for 52 weeks exactly, from September 1999 to September 2000.
It was his fellow American Sampras who eventually took the ranking away from him, adding the last ten of his 286 weeks as number one to his tally.
How much longer can Jannik Sinner hold onto the world number one ranking?
Sinner holds a substantial lead at the top of the ATP rankings, which will likely hold up for at least a few more months.
- 1. Jannik Sinner – 10,880 points
- 2. Carlos Alcaraz – 8,850 points
- 3. Alexander Zverev – 6,385 points
- 4. Jack Draper – 4,800 points
- 5. Novak Djokovic – 4,630 points
Alcaraz is Sinner’s closest challenger, but will struggle to make up much ground on grass, as he prepares to defend 2,000 points from winning Wimbledon 12 months ago.
The Spaniard’s best chance will come post-Wimbledon, where he underperformed in 2024, while Sinner dominated.
If their fortunes were to be reversed in 2025, Alcaraz would stand a good chance of regaining the world number one ranking later in the year.
Only time will tell whether Alcaraz can take the top spot from Sinner, but it will certainly be something to look out for as the season progresses.
Alcaraz is scheduled to return to action at the Queen’s Club Championships on June 16, while Sinner returns to Halle, where he’ll look to defend his title.