Sampras and Djokovic, The ATP's Only Six-Time Year-End No.1s, Trade Stories

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Sampras and Djokovic, The ATP's Only Six-Time Year-End No.1s, Trade Stories

By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Monday November 9, 2020

In 2020 Novak Djokovic has joined Pete Sampras as the only man to hold the ATP’s year-end No.1 ranking for six different seasons. Today the Serb was joined by Sampras for a chat as a part of the ATP’s celebration of the 50-year anniversary of the Nitto ATP Finals.

The players talked about their legacy at the ATP’s prestigious year-end championships, including some of their biggest wins, and finished the conversation chatting about the immense challenges they faced as they strove to finish No.1 for all those seasons.

"It wasn't fun," Sampras said of his run of six straight years at No.1, from 1993 to 1998. "I'll be honest with you. I did it. It felt great but it definitely took a lot out of me emotionally.”

Sampras told host Tim Henman that the effort it took to reach that goal and become the first player to finish as the ATP’s year-end No.1 six times took a lot of energy from him in the ensuing years.

Nevertheless, it was worth it, says Sampras.

“In my career I look back at that and I've won a lot of majors and I've done some great things but staying No.1 all those years I think it was my biggest achievement, just to be dominant. Not to stay No.1 for six months or a year, but to really cement that."

Sampras gave Djokovic his heartfelt respect for matching his feat.

"Congratulations,” he told the Serb. “You have all my respect for being the best in the world for six years, as you know it's very difficult. It's hard to stay No.1. It's one thing to get there, it's twice as hard to stay there."

Djokovic says that pushing himself to finish so many seasons at the top of the rankings hasn’t exactly been easy on him. The Serb will finish 2020 as the oldest year-end No.1 in ATP history as well. He finished No.1 in 2011-12, 2014-15, 2018 and 2020.

"The amount of dedication that you need to undergo in your life and the way you have to organize yourself, not just on the court but off the court is tremendous," he said. "Nervousness, stress, butterflies, whatever you want to call them, all the positive and negative emotions, all the tornado that is happening inside, and you care so much about it."

As the chat finishes Djokovic praises Sampras for something a record that is likely never to be broken—six consecutive years as the ATP’s year-end No.1. Jimmy Connors reached five consecutive year-end No.1 rankings from 1974 to 1978. John McEnroe reached four, from 1981 to 1984. Roger Federer reached four from 2004 to 2007. But six? That’s outrageous.

"Six years in a row? I don't know how you did it Pete, but huge respect for that,” Djokovic said.

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