Juan Martin del Potro (New Yoker)
The No.1 rank in the ATP or WTA rankings is a coveted spot in Tennis – fans share some of the greatest names who missed out
Tennis rankings were officially introduced in 1973 to determine the qualification for entry and the seeding of players in all singles and doubles tournaments. Since its introduction, the rankings have seen legendary names hold the No.1 spot and the process is in effect till date. However, there have been some extremely talented players who have missed out on this coveted spot – let us take a look at what fans feel are the most deserving players to have never been No.1.
The professional tour has always witnessed fierce competition for the top spot and few players will certainly consider themselves unlucky for never being able to take the spot.
There have been periods in both men’s and women’s tennis when the top spots have been dominated by some of the greatest names and anyone else hardly got a sniff. Be it the Navratilova-Evert era in the 1970s-80s or the ‘Big Four’ era in men’s tennis, players who played in such eras have been really unfortunate to have never been No.1 owing to the sheer quality and competition during those particular phases.
Most fans believe that Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro is the greatest player to have never been ranked No.1. Despite a successful career filled with silverware, del Potro was never able to take the No.1 spot in men’s singles in the ATP Rankings.
He played in an era when the sport was dominated by three legendary players in Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The Argentine could only climb as high as No.3 in the rankings, a spot he occupied only for a few weeks.
The former star is a legend in his own right and undoubtedly the greatest player from Argentina. In an illustrious career spanning over 17 years, the Argentine star won 22 titles in Singles including a US Open Grand Slam title in 2009. Del Potro was ranked as high as World No. 3 in singles during his playing career. He announced his retirement from professional Tennis in 2022.
Let us take a look at some of the other names besides Del Potro, who fans believe were really unlucky to have not been ranked No.1.
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