Nadal breaks Connors' record to stand alone atop list of most consecutive weeks in ATP Top 10

Despite the 2020 season being shortened due to the pandemic, Rafael Nadal still finds ways to separate himself from his peers by setting new records.

The reigning Roland Garros champion, who recently won a ridiculous 13th French Open title, also tied Roger Federer with 20 for most Grand Slams by a male tennis player. Furthermore, he became just the fourth player in ATP history to record 1,000 match wins, also joining Federer on that exclusive list.

However, the Spaniard set himself apart from Federer by finally overcoming Jimmy Connors record of 789 consecutive weeks in the ATP Top 10. After tying the retired American last week, Nadal overtook his predecessor to reach 790 consecutive weeks in the Top 10 of FedEx ATP Rankings.

The 34-year old first broke into the Top 10 on April 25 2005, and has been a staple among the elite ever since. He passed Federer's mark of 734 consecutive weeks (20 May 2002 till 31 October 2016) in May 2019, as the Swiss superstar's streak came to an end when he took extended time off to recover from a right knee injury in 2016.

World No.1 Novak Djokovic spent 555 consecutive weeks in the Top 10, from 19 March 2007 till 29 October 2017. However, the Serbian dropped out of the elite group as he suffered a right elbow injury which also required him to take time off. Nonetheless, Djokovic returned to the Top 10 on 16 July 2018 and has been a dominant force ever since.

Both Nadal and Djokovic are scheduled to compete at the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals, which kicks off on 15 November 2020. Surprisingly, the Spaniard has never won this event, while Djokovic is a five-time champion.