{"id":175953,"date":"2025-06-11T15:06:16","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T15:06:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/175953\/"},"modified":"2025-06-11T15:06:16","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T15:06:16","slug":"the-ten-players-to-have-held-the-number-one-ranking-for-a-whole-year-as-jannik-sinner-reaches-major-atp-milestone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/175953\/","title":{"rendered":"The ten players to have held the number one ranking for a whole year as Jannik Sinner reaches major ATP milestone"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Jannik Sinner suffered a heartbreaking defeat in Paris, as he came up short in the French Open final.<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the French Open<\/a>, Sinner won 20 of the 21 sets required to clinch the title without dropping a single set.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately for the Italian, his rival, Carlos Alcaraz<\/a>, mounted an otherworldly comeback from that point on.<\/p>\n

In a five-set classic, Sinner lost to Alcaraz<\/a> 6-4, 7-6, 4-6, 6-7, 6-7, as he missed out on a maiden Roland Garros title.<\/p>\n

\"CarlosPhoto by Julian Finney\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Understandably devastated by the loss, it may take some time for Sinner<\/a> to recover from his first defeat in a Grand Slam final (now 3-1).<\/p>\n

He could, however, take some positives from a major ATP<\/a> milestone he reached recently, joining an illustrious group of tennis legends.<\/p>\n

Sinner has now held the world number one ranking for 52 consecutive weeks, a feat only nine other players in the men\u2019s game can say they\u2019ve accomplished.<\/p>\n

The ten players who were ranked number one in the world for a year consecutively1. Roger Federer (237 weeks\/ >4.5 years)<\/p>\n

Swiss star Roger Federer<\/a> was dominant in the 2000s, taking the game to new heights.<\/p>\n

Federer assumed the number one ranking in February 2004 and held onto the top spot until Rafael Nadal<\/a> took it off him four and a half years later in August 2008.<\/p>\n

During this period, he picked up ten of the available 18 Grand Slam titles, enjoying particular dominance at Wimbledon<\/a> and the US Open.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

2. Jimmy Connors (160 weeks\/ >3 years)<\/p>\n

Becoming just the third player to hold the number one ranking in 1974, Jimmy Connors<\/a> wasn\u2019t prepared to let go, remaining at the top for 160 weeks.<\/p>\n

His dominance was briefly interrupted for one week in 1977 when Sweden\u2019s Bjorn Borg<\/a> stole the top spot, before Connors returned to the summit for another 84 weeks.<\/p>\n

Connors was ranked number one in the world for 244 of 245 weeks, a record even Federer couldn\u2019t top.<\/p>\n

3. Ivan Lendl (157 weeks\/ >3 years)<\/p>\n

Czech legend Ivan Lendl<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

Ending McEnroe\u2019s 14th reign as number one in 1985, Lendl held the position until 1988, when Sweden\u2019s Mats Wilander<\/a> rose to the top.<\/p>\n

20 weeks later, Lendl regained the ranking, holding it for a further 80 weeks.<\/p>\n

4. Novak Djokovic (122 weeks\/ <\/p>\n

Serbia\u2019s Novak Djokovic<\/a> became world number one for a third time in July 2014, having already enjoyed two lengthy stints (53 weeks and 48 weeks) on top.<\/p>\n

Standing firm for over two years, Djokovic put his number one ranking on the line when he played Britain\u2019s Andy Murray<\/a> in the final of the 2016 ATP Finals.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Coming up short 3-6, 4-6, Djokovic handed the number one ranking over to Murray.<\/p>\n

Djokovic did, however, enjoy a further 52 weeks at the top between 2018 and 2019, and 79 weeks between 2020 and 2022.<\/p>\n

5. Pete Sampras (102 weeks\/ <\/p>\n

After spending 82 weeks as number one a few years earlier, Pete Sampras<\/a> was after an even longer stay at the top when he surpassed Thomas Muster in 1996.<\/p>\n

Sampras remained number one for 102 weeks before Chile\u2019s Marcelo Rios overtook him in 1998.<\/p>\n

6. Lleyton Hewitt (75 weeks\/ <\/p>\n

The Australian youngster enjoyed his best period between 2001 and 2003, spending 75 weeks ranked number one in the world.<\/p>\n

Lleyton Hewitt<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

\"LleytonPhoto by Clive Brunskill\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

7. John McEnroe (58 weeks\/ >1 year)<\/p>\n

McEnroe\u2019s 14 reigns as number one are the most of any player in tennis history, although his longest stint stands at 58 weeks.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

8. Rafael Nadal (56 weeks\/ >1 year)<\/p>\n

The legendary Rafael Nadal<\/a> enjoyed a one-year reign as world number one in 2010 when he overtook Federer in June.<\/p>\n

Winning the French Open<\/a>, Wimbledon, and US Open in 2010, Nadal held onto the top spot until Djokovic snatched the ranking away from him in July 2011.<\/p>\n

9. Jannik Sinner (53 weeks\/ >1 year)<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"JannikPhoto by JULIEN DE ROSA\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Holding a 2,000-point lead over the world number two, it seems more than likely we\u2019ll see Sinner rise a few spots up this list before too long.<\/p>\n

10. Andre Agassi (52 weeks\/ 1 year)<\/p>\n

Agassi held the number one ranking for 52 weeks exactly, from September 1999 to September 2000.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

How much longer can Jannik Sinner hold onto the world number one ranking?<\/p>\n

Sinner holds a substantial lead at the top of the ATP rankings, which will likely hold up for at least a few more months.<\/p>\n