 They held the top two rankings on the ATP Tour from July 2005 until 17 August 2009 , when Nadal fell to world No. 3 ( Andy Murray became the new No. 2 ) . They are the only pair of men to have ever finished six consecutive calendar years at the top . Federer was ranked No. 1 for a record 237 consecutive weeks beginning in February 2004 . Nadal , who is five years younger , ascended to No. 2 in July 2005 and held this spot for a record 160 consecutive weeks , before surpassing Federer in August 2008 . 
