The 9 nations to produce both ATP and WTA world No 1 singles players: USA out in front
From dominant powerhouses to emerging nations, tennis has produced an array of leading players from countless nations in the modern era.
Here, we look at the nine countries that have managed to produce a world No 1 singles player on both the ATP and WTA Tours.
United States
The USA is out in front for both the WTA and ATP world No 1’s, with eight women and six men climbing to the top spot of the singles rankings.
Chris Evert was the first WTA world No 1 when the rankings were introduced in 1975 and was swiftly followed by the likes of Tracy Austin and Martina Navratilova.
In more recent years, Monica Seles, Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati, and Serena and Venus Williams were also ranked No 1.
Jimmy Connors was the first US man to reach the top spot and has since been followed by John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, and Andy Roddick.
Spain
Another nation with multiple former world No 1’s on both the ATP and WTA, Spain has emerged as a tennis powerhouse in recent years.
Undoubtedly the nation’s most famous No 1 is Rafael Nadal, one of four Spanish men to reach the top alongside Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Moya, and Carlos Alcaraz.
Meanwhile, two Spanish women – Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Garbine Muguruza – climbed to the summit of the WTA Rankings during their careers.
Australia
Another significant tennis powerhouse, Australia has also produced multiple No 1’s on both tours.
The nation’s most recent world No 1 was Ashleigh Barty, who retired while she was still top of the WTA Rankings in 2022, while Evonne Goolagong was just the second WTA No 1 in history back in 1976.
All-time great John Newcombe was also the second-ever No 1 on the ATP Tour, with Pat Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt reaching the top of the rankings in more recent years.
Russia
One of the biggest emerging tennis superpowers of the past 30 years, Russia has produced five world No 1’s across the ATP and WTA Tours.
None are more famous than Maria Sharapova, who spent 21 weeks at the top of the WTA Rankings, with Dinara Safina later becoming the second Russian woman to reach No 1.
Yevgeny Kafelnikov was the nation’s first No 1 – male or female – back in 1999, with Marat Safin and Daniil Medvedev following in his footsteps.
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Germany
Germany has produced three world No 1 singles players, with none more successful than tennis icon Steffi Graf.
She spent 377 weeks at the top of the WTA Rankings, an all-time WTA record unlikely to be broken anytime soon.
Two decades on from Graf, Angelique Kerber became world No 1 in 2016, while Boris Becker remains the only German man to reach the top of the ATP Rankings.
Serbia
Novak Djokovic has been the flagbearer for Serbian tennis in recent years, and his 428 weeks as world No 1 is the record for any singles player – male or female.
He remains the only Serbian man to reach No 1, but not the only player overall.
Ana Ivanovic was the first Serbian of either gender to reach world No 1 back in 2008, with Jelena Jankovic also reaching the top of the rankings that year.
Tennis icon Monica Seles was also from modern-day Serbia, though represented Yugoslavia during her first stint at the top.
Switzerland
Switzerland has produced one ATP world No 1 and one WTA world No 1, with both among the most successful players in recent history.
Roger Federer spent 310 weeks at the top of the ATP Rankings, a total only bettered by Djokovic, while Martina Hingis’s 2009 weeks atop the WTA Rankings puts her fifth on the women’s all-time list.
Romania
Romania produced the first No 1 in ATP history back in 1973, with Ilie Nastase reigning for the first 40 weeks that the rankings were in existence.
Over 40 years later, Simona Halep became the nation’s first WTA world No 1 in 2017, spending a total of 64 weeks as the top-ranked player in the world.
Czech Republic
In the four decades since he first became world No 1, Ivan Lendl remains one of the most dominant top-ranked players in ATP history, with his 270 weeks at the top the fourth-most of any man.
And Lendl was joined by Karolina Pliskova in scaling the top of the rankings in 2017, with the Czech reigning for eight weeks atop the WTA that summer.