Men’s Tennis Is An Oligarchy

For eight years, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic have traded the #1 ranking back and forth.

The last men’s tennis #1 who wasn’t Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, or Novak Djokovic was Andy Roddick (remember him?) on February 1, 2004. Since then…

1. There have been ELEVEN women’s world #1 tennis players.

Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka, Caroline Wozniacki, Kim Clijsters, Serena Williams, Dinara Safina, Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic, Justine Henin, Amelie Mauresmo, and Lindsay Davenport.

Image by Paul Gilham / Getty Images

2. There have been six NBA champions.

The Miami Heat (2), the Dallas Mavericks, the Los Angeles Lakers (2), the Boston Celtics, the San Antonio Spurs (2), and the Detroit Pistons.

Remember: tennis rankings can change on a weekly basis. League sports like the NBA give out these awards only once per year, and yet, there’s still more changeover than in men’s tennis.

Image by Andrew Innerarity / Reuters

3. There have been six NBA MVPs.

LeBron James (3), Derrick Rose, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash (2), and Kevin Garnett.

Image by LUCY NICHOLSON / Reuters

4. There have been seven Super Bowl champions.

The New York Giants (2), the Green Bay Packers, the New Orleans Saints, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the New England Patriots.

Image by Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

5. There have been five NFL MVPs.

Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady (2), Peyton Manning (2), LaDainian Tomlinson, Shaun Alexander

Image by Jeffrey Phelps / AP

6. There have been eight Stanley Cup champions, a different one every year.

The Los Angeles Kings, the Boston Bruins, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Detroit Red Wings, the Anaheim Ducks, the Carolina Hurricanes, and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Image by Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images

7. There have been seven NHL MVPs.

Evgeni Malkin, Corey Perry, Henrik Sedin, Alexander Ovechkin (2), Sidney Crosby, Joe Thornton, and Martin St. Louis.

Image by Gene J. Puskar / AP

8. There have been six World Series champions.

The St. Louis Cardinals (2), the San Francisco Giants, the New York Yankees, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Boston Red Sox (2), and the Chicago White Sox.

Image by Tom Pennington / Getty Images

9. There have been 26 MLB MVP and Cy Young winners.

*deep breath*
NL MVP: Ryan Braun, Joey Votto, Albert Pujols (3), Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Barry Bonds
AL MVP: Justin Verlander, Josh Hamilton, Joe Mauer, Dustin Pedroia, Alex Rodriguez (2), Justin Morneau, Vladimir Guerrero
NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw, Roy Halladay, Tim Lincecum (2), Jake Peavy, Brandon Webb, Chris Carpenter, Roger Clemens
AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander, Felix Hernandez, Zack Greinke, Cliff Lee, CC Sabathia, Johan Santana (2), Bartolo Colon

Image by Otto Greule Jr / Getty Images

10. There have been six world #1 golfers.

Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer, Tiger Woods, and Vijay Singh.

Image by Nick Wass / AP

11. There have been seven Champions League champions.

Chelsea, Barcelona (3), Inter Milan, Manchester United, AC Milan, Liverpool, and Porto.

Image by PAUL HACKETT / Reuters

12. There have been six Ballon D’or winners, given to the world’s best soccer player.

Lionel Messi (3), Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Fabio Cannavaro, Ronaldinho, and Andriy Shevchenko.

Image by JUAN MABROMATA / Getty Images

13. And there have been eight Little League World Series champions.

Willemstad, Curacao; Ewa Beach, Hawaii; Columbus, Georgia; Warner Robins, Georgia; Waipahu, Hawaii; Chula Vista, California; Edogawa Minami, Japan; and Huntington Beach, California.

Image by Matt Slocum / AP