How many times have British tennis players defeated the world No.1?

Over the years the Brits have challenged players at the top of the world rankings, and some have even reached it themselves, but only a select few boast victories.

In October 2025, Cam Norrie beat Carlos Alcaraz in one of the best matches of his career to become the ninth British player to claim a win over the world No.1 in the Open Era.

British tennis players have now combined for 25 singles wins against world No.1s.

British players to beat world No.1s: 

• Andy Murray
• Greg Rusedski
• Virginia Wade
• Tim Henman
• Sue Barker
• Johanna Konta
• Cam Norrie
• Dan Evans
• Mark Cox

We break down all nine players and their world No.1 victories:

Andy Murray – 12 wins

No British player has beaten the world No.1 more times than Andy Murray.

The three-time Grand Slam champion achieved this 12 times in his career – all coming against the ‘Big Three’, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Murray’s first win over a world No.1 came at the Cincinnati Masters back in 2006. The then teenager clinched the biggest win of his career to end Federer’s 55-match winning streak on American hard courts – beating the Swiss star 7-5, 6-4.

However, arguably the most famous of these victories came in 2012 and 2013. At the London 2012 Olympics, Murray returned to Centre Court to face Federer in a rematch of their Wimbledon final only weeks before.

After the disappointment of losing his first final at the All England Club, Murray wasn’t going to let it happen again, and the Briton claimed Olympic gold with a dominant 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 win.

A year later and Murray was back at SW19 this time facing world No.1 Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final. Murray beat the Serbian 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 to become the first British player to lift the men’s singles trophy for 77 years.

Andy Murray’s wins over the world No.1:

Greg Rusedski – four wins

Next up is former world No.4 and 1997 US Open runner-up Greg Rusedski, who defeated four different players during their time as No.1 in the world.

His first world No.1 victory came at the 1998 Paris Masters final, where Rusedski beat American Pete Sampras 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-3 to claim the biggest title of his career.

After the win, he said: “It was a magical match for me. To have beaten the world number one and to have played the way I played today - I'm delighted.”

Two years later, he was at it again, with an epic second round win over three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kurten at the Australian Open. He saved match point to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 9-7.

A win over Marit Safin in Milan that year and the defeat of Lleyton Hewitt a year later in Indianapolis brought Rusedski’s tally of world No.1 wins to four.

Greg Rusedski’s wins over the world No.1:

Virginia Wade – three wins

Virginia Wade has the most British wins over world No.1s of any women’s player – with all three of her victories coming against 19-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert.

Wade first beat world No.1 Evert at the London 1976 indoor event. After defeating compatriot Sue Barker in the semi-finals, Wade went on to claim a 6-2, 6-2 victory against the American to seal the title.

Her most famous win however was at Wimbledon in 1977, where Wade beat Evert in the semi-finals 6-2, 4-6, 6-1. The British star went on to win the Wimbledon women’s singles title that year and is the only Briton to lift the trophy in the Open Era.

Viginia Wade’s wins over the world No.1:

Tim Henman – one win

Former British No.1 Tim Henman claimed the biggest win of his career over Federer back in 2004.

Henman had a solid record against the 20-time Grand Slam champion throughout his career, winning six of 13 matches played, but one of his best came in the quarter-finals of Rotterdam.

World No.1 Federer came in as the favourite, but Henman had beaten him in their previous meeting at the Paris Masters the year before.

The British star channelled the experience from his previous victory to stun the top seed 6-3, 7-6(9).

Tim Henman’s wins over the world No.1:

Sue Barker – one win

1976 Roland Garros champion Sue Barker had one victory over a world No.1 in her career, which, like Wade, also came against Evert.

Evert had dominated their head-to-head throughout their time on tour but in Boston 1979, Barker managed to claim one of her best wins.

Barker sealed an impressive 6-3, 6-1 win over Evert in the one of the opening rounds as she went on to reach the final.

Sue Barker’s wins over the world No.1:

Johanna Konta – one win

In 2017, then British No.1 Johanna Konta had a standout grass court season on home soil – reaching the final of Nottingham before making the semi-finals in Eastbourne and at Wimbledon too.

It was at Eastbourne that the four-time WTA title-winner ticked off another milestone in her career with her first and only win over a world No.1.

In the quarter-final, she faced off against Germany’s Angelique Kerber, who finished her career as a three-time Grand Slam champion.

Despite taking a heavy fall in the match, Konta came through 6-3, 6-4 to book a place in the final four.

Johanna Konta’s wins over the world No.1:

Cam Norrie – one win

Cam Norrie got set to face off against world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz for an eighth time in their careers at the Rolex Paris Masters in 2025.

Alcaraz had been in sensational form across the season – winning the Roland Garros and US Open titles, making the Wimbledon final and had already defeated Norrie in the quarter-finals at SW19.

However, Norrie came out with a point to prove in the final ATP Masters 1000 event of the season. Despite losing the opening set, the Briton took the fight to the six-time major winner and closed out a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win.

"To get the biggest win of my career,” he said. “My first win over a world number one, and probably the most confident player in the world right now, I am pleased with the way I did it."

Cam Norrie’s wins over the world No.1:

Dan Evans – one win

One of the shock results of the 2021 season came at the Monte-Carlo Masters, as Britain’s Dan Evans defied the odds to knock out Djokovic in the third round.

Evans came into the match against the 24-time Grand Slam title-winner with only four tour-level wins on the surface, but produced a masterclass to take down the Serbian 6-4, 7-5 and hand the world No.1 his first loss of the season.

Dan Evans’ wins over the world No.1:

Mark Cox – one win

Former world No.12 and Queen’s runner-up Mark Cox enjoyed one of the best tournaments of his career in Stockholm 1976.

Having reached the semi-finals, Cox was then faced with the challenge of taking on the world No.1 Jimmy Connors for a place in the final.

In a close match on the Swedish indoor hard courts, Cox came through two tie-breaks to win 7-6, 3-6, 7-6, before going on to claim the title.

This would be the second to last title of Cox’s accomplished career, the final trophy coming in Helsinki a year later.

Mark Cox’s wins over the world No.1: