In tennis the year end Number 1 is regarded as one of the most important achievements. It translates into a result where a player has been performing well and increasing his winning points throughout the season. Let’s look at 5 players with most year-end Number 1 finishes in the ATP Circuit.
5. Rafael Nadal
The Spaniard finished the year 2019 as the World Number 1. This was the 5th time that Rafa finished the year as the highest ranked player in the ATP singles circuit.
Nadal has now finished year end Number 1 in 2008, 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2019. Rafa improved his own record as the oldest year end World Number 1 at 33 which was previously at 31 years of age.
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4. Novak Djokovic
The Serb Superstar was the World Number 1 for most of 2019 and missed a chance to finish the year as Number 1. However, Djokovic has also been a 5 time year-end Number 1 holder years 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2018.
With the Serb looking strong, he still has a chance to increase his tally and equal Pete Sampras as the 6 time year-end World Number 1.
3. Roger Federer
Federer still enjoys the most Weeks at Number 1 status with an astounding 310 Weeks as the best player in the World. Federer finished World Number 1 for 4 consecutive years 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.
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He then again returned to end the year as World Number 1 in 2009. The Swiss however narrowly missed reaching the year-end Number 1 in 2017 to his great rival Rafa Nadal.
2. Jimmy Connors
Connors has 268 Weeks as World Number 1 to his name. He finished the World Number in the years 1974,1975,1976,1977 and 1978.
The American held the most year-end Number 1s to his name for 20 years before being broken by Pete Sampras in 1998. He is still one of the only 2 players to finish as the year-end World Number 1 for 5 or more successive years.
1. Pete Sampras
Pistol Pete as he was famously known was regarded as the game’s Greatest player when he retired in 2002. He held most tennis record to his name then. Today Sampras has most of his records being improved by the BIG 3.
However, the 1 record that he still holds in the most year-end World Number 1 finishes. Sampras ended 6 years as World Number 1, a record that still stands. What is more astounding is the fact that the American spent those 6 years in succession from 1993 to 1998, a rare feat.