2013/05/25

Novak Djokovic To End 2012 as No. 1 for Second Straight Year

From the ATP World Tour – October 29, 2012 – LONDON — Novak Djokovic has clinched the year-end No. 1 South African Airways ATP Ranking, becoming the first player to accomplish the feat in consecutive seasons since Roger Federer achieved four straight World No. 1 finishes from 2004-07.

Djokovic, who lost the World No. 1 ranking to the Swiss on 9 July following a 53-week reign, will reclaim the top spot on 5 November when Federer drops his points from his 2011 title wins at the Swiss Indoors Basel, BNP Paribas Masters and Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Federer will then not be able to earn enough South African Airways ATP Rankings points to finish the year ahead of Djokovic.

Last year, Djokovic became the first Serbian man to finish World No. 1 in the history of the South African Airways ATP Rankings (since 1973) with a 10-title effort, including three Grand Slam crowns. He first ascended to World No. 1 on 4 July, 2011, following his Wimbledon triumph. Only 16 different players have managed to finish year-end No. 1 in the 40-year history of the South African Airways ATP Rankings.

Djokovic has enjoyed another stellar season in 2012, opening his campaign with the successful defence of his title at the Australian Open. He has compiled a circuit-best 70-11 match record going into this week’s BNP Paribas Masters, where he will be looking to reach his seventh ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final of the season and add to his titles at the Sony Open Tennis in Miami, Rogers Cup in Toronto and Shanghai Rolex Masters. Djokovic also lifted the China Open trophy in Beijing and was a finalist at Roland Garros and the US Open.

The 25-year-old Serbian will be officially crowned as the year-end World No. 1 during a trophy presentation at the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals next week at The O2 in London. Djokovic will be competing at the prestigious season finale for a sixth straight year, and will be bidding to win the trophy for the second time following his victory in 2008.

 

ATP WORLD TOUR YEAR-END NO. 1
Year Player
2012 Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2011 Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2010 Rafael Nadal (Spain)
2009 Roger Federer (Switzerland)
2008 Rafael Nadal (Spain)
2007 Roger Federer (Switzerland)
2006 Roger Federer (Switzerland)
2005 Roger Federer (Switzerland)
2004 Roger Federer (Switzerland)
2003 Andy Roddick (U.S.)
2002 Lleyton Hewitt (Australia)
2001 Lleyton Hewitt (Australia)
2000 Gustavo Kuerten (Brazil)
1999 Andre Agassi (U.S.)
1998 Pete Sampras (U.S.)
1997 Pete Sampras (U.S.)
1996 Pete Sampras (U.S.)
1995 Pete Sampras (U.S.)
1994 Pete Sampras (U.S.)
1993 Pete Sampras (U.S.)
1992 Jim Courier (U.S.)
1991 Stefan Edberg (Sweden)
1990 Stefan Edberg (Sweden)
1989 Ivan Lendl (Czech Republic)
1988 Mats Wilander (Sweden)
1987 Ivan Lendl (Czech Republic)
1986 Ivan Lendl (Czech Republic)
1985 Ivan Lendl (Czech Republic)
1984 John McEnroe (U.S.)
1983 John McEnroe (U.S.)
1982 John McEnroe (U.S.)
1981 John McEnroe (U.S.)
1980 Bjorn Borg (Sweden)
1979 Bjorn Borg (Sweden)
1978 Jimmy Connors (U.S.)
1977 Jimmy Connors (U.S.)
1976 Jimmy Connors (U.S.)
1975 Jimmy Connors (U.S.)
1974 Jimmy Connors (U.S.)
1973 Ilie Nastase (Romania)

 


 

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Sharapova to Return to World No. 1

From the WTA: PARIS, FRANCE – Maria Sharapova will become the new WTA World No.1 on Monday, June 11, following her semifinal victory over Petra Kvitova today at Roland Garros.

 

Sharapova originally ascended to No.1 on August 22, 2005, becoming the first Russian woman to achieve this milestone. The Russian has held the top ranking for 17 non-consecutive weeks during her career. This is her fifth stint as No.1, a position she last held in June 2008.

 

Sharapova surpasses current No.1, Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, who topped the rankings for 19 weeks beginning January 30, 2012. Three players were in contention for the No.1 ranking at the start of Roland Garros: Azarenka, Sharapova and World No.3 Agnieszka Radwanska. Following Azarenka’s fourth round loss to Dominika Cibulkova at Roland Garros, Sharapova needed to reach the final to secure the top ranking.

 

“It’s such an amazing feeling to be back in the position of being No.1 in the world. I had the joy of holding the No.1 trophy many years ago,” said Sharapova. “Since then, I’ve gone through the injury and come back, and to be holding it a few years later is a huge achievement for me. It’s a special day and I hope I can keep the ranking for a long time.”

 

“Maria has once again proven what an extraordinary champion and fighter she is in regaining the WTA World No. 1 ranking,” said Stacey Allaster, Chairman & CEO of the WTA.  “Her will to win and ability to overcome obstacles has made her one of the game’s great ambassadors, an inspirational icon and a one of the world’s most popular athletes.”

 

Sharapova has won two titles so far in 2012, the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (Stuttgart) and Internazionali BNL d’Italia (Rome), and finished runner-up at the Australian Open (l. Azarenka), BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells (l. Azarenka) and Sony Ericsson Open in Miami (l. Radwanska). Her tally of career titles now stands at 26, placing her fourth among active players behind Venus Williams (43), Kim Clijsters (41) and Serena Williams (41). She has now won at least one title each year since 2003, the 6th best streak in WTA history.

 

On Saturday, June 9, Sharapova will aim to burnish her No.1 status by winning her first Roland Garros title. Victory in the final would see the Russian become just the 10th woman to achieve a career Grand Slam (6th in Open Era). Were Sharapova to win her fourth Grand Slam singles title, the 25-year-old would sit in joint 12th place on the Open Era list of Grand Slam winners, along with Kim Clijsters, Hana Mandlikova and Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario.

 

 

SHARAPOVA’S PREVIOUS WEEKS AT WORLD NO.1

DATES

WEEKS
22 August – 28 August, 2005

1
12 September – 23 October, 2005

6
29 January – 18 March, 2007

7
19 May – 8 June, 2008

3

 

 

 

WEEKS AT WORLD NO.1

PLAYER WEEKS AT No.1 DATE REACHED No.1
Steffi Graf (GER)

377

 August 17, 1987
Martina Navratilova (USA)

332

 July 10, 1978
Chris Evert (USA)

260

 November 3, 1975
Martina Hingis (SUI)

209

 March 31, 1997
Monica Seles (USA)

178

 March 11, 1991
Serena Williams (USA)

123

 July 8, 2002
Justine Henin (BEL)

117

 October 20, 2003
Lindsay Davenport (USA)

98

 October 12, 1998
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)

67

 October 11, 2010
Amélie Mauresmo (FRA)

39

 September 13, 2004
Dinara Safina (RUS)

26

 April 20, 2009
Tracy Austin (USA)

21

 April 7, 1980
Kim Clijsters (BEL)

20

 August 11, 2003
Victoria Azarenka (BLR)

19

 January 30, 2012
Maria Sharapova (RUS)

18*

 August 22, 2005
Jelena Jankovic (SRB)

18

 August 11, 2008
Jennifer Capriati (USA)

17

 October 15, 2001
Ana Ivanovic (SRB)

12

 June 9, 2008
Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario (ESP)

12

 February 6, 1995
Venus Williams (USA)

11

 February 25, 2002
Evonne Goolagong Cawley(AUS)

2

 April 26, 1976

*including week of June 11, 2012

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Sharapova Moves into French Open Final, Back to No. 1

Maria Sharapova is back to No. 1 for the first time since 2008 before having shoulder surgery. On Thursday the Russian defeated Czech Petra Kvitova 6-3, 6-3 in Paris to reach her first French Open final which pushes her ranking up to the top spot as of Monday.

“It’s pretty special,” Sharapova said of reaching No. 1 again. “A few years ago after my shoulder surgery, I don’t know if I had a ranking, but it was over 100. And I thought `Well, I did it one time. So maybe again, I can try to do it.’”

“It’s just amazing to be back in this position of being world No. 1 again. Not yet.  On Monday.  But nice to know it happened again for me.

“I was in a position a few years ago where I didn’t quite know if I would ever be here again on this stage playing professionally.  And not just at that, but at a level to get to No. 1 in the world and a first Roland Garros final for me.

“So a very special day, no doubt.”

Should Sharapova win Roland Garros on Saturday she would complete a career “Grand Slam” having won Wimbledon in 2004, the US Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008. She’s be the 10th woman to complete the feat.

“I always dreamed of being on the final stage here and finally have that opportunity,” Sharapova said. “I’m more than excited.

“It’s a long road back; it’s a long process.  It’s a lot of days of frustration and uncertainty not knowing if you’ll ever get there, not knowing how much you want it, not knowing whether it would be a moment like that for you again.

“So there’s definitely a lot of tough things you have to go through to get to this point, but when you get here and you look back at the things that you did and the work that you put in and the toughest days that you can remember, it’s all really worth it.

“Because, I mean, I have played tennis since I was four years old.  I committed myself to this sport.  I’ve always loved what I did.  When it was taken away from me for a while, that’s when I realized how grateful I was and how lucky I was to be playing it.”

No. 2 seed Sharapova will face 21st seed Sara Errani  who upset Samantha Stosur in the final on Saturday.

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Nadal Clinches 2010 Year-End No. 1

News Release www.ATPWorldTour.com
16 September 2010

NADAL CLINCHES YEAR-END NO. 1 FOR SECOND TIME

LONDON, ENGLAND – For the second time in three years Rafael Nadal will finish as the No. 1 player in the year-end South African Airways ATP Rankings.

The 24-year-old Spaniard is the ninth player in the history of the South African Airways ATP Rankings (since 1973) to finish as ATP World Tour Champion at least twice. He and rival Roger Federer are the only players since 2000 to clinch the year-end No. 1 ranking in the week after the US Open. Federer did it in 2004 and ’06.

Nadal said: “It has been an incredible season – one of my best ever, if not the best. Winning the US Open together with Roland Garros and Wimbledon, as well as the three back-to-back (ATP World Tour) Masters 1000s in Europe, was not easy.  I worked very hard to get back to the top and it feels really good to know I will end the year as No.1.”

Nadal will be officially crowned as the 2010 ATP World Tour Champion during a special ceremony at the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London, Nov. 21-28. Nadal and Federer are the first two players to qualify for the eight-man field. He is the third left-hander to finish No. 1 at least twice, joining Jimmy Connors (five times, 1974-78) and John McEnroe (four times, 1981-84).

On Monday, Nadal became the seventh man in history to achieve a career Grand Slam as he earned his first US Open title. He is also the first player to win three straight Grand Slam titles in the same year since Rod Laver won all four in 1969. Nadal is the youngest player in the Open Era to achieve a career Grand Slam. It was the Mallorcan native’s ninth career Grand Slam crown and he is the second-youngest player behind Bjorn Borg to win nine Slam titles.

Nadal also joins Ivan Lendl and Federer as the only players to have held, lost and regained the year-end No. 1 ranking in the 37-year history of the South African Airways ATP Rankings (since 1973). Lendl held the year-end No. 1 ranking from 1985-87 and finished No. 2 in 1988 before reclaiming No. 1 in 1989. Federer was No. 1 from 2004-07, went to No. 2 in ’08 and then returned to the top spot last year.

Nadal leads the ATP World Tour with six titles and a 59-7 match record in 2010. Since April he has won 43 of 46 matches, winning six of nine tournaments, including three consecutive ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay court events (Monte-Carlo, Rome, Madrid) and his fifth Roland Garros title in six years. In July, he captured his second Wimbledon title in three years.

ATP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONS (since 1973) MULTIPLE ATP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONS
Year Player Player Number of titles.
2010 Rafael Nadal (Spain) Pete Sampras 6
2009 Roger Federer (Switzerland) Jimmy Conners 5
2008 Rafael Nadal (Spain) Roger Federer 5
2007 Roger Federer (Switzerland) Ivan Lendl 4
2006 Roger Federer (Switzerland) John McEnroe 4
2005 Roger Federer (Switzerland) Bjorn Borg 2
2004 Roger Federer (Switzerland) Stefan Edberg 2
2003 Andy Roddick (U.S.) Lleyton Hewitt 2
2002 Llyeton Hewitt (Australia) Rafael Nadal 2
2001 Lleyton Hewitt (Australia)
2000 Gustavo Kuerten (Brazil) Get your tickets to the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals

Read Rafa's Career Grand Slam Tribute
1999 Andre Agassi (U.S.)
1998 Pete Sampras (U.S.)
1997 Pete Sampras (U.S.)
1996 Pete Sampras (U.S.)
1995 Pete Sampras (U.S.)
1994 Pete Sampras (U.S.)
1993 Pete Sampras (U.S.)
1992 Jim Courier (U.S.)
1991 Stefan Edberg (Sweden)
1990 Stefan Edberg (Sweden)
1989 Ivan Lendl (Czech Republic)
1988 Mats Wilander (Sweden)
1987 Ivan Lendl (Czech Republic)
1986 Ivan Lendl (Czech Republic)
1985 Ivan Lendl (Czech Republic)
1984 John McEnroe (U.S.)
1983 John McEnroe (U.S.)
1982 John McEnroe (U.S.)
1981 John McEnroe (U.S.)
1980 Bjorn Borg (Sweden)
1979 Bjorn Borg (Sweden)
1978 Jimmy Connors (U.S.)
1977 Jimmy Connors (U.S.)
1976 Jimmy Connors (U.S.)
1975 Jimmy Connors (U.S.)
1974 Jimmy Connors (U.S.)
1973 Ilie Nastase (Romania)


About the ATP
The ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) is the governing body of the men’s professional tennis circuits – the ATP World Tour, the ATP Challenger Tour and the ATP Champions Tour. With 62 tournaments in 32 countries, the ATP World Tour showcases the finest male athletes competing in the world’s most exciting venues. From Australia and Europe to Africa; from North and South America to Asia, the stars of the ATP World Tour battle for prestigious titles at Grand Slams (non ATP members), ATP World Tour Masters 1000, ATP World Tour 500 and ATP World Tour 250 events. At the end of the season the world’s top 8 ranked singles players and top 8 doubles teams, based on their performance throughout the year, will qualify to compete in the season’s climax – the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Held at The O2 in London, the event determines the final South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings. For more information, please visit www.ATPWorldTour.com.
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