Tennis Players with the Most Weeks at Number 1

Find out who are the longest reigning tennis players as leaders of the men's and women's tennis rankings. How many weeks as ATP number 1 does Novak Djokovic have? How many weeks as number 1 WTA has Steffi Graf? Discover best tennis players who have been the longest No. 1 in the WTA Rankings and number 1 in the ATP Rankings.
In the world of tennis, achieving the coveted No. 1 ranking is a testament to unparalleled skill, consistency, and perseverance. For both men and women, securing the top spot in the ATP and WTA rankings is the pinnacle of success, signifying dominance over their peers. Over the years, several tennis luminaries have etched their names in history by spending the most weeks as the undisputed No. 1 players. Let's delve into the careers of these iconic athletes who have reigned supreme atop the tennis world.
Top 3 in ATP Rankings
At the pinnacle of men's tennis, the battle for the ATP No. 1 ranking has been fiercely contested by legends of the sport. Leading the pack is tennis GOAT Novak Djokovic, whose sublime skills, determination and power of will demeanor propelled him to an unprecedented 413 weeks at the top spot. Djokovic's remarkable consistency and versatility across all surfaces have cemented his status as one of the greatest players of all time.
Following closely behind Djokovic is Roger Federer, whose amazing technique and graceful demeanor resolve have earned him 310 weeks as the ATP No. 1. Federer's unparalleled ability to rise to the occasion on the biggest stages has seen him dominate the ATP tour and etch his name in the annals of tennis history.
Rounding out the podium is American icon Pete Sampras, whose lethal serve and unyielding focus propelled him to 286 weeks as the ATP No. 1. Sampras's unrivaled success on fast surfaces and his ability to deliver under pressure made him a formidable force during his illustrious career.
Top 3 in WTA Rankings
In the realm of women's tennis, a select group of athletes have showcased their prowess by ascending to the pinnacle of the WTA rankings. Leading the charge is the legend Steffi Graf, whose elegant style of play and unwavering determination earned her 377 weeks as the WTA No. 1. Graf's remarkable achievements, including completing the Golden Slam in 1988, have left an indelible mark on the sport and inspired generations of players.
Trailing closely behind Graf is Martina Navratilova, whose exceptional versatility and unparalleled success on all surfaces saw her dominate the WTA tour for 332 weeks as the No. 1 player. Navratilova's revolutionary approach to the game and her unmatched athleticism have solidified her status as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
The podium is completed by Serena Williams, whose unparalleled dominance and sheer athleticism have seen her reign supreme as the WTA No. 1 for an astounding 319 weeks. Williams's unrivaled power and mental fortitude have propelled her to 23 Grand Slam singles titles, solidifying her status as one of the greatest athletes of all time.
Data:
ATP No.1: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
WTA No.1: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
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Dive into the records of tennis royalty! Discover the players who've dominated the ATP/WTA rankings, spending the most weeks at the coveted Number 1 spot.

[@milansvideochannel]

Monika Seles was playing for Yugoslavia for the entire time she was no.1 and got USA citizenship in 2nd half of the 90s when she wasn't at top of her game. Putting a US flag to her name in a video is wrong!

[@fuckurbody]

False When monica came back, she was given back the #1 ranking (co-number 1 with the great steffi graf) for a period of time and she was an american by then . Hence the steffi and monica’s numbers goin up at the same time during 95-96 period. An american and a german. Bye slavic😂

[@danicadabic9789]

@@fuckurbody Monika Seles won most of her Grand Slams as a Yugoslavian national, from Serbia - 8. Part of the reason she took the US citizenship was the animosity towards her as the Yugoslav wars broke at the same time. She would have been the GOAT, just like Djokovic is now, had the Germans done their part in protecting the players. Bye aggressor.

[@fuckurbody]

@@danicadabic9789 and that didnt happen. monica isnt even in the running for GOAT. welcome back to reality. uts steffi graf & roger federer

[@danicadabic9789]

@@fuckurbody Oh it did. Djokovic is The GOAT and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.

[@bb1111116]

@@danicadabic9789 Monica getting stabbed was terrible. It ruined woman’s tennis for me for several years.

[@djordjelezajic8435]

Roger FEDERER 310 weeks as no.1, Rafael Nadal 209 weeks as no.1. When No1VAK DJOKOV1C reached 412 weeks as no.1, he had spent exactly TWO(2) YEARS on the top longer than Roger, and when he reaches week # 417, he will have 4 yrs. more on the top than Nadal. Also do not forget due to COVID the season was suspended for 22 weeks, otherwise Djokovic would be on week # 437. To put it another way, DJOKOV1C has spent as no.1 more weeks: -129 than Sampras -145 than Lendl -147 than Connors -245 than McEnroe -306 than Borg -314 than Agassi. -

[@missourimanful]

@djordelezajic8435 You are exactly right. Most people forget about the whole Covid aspect to Novak,but you didn’t and neither did I. And don’t forgot the high and mighty powers to be at Wimbledon, decided to ban Russian players when the war in Ukraine started, so they decided to award ZERO points that year, which was in 2022. But they deducted all points from 2021. Well guess who won in 2021? Nole. So he was deducted 2000 POINTS. That’s a whole lot. So Carlos ended up winning USO and becomes World Number #1. No way he would have been, had Nole had 2000 extra points. Anyway totally agree with your assessment.

[@fraerot]

Federer fans like be: but the weeks Federer as Nr.1 are more elegant and classy 😂😂😂😂

[@fuckurbody]

They were 🤷🏼

[@Catofborealvalley]

@@fuckurbody Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

[@fuckurbody]

true. fix ur eyes 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@user-re5fq5ew9w]

hahahahahahahaahaha

[@Catofborealvalley]

@@fuckurbody Just as expected from a Federer fan. Insults when logic and reason isn’t on their side.

[@beryl8285]

I love facts like this - thanks for creating it and posting!

[@welovestats1]

You're welcome!

[@Gr0s3d]

Djokivic is just build different

[@broncoguy4862]

The same was said about Lance Armstrong for years.

[@1970sugan]

@@broncoguy4862there is a difference. Lance was souped up. Nole is not…

[@spacefreak3491]

@@broncoguy4862 dude, don't be salty! just because he's better than your idols doesn't mean you have to convince yourself he's cheating! Sometimes it's better to accept reality and move on!

[@MP-mn6we]

Martina played against Evert, Graf, Seles, Vicario, and Davenport. I think her peers were way tougher than anyone else. She is my all time female GOAT. Same arguments for Djokovic. He has a winning record against both Federer and Nadal head to head. Pete Sampras is #2 on my list. On his best day on hardcourts or grass, nobody beats him. People forget Agassi was just a slightly lesser version of Djokovic.

[@tadeuszapyr1662]

Świątek Wow

[@pbalajiusaf]

Two records that'll never be broken. 1. Rafa - 14 Roland Garros 2. Nole - weeks at #1

[@wimzswimz9843]

List of top 5 no.1 ATP players before 30 years old: 1. Pete sampras: 286 weeks (29 years old in 2000) 2. Roger federer: 285 weeks (29 years old in 2010) 3. Jimmy connors: 251 weeks (27 years old in 1979) 4. Ivan lendl: 247 weeks (A couple of days before his 30th birthday on march 7th, 1990) 5. Novak djokovic: 223 weeks (29 years old in 2016) List of additional weeks of no. 1 for top 5 ATP players after 30 years old: 1. Novak djokovic: 195 weeks (Starting from april, 1st and still counting) 2. Roger federer: 25 weeks 3. Pete sampras: 0 4. Ivan lendl: 23 weeks 5. Jimmy connors: 17 weeks So the last result of top 5 ATP players with most weeks of no. 1 in 2024 has become: 1. Novak djokovic: 418 weeks (Still counting until at least april, 1st 2024) 2. Roger federer: 310 weeks 3. Pete sampras: 286 weeks 4. Ivan lendl: 270 weeks 5. Jimmy connors: 268 weeks

[@guyinsf]

Martina is the real #1 on this list because Graf was able to amass a lot of weeks at #1 due to Sele's absence for 2.5 years from the stabbing.

[@guillermoespinoza9791]

Wau Djokovic 😯

[@chrismuz]

Steffi & Novak, the !!

[@tyroneabital469]

You could also see how most of the movements stopped around 2001 after the rules drastically changed and most players dropped out and only 1 to 2 players only moved up. Tennis was never the same after that shift it was 2004, 2011, and 2016 that had drastic movements and those were the big 3 who only moved. Federer clearly stopped moving once Djokovic started moving up in 2011-2011. Nada was constantly there to remind them he was still around.

[@darryldanzinger9996]

I agree

[@oldskoolmusicnostalgia]

Djokovic is unmatchable.

[@user-jz8mc5gj6y]

two things i'd like to comment: one, i don't think Ivan Lendl ever got the credit he deserved. guy was an absolutely phenomenal player. unbelievable groundstrokes especially his running forehand. and two, Steffi Graf is hands down the womens GOAT. the only player in the last 50 years male or female to win a calendar grand slam. the only player in history male or female to win the golden grand slam. the only player in history male or female to win all 4 grand slams at least 4 times each. WTA Record 377 weeks at number one....WTA Record 8 times the Year-End number one 22 Grand Slam Titles & 107 career Titles. all this acomplished and she retired at such a young age, having just turned 30.

[@missourimanful]

@user-jz8mc5gj6y As far as Steffi, yes she has 22 Majors and that’s a heck of an accomplishment, but for those old enough to remember Seles was absolutely incredible in her young prime. She had won 8 Majors BEFORE age 20. Had that lunatic German not stabbed Monica, there is no way Steffi would have 22 Majors, and Monica 9. Monica would have had more and Steffi less. It’s that simple. We were deprived of a great rivalry. Monica was never the same after the stabbing.

[@darryldanzinger9996]

I agree Lendl Never got the recognition he deserves

[@move3spaces246]

Novak is the 🐐

[@aagold76]

Steffi is an amazing champion... but you should keep in mind that about 100 of her weeks at #1 were during a period when Monica Seles was absent from the tour after a crazed Graf fan stabbed her in the back (his admitted sole point for doing it was to return Steffi to #1). Could Steffi had gotten back to #1 with Monica still on the tour- yes, she's a champion, but would she have dominated for about 100+ weeks of the 120 Monica was absent- NO. To say 'yes she would' denies reality and shows support for the psychopath that stabbed Seles. It would be legit to take about half of Steffi's stats from those 2.5 years away- she won 6 majors and had 100+ weeks at #1- I could see her legitimately winning 3/4 majors and being #1 for 50 weeks...making Steffi be in the 320s and Monica in the 220s.

[@schmatzesah]

no way

[@user-re5fq5ew9w]

absolutley 😢

[@fabianhauser708]

Sadly, that's true. The attack on Monica took Steffis biggest rival out for years. All tennis were robbed of what could have been the female version of the Federer-Nadal rivalry 😢

[@stevyyjay85]

Doesn't make sense. When Seles returned, she was re-instated as #1 - co-ranked at #1 with Graf for over 60 weeks.

[@aagold76]

@@stevyyjay85 when she came back, yes- she lost 120 weeks during her absence... she would have stayed number one with SF/Final/Winning results that she had been posting the 3 previous years- she dropped points like crazy after the stabbing, making Steffi have to do next to nothing to regain #1.

[@touhidghasemi7093]

Djokovic is undoubtedly the GOAT!

[@namamora1190]

there was a Nadal for Federer, Djokovic doesnt have a younger player at his level, if Federer didnt have a good year, Nadal will take it all, if Djokovic doesnt have a good year, there is no one at his level, so what if he doesnt have a good year? he wins anyway. a Federer at 33 years old, have Nadal at his prime at 28, Djokovic at 33 has... what?... Nadal at 34? ....data need context.

[@fracmas5481]

@@namamora1190 exactly and Djokovic had nadal and fedderer to beat down from 2010 to 2017 while they where in their primes. To that Argument fedderer first few years that the got like the majority of his Grand slams dident have Rafa there. So your context data is basicly your delusions.

[@namamora1190]

@@fracmas5481 u didnt argue against my point at all, so i duno why u even bother...maybe i need to clarify so u may understand, there is no younger player competing against Djokovic, all the younger players are not at the level of Nadal, Federer and Djokovic, for Federer it was Nadal for Nadal it was Djokovic, for Djokovic, there is nobody, so he just keeps winning. Its natural to start losing games to the younger generation, but after Djokovic there was nobody at the same level as those 3.

[@razorramon6418]

Djokovic being younger than nadal being used as an argument 🤦‍♂ They're literally the same age group 😂 Age gap between the two is 11 months.. Nadal and djokovic are roughly the same age group man. Didn't know you had to be born on the same day to be considered peers in sport 😂😂😂😂 If these nonsense arguments were valid the ATP would have had separate all time lists: Most weeks at no.1 with rivals list Most weeks at no. 1 with no rivals list Most weeks at no.1 with most elegance list 😂😂 Fact of the matter is: Djokovic heads the all time list. Deserves the respect for that. As do all the players on that list. All have great achievements... but one, has the greatest of those achievements; Novak Djokovic. All 3 represented a unique era in tennis. One came out on top. Fed came 3rd. Federer himself wanted to cement his position hence why he played on. Or he would have retired earlier. So let's not act like the records don't matter. Your hero himself will be gutted about losing his records and undisputed status, that's just life. Having fans on the internet making up reasons to ease the wounds "Federer was more elegant", "Federer should have changed the type of racket he used" ... all these pitiful comments do not make up for less trophies and records than his greatest rivals. No professional player in the history of the sport aimed to be the most elegant 😂 They all want to be the best and if not the best, the best they can be. 3rd place is better than 4th.. no? So be happy 🎉 One day djokovic may drop to 3rd on the all time list. But Federer will move to 6th. So be proud of what your favourite player has achieved rather than trying to polish it and make it shinier than it is.. It is what it is. Take it like a champ✊️

[@namamora1190]

@@razorramon6418 wich again, was not my point was it.. go ahead, use that facepalm for urself, i allow it.

[@alibaba4848]

Ca montre surtout l'inégalité de la compétition selon les epoques. L'absence de vrai rival

[@andreasw7708]

What about Boris Becker?

[@Agent77X]

Nole is the GOAT!😊

[@Brauzeuge1516]

Tennisspielerinnen?

[@michaeljohnson5365]

I always thought Federer at his best would have beaten all of them and Martina Nav at here peak was head and shoulders above all of theme

[@muriloborges9481]

These stats are crazy, as not weeks as n1 is the only factor…There is no way to compare Hewitt with a Stefan Edberg, Roddick or even Courier with Becker, Barty with Henin or Safina with Sharapova, wich shows that have number of GS titles, oponente and many other things

[@Summon256]

Well Djokovic has it all, so it's academic...LOL

[@VladK181]

Djokovic moved out them all. The abyss between him and rest of the tour with all tennis history combined.

[@rajusaha855]

Steffi is WTA GOAT & Djokovic is ATP GOAT (of course it's tough to compare him with Rod Laver achievement in amateur + pro tour + open era combined).

[@danicadabic9789]

There is no comparison with Laver and Laver's Grand Slams should not even be uttered in the same sentence with Novak's achievements. These were not the same tournaments at all (the surface, number of players in the draw, competition...)

[@rajusaha855]

​@@danicadabic9789 yeah it's tough to compare Novak & Laver but both are very versatile player. If grand slam were played on HC then he still could have dominate the sports, mind you he has tremendous records in all surfaces (clay, grass, Hard, carpet,wood & even canvas). Talking about competition, during amateur era his main rivals were Roy Emerson, Santana, Fraser, Pietrangeli etc. When he turned pro in 1963 his mains rivals were Pancho Gonzales, Rosewall, Lew Hoad etc (the first two were absolutely GOAT contender & peak Hoad was as good as any player ever lived). Again when open era begans in 1968 his main rivals were strong NextGen include Newcombe, Roche, Stan Smith, Ashe, Nastase & Jimmy Connors. Despite his past prime he still won CGS in 1969. I mean I don't think any men & women in history has faced as tough competition as Laver does. It's a shame that during his peak years in mid 60's he was banned from grand slam after turning professional.

[@danicadabic9789]

@@rajusaha855 the competition was what it was but with tennis not being such a global sport, we can't really measure the quality of the big names of the time. They are all Hall of Famers now, but would they have been such legends with the field we have today? The grand slams were played all on grass except for Roland Garros. And the draw was like 48 players (if I am not mistaken) to 128 today. These tournaments just bear the same name, nothing else. I will agree that Laver absolutely left a huge mark and is a legend of the sport. No one can deny it.

[@rajusaha855]

@@danicadabic9789 but you can't blame Laver that during his time players played with wooden racquet, have 3 slams on grass court. In fact Laver won his second CGS in 1969 in all 128 field strong draw. Had Novak turned pro in 50's & 60's then he also faced the same problem & we all criticize him also. So it's tough to compare players from different generation. Example even in 70's players like Borg, Mcenroe & Connors hardly travel to australian to play A.O & Mcenroe & Connors just played two slams a year even at their peak. If they played in today's criteria where slam are everything then the likes of Mcenroe & Connors would easily have won double digit of slams. But nothing to take away from Djokovic, what he is done is simply phenomenon & he is the GOAT under modern criteria.

[@FAD-ln1nk]

Serena Williams is the WTA goat

[@davidavila3994]

Sampras forever

[@agungs8564]

Cant believe Sharapova only have 21 weeks at no 1 ,beside she won 5 slam ,and also she want in all surface ,compare to azarenka or wozniacki ,omg lol ,also Dinara Safina and Jelena Jancovic are the only no 1 with no Slam title right ?

[@welovestats1]

She had to fight the Williams sisters, Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin. The competition was very strong at the time.

[@rajusaha855]

​@@welovestats1then how did Wozniacki, Safina, Ivanovic & Jankovic like players becomes no 1. Does Serena didn't present there to stop them??🤔🤔 or Serena lacks consistency (especially outside of slams) before she joined Patrick Mouratoglou in 2012. In Graf's & Martina era many slam winner never able to become #1.

[@TheMixrs]

@@rajusaha855 Jankovic was consistent player, reaching late stages of the tournament more often than not. She even at some point had positive H2H against both Williams sisters. Ivanovic won French Open and made 2 more Slam finals and numerous semifinals. It's just that they were both headcases.

[@bigrobsydney]

Pliskova.

[@seven6590]

Well Iga is almost 1/4 way to number 1 We have pretty weak era so who knows

[@wimzswimz9843]

That's one of the laziest WTA era too. Sabalenka has been pathetic lately. Ostapenko is only great against swiatek but weak against even unseeded players

[@seven6590]

@@wimzswimz9843 right, also Iga is only 22. Her staying at first place for 6 years isn't that unlikely unless some new talent comes along.

[@ajollypanda4175]

Dod not realize barty was no.1 that long

[@kasiaxxx8141]

Maybe beacuse of pandemic?

[@wimzswimz9843]

@@kasiaxxx8141 20 weeks were frozen due to pandemic, so it didn't count! Haven't you noticed that?

[@ON-wi6of]

Staffing Graf GOAT 🫶

[@michaeljohnson5365]

Hingis was number one at just 16 and then went into troubled relationships and drugs just like Capriati

[@darryldanzinger9996]

Hingis was on drugs? So sad

[@davidmalebranche8522]

Rafa fans… “but he won the French 14 times!” Lol

[@ValentinKouzmin]

NavratilOva )))) поржал

[@user-pg7iq8zd5u]

Novak is getting ready to retire...

[@darryldanzinger9996]

Dont think so

[@VladK181]

Keep dreaming mate

[@1970sugan]

Monica seles could have surpassed graf if it was not for her attacker. Nole is the goat. Coincidentally both these players are from Yugoslavia or Serbia. There is a perennial hatred towards Serbians from Western Europeans.

[@vrbasstaraladza605]

Whit doping.

[@DonLee1980]

djokovic is the longevity king. all that yoga, stretching and consistency has extended his career similar to Lebron. I respect his dedication, but he's never going to be GOAT for me.

[@fracmas5481]

Well that is straight up avoiding reality u can have favorites that is ok but reality says otherwise.

[@laurent___4431]

50% of Graf career and title is a fraud . Seles was n1 when a Graf fan attack her with a knife.

[@rajusaha855]

No, you can only beat who is infront of you. Seles also hugely benefitted from Steffi's off court issues like her father's extramarital affair & tax evasion. Monica dominate the field not Steffi. Steffi still leads her 10-5 in h2h. BTW WTA made Seles as the co-ranked #1 with Steffi when she made her comeback.

[@broncoguy4862]

Hey, it's not Graf's fault that Seles took a 2 year vacation when she could have returned in less than 3 months. It's also not Graf's fault that Seles discovered butter, and got fat instead of improving her game.

[@guyinsf]

@@rajusaha855 Steffi's personal problems didn't force her to retire from tennis for over 2 years while she was ranked number 1. Don't be silly comparing Seles' stabbings to Steffi's dad's problems.

[@guyinsf]

@@broncoguy4862 Of course it wasn't Graf's fault but the fact remains she benefitted from Seles' absence.

[@mik8352]

Nevertheless, Steffi was the greatest. In her prime, she was amazing. Period.

[@jmilne5751]

5 guys in front of Rafael Nadal & yet Novax has spent twice the amount of weeks at number 1 for a total of 2 more slams & a cpl more ATP titles... Just proves you Don't have to be number 1 to achieve greatness in Tennis...Injuries alone stopped Nadal from having way more slams & titles...

[@vagnerpaiva2087]

Nadal é fraco!

[@jmilne5751]

@@vagnerpaiva2087 English English....

[@NamTran-xc2ip]

Just like celiac and covid stopped Djokovic, and rackets and slow courts stopped Federer.

[@danicadabic9789]

The injuries are part of the sport and the way your body handles the stress. Rafa said it himself recently. He literally said that Djokovic had better body and took better care. It is what it is. Many predicted Rafa to retire way earlier due to the nature of his game. Taking time off multiple times actually worked in favor of his longevity. He was able to recharge and come back strong and fresh for the clay season where he dominated. Don't disrespect Novak's titles. It is not just "cpl more ATP titles". He has 71 big titles as opposed to Rafa's 59. Slams 24:22. Masters titles 40:36. Tournaments total 98:92...

[@jmilne5751]

@@danicadabic9789 He got in front when Rafa went long term off court.. and has played a lot more tournaments to get his titles... especially Slams...Novak ONLY got in front H2H with Fed when fed aged an injuries set in... Novax won 5 of their last 6 matches...including 4 when Fed was 37 & 38 years old...not exactly difficult... Had Fed retired at age 35 he would of finished ahead in terms of wins...instead of trying with his knee issues...