Andy Murray hit a very Unique Milestone on 23rd April...
19 April 2017It takes remarkable consistency, world-class quality and a little bit of luck in the major tournaments to achieve the ultimate in tennis - ranking as World number 1.
Andy Murray, on the 23rd April 2017, hit a very unique milestone; 168 days into his reign at the top of the tables, he surpassed the average duration of a stay at World number 1.
The average World number 1 stays on top for 24 weeks - or 168 days - despite some truly enduring historical reigns from the likes of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
http://bit.ly/world-number-1-data-tennis
The research into the history of the ATP Rankings System also revealed some pretty interesting insights into what the reign of a World number 1 looks like.
24 weeks is the length of the average reign as World number 1, but each player typically reaches 88 weeks at the top spot throughout their career - across 3-4 separate stints (3.65 average).
Of course, some players have heavily skewed the average - Federer's 302 total weeks at the top of the World rankings could prove insurmountable for generations, despite Pete Sampras (286) and Ivan Lendl (270) finishing their careers at a point that wasn't too far behind.
The research also showed off the build-up to taking the World number 1 spot - and how much it can vary. Four players - Andy Roddick, Ivan Lendl, Lleyton Hewitt and Marcelo Rios - actually reached the number 1 spot without winning a single Grand Slam, a stark contrast to Mats Wilander's seven career majors before he topped the pile.
So, congratulations to Andy for first taking that coveted position of World number 1 - but also for besting the average!
