Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal earn ranking milestones

Since October 2002, Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal have been ranked inside the top-10 without leaving the elite group, often sitting in it together since April 2005.

Roger was the quarter-finalist at Roland Garros and Wimbledon at 19 in 2001, needing almost another year to make the next step and find himself in the top-10 following the maiden Masters 1000 crown in Hamburg in May 2002. From October that year, Roger would stay inside the top-10 for no less than 14 years, leaving the group in the closing stages of 2016 after skipping the second part of the season due to a knee injury.

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Roger returned where he belongs soon after that and has stayed inside the top-10 ever since. With 19 years between the first and last top-10 week, Roger has moved in front of Andre Agassi. The American held the record with 18 years, entering the top-10 in 1988 and standing for the last time in 2006. Rafael Nadal is on 16 seasons between the first and last top-10 week, cracking the elite group in 2005 and never dropping out.

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Nadal will celebrate an incredible record of 800 consecutive weeks in the top-10 soon. He is the fourth player in the Open era with at least 16 years between the first and last top-10 week, matching Jimmy Connors and staying in touch with Agassi and Federer.