When the world said goodbye to the 20th century and the arrival of the year 2000 was feared, Spain He began his history at the top of the ATP rankings. The first one came in 1999 and since then there have always been representatives from the best in the world.
The SportingNews lists who were the locals who stayed at the top of the international list and made it into the tennis books. Caution: there are still blank pages to continue writing more history.
How many Spaniards were number 1 in the world?
As mentioned, the first arrived on March 15, 1999: Carlos Moya he ousted Pete Sampras to become king. His passing would be very short, only two weeks, but his mark is indelible. On the 28th of that month, the American would regain the top spot, though not for much longer.
At the beginning of the 21st century there were several tennis players who alternated above: the Russians Marat Safinthe brazilian Gustavo Kuertenthe Australian Lleyton Hewitt and the American Andrew Agassi. John Charles Ferrero had his turn for eight weeks in 2003: o Mosquito ascended the throne on September 8.
The Spaniard will be replaced by Andy Roddick, who was the last before the Big 4 took over the leadership of world tennis. Rafael Nadal He is part of that team of four players who marked an era and finished 1st on August 18, 2008. The left-hander was an eight-time captain: on February 2, 2020, dropped it and never picked it up again.
By winning the US Open 2022, Carlos Alcaraz entered this privileged list. The 19-year-old from Murcia jumped non-stop from fourth place to first place and transformed in the latest in history. Karlitos is called to be the great protagonist of the next decades.
The list of Spaniards who were No1 in the world
| Tennis player | First time as No. 1 | Last time as No. 1 | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Moya | March 15, 1999 | March 28, 1999 | two |
| John Charles Ferrero | September 8, 2003 | November 2, 2003 | 8 |
| Rafael Nadal | August 18, 2008 | February 2, 2020 | 209 |
| Carlos Alcaraz | September 12, 2022 | – | – |
