Meet the controversial star who was the first ever ATP world number one

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Jannik Sinner is the current world number one, having held the ranking for 27 weeks in 2024.

Reaching world number one is for many the most impressive achievement a player can lay claim to on the ATP Tour.

Winning a Grand Slam title is of course glorious in its own right, but establishing yourself as the greatest player on the planet at any one time is arguably even more impressive.

Italian star Sinner took the world number one ranking from Novak Djokovic earlier this year, thanks to his fantastic 2024 season.

Djokovic holds the record for the most weeks spent as world number one, having held the top spot for a mouth-watering 428 weeks, or eight years.

It’s a record that won’t be touched for quite some time, as Djokovic continues to carve out his legacy in men’s tennis.

Another whose legacy in the sport is more than significant is the first-ever player to become ATP world number one.

Ilie Nastase: The controversial star who was the first ever ATP world number-one

In August 1973, the ATP Tour introduced a computerized system to determine rankings for the first time, judging players on their performances throughout the year.

The first player to hold the top spot in these rankings was Romanian tennis legend Ilie Nastase.

Nastase won a remarkable 16 tournaments in 1973, including the French Open title, as he dominated the ATP Tour during the first year of the rankings.

The now 78-year-old was one of the most controversial figures the sport has ever seen, and despite taking the top spot in the rankings, he publicly disapproved of their introduction in 1973, claiming that they ruined the comradery in the locker room.

“Everyone had a number hanging over them,” he said.

Having won the US Open in 1972, and the French Open in 1973, Nastase’s form began to tail off in 1974, as Australia’s John Newcombe became the second-ever ATP world number one.

He won the ATP Finals five times during his career and reached the final of Wimbledon on two occasions, but it was Nastase’s controversial nature that many will remember him for.

1976 US Open – Ilie Nastase screams at opponent after beating him

Nastase caused quite the stir at the 1976 US Open in his second-round match against Hans-Jurgen Pohmann.

Late in the third set, Pohmann went down on his cramped leg three times, much to the annoyance of the Romanian, who began screaming at the umpire and the crowd.

The German saved three match points as he took the match to a tiebreaker, before giving himself two match points of his own.

Nastase saved both, eventually taking the match, and screamed at his opponent as they approached the net.

The umpire refused to shake Nastase’s hand as the Romanian continued to shout abuse to pretty much anyone that would hear it.

Many believed that Nastase should’ve been disqualified, but the 78-year-old maintained that it was Pohmann who should’ve forfeited the match when he was struggling with injury.

Things didn’t exactly settle down after the match, as the pair had to be separated in the clubhouse following Nastase’s victory.

1977 Raquette d’Or – Ilie Nastase breaks Guillermo Vilas’ 46-match winning streak with ‘spaghetti string’ racket

In 1977, Argentine Guillermo Vilas held the longest winning streak in the history of tennis, having emerged victorious in 46 consecutive matches.

Unfortunately for him, the ever-controversial Nastase was the man in front of him as he tried to score win number 47.

At the Raquette d’Or tournament, Nastase used the highly scrutinized ‘spaghetti string’ racket, which was double-strung.

The racket created large amounts of top-spin and unpredictable bounces, which Nastase used to his advantage.

In protest, Vilas quit the match, as Nastase snapped his incredible winning streak on the ATP Tour.

Just a few days after Nastase’s victory, the authorities banned the use of ‘spaghetti string’ rackets, something that would unlikely have come as much consolation for Vilas.

1979 US Open – Ilie Nastase and John McEnroe nearly cause a riot

Fans were prepared for fireworks in 1979 as two of the most outspoken stars of their time faced off at Flushing Meadows in the second round.

It was a tasty affair from the off as Nastase did his best to get under the young American’s skin, insulting him and arguing with several line calls.

He was then defaulted in the fourth set for arguing and stalling during his service motion as the crowd erupted, furious with the decision.

Spectators threw beer cans and plastic cups onto the court as a riot looked set to break out in New York.

Police eventually stepped in, calming the situation, before the umpire was replaced and the decision to restart the match was made.

McEnroe won and advanced to the third round in one of the craziest US Open moments of all time.

2017 Fed Cup – Ilie Nastase suspended for four years for alleged inappropriate behavior

After retirement, Nastase took up the role of team captain for Romania’s Fed Cup team.

In 2017, a few days of absolute madness occurred as Nastase allegedly made the wrong decision at every possible turn.

• Made comments about Serena William’s unborn child
• Asked Britain’s Fed Cup captain Anne Keothavong for her room number
• Stormed into the media room to confront British Journalists on their reporting of the previous incident
• Was ejected from the stadium for unsportsmanlike conduct
• Verbally attacked British journalist Eleanor Crook
• Despite being banned, had lunch on the on-site restaurant and sent flowers to the British team

With his behavior clearly unacceptable, the ITF had no choice but to suspend the Romanian until 2021, with his reputation tarnished.

He was, however, controversially invited to the prizegiving ceremony at the Madrid Open, which was won by fellow Romanian Simona Halep, a move that was heavily criticized by the WTA.

Will Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz chase down Ilie Nastase’s weeks as world number one?

Between August 1973, and June 1974, Nastase held the number one ranking for 40 weeks, an impressive stint at the top of the pile.

Since then, 14 players have surpassed his time on top, including Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Pete Sampras.

However, some of the players directly below the Romanian on the list of weeks spent as number one, remain active on the ATP Tour, and will hope to catch him in the new year.

The 78-year-old has just a four-week lead over Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who now hasn’t held the top spot since September 2023.

Trailing Sinner by almost 5,000 points in the world rankings, it could be a while until the 21-year-old gets back on top of the pile, and surpasses Nastase’s 40 weeks as world number one.

For the Italian, however, things are looking good as he will gain a minimum of seven weeks as world number one thanks to the substantial lead he currently has over world number two, Alexander Zverev.

The likelihood is that the 23-year-old will overtake both Alcaraz and Nastase in the new year, but things could dramatically change pending the result of Sinner’s doping appeal.

A ban could see the star suspended for up to six months, with other punishments potentially damaging his ranking.

It remains to be seen how long Sinner and Alcaraz will spend at number one during their careers, but whilst they may overtake Nastase in these rankings, they have a long way to go to make headlines the way the Romanian did during his time on tour.