Carlos Alcaraz has continued his reign as world number one, the latest in a long line of legends to have held the ranking.
Novak Djokovic was number one before Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner came along, with the Italian having also soared to top spot once upon a time.
The iconic list also includes Djokovic’s Big Three rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal among others, such as John McEnroe.
McEnroe spent 170 weeks as world number one and was the year-end ATP number one on four occasions.
The American legend, who also won seven Grand Slam titles, has now looked back on the first time he became world number one, with a direct reference to current superstars Alcaraz and Sinner.
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Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have taught John McEnroe a lesson
McEnroe reached the very top in March 1980, but admits he suffered when his great rival Bjorn Borg played his final full-time season in 1981.
“When it did happen, it coincided unfortunately as it turned out with my greatest rival deciding not to play any more,” McEnroe told ATP Media. “So it was gut-wrenching in a way.
“That led to me struggling with feeling a bit like I’d walked into something that was a little bit overwhelming. And it took me a while to figure it out.
“And then by the time I figured it out, I was still out there finishing number one the third, fourth year. But then after that, lifting myself to that level I was like, ’Alright, now I’ve shown them’.
“But that’s what I really respect about the three obvious… you know, Novak and Rafa and Roger, and subsequently Jannik and Carlos, is that they keep pushing.
“Might be a little late now, the lesson I’ve learned, maybe I should have pushed a little harder then, instead of sort of waiting to see what would happen.
“So you get life lessons as you’re sort of dealing with all this stuff that later on probably makes you a better person in the end, it doesn’t necessarily help your overall sort of how people view you historically maybe, my rankings dropped.”
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John McEnroe among the players with the most weeks as ATP No. 1
Of course it’s easy to be negative with hindsight, but McEnroe cannot be blamed for such an approach in his fantastic career.
He retired as one of the all-time greats, and is undoubtedly hugely respected thanks to his efforts on the court, which have since turned into commentary.
| Rank | Player | Total weeks at No. 1 | Max consecutive weeks at No. 1 | Year-end No. 1s |
| 1 | Novak Djokovic | 428 | 122 | 8 |
| 2 | Roger Federer | 310 | 237 | 5 |
| 3 | Pete Sampras | 286 | 102 | 6 |
| 4 | Ivan Lendl | 270 | 157 | 4 |
| 5 | Jimmy Connors | 268 | 160 | 5 |
| 6 | Rafael Nadal | 209 | 56 | 5 |
| 7 | John McEnroe | 170 | 58 | 4 |
| 8 | Bjorn Borg | 109 | 46 | 2 |
| 9 | Andre Agassi | 101 | 52 | 1 |
| 10 | Lleyton Hewitt | 80 | 75 | 2 |
| 11 | Stefan Edberg | 72 | 24 | 2 |
| 12 | Jannik Sinner | 66 | 65 | 1 |
| 13 | Carlos Alcaraz | 59 | 20 | 2 |
He’s more than earned his place among the ATP legends, finding his name alongside so many icons on the list of players with the most weeks as world No. 1.
It will be very intriguing to see where Alcaraz and Sinner finish on the all-time list, with the Spaniard currently 13th, closing in on his Italian rival.
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