[Updated] Most weeks at no.1 in tennis (male)

It takes immense talent and effort to acquire top-ranking positions in professional tennis. The list of professional players is uncountable but reaching the top and maintaining it for a very long period of time is back-breaking and onerous but fruitful and worthwhile at the same time. The tennis players who reached such milestones are legends themselves and the greatest in their field. Many such legendary players have stayed at the top for the most weeks at no.1 and this is a list of the top 5 male tennis players with the most weeks at no.1 in tennis.

#1 Novak Djokovic | 425 weeks

The ATP ranked number one player in the world Novak Djokovic has been holding the position for 425 weeks now. Djokovic broke the record of Rodger Federer being the no. 1 for 310 weeks on 8 March 2021 and became the male tennis player with the most weeks at the no. 1 position. He secured the number one position for the first time on 4th July 2011.

Novak stayed at the top as the no. 1, 11 times- 53 weeks (from 4 July 2011 to 8 July 2012), 48 weeks (from 5 November 2012 to 6 October 2013), 122 weeks (from 7 July 2014 to 6 November 2016), 52 weeks (from 5 November 2018 to 3 November 2019), 7 weeks (from 3 February 2020 to 22 March 2020), 79 weeks (from 24 August 2020 to 27 February 2022), 12 weeks (from 21 March 2022 to 12 June 2022), 7 weeks (from 30 January 2023 to 19 March 2023), 7 weeks (from 3 April 2023 to 21 May 2023), 2 weeks (from 12 June 2023 to 25 June 2023), and 36 weeks running (from 11 September 2023 to present).

One of the most inspirational and exciting parts of his professional career is that he was ranked no. 22 on 21st May 2018. He took only 6 months to return to the number one position once again on 5th November 2018.

Read also: Most matches in Tennis history (male & female): Tennis Records

#2 Roger Federer | 310 weeks

Before Djokovic came to the top, Roger Federer ruled the tennis world by being the most weeks at no.1 until 7 March 2021. He held the no. 1 position for 310 weeks in the open era. He broke the record of Pete Sampras in 2012. Sampras held the number one position for 286 weeks and Federer broke it in 2012 becoming the new number one. 

Roger reached the pivotal of men's tennis 5 times in his career. He held the record of being number one for 237 consecutive weeks from 2nd February 2004 to 17th August 2008. Federer also suppressed the record of Jimmy Connors for 160 weeks.

#3 Pete Sampras | 286 weeks

The next tennis player with 286 weeks as the no. 1 is Pete Sampras. He reached the prestigious position of no. 1 in the world in 1993. These 286 weeks of his reign included an Open-Era record of six consecutive years in number 1 rankings from 1993 to 1998.

He was nicknamed 'Pistol Pete' because of his accurate serves. Pete is one of the only two players with the most years in number one rankings. He achieved the feat 6 times along with Novak Djokovic.

Read also: Longest Tennis matches in history (All formats)

#4 Ivan Lendl | 270 weeks

The former Czech-American tennis player held the world no. 1 rank for 270 weeks consecutively. Ivan Lendl achieved this feat on 28 February 1983. In the 80s, he was the only tennis player to spend most weeks being the world's no. 1 ATP-ranked player.

#5 Jimmy Connors | 268 weeks

On 29 July 1974, Jimmy Connors became the player with the most weeks at the no. 1 position in tennis. He ruled the world of tennis till 22nd August 1977 and completed being at the no. 1 position for 268 weeks. Also, he is the first male tennis player to secure the No. 1 position for more than 200 weeks. In the 70s, he was the only tennis player to spend most weeks being the world's no. 1 ATP-ranked player.