Defeating the best player in the world is one of the most difficult tasks to achieve in tennis.
However, it is possible, as proven by Cameron Norrie, who defeated Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the Paris Masters this year.
Norrie is far from the first British player to achieve the feat – Andy Murray did so 12 times during his career, the last being against Novak Djokovic at the 2016 Italian Open.
British tennis legend Virginia Wade has also achieved the feat, doing so three times between 1976 and 1977.
In fact, Wade holds the record for the most victories against world number one players among all British female tennis players.
Virginia Wade was the first British player to defeat a world number one
In 1976, Virginia Wade participated in the Dewar Cup Finals, held in London, the United Kingdom.
The event, hosted at the Royal Albert Hall in November, saw Wade and world number one Chris Evert contest the final stage of the competition.
Wade made history, defeating Evert 6-3, 6-1. By doing so, Wade became the first player in British tennis history to defeat a world number one.
Wade, a winner of three Grand Slam titles, defeated Evert twice more: at the 1977 San Francisco Open and the 1977 Wimbledon Championships. Evert was ranked world number one on both of these occasions.
Despite these losses, Evert dominated her matchup against Wade, leading their head-to-head by 40 victories to six.
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Mark Cox’s near-miss
Former world number 12 Mark Cox was extremely unfortunate not to be the first British player to defeat a world number one.
Around a week after Wade defeated Evert in London, Cox beat world number one Jimmy Connors 7-6, 3-6, 7-6 in the Stockholm Open semi-final.
Cox [pictured below, right, in 1968 with Rod Laver] would go on to win the title, defeating Manuel Orantes 4–6, 7–5, 7–6 in the final.
Cox won 24 career titles during his career, including three in the Open Era.
