Every ATP year-end No 1 since 2007 – if Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray did not exist

Ewan West
Andy Murray Novak Djokovic Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on court
ndy Murray Novak Djokovic Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at the Laver Cup

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have dominated the ATP Tour between them for much of the last 15 years and this has been reflected in the Rankings. 

Since 2004, there has only been one season where a player outside of this ‘Big 4’ has finished as the year-end ATP world No 1. For much of this period, it has been difficult to break the stranglehold these great champions have had in the year-end Rankings.

Here, though, we look at which players would have been the year-end No 1 for each season since 2007 if Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray did not exist.

2007 – Nikolay Davydenko 

In 2007, the ‘Big 3’  of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic finished the season as the top three players in the ATP Rankings for the first time. Federer was the year-end No 1 for the fourth-straight season on 7,180 points, while Nadal recorded a third-straight finish as No 2 on 5,735 points, and Djokovic secured a maiden year-end top 10 spot at No 3 on 4,470 points.

Nikolay Davydenko was the next best player in fourth position on 2,825 points, having won one title and posted a 17-4 record at Grand Slams.

2008 – Nikolay Davydenko 

Davydenko finished the following season as the highest-ranked player outside the ‘Big 4’ at No 5, as he earned 2,715 points following three titles and an ATP Finals runner-up showing.

Nadal earned his first year-end No 1 finish as he collected 6,675 points to top the list over Federer on 5,305 points, Djokovic on 5,295 points, and Murray, who accumulated 3,720 points for his first top 10 finish.

2009 – Juan Martin Del Potro

In 2009, the ‘Big 4’ made up the top four for the second time, with Federer and Nadal switching places. The Swiss ended on top with 10,550 points, with the Spaniard in second on 9,205 points, and Djokovic and Murray in third and fourth with 8,310 and 7,030 points respectively.

Juan Martin Del Potro was the world No 5 at the end of the season with 6,785 points, after his three titles, including his famous US Open victory, and runner-up finishes at the Canadian Open and the ATP Finals.

2010 – Robin Soderling 

The 2010 season saw the same leading quartet end up in the top four places for the third-straight year, with a return to the same order seen in 2008. Nadal finished as world No 1 on 12,450 points, ahead of Federer in second on 9,145 points, Djokovic at No 3 on 6,240 points, and Murray fourth on 5,760 points.

Robin Soderling was the fifth-best player in the world for the year as he collected 5,580 points, following two titles, including the Paris Masters, and reached three other finals.

2011 – David Ferrer

David Ferrer was the highest-ranked player outside the ‘Big 4’ in 2011 as he finished as the world No 5 on 4,925 points, having won two titles and made four other finals.

Djokovic earned his first year-end No 1 finish on 13,630 points, above second-placed Nadal on 9,595 points, No 3 Federer on 8,170 points and Murray in fourth on 7,380 points.

2012 – David Ferrer

The Spaniard repeated his fifth-placed season-end position in 2012 as he collected a tour-leading seven ATP titles to end the campaign on 6,505 points.

Djokovic recorded his second-straight finish on top of the ATP Rankings with 12,920 points, ahead of No 2 Federer on 10,265 points, Murray in third on 8,000 points, and Nadal at No 4 on 6,690 points.

2013 – David Ferrer

Ferrer secured a No 3 year-end finish in 2013 after reaching seven finals and winning two titles to earn 5,800 points, making him the first player other than the ‘Big 4’ to earn a top three finish since 2006.

Nadal topped the ATP Rankings on 13,030 points, while Djokovic finished second on 12,260 points, with Murray and Federer in fourth and sixth respectively.

2014 – Stan Wawrinka

In 2014, the ‘Big 3’ re-established their status as the year-end top three, with Djokovic finishing as No 1 on 11,360 points, Federer at No 2 on 9,775 points, and Nadal as No 3 on 6,835 points.

Stan Wawrinka had a big season in 2014 as he won three titles, including his maiden Grand Slam at the Australian Open, to finish as the world No 4 on 5,370 points.

2015 – Stan Wawrinka

Wawrinka was even more impressive in 2015, with the Swiss winning four titles, including the French Open and posting a 21-3 Major record to secure the year-end No 4 position again on 6,865 points.

Djokovic was the year-end No 1 again with a staggering tally of 16,585 points, ahead of Murray in second on 8,945 points, and Federer third with 8,265 points.

2016 – Milos Raonic

Andy Murray achieved the only ATP year-end No 1 finish of his career in 2016, when he finished on 12,410 points, above Novak Djokovic on 11,780 points in No 2.

Milos Raonic ended the season at a career-high position of world No 3 on 5,450 points, having won a title and finished as a runner-up at three events, including Wimbledon.

2017 – Grigor Dimitrov 

In 2017, Grigor Dimitrov earned 5,150 points to finish the year at his best ranking of world No 3 after winning four ATP titles, including the ATP Finals.

Nadal was the year-end No 1 for the first time in four years after collecting 10,645 points, while Federer finished second on 9,605 points.

2018 – Alexander Zverev

Djokovic returned to finish a season on top of the ATP Rankings for the first time since 2015 as he compiled 9,045 points, ahead of Nadal at No 2 on 7,480 points, and Federer in third on 6,420 points.

Alexander Zverev claimed four titles, including the ATP Finals, and was a runner-up at two ATP Masters 1000 events, to end the year as world No 4 with 6,385 points.

2019 – Dominic Thiem

In 2019, Dominic Thiem secured five ATP titles, including the Indian Wells Masters, and was a finalist at the French Open and ATP finals, as he earned 5,825 points to finish fourth in the ATP Rankings.

Nadal ended the season as world No 1 on 9,985 points, above Djokovic in second on 9,145 points, and Federer in third position with 6,590 points.

2020 – Dominic Thiem

Thiem bettered his 2019 finish by collecting 9,125 points to end the 2020 season as world No 3, following his victory at the US Open and runner-up showings at the Australian Open and ATP Finals.

Djokovic was the year-end No 1 as he accumulated 12,030 points, while Nadal finished as world No 2 with 9,850 points.

2021 – Daniil Medvedev

In 2021, Novak Djokovic was the only player to finish above Daniil Medvedev as the Serb earned 11,540 points to finish as world No 1 for the second successive year.

Medvedev collected 8,640 points after he won four titles, including the US Open, and was a runner-up at three other tournaments – most notably, the Australian Open and the ATP Finals.

2022 – Carlos Alcaraz 

Carlos Alcaraz became the first player outside of the ‘Big 4’ to attain the ATP year-end No 1 ranking since Andy Roddick in 2003, having won five titles, including the US Open.

Nadal finished second on 6,020 points, while Djokovic ended the season in fifth on 4,820 points, having missed both the Australian Open and US Open.

READ MORE: Insane Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer streak extended in Turin – by Jannik Sinner

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