With 686 top-3 weeks, Rafael Nadal stands third behind Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Rafa entered the mentioned group in 2005, staying there until this January when he had to leave it due to a nasty hip injury. Nadal’s last top-3 milestone came in February 2020, becoming the second player with 600 top-3 weeks after Federer.
Since 1973, only 30 players have been able to spend more than a year in the top-3. The list becomes even more exclusive when we discuss those with at least four years in the mentioned group, with 12 chosen competitors. Andy Murray, Boris Becker, Andre Agassi, Bjorn Borg, Stefan Edberg and John McEnroe spent between 226 and 374 weeks in the top-3, leaving Pete Sampras and Ivan Lendl above them with over 450 (almost 500 for the Czech).
As was expected, the top of the standings belongs to Jimmy Connors, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
Rafael Nadal reached his 600th top-3 week in February 2020.
As we said, Nadal reached a milestone three years ago, achieving another great result but failing to reach the 700th week in the mentioned group.
The Spaniard found himself in the top-3 for the first time after lifting his first Major crown at Roland Garros 2005, just a few days after turning 19, remaining there for almost 18 years! In that first stint, Rafa stayed in the top-3 for over seven years (excluding two weeks during Miami 2010), struggling with an injury and bowing out from the top-3 in the next 12 months, only to return stronger in August 2013.
For the next year and a half, Nadal was again among the three best players in the world. He dropped out in April 2015 and did not return for over two years after the darkest period of his career, plagued with injuries and mediocre results, at least by his standards, as he never left the top-10.
After winning his tenth crown at Roland Garros in June 2017, Rafa made a remarkable comeback and extended his top-3 journey, battling with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer for the no. 1 spot and delivering consistent results for half a decade.
Nadal has not played since the Australian Open, injuring his hip and undergoing surgery a few days ago. The Spaniard plans to retire next season, wishing to compete at his favorite tournaments one more time and end his incredible career on his terms.
