ATP Tour

Muster’s shocking injury to Hewitt’s early breakthrough: The many roads to World No. 1

Every player who has reached No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings has a different story.

Some rise to the summit at record-breaking speed. Others spend years chasing one of the sport’s greatest achievements. But once they get there, no one can ever take it away from them.

ATPTour.com looks back at some of the most memorable journeys to No. 1, featuring quotes from ACES: The ATP No. 1 Club, the docuseries in which players share their insights on reaching the pinnacle of the PIF ATP Rankings.

Thomas Muster: From Tragedy to The Top
When Thomas Muster was struck by a drunk driver in 1989 and suffered severed tendons in his left knee, he was told he might never walk properly again. Just over five months later — after continuing to train by hitting balls from a specially designed chair, with his left leg still in a cast — the Austrian returned to competition in Barcelona.

More than six years later, at the age of 28, Muster completed one of the most remarkable journeys to World No. 1 in 1996, a year after capturing his first major title at Roland Garros. The Austrian, who won 40 tour-level titles on clay, is widely regarded as one of the greatest players ever on the surface.

“Muster wasn’t like a venomous snake. He was like a python. He’d get you and you weren't dead,” Andre Agassi said of Muster, whom he leads 5-4 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. “You felt like you were still alive and there could be a chance. But he knew you were dead. ‘I have you, and I am gonna squeeze’.”

Stefan Edberg: Grace, Sportsmanship & No. 1
Winning the ATP’s Sportsmanship Award is one thing. Having it named after you is another. After lifting his fourth major trophy at Wimbledon in 1990, Stefan Edberg eventually climbed to the summit.

The Swedish star, renowned for his elegant serve-and-volley style, went on to win six major titles and finish as ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF on two occasions. Edberg is one of just 11 players to end multiple seasons at No. 1, achieving the feat in 1990 and 1991.

“He was like Baryshnikov. He was floating on the court,” Boris Becker said of Edberg, reflecting on their rivalry, which featured 35 Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings between the two.

After his illustrious playing career, Edberg moved into coaching and helped guide Roger Federer to 11 ATP Tour titles between 2014 and 2015.

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Ilie Nastase: The First World No. 1
It just so happened that Ilie Nastase was in the midst of the finest season of his career when the PIF ATP Rankings were introduced in 1973. Having won 12 of his 16 tour-level titles that year, the Romanian became the first World No. 1 in history and spent 40 weeks at the summit before being replaced by John Newcombe in 1974.

Born in Bucharest, Nastase was introduced to tennis almost by chance and his passion for the sport was evident from the beginning. He won 64 tour-level titles during his career, including four Nitto ATP Finals crowns and two major trophies.

"I used to live in a tennis club. My father was taking care of the grounds and I was the ballboy at the beginning,” Nastase said. “For me tennis was a passion. More than passion: love. And if you love something, there's no way you cannot make it."

Lleyton Hewitt: Young, Fearless & No. 1
Having burst onto the scene as a teenager in the late 1990s, Lleyton Hewitt had all the ingredients of a future star.

After winning his first major title at the US Open in 2001, the then-20-year-old Australian became the youngest man at the time to reach World No. 1. That record has since been surpassed by Carlos Alcaraz.

Agassi was one of the first players to experience Hewitt’s intensity. The American met a 16-year-old Hewitt in the semi-finals in Adelaide in 1998, and the match did not unfold as expected.

“He was a kid. He has to have his safety pin on his shorts because they would just fall off of him,” Agassi explained. “He was just so little. We go out that day and it’s so hot and all I’m telling myself is that I am going to put you in the hospital today. I am going to turn those little legs into rubber because I am gonna run you like you’ve never been run in your life. And he beat me 7-6, 7-6. I could argue maybe I was more tired than he was.”

Patrick Rafter: One Week that Lasted Forever
No matter how long a player stays there, reaching World No. 1 remains one of the sport’s ultimate accomplishments. Patrick Rafter spent just one week at the summit, but his name will forever be etched in tennis history as a member of the ATP No. 1 Club.

After winning back-to-back US Open titles in 1997 and 1998, the Australian rose to No. 1 the following year, fulfilling what many players consider the game's ultimate goal.

“It was too much for me to understand. Becoming World No. 1 was a huge surprise for me,” Rafter reflected. “It was so fast. I wasn't ready for this. I didn't understand it was the beginning of the ride. It was more kind of a confusing experience that I arrived at something which is a finish. Basically, if you become World No. 1, you basically finish the game. It’s like Nintendo or Gameboy. So there is no other level. You have finished the game.”