Most Weeks at World No. 1 in Tennis

Novak Djokovic holds the men’s record for the most weeks at world No. 1, with 428, comfortably ahead of Roger Federer’s 310. On the women’s side, Steffi Graf leads the all-time list with 377 weeks, and Djokovic’s total is the highest of any player in the sport’s history.

Grand Slam titles capture tennis’s biggest days, but the weeks-at-No. 1 record measures something different: relentless, week-after-week dominance sustained over years. It rewards consistency across every tournament, not just the majors. Here are the full leaderboards for both the men and the women, and the context behind the numbers. All figures are as of the 2025 season.

The men’s record holder: Novak Djokovic and 428 weeks

Djokovic’s total is staggering in both scale and duration. He first reached No. 1 in 2011 and kept returning to the top across more than a decade, eventually passing Federer’s long-standing record in 2021 and pushing it to 428 weeks. He also holds the record for the most year-end No. 1 finishes, underlining just how consistently he sat above the field.

That 428-week total is the highest of any player, man or woman, and it captures a career spent almost permanently at or near the summit of the game. Although he remains active, he has not been ranked No. 1 in the most recent seasons, so the total is effectively settled.

The men’s weeks-at-No. 1 leaderboard

The table below ranks the men by total weeks spent at world No. 1. Active players are noted.

Rank	Weeks	Player	First reached No. 1
1	428	Novak Djokovic*	2011
2	310	Roger Federer	2004
3	286	Pete Sampras	1993
4	270	Ivan Lendl	1983
5	268	Jimmy Connors	1974
6	209	Rafael Nadal	2008
7	170	John McEnroe	1980
8	109	Bjorn Borg	1977
9	101	Andre Agassi	1995
10	80	Lleyton Hewitt	2001

*Novak Djokovic is active, though he has not held the No. 1 ranking in the most recent seasons.

The list spans the computerized ranking era, from Connors and Borg in the 1970s through Sampras and Lendl to the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic generation at the top.

The women’s record holder: Steffi Graf and 377 weeks

Steffi Graf spent 377 weeks at No. 1, including a record 186 consecutive weeks, a run of dominance in the late 1980s and early 1990s that has never been matched for sheer duration. Her total leads the women’s game and sits second only to Djokovic across all of tennis.

The women’s weeks-at-No. 1 leaderboard

The table below ranks the women by total weeks spent at world No. 1. Active players are noted.

Rank	Weeks	Player	Era
1	377	Steffi Graf	1987-1997
2	332	Martina Navratilova	1978-1987
3	319	Serena Williams	2002-2017
4	260	Chris Evert	1975-1985
5	209	Martina Hingis	1997-2001
6	178	Monica Seles	1991-1996
7	125+*	Iga Swiatek	2022-present
8	121	Ashleigh Barty	2019-2022
9	117	Justine Henin	2003-2008
10	98	Lindsay Davenport	1998-2006

*Iga Swiatek is active; her total is current through the 2025 season and may still climb.

Iga Swiatek is the leading active player, having climbed past 100 weeks during her time at the top of the women’s game. For a broader view of the sport’s icons, see our ranking of the greatest female tennis players.

How these totals connect to the majors

Weeks at No. 1 and Grand Slam counts usually move together, and the leaders here overlap heavily with our leaderboard of the most Grand Slam titles in tennis. For the players who won the most tour-level trophies overall, see the most ATP titles, and for clay-court supremacy, the most French Open titles.

Why the record matters

Holding the No. 1 ranking for 428 weeks, as Djokovic has, means being the best player in the world for the equivalent of more than eight full years, spread across a long career. Graf’s 377 weeks set a women’s benchmark that has stood for a generation.

The short version: Novak Djokovic holds the men’s record with 428 weeks at world No. 1, and Steffi Graf leads the women with 377. As of the 2025 season, Iga Swiatek is the active player climbing fastest, but the all-time leaders remain far ahead.