Longest gaps between top-10 appearances in ATP rankings in history ft. Grigor Dimitrov

Despite potentially losing in the final against Jannik Sinner, Grigor Dimitrov’s impressive performance at the Miami Open will result in a return to the top-10 of the ATP rankings for the first time since 2018.

Despite facing tough competition, the Bulgarian’s 2024 campaign has been remarkable. In addition to defeating top players like Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev in Miami, he has also reached the finals twice and emerged victorious in Brisbane.

After a lengthy period, the long-awaited return to the top-10 finally happened. Despite the long wait, this achievement remains exceptional. In fact, there were 260 weeks between his two top-10 appearances, making it the third-longest gap in the history of ATP rankings. Let’s examine all three instances in detail.

#3 Grigor Dimitrov – 260 Consecutive Weeks in the ATP Top 10 (November 2018 to April 2024)

During the majority of the 2010s, Grigor Dimitrov consistently ranked in the top-10. However, a decline in performance led to his departure from the elite category towards the end of 2018.

Despite occasionally defeating top players, the Bulgarian found it difficult to maintain a consistent winning streak.

Despite previous years of struggle, things took a turn for the better last year. Dimitrov’s performance at the 2023 Paris Masters marked his most significant final since 2017, and he also achieved the same number of wins against top-10 players as he did in the years between 2019 and 2022 combined.

In 2024, he had already won a championship and reached the final of the Miami Open, a Masters 1000 tournament.

After 260 weeks, the Bulgarian’s return to the top-10 of the ATP rankings has been attributed to his rediscovered consistency, as he stated in his press conference following his semifinal victory over Alexander Zverev at the Miami Open.

“I have been able to put those matches back-to-back, I think the consistency of beating top players, that to me is way bigger success than anything else,”Grigor Dimitrov said. “I mean, if you do that, you get the ranking. If you do that, things are just getting better for you. But in order to do, it’s where it all comes through.”

“The discipline, the hard work, you know, all the dedication, the adjustment to very different players throughout that time, I mean, you need to be able to do that on a constant basis… I think the discipline brought me I think to that moment. There is nothing else,”he added.

#2 Albert Costa – 264 consecutive weeks (May 1997 to June 2002)

Before Rafael Nadal established his dominance at the French Open, fellow Spaniard Albert Costa had already achieved significant success at the tournament.

The retired player, who was born in Lleida, achieved his only Grand Slam victory at the tournament in 2002 and subsequently reached a career-best ranking of World No. 6.

Interestingly, that victory did not mark the start of a period at the top, but rather a highly anticipated comeback to the upper echelon.

Despite making his Tour debut in 1993, Costa only managed to reach two Grand Slam quarterfinals in his first four years. However, his ranking dropped out of the top-10 in May 1997, causing him to momentarily fade into the background.

The Spaniard’s performance saw a resurgence as he achieved consecutive second-week finishes at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career at the 2001 US Open and 2022 Australian Open. He then went on to claim victory at the French Open and reclaim his spot in the top-10 rankings.

#1 Longest Streak at World No. 1 – Gilles Simon (308 weeks)

Gilles Simon was a consistent presence on the Tour for a span of twenty years, first appearing as an 18-year-old in 2002.

Over the course of his career, the Frenchman accumulated more than 500 victories in singles matches. Despite a shift towards a baseline-focused and power-driven style of tennis, his graceful all-court game remained effective and enduring.

In 2008, just six years after joining the Tour, he achieved a top-10 debut and reached a peak ranking of No. 7. The following season, he had a successful run at the Australian Open, making it to his first Grand Slam quarterfinal. However, he was unable to maintain this level of success and eventually fell out of the top tier towards the end of the year.

Five years later, he experienced a resurgence when he reached his second Masters 1000 final at the 2014 Shanghai Masters. The following year, he also reached his second Grand Slam quarterfinal, this time at the Wimbledon Championships.

The run at the All England Club propelled him back into the top-10 rankings, which he had previously achieved in September of that year. Simon remained on the tour for another seven years, winning two more trophies (both in 2018) before ultimately retiring at the 2022 Paris Masters, where he was cheered on by a lively home audience.