The 8 biggest points gaps between No 1 and No 2 in ATP Rankings: Featuring Novak Djokovic’s staggering 9,000-point lead
The Big Three of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal dominate the list for the biggest points differences between the No 1 and No 2 players in the ATP Rankings.
But Djokovic is ultimately numero uno as the Serbian holds the top two positions for biggest points gaps since the rankings were introduced in 1973 as he came closest to having an astonishing 10,000-point lead over the second-placed Federer during his incredible 2016 season.
But there is a new name in the top eight with Jannik Sinner entering the list after his recent rankings milestone.
The 8 biggest points gaps between No 1 and No 2 in ATP Rankings:
8. Jannik Sinner – 4,800 points
The Italian first rose to No 1 in the rankings on June 20, 2024 and he has steadily increased his points lead over the chasing pack.
Shortly after winning the US Open in September, Sinner opened a 4,305-point advantage over Alexander Zverev – the 11th biggest gap at the time – but he has now gone better.
Sinner’s Shanghai Masters title saw him increase his lead over second-placed Carlos Alcaraz to 4,800 points (11,920 v 7,120) on October 14.
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The 5 men who have reached the most ATP finals: Novak Djokovic with 141, Rafael Nadal 5th on list
7. Rafael Nadal – 5,190
Rafael Nadal achieved his 5,000-point difference milestone over the 2008-2009 tennis seasons as he had accumulated 15,360 points on May 11, 2009.
The Spaniard – who finished the 2008 season at No 1 – had points from the 2008 French Open and Wimbledon as well as the 2009 Australian Open in the bag.
Second-placed Roger Federer was on 10,170 points.
6. Rafael Nadal – 5,245
The Spaniard surpassed his previous best tally a few years later and this time it came on the back of winning the 2010 French Open, Wimbledon and US Open.
Nadal reached 12,390 ranking points on October 11, 2010 and Djokovic was second on 7,145.
5. Roger Federer – 5,881
When Federer hit the 5,881-point gap on October 4, 2004, it was the biggest gap at the time. The ATP only changed its points structure in 2009 and the Swiss was on 6,875 points while Andy Roddick was a distant second on 3,780 points.
However, a 1.9 factor adjustment to reflect the current points structure puts Federer on 13,063 and Roddick on 7,182
Federer accumulated his points from his Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open titles.
4. Roger Federer – 6,346
The following year, Federer cracked the 6,000-point lead on June 13 as he continued to dominate at the top of the rankings.
That milestone came shortly after he reached the semi-final of the French Open as he still had points from his 2004 Wimbledon, US Open and ATP Finals titles.
Federer was on 13,262 points compared to Lleyton Hewitt’s 6,916 after the 1.9 factor adjustment.
3. Roger Federer – 7,410
Roger Federer occupied the top three positions for the biggest points gaps on November 20, 2006 after he surpassed his two previous best efforts.
Officially Federer was 8,370 points compared to Nadal’s 4,470, but with the 1.9 adjustment, he moves to 15,903 while the Spaniard sits on 8 493.
The Swiss won the Australian Open, Wimbledon, US Open and ATP Finals while he also finished runner-up at Roland Garros.
2. Novak Djokovic – 8,725
Novak Djokovic became the first player to crack 16,000 ranking points during the 2016 season and he also became the first – and to date only – player to have an 8,000-plus point lead over the second-placed player in the rankings.
The Serbian was on 16,540 points on April 4, 2016 as at the time he was in possession of the Wimbledon, US Open, ATP Finals and Australian Open trophies while he also finished runner-up at Roland Garros the previous year.
Andy Murray was a distant second on 7,815 points.
1. Novak Djokovic – 9,025
Not long after his 8,000-point achievement, Djokovic broke the 9,000-point lead milestone as he notched up the feat on May 9, 2016.
He moved to 16,550 points after winning the 2016 Madrid Open while second-placed Federer was on 7,525 points.
At the time he had points from the Italian Open, Wimbledon, US Open, China Open, Shanghai Masters, Paris Masters and ATP Finals from 2015 and the Qatar Open, Australian Open, Indian Wells Open, Miami Open and Madrid Open in 2016.
