No 1 Club
On This Day: Ferrero debuts at No. 1 after Agassi shootout at US Open
Spaniard spent eight weeks at summit, between Agassi and Roddick reigns
September 08, 2025
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Juan Carlos Ferrero in action in Madrid in 2003.
By Arthur Kapetanakis
Juan Carlos Ferrero came up short in the 2003 US Open final, but he received the ultimate consolation prize one day later: his debut at No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings. The Spaniard rose to the pinnacle of the men’s game on 8 September 2003, but he began laying the foundations for that milestone the previous season.
Behind a run to the final at the 2002 ATP Masters Cup, now the Nitto ATP Finals, Ferrero finished that year at World No. 4. He fell one set shy of the trophy at the season finale in Shanghai (l. to Hewitt), but won four singles crowns in a breakthrough 2023 campaign.
Ferrero lifted his lone Grand Slam title at Roland Garros that season and also triumphed at the ATP Masters 1000s Monte-Carlo and Madrid. While he initially struggled to back up his French Open success, he rose to the occasion at the US Open — where had never been past the fourth round — to earn his status as World No. 1.
In a battling run to the New York final, Ferrero notched just a single straight-sets result in six victories. A four-set quarter-final win against 2001 US Open champ Lleyton set up a semi-final showdown with World No. 1 Andre Agassi, a marquee matchup that doubled as a shootout for the top spot in the PIF ATP Rankings.
With his 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victory against the home favourite, Ferrero was guaranteed to leave New York as the new No. 1.
“I worked a lot for this No. 1,” said the Spaniard, who played four matches in four days to close out his rain-affected US Open campaign. “I’m really happy to be No. 1.”
During his eight weeks at the pinnacle, Ferrero lived up to his billing as the game’s best by winning the Madrid title. His run was ultimately ended by Roddick, who made his No. 1 debut in November.
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