The 7 highest-ranked left-handed men of the 21st Century: Rafael Nadal top, Jack Draper hits milestone
A new week, and a new rankings milestone for Jack Draper.
The Brit did not even play last week, but with Casper Ruud dropping 90 ranking points, the Brit has moved up to a new career-high of world No 6.
That cements Draper’s place as the highest-ranked left-hander on the ATP, and now only one left-hander in the 21st century has reached a higher ranking in the men’s game.
Here, we look at the seven-highest ranked ATP left-handers of the 21st century – with no prizes for guessing who is at the very top.
7) Mariano Puerta – No 9 (2005)
Argentine Puerta is probably best remembered as the man Rafael Nadal beat in his first Grand Slam final at the 2005 French Open, winning the first of his 22 majors.
However, outside of his Roland Garros campaign two decades ago, Puerta was the winner of three ATP Tour titles – and reached a career-high of world No 9 in August 2005.
Having previously served a nine-month doping ban in 2003, he would later serve a two-year suspension following his Roland Garros run – and never again returned to the top of the sport.
=5) Cameron Norrie – No 8 (2022)
Alongside Draper, Norrie is one of just five British men since the ATP Rankings were launched to crack the top 10.
The 29-year-old lefty reached his career-high of world No 8 back in September 2022, having won the biggest title of his career in Indian Wells the previous October.
Norrie could have been ranked higher had he received points for his 2022 Wimbledon semi-final run, though points were stripped from SW19 that year due to the ban on Russian and Belarusian players.
The Brit is the winner of five ATP Tour titles in total, and is currently ranked 87th in the world.
=5) Jurgen Melzer – No 8 (2011)
Former world No 8 Melzer is probably best remembered for reaching the French Open semi-finals in 2010, becoming the first – and only – man to beat Novak Djokovic from two sets to love down.
The Austrian was beaten by Nadal in the semi-final but that run proved a catalyst for a surge into the top 10, and he would ultimately reach his career high ranking in April 2011.
Melzer was the winner of five ATP singles titles, reaching a further eight tour finals before his retirement in 2021.
=3) Fernando Verdasco – No 7 (2009)
Officially confirming his retirement from the sport this February, Verdasco will be remembered as a key part of a strong generation of Spanish tennis.
And, Nadal is the only other left-handed Spaniard to reach a higher ranking than Verdasco since the turn of the century.
The 41-year-old reached his career-high of world No 7 back in April 2009, months after reaching his only Grand Slam semi-final at the Australian Open.
Verdasco was also a US Open and Wimbledon quarter-finalist, and the winner of seven ATP titles.
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‘Winning a Grand Slam isn’t any easier now than it was in Djokovic, Nadal, Federer era’
=3) Marcelo Rios – No 7 (2000)
The only man to reach No 1 on the ATP Rankings without ever winning a Grand Slam title, Rios reached the peak of his career in March 1998.
However, while he did not remain as the world No 1 heading into the 21st Century, the Chilean remained towards the top of the sport for some time.
He was still in the top 10 at the start of 2000, ranked as the world No 7 at the start of the year – though he dropped down the rankings as the decade progressed.
Rios, who won 18 ATP titles, retired in 2004.
2) Jack Draper – No 6 (2025)
Having moved up to world No 6 on Monday, Draper has surged ahead of Rios and Verdasco to become the second-highest ranked left-hander of the 21st Century.
The Brit made his ATP top-10 debut less than a month ago after claiming his first Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells, moving up to seventh after defeating Holger Rune in the final.
That was the third title of Draper’s career, with the 23-year-old having triumphed in Stuttgart and Vienna last year.
Draper was also a US Open semi-finalist in 2024, and will now set his sights on reaching the top five.
1) Rafael Nadal – No 1 (2008)
Nadal remains the only lefty to have so far reached the top five of the ATP Rankings this century – and the only one to reach world No 1.
The Spaniard reached world No 1 for the first time in August 2008 and spent a total of 209 weeks atop the ATP Rankings across his career.
Only five men have attained more weeks at world No 1 since 1973, and only one of them – Jimmy Connors – was left-handed, the American having spent 268 weeks at the top.
Nadal was the winner of 92 career singles titles, a haul only beaten by five men in the Open Era.
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