Ivan Lendl remains one of the greatest players of his generation alongside John McEnroe, Mats Wilander and Jimmy Connors.
The Czech-American star won eight Grand Slam titles during his career and achieved the status of world number one.
Lendl is also the only player in ATP Finals history to reach nine consecutive finals.
Lendl’s career achievements were remarkable. However, his career in its entirety does not rank in the same class as those of Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic.
However, Lendl has outshone both of these superstars in one particular area.
Ivan Lendl has spent the most consecutive weeks in the ATP top three
From 1982 to 1991, Ivan Lendl spent a remarkable 465 consecutive weeks ranked inside the ATP’s top three – a record that stands to this very day.
Lendl leads Roger Federer, who spent 432 consecutive weeks in the top three from 2003 to 2011.
Novak Djokovic takes the third spot, having spent 399 consecutive weeks in the top three between 2009 and 2017.
Pete Sampras, a 14-time Grand Slam champion, achieved the feat for 391 weeks.
Lendl also outshone two of his biggest rivals – Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe. Connors spent 377 straight weeks in the top three between 1974 and 1981, while McEnroe compiled 364 weeks between 1979 and 1986.
Rafael Nadal, Stefan Edberg and Bjorn Borg are next, having amassed 243, 225 and 192 consecutive weeks in the top three, respectively.
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Where does Carlos Alcaraz rank?
Carlos Alcaraz became the world number one for the first time in his career after winning his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2022 US Open.
Since then, the Spaniard has not fallen outside of the ATP top three.
As a result, Alcaraz has spent 172 consecutive weeks in the top three, putting him in 10th place all-time among male players in the Open Era.
Carlos Alcaraz WILL complete the Career Grand Slam before Jannik Sinner – discuss…
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Recently, Alcaraz registered his 50th week as the world number one, a feat unmatched by the likes of Andy Murray and Gustavo Kuerten.
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