How Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer performed in their first events as world number one
Following Alexander Zverev's rise to world number one in tennis, this article reviews how past legends like Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer performed in their first events after reaching the top spot. It highlights the pressure and historical significance associated with the ranking.
Why it matters
Provides historical context for current shifts in professional sports rankings and the performance expectations of elite athletes.
Alexander Zverev became the 30th official world number one on Monday.
Zverev snatched the top spot from Jannik Sinner after defeating Tallon Griekspoor in the Vienna Open round of 16 last week.
Zverev is now set to compete in the Paris Masters – his first tournament as world number one.
With Zverev assuming the top spot, let's take a look back at how some of tennis' greatest players performed upon achieving world number one status.
Djokovic claimed the world number one ranking from Rafael Nadal after defeating Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the 2011 Wimbledon semi-finals.
"They don't give you a lot of chances to become number one," Djokovic said afterwards with a smile. "I guess you need to lose only one match in seven months to get there."
The Serb went on to win his first title at the All England Club, beating Nadal in the final.
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