LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 14: Andy Murray of Great Britain celebrates winning the match and the Championship with the trophy during the men's final match against James Blake of USA on Day 7 of the AEGON Championship at Queens Club on June 14, 2009 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Andy Murray struggled in the top 10 while the big 3 – Federer, Nadal and Djokovic dominated world Tennis
Andy Murray stayed in the top 10 of the ATP rankings for 3493 days, without making it to the No.1 spot – the longest time taken by a Tennis player in the modern era. The least time taken in this aspect is by current World No.1, Carlos Alcaraz. He sealed the world number one spot just 140 days after breaking into the Top 10.
Andy Murray’s career has been built on hard work and determination that saw him challenge the three greatest tennis players of all time. A stat posted on Twitter by a tennis reporter showed Murray as the player that needed the longest time from entering the top 10 to become number one and it is understandable because he played at a time when Federer, Nadal and Djokovic dominated world Tennis. Despite the dominance of the Big Three, Murray did eventually get the No.1 spot and won three Grand Slam titles.
Murray himself acknowledged the statistic, tweeting: “I think that’s called perseverance.” 35-year-old Murray is in the twilight of his career but is still a regular on the ATP tour.
“You happened to arrive in the most competitive era of tennis, ever”, a fan correctly wrote.
“Given the unprecedented level of competition over that period, I also thought it was more a positive measure of perseverance than anything else. Of course, that list doesn’t include the much larger number of players who have made the top 10 but never made it to no. 1”, wrote another fan.
“Absolutely! And you’ve got bucketloads of it, along with grit and determination. Looking forward to seeing you at Battle of the Brits in Aberdeen. @JudyMurray @jamie_murray @Murraynators”, read another tweet.
“Well worth the wait. Now let’s see you back in top 10 again”, tweeted another fan.
Another fan wrote: “Good things happen to those who wait.”
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