03/11/2026
ATP Rankings, the merit based computerized system, was launched on August 23, 1973.
Among ACTIVE players, here is the details of eight players who could make the ‘quickest’ Top 10 debut from outside 100 in their ATP rankings.
The 20-year-old Rafael Jodar happens to be the player to make the Top 10 debut in quickest time (217 days) from being ranked outside 100 in ATP rankings. He is now ranked #10 for the week starting November 02, 2026.
The young Spaniard is followed by Holger Rune (294 days) and his Senior country man Carlos Alcaraz (336 days). Novak Djokovic comes fourth in the list, having taken 623 days to be ranked No.10 for the first time on 19 March, 2007. For the information of readers, Roger Federer needed 1119 days and Rafa Nadal 734 days to do so.
In ATP history, former World No.1 Boris Becker is the only player to accomplish this feat in quicker days than Jodar. The German was ranked No.10 for the first time in his career on 08, July 1985. He still remains the youngest ever male player in 210 days to reach there at the age of 17 Years 228 Days.! Isn’t it surprising to note that Becker then was younger than Alcaraz, the youngest male player in tennis history, who was ranked among the Top 10 at the age of 18 Years 355 Days.?!
Alcaraz, Djokovic, Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev too have cracked the Top 10 before they turned 21 years of age, and are multiple Slam winners already. If that’s any indication, Jodar, Holger Rune, Ben Shelton, and even Flavio Cobolli have plenty of time left to win Majors in the near future.
Sure, it’s not the beginning but the end that matters in the career of any sportsperson. That’s why, the Slam titles leader Djokovic who became No.1 in the World for the first time on 04 July, 2011 at the age of 24 ruled the tennis world in that position for a whopping 428 weeks -118 weeks and 219 weeks more than Federer and Nadal who were No.1 at the age of 22.
But it looks like the NEW Rafa from Spain is well on course to win his first Slam title, perhaps in 2027 itself.
Good Luck to all these youngsters who are knocking on the door to win the Majors for the first time in their career👏👏