Jannik Sinner is the current world number one, having held the position for 26 weeks.
Becoming world number one is one of the greatest things you can achieve on the ATP Tour, as you are recognized as the best male tennis player on the planet at any given time.
Jannik Sinner became world number one in 2024, overtaking Novak Djokovic, thanks to the Italian’s career-best season.
Sinner won the Australian Open earlier this year, before doubling his Grand Slam tally in New York.
The 23-year-old also won three Masters 1000 titles, with Sinner winning in Miami, Cincinnati, and Shanghai.
If that wasn’t enough, Sinner then won the ATP Finals, and the Davis Cup Finals, to cap off a sensational year, that saw him take his deserved place atop the world rankings.
He has since spent 26 weeks as number one, but every week is valuable, something that one Australian would be keen to remind him of.
Pat Rafter: The man who spent one week as world number one
29 different male tennis players have held the distinction of being ranked as world number one since the rankings began in 1973.
Only one, however, held the ranking for just a solitary week, and that man was Pat Rafter.
The Australian star took the top spot from Andre Agassi on July 26, 1999, before losing it to another American, Pete Sampras, on August 2.
Rafter’s week at number one was one in a year of big change on the ATP Tour, as five different men held the ranking, including the aforementioned Agassi and Sampras, as well as Carlos Moya, and Yevgeny Kafelnikov.
Rafter defended his US Open title in 1998 and won Masters 1000 titles in Canada and Cincinnati, which saw him finish the year as world number four.
Reaching the semi-finals of Wimbledon and the final in Rome and Cincinnati the year after, was enough for Rafter to clinch the top spot, even if it was only for a week.
His ranking did then take a steep decline, as the Australian remarkably finished the year as world number 16, having peaked as number one just a few months prior.
He never managed to return to number one, but did enjoy more success at Wimbledon, as he reached the final in 2000, and 2001.
In 2000, Rafter beat Agassi in a classic semi-final, that saw two contrasting styles face-off, with Rafter’s serve-and-volley techniques getting the better of Agassi’s baseline tactics.
Rafter never did win another Slam, or return to number one, as he played his final ever professional match in 2001 after struggling with injuries, citing that he had lost motivation to compete at the top level.
His record of the shortest stint at number one isn’t the only one that he holds, as he was also the only man to remain unbeaten against Swiss Legend Roger Federer, with at least three matches played.
The Australian beat Federer on all three surfaces between 1999, and 2001, as he won all three of their contests.
Which active ATP stars have spent the most time as world number one?
Following the recent retirements of Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray, only four active players have held the number-one spot in the ATP rankings.
All four of them have held the top spot for longer than Rafter.
| Weeks at number one | Name | Current ATP ranking |
| 428 | Novak Djokovic | 7 |
| 36 | Carlos Alcaraz | 3 |
| 26 | Jannik Sinner | 1 |
| 16 | Daniil Medvedev | 5 |
Djokovic currently sits way out in front, as he holds the record for the most weeks spent as world number one in the history of the sport.
Alcaraz has spent 36 weeks on top but is set to be surpassed by Sinner in the new year, due to the large gap he has built at the top of the rankings.
Medvedev trails a further ten weeks behind the Italian, with the 16 weeks he spent as number one back in 2022.
All three, have a long way to go if they want to surpass Djokovic’s record, however, with Alcaraz in need of another seven and a half years as number one to surpass the 37-year-old.
A record that will in all likelihood, stay with the Serb for quite some time.
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