Three weeks of Daniil Medvedev and other short stays at the top

Daniil Medvedev was ATP World No. 1 for just three weeks. He was pragmatic about this brief tenure at the top.

“Is it better to be No. 1 for, say, a week in your life or never touch it?” asked Medvedev after being beaten by Gael Monfils at the Indian Wells Masters. “I think it’s better to at least touch it anyway,” he replied to himself.

Who else has been at the top of the ATP rankings for brief periods?

Mats Wilander first reached the No. 1 ranking in September 1988. He held the helm for a total of 20 weeks. The Swedish star has won the French Open and the Australian Open three times during a prolific career.

Mats Wilander was world number 1 for 20 weeks. He has won 33 career titles and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2002.

American Andy Roddick was at the helm for 13 weeks. He first got there in November 2003. Roddick’s biggest professional achievement, aside from being world number one, was winning the US Open in 2003, which propelled him to the top as he also finished third at Wimbledon three times.

American Andy Roddick spent 13 weeks at the top of the rankings. He has won 32 career titles and joined the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2017.

Boris Becker closed January 1991 taking first place. He held the helm for a total of twelve weeks. The German had won Wimbledon three times before reaching No.1.

Boris Becker was world number 1 for 12 weeks. He has won 15 career titles. Becker of Germany joined the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2003 after winning six Grand Slam singles titles.

Russia’s Marat Safin reached No. 1 in November 2000. It was the pinnacle of a great talent turning professional in 1997. He held the position for a total of nine weeks, his victory at the US Open 2000 being the main reason for his top spot in the world rankings.

Marat Safin was world number 1 for nine weeks. He won 15 career titles and was the first Russian to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Australian John Newcombe was at the top for a total of eight weeks. He first got there in mid-1994. Newcombe won the Australian Open and the US Open twice each – and Wimbledon three times.

John Newcombe was world number 1 for eight weeks. He has won 68 career titles, 41 of which are Open Era titles listed by the ATP. The Australian joined the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1986.

Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero, like Newcombe many years before him, only spent eight weeks at the top. He first got there in 2003, when he won the French Open.

Juan Carlos Ferrero has won 16 career titles. He was world number 1 for eight weeks. The Spanish star was a Wimbledon quarter-finalist in 2007 and 2009.

Austrian Thomas Muster spent six weeks as No. 1. He first arrived there in February 1996. He won the French Open in 1995 – and suffered four first-round exits at Wimbledon before .

Thomas Muster was world number 1 for six weeks. He became the first Austrian to win a Grand Slam singles title. It was the French Open in 1995.

Chilean star Marcello Rios spent six weeks at the top. Rios is the only player on the list not to have won a Grand Slam with a runner-up finish at the 1998 Australian Open, his best performance. He eventually retired with 18 career titles.

Marcello Rios was world number 1 for six weeks. Rios was the first Latin American to reach No. 1 – and holds the record as the only player to have been No. 1 as a junior, professional and senior.

May 1999 brought Russia’s Yevgeny Kafelnikov to the No. 1 ranking first. Kafelnikov held the top spot for a total of six weeks. He won the Australian Open in 1999 and the French Open in 1996 while he left the US Open in the semi-finals in 1999.

Yevgeny Kafelnikov was world number 1 for six weeks. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2019 after winning 26 career titles.

Medvedev could return to No.1 in the future, but for now he only has his three weeks in February and March 2022 for reference. It was short-lived, of course, but there were shorter ones.

Daniil Medvedev was world number 1 for three weeks. It could add to that tally. The Russian won the US Open in 2021. He lost in the Australian Open final in 2021 and 2022.

Carlos Moya was world number 1 for just two weeks. He reached the top in March 1999 and never returned to the top spot. He was a runner-up at the 1997 Australian Open and won the 1998 French Open.

Carlos Moya was world number 1 for two weeks. He retired with 20 career titles. His triumph at Roland-Garros in 1998 was his only Grand Slam success.

The player with the shortest stint as No.1 is Australian Pat Rafter. This single week started at the end of July 1999. He won the US Open in 1997 and 1998.

Pat Rafter was world number 1 for only a week. He is a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

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Three weeks of Daniil Medvedev and other short stays at the top

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Three weeks of Daniil Medvedev and other short stays at the top

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