Novak Djokovic (Twitter)
Tennis has seen some legendary names occupying the No.1 spot over the years – have you wondered who has held this spot for the longest time?
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. The current world No.1 in ATP rankings is Novak Djokovic – but, have you wondered who has held the spot for the longest duration if we consider the overall rankings?
Well, Novak Djokovic would top that list as well and it would appear that he has made the spot his very own. The Serbian star has been No.1 in the ATP rankings for more than 7 cumulative years. His close rival and friend, Roger Federer holds the second spot and the Swiss maestro has been No.1 for close to six cumulative years. Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl, Jimmy Connors and Rafael Nadal are the other top names on this list respectively.
Besides holding the record of being No.1 in the ATP rankings for the longest duration of time, Djokovic is also the joint most Grand Slam Champion of all-time – a record he holds along with Rafael Nadal. He won a record tenth Australian Open title in Melbourne earlier this year. With that win, the Serbian equalled Rafael Nadal as the joint-most Grand Slam Champion in the history of Tennis – 22. Djokovic has bagged 66 ‘Big Titles’ which include Grand Slam titles, ATP finals, ATP Masters 1000 tournaments and Olympic singles gold medals. The ATP World No.1 is now seven ‘Big Titles’ clear of his biggest rivals – Nadal (59) and Federer (54).
Djokovic climbed back to the top of the ATP men’s singles rankings thanks to that historic triumph. He is the third-oldest man in the Open Era to triumph at the Australian Open, trailing only Ken Rosewall and Federer, who both accomplished the feat aged 36. With his victory against Tsitsipas in the championship clash, the Serbian also holds the record of winning 17 consecutive matches against the Top 5 opponents at the tournament.
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