ATP Tour

On This Day: Colossal Connors hits No. 1 for the first time in 1974

It was fitting that Jimmy Connors completed his ascent to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings during the greatest season of his storied career.

Connors became World No. 1 for the first time on 29 July, 1974 after a relentless 12 months of winning during which he had lifted 14 tour-level trophies. The then-21-year-old replaced John Newcombe in top spot a few weeks after he secured his maiden crown at Wimbledon. He was the third player to claim the No. 1 position, following Ilie Nastase and Newcombe, after the PIF ATP Rankings were established in August 1973.

Connors famously said: “There is only one No. 1. It’s a lonely spot, but it has got the best view of all… Being No. 2 is like being No. 200.” The American certainly did not give up his position without a fight.

His initial stint as World No. 1 lasted 160 weeks, a record for consecutive weeks in top spot that has subsequently only been surpassed by Roger Federer’s 237 weeks from 2004 to 2008. If Bjorn Borg had not interrupted Connors’ reign with a one-week stint in mid-1977, the American’s personal-best streak would have been 235 weeks, just two shy of Federer’s record, as he regained top spot for a further 84 weeks after Borg’s intervention.

The American was the first lefty and the first player with a two-handed backhand to reach No. 1. His rise, along with the emergence of Borg, marked a turning point in a sport that had previously been dominated by one handers.

Connors claimed 11 tour-level titles in 1973, although only the final four (won in Columbus, Los Angeles, Quebec and Johannesburg, respectively) were ultimately still contributing to his points tally when he hit No. 1.

The American carried that form, and then some, into the 1974 season. He won nine of 11 tour-level tournaments he entered prior to the start of Wimbledon in June, including his maiden major title at the Australian Open. After defeating Phil Dent in the final on the Melbourne grass, Connors went 34-1 across eight tour-level events in the United States.

At SW19, Connors ousted defending champion Jan Kodes in five sets in the quarter-finals before sinking eight-time major winner Ken Rosewall in the title match. Newly crowned as World No. 1, Connors went on to win a further five tournaments in 1974, including his third major of the season at the US Open, to bring his calendar-year total to 15. That would remain his personal best.