Jimmy Connors reached the top of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time on July 29, 1974, during what would become one of his most successful seasons. At just 21 years old, Connors replaced John Newcombe at No. 1 a few weeks after claiming his first Wimbledon title. He became only the third player to hold the No. 1 position since the rankings began in August 1973, following Ilie Nastase and Newcombe.
“There is only one No. 1. It’s a lonely spot, but it has got the best view of all… Being No. 2 is like being No. 200,” Connors said about reaching the top ranking.
Connors’ initial run as World No. 1 lasted for 160 consecutive weeks—a record at that time—until Bjorn Borg briefly took over for one week in mid-1977. Connors then regained and held onto the top spot for another 84 weeks. Only Roger Federer has surpassed this with a streak of 237 weeks between 2004 and 2008.
Connors was notable as both the first left-handed player and the first with a two-handed backhand to reach World No. 1, marking a shift in tennis which had previously been dominated by players using one-handed strokes.
In terms of titles, Connors won eleven tour-level events in 1973; however, by July 1974 only four victories—from Columbus, Los Angeles, Quebec, and Johannesburg—were still contributing points toward his ranking when he achieved World No. 1 status.
The American continued his strong performance into early and mid-1974 by winning nine out of eleven tournaments before Wimbledon—including capturing his first major at the Australian Open after defeating Phil Dent in Melbourne—and posting an impressive record across eight U.S.-based events.
At Wimbledon (SW19), Connors defeated defending champion Jan Kodes in five sets during the quarter-finals before beating Ken Rosewall in straight sets to win his maiden crown at The Championships. After becoming World No.1, he added five more tournament wins that year—including a third major title at the US Open—bringing his total number of calendar-year titles to fifteen.