What tennis players have spent the most consecutive weeks in the ATP top 10?
The Spanish tennis legend can’t help himself but to continue setting records, but his latest achievement is a doozie even by his lofty standards.
Rafael Nadal is a tennis phenomenon. His career is unbelievable in every respect, from becoming the youngest man in the Open Era to achieve the Career Grand Slam to being the first man to win majors on three different surfaces in the same year.
His 92 career titles are astounding, particularly after you realize that he accomplished most of that while suffering with Mueller-Weiss syndrome, which made every step on his left foot unbearably painful.
Now, Nadal has set the bar almost impossibly high, becoming the first player in history to collect 900 consecutive weeks in the ATP world Top 10. He first entered the top 10 rankings at age 18, and has never fallen out of them. He is currently 36 years old and is still there, currently sitting at number two in the world.
His next nearest competitor is Jimmy Connors, who spent 788 consecutive weeks in the top 10, from 1973 to 1988. With 112 weeks in hand, Nadal has spent two years and two months longer than Connors in the top ten.
With the retirement of Roger Federer, who spent 734 weeks in the top 10, the only active player who is even within sight of Nadal is Novak Djokovic who is currently sitting at 555 weeks, a full six years and nearly eight months behind.
The best part of it all? Rafa’s total is still ticking up, week by week, and the golden Spaniard is not done yet.