John Newcombe’s rise to the top was not straightforward. From almost walking away from tennis in 1973, the Australian climbed to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings the following year.
Concerned about his playing level, Newcombe considered hanging up his racquet despite being No. 7 when the PIF ATP Rankings were launched in August 1973. Newcombe had won the Australian Open at the start of the year, but held a 4-7 match win-loss record from March to June according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. Instead of stopping, though, he worked harder than before and won his second US Open title in September 1973.
Newcombe went on to clinch trophies in Columbia, South Carolina and Jakarta in the remainder of the year before he enjoyed a red-hot run at the start of 1974, which helped propel him close to World No. 1 Ilie Nastase.
The Australian won 36 matches out of 38, capturing five tour-level trophies in that period. The crowning moment for Newcombe came on this day, 3 June 1974, when he became the second player to climb to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings following a semi-final run in Las Vegas. Newcombe spent eight weeks at No. 1 before he was dislodged by Jimmy Connors. The Australian is one of nine players to climb to No. 1 and never regain top spot after being displaced.
“It requires a lot of dedication and effort. You really need all your powers of effort and concentration to prepare for matches,” Newcombe told ATPTour.com previously about rising to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
In 1974, Newcombe played 101 matches, won 87 and lifted nine trophies.
Learn more about the ATP No. 1 Club
© Copyright 1994 - 2024 ATP Tour, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this site may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way or by any means (including photocopying, recording or storing it in any medium by electronic means), without the written permission of ATP Tour, Inc.. Terms & Conditions | Privacy | Community Social Media Policy | Modern Slavery Statement | Feedback | Cookies | Your Privacy Choices 
