5 players with the most wins as ATP No. 1

Since Romania's Ilie Nastase was the first-ever singles player to be officially ranked No. 1 by the ATP, back in 1973. Only 25 other players have occupied the numero uno spot, with Andy Murray (2016) being the latest to do so.

Among the 17 different players to have been ranked the year end No. 1, the quartet of Jimmy Connors, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have five apiece, while Pete Sampras leads the list with six.

Djokovic got back to the No. 1 position following his 8th title at the Australian Open. Starting his 276th week atop the world rankings, Djokovic has won three matches to reach the Dubai semifinals as he looks to overtake Federer (310) for the most weeks at No. 1.

On that note, let us have a look at where Djokovic ranks amongst the top five players with the most match wins as World No. 1.

#5 Pete Sampras (335-69; 82.9%)

Pete Sampras

Pete Sampras's 286 weeks as No. 1 was an all-time record until Federer surpassed the American in 2012.

Sampras holds the record for most year-end No. 1 finishes, doing so in six consecutive years from 1994 to 1999. The seven-time Wimbledon champion is one of only six players to hold the No. 1 ranking for each week of a season, the others being Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, Lleyton Hewitt, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

The now 49-year-old American, however, also holds the rather ignominious record of most defeats as the World No. 1. He endured 69 losses, making him one of only two players to lose at least 50 matches while holding the numero uno spot.

Sampras' 335th and final match win as World No. 1 came against Belarusian doubles legend Max Mirnyi in the second round at Indianopolis in 1999. He then suffered his 69th defeat against compatriot Vincent Spadea in the quarterfinals.

#4 Novak Djokovic (352-49; 87.8%)

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic is one of only three players to hold the World No. 1 ranking for at least 275 weeks, with Roger Federer (310) and Pete Sampras (286) the only players ahead of him in this regard.

Starting his fifth stint at No. 1 after winning a record-extending 8th Australian Open title, Djokovic marked his return to the Dubai Open with a straight sets win over Tunisia's Malek Jaziri. In the process, the 32-year-old Serb recorded his 350th win as a No. 1 ranked player.

Djokovic marked his 400th match as World No. 1 by beating German veteran Philipp Kohlschreiber in straight sets to reach the Dubai quarterfinals.

Djokovic's win % of 87.78 as World No. 1 is bettered by five other players in the all-time list, but only three other players have more wins as No. 1 than the 17-time Grand Slam champion.

You may also like: 4 milestones Djokovic could achieve in 2020

#3 Ivan Lendl (367-44; 89.3%)

Ivan Lendl

Ivan Lendl occupied the No. 1 ranking for 270 weeks, including 80 consecutive weeks in his eighth and final stint at the numero spot between 1989 and 1990.

The eight-time Grand Slam winner had his 44th and final defeat as World No. 1 at the hands of eventual winner Stefan Edberg in the 1990 Wimbledon semifinals.

Lendl was the year end No. 1 on four occasions. He grabbed that honor in three consecutive years - 1985 to 1987 - and also in 1989.

#2 Jimmy Connors (407-44; 90.2%)

Jimmy Connors

The first player to hold the year-end No. 1 ranking on multiple occasions, doing so in five consecutive years from 1974 to 1978, Jimmy Connors occupied the top spot for a total of 268 weeks.

Connors' 160 consecutive weeks at No. 1 was a record for almost three decades, before Roger Federer surpassed him in 2007. The American's five year-end No. 1 finishes is only bettered by compatriot Pete Sampras, who did so on six different occasions.

Connors (407) was the first player to win 400 matches as World No. 1.

#1 Roger Federer (430-56; 88.5%)

Roger Federer

Roger Federer holds the records for the most weeks - overall (310) as well as consecutive (237) - as the world's top-ranked player. Perhaps it's no surprise then that the 20-time Grand Slam champion also has the most match wins (430) of any player to have occupied the numero uno spot.

Federer, who became the oldest player to be ranked No. 1 when he did so in 2018, had his 430th and final match win as the world's top-ranked player against American Denis Kudla in the 2018 Halle semifinals.

You may also like: 3 milestones Federer could achieve in 2020

Federer's 56 losses as World No. 1 is only surpassed by Pete Sampras (69). The 38-year-old has won 46 of his 103 career singles titles while being ranked the World No. 1, the most recent such occasion being 2012 Cincinnati.

The Swiss maestro came close to adding to this tally but he squandered multiple championship points on serve in the 2018 Indian Wells final against Juan Martin del Potro. He had another opportunity in the Halle final later in the season, but he went down to Borna Coric in three sets.

You may also like: 8 tournaments where Federer has had the most missed opportunities