Reaching World No. 1 is universally recognised as one of the greatest achievements in tennis. But there is an even more exclusive club within the club: those players who have finished a season ATP Year-End No 1 presented by Pepperstone.
Just 18 of 28 men who rose to World No. 1 have finished a season in that position, including several who went to extraordinary lengths to reach the milestone. As we conclude our series celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, ATPTour.com reflects on some of the epic battles to finish the year on top.
There come rare moments when the right person is in the right place at the right time.
Such happened to Andy Murray in November 2016. The setting: London, site of the Nitto ATP Finals. Murray was the local hero, having blossomed into one of Great Britain’s preeminent athletes.
Though tennis’ premier rivalry for much of the early years of the 21st century pitted Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, attention must also be paid to the great matches played by Murray and Novak Djokovic.
Born within a week of one another in 1987, Murray and Djokovic had known each other since childhood and repeatedly crossed paths as pros. Murray had earned his first two majors – the ’12 US Open and ’13 Wimbledon – with wins over Djokovic in both finals.
Djokovic started 2016 superbly, beating Murray in the final of the Australian Open and Roland Garros.
Murray then kicked his tennis into ultra-high gear. In July, he won Wimbledon. A month later came a gold medal at the Olympics. Then, in the fall, Murray earned titles in Beijing, Shanghai, Vienna, and Paris. On 7 November he rose to World No. 1 for the first time, breaking a Federer, Nadal and Djokovic hold on that spot that had lasted a staggering 666 weeks.
In London, Murray went undefeated in the round-robin. Versus Milos Raonic in the semis, Murray fought off a match point to earn his 23rd consecutive match win.
Now, Murray and Djokovic would meet in the last match of the year in a winner-takes-all battle for the Nitto ATP Finals crown and ATP Year-End No 1 presented by Pepperstone.
Djokovic had won the last four finals and led their rivalry 24-10. But soon enough, Murray took control. Over the course of 102 minutes, he moved magnificently, dominated rallies, and earned a 6-3, 6-4 victory. "It’s a very special day," said Murray following the match. "To finish the year No. 1 is very special. It’s something I never expected."
Gustavo Kuerten in action at the 2000 Tennis Masters Cup. Photo Credit: Clive Brunskill/Allsport
As the 2000 Tennis Masters Cup began, the world was quite aware of Gustavo Kuerten’s clay-court prowess. That June, Kuerten took the singles title at Roland Garros for the second time. To that point he had won nine ATP tournaments, eight on clay.
Though the Brazilian was World No. 2 behind reigning US Open champion Marat Safin, he was hardly considered a contender that week in Lisbon. After all, the event was being played indoors. Kuerten had yet to reach the final of an indoor tournament. Following a tough three-set loss to Andre Agassi in his opening match of the round-robin, an injured Kuerten recovered for hours in the physio room, only at last getting to sleep at 5:00 a.m. But Kuerten recovered to win his next two matches and earn a spot in the semis.
The opposition at that point was daunting: two titans who excelled indoors - Pete Sampras in the semis, Agassi in the final. Those two Americans had also been the most recent year-end No. 1s, Agassi at the end of – Sampras finishing on top a record six straight times from – 93-’98.
“They were made to be champions,” Kuerten said of Sampras and Agassi. “It wasn't the same for me. I came from a little town. Brazil has no championship, no ATP tournament.”
But in the semis, Kuerten rallied from a set down to beat Sampras, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4. Against Agassi, over the course of two hours and six minutes, Kuerten played brilliant tennis – including firing 19 aces -- to win, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Said Kuerten, “The most perfect match that I ever played was in the final.”
From ’92-’99, the man who’d closed out the year No. 1 had come from the United States (Jim Courier in ’92). Kuerten had become the first ever from South America to reach that height.
Pete Sampras in Hanover, Germany in 1998. Photo Credit: Gary M. Prior/Allsport
The genius of Pete Sampras was his ability to compete superbly in the moment and concurrently dream big. From a very young age, he’d set his sights on victories at such venues as Wimbledon and the US Open and becoming World No. 1.
In 1998, another historic achievement hit Sampras’ radar. From 1974 to ’78, Jimmy Connors had finished the year on top five straight times. Sampras equalled that mark from ’93 to ’97. Could he make it six?
But in prior years, Sampras had been far ahead of the field. Close on Sampras’ heels was Marcelo Rios. He’d wrestled the top spot away from Sampras for two weeks that summer and, as autumn began, remained in contention to finish No. 1.
So it was that Sampras heavily devoted himself to the European indoor season. Starting with a trip to Basel, Sampras competed in seven ATP events. But only once, in Vienna, did Sampras raise the champion’s trophy. “At the end of the long, hard Grand Slam season, that ambience can leave you feeling like you’re living in some strange, parallel universe,” wrote Sampras in his autobiography, A Champion’s Mind (with Peter Bodo).
In Stockholm, struggling versus 29th-ranked Jason Stoltenberg, Sampras lost his cool and cracked his racquet into pieces. As Sampras told journalist Steve Flink later that year, “I was so stressed out from the whole race for No. 1… I have never done that in my career and I was on the edge.”
Then events took a turn. At the season-ending championship, played that year in Hanover, Germany, Rios withdrew with a back injury, meaning that Sampras had clinched the ATP Year-End No 1 presented by Pepperstone. A stressful autumn had come to a close. Said Sampras, “I look at it as an ultimate achievement. This is a record that I feel will probably never be broken ever, and I knew that.”
John McEnroe at Roland Garros in 1983. Photo Credit: AFP via Getty Images
More than 20 years before the emergence of the 21st century Big Three, 1983 featured another accomplished trio. Over the next 12 months, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, and Ivan Lendl would swap the top spot an amazing 10 times.
Each of these three at that point occupied a distinct place in his journey and the tennis landscape. Connors turned 30 in 1982, basked in the glow of his transformation from enfant terrible to beloved elder statesman. And, in ‘82, aided by wins at Wimbledon and the US Open, the lefty regained the top spot more than three years after he’d last held it.
Having spent the early portion of his career chasing Connors and Bjorn Borg, the 23-year-old McEnroe grappled with the challenges of life at the pinnacle, anguish over Borg’s exit from tennis, and concern about the powerful Lendl’s ascent. Lendl, 22, had swiftly made his way up the ranks, won a great many tournaments but had yet to compete as effectively at the majors as he did elsewhere.
McEnroe was No. 1 as January began and the next month he made a major statement by beating Lendl in the final of Philadelphia, a tournament then more significant than the Australian Open. The victory ended Lendl’s seven-match winning streak against McEnroe.
But from mid-February until June, Connors and Lendl were each No. 1 at various stages. The longest stretch of dominance began on February 28, Lendl’s first-ever appearance as number one. He’d hold that spot for nearly three months, an 11-week stint that ended on May 16.
June and July marked the pivotal period of that tumultuous year. World No. 1 Connors had just won Queen’s, leading into Wimbledon. Most notably, he’d beaten Lendl in the semis and McEnroe in the final. Seeded first at Wimbledon, Connors was eager to defend his title, but he was upset in the round of 16. McEnroe defeated Lendl in the semis and unseeded Chris Lewis in the final.
Beginning with that run at the All England Club, McEnroe commenced a 17-week reign at No. 1. And though Lendl would later take over that spot for six weeks, McEnroe had the better year. Wimbledon was one of seven titles McEnroe would win in ’83. Lendl also won that many, but none had been a major. Moreover, Lendl had lost to McEnroe four of five times and gone 2-2 versus Connors (including a loss in the finals of the US Open).
And while Connors had gone all the way in New York, he’d won four titles and lost two of his three matches against McEnroe. So it was that for the third year in a row, McEnroe finished the year No. 1.
Novak Djokovic in action at the Rolex Shanghai Masters in 2018. Photo Credit: Wang Zhao
As far into the 2018 tennis year as August, it seemed certain that by year’s-end, the man who’d claim ATP Year-End No 1 presented by Pepperstone would be either Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer.
Nadal began the year at the top. Amazingly, the next month, Federer returned to No. 1 for the first time in more than five years.
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic floundered. Finishing 2016 at No. 2, 12 months later he’d dropped to 12. More losses in the first half of ’18 took Djokovic out of the Top 20 for the first time since 2006.
Impressive as the accomplishments of these three titans look in history’s rear-view mirror, 2018 vividly revealed how nothing each ever did was guaranteed or inevitable. Much as Federer had dominated tennis in the 2000s, he continually made refinements in everything from equipment to technique and tactics. A major upgrade with his backhand helped Federer capture two majors in 2017.
Nadal was also relentless in the pursuit of improvement. Over the course of his career, the Spaniard greatly enhanced such shots as his serve and volleys.
And then there was the indefatigable Djokovic. Ranked third in the world from ’07-’10, the Serb’s rise to the top began with significant nutrition changes and continued with his own commitment to upgraded strokes and point-building patterns. It is amazing to think how these three raised the bar so highly for nearly two decades – all through each man’s subtle range of ups and downs while also competing against one another and many more contenders.
By early June, Federer had won the Australian Open and Nadal had taken the title at Roland Garros.
But everything changed at Wimbledon. In the quarter-finals, Federer was beaten by Kevin Anderson. Djokovic in the semis defeated Nadal and went on to beat Anderson in the final, a win that brought him back into the Top 10.
Djokovic’s summer renaissance continued. He beat Federer in the Cincinnati final (to complete his set of all nine Masters 1000s) and won the US Open, a victory that elevated him to World No. 3.
The second half of 2018 was much tougher for Federer and Nadal. Prior to Wimbledon, they’d collectively won seven tournaments. But from June on, they took just two. At the US Open, Federer was upset in the round of 16 by No. 55 John Millman. A right knee injury forced Nadal to retire mid-match in the semis against Juan Martin del Potro.
Two strong showings at ATP Masters 1000 events greatly aided Djokovic. In Shanghai, Djokovic won the title without the loss of a set. Two weeks later, the Serbian headed to Paris and reached the final. On November 5, Djokovic ended Nadal’s 19-week hold on the top spot and went on to finish No. 1 for the fifth time.
View all 28 No. 1s in the 50-year history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.
Notable No. 1s In 50 Years Of Pepperstone ATP Rankings (Part 1)
Notable No. 1s In 50 Years Of Pepperstone ATP Rankings (Part 2)
Biggest Rises & Revivals In Pepperstone ATP Rankings History
First Among Equals: World No. 1 Record Breakers & Shakers
© Copyright 1994 - 2024 ATP Tour, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this site may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way or by any means (including photocopying, recording or storing it in any medium by electronic means), without the written permission of ATP Tour, Inc.. Terms & Conditions | Privacy | Modern Slavery Statement | Feedback | Cookies
