Tennis Facts: Top 10 Oldest World No.1 tennis players in history (men and women)

Many tennis players have proven themselves to be the best of all not only in the initial years of their career but also continued their legacy in the very end. They have achieved the most success in their career and yet thrived to be the best even during the end years of their career. In this article, we will present you a list of the top 10 Oldest World No.1 tennis players in history (men and women). 

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Top 10 Oldest World No.1 tennis players (men and women)

10. Martina Navratilova | 30 Years

At the age of 30, Martina Navratilova became one of the oldest World No.1 tennis players in history. She reached the top of the rankings on November 25, 1985, and stayed till August 16, 1987. She remained at the top for 332 weeks in women’s singles. Apart from that Navratilova was also World No.1 for 237 weeks in doubles. With 18 Grand Slam singles victories, Martina is unquestionably one of the top female tennis players in history. She also achieved an incredible 31 Grand Slam titles in women’s doubles and 10 in mixed doubles.

9. Andy Murray | 30 Years 95 Days

Andy Murray reached the top of the table on 7 November 2016 and stayed for 41 consecutive weeks at the top of the ATP Rankings till 20 August 2017. Murray enjoyed one of the best-ever seasons in tennis in 2016 as he won Wimbledon, the ATP Finals, gold at the Rio Games, three ATP Masters 1000 titles and three ATP 500 events. He also finished runner-up at the Australian Open and Roland Garros.

Also Read: The Era of the Big Four: Tracing the Dominance and Twilight of Tennis Titans

8. Ivan Lendl | 30 Years

Ivan Lendl stayed at the No. 1 rank for 270 weeks. During a career from 1978 to 1994, he stayed at the top of the table the last time was on 12 August 1990. He spent a total of 270 weeks at No. 1, which was a record until Sampras overtook him in 1999. The former Czech-American player is the winner of 8 Grand Slam titles. Also, he's the first male tennis player who appeared in 19th Grand Slam finals.

7. Chris Evert | 30 Years

Only three players have touched the WTA No. 1 ranking in their 30s and Chris Evert was one of them. On October 25 1985, Evert was crowned one of the oldest World No.1 tennis players at the age of 30. Her legacy continued till November 24 1985. Evert also was ranked world No. 1 for 260 weeks and was the year-end world No. 1 singles player seven times (1974–78, 1980, 1981). She won 18 major singles titles, including a record seven French Open titles and a joint-record six US Open titles (tied with Serena Williams).

6. Jimmy Connors | 30 Years

The eight-time Grand Slam winner’s first stint at No. 1 in the rankings kicked off July 29, 1974, and Jimmy Connors remained top for 160 consecutive weeks, a then record. He had another eight stints for a total of 268 weeks with his final day at No 1 coming on July 3, 1983. American Connors still holds the record for most singles trophies won during a career as he has 109 titles to his name.

5. John Newcombe | 30 Years

John Newcombe climbed to the top of the Open Era on June 3, 1974, and continued the streak till 28 July of the same year. He spent 8 weeks at the No. 1 and the last time he was at the top on 30 years and 66 days. The Australian player won seven majors and he competed in both the amateur and Open Eras with two of his Grand Slams coming before the sport turned professional in 1968.

4. Rafael Nadal | 33 Years

On 18 August 2008, Rafael Nadal was first crowned the No. 1 on the ATP Rankings at the age of 22 years and 76 days. The 37-year-old finished as the year-end No. 1 five times and the last time he was at the No. 1 position was on 2 February 2020. In total, he has spent 209 weeks at the top of the rankings and was the fourth oldest World No.1 tennis player behind Andre Agassi. Nadal has also won 22 Grand Slam men's singles titles, including a record 14 French Open titles.

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3. Andre Agassi | 33 Years

Andre Agassi started playing professional tennis in 1986 and continued till 2006. During these 20 years, he became the first man to win all four Grand Slam singles tournaments on three different surfaces. Before Novak, he was the first man to win four Australian Open singles titles. He reached the world No. 1 ranking for the first time in 1995 and again returned to No. 1 in 1996. Also, he stayed at the top of the rankings for 101 weeks. On April 28, 2003, at the age of 33 years and 13 days, he recaptured the No. 1 ranking. During that time, he was the oldest top-ranked male player, which was later surpassed by Federer in 2018. The last time he was at the No. 1 was September 7, 2003.

2. Serena Williams | 35 Years

Serena Williams is the Oldest World No.1 tennis player (female) in the WTA ranking list. She first went to the top of the rankings on 8 July 2002. At the age of 35 years, on 14 May 2017, she became the oldest female world No. 1. She was 35 years 124 days old when she won her 23rd Grand Slam singles title, at the Australian Open. In doing so, Serena became the oldest female Grand Slam singles winner. She was also ranked world No.1 in singles for 319 weeks, including a joint-record 186 consecutive weeks, and finished as the year-end No.1 five times. In addition, Serena won 23 Grand Slam titles, the most in the Open Era and the second-most of all time. 

Also Read: ATP & WTA Rankings: Most number of weeks as World No.1 Tennis Player

1. Novak Djokovic | 36 Years

Novak Djokovic has overtaken Roger Federer to become the oldest World No.1 tennis player in history as he turned 36 years, 10 months, 17 days on April 9, 2024. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will not be able to overtake Djokovic in the rankings before April 15, meaning his record will be extended by at least another week. The Serbian also holds the record for the oldest year-end No. 1 as he was 36 years, 7 months, and 9 days when he topped the rankings on the final day of 2023. In addition, he has the record for most weeks at No. 1 as he currently sits on a staggering 420 weeks – more than 100 weeks clear of Federer in second place – and that number is set to grow.