On top of the world: Three tennis ranking landmarks

On Monday, Novak Djokovic set a new record for the total number of weeks spent at the top of the world rankings in men’s and women’s tennis.

The 35-year-old winner of 22 Grand Slam titles begins her 378th week on pole, overtaking Steffi Graf, who topped the women’s rankings for 377 weeks in her career.

“It’s surreal in a way to be number one in the world for so many weeks, to be compared to Steffi Graf, who is one of the all-time greats in our sport, both men and women,” said Djokovic, whose first spell at the top began in July 2011 after his Wimbledon maiden victory.

Here, AFP Sport looks at three ranking landmarks:

– Pat Rafter: Two slams, one week at number one –

Australia’s Pat Rafter played and cruised his way to the 1997 and 1998 US Opens, two of his 11 career titles.

However, Rafter was plagued by shoulder problems throughout his career and retired in 2001 aged just 29 with two heartbreaking defeats in the Wimbledon final.

Rafter was world number one for just one week from 26 July 1999, the first Australian man to reach the top since John Newcombe in 1971.

He took the top spot from Andre Agassi and then quickly handed it to Pete Sampras.

Rafter remains the only player since the early 1970s to spend just one week at No. 1. Next on the list are Evonne Goolagong and Carlos Moya, who each spent two weeks at the summit.

“I always joke with the players. They say, ‘Congratulations, man, you made it to No. 1.’ I say, ‘Yeah, one week.’ They say, “At least you got it. At least you can say you got there.”

– Rafael Nadal: 18-year-old top 10 veteran –

Rafael Nadal first broke into the world’s top 10 on April 25, 2005 – and the 22-time winner has been there ever since.

He was only 18 at the time; now he is 36.

Nadal has also spent 209 of those weeks at No. 1, first reaching the top in August 2008.

The Spaniard’s spell in the top 10 has stretched to more than 900 consecutive weeks, which not even Novak Djokovic or the now retired Roger Federer can boast.

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Only Martina Navratilova, who has 1,000 consecutive weeks in the WTA top 10, can better Nadal’s astonishing longevity.

Navratilova ranked in the top 10 from the first computerized ranking on November 3, 1975 until December 26, 1994.

– Steffi Graf: Women’s pioneer –

Djokovic was barely three months old when Graf first topped the women’s world rankings in August 1987.

The German star was just 18 and stayed at the top of the heap in his first spell for 186 weeks.

It was a landmark moment in the women’s game, coming the day after Graf won the first of her 22 majors at the French Open.

She was also the first woman outside of Martina Navratilova, who had held the top spot for 322 weeks, and Tracy Austin in seven years, to reach the top spot.

With 107 career wins, Graf retired in August 1999.

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