Taking over fellow Egyptian Ali Farag at the top, ElShorbagy went back to the summit after defeating Tarek Momen at the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions; the same tournament where he relinquished his ranking to Farag a year earlier after losing the final to him.

This will be the 29-year-old's fourth reign at the top of the rankings, and he sits fifth in the all-time rankings for most months at number one (41).

He has medalled at every World Championships since 2012 with the exception of 2015 where he suffered a third round upset to England's James Willstrop.

“It means a lot getting back there again at the top,” said ElShorbagy.

“I have worked really hard in the off season for this moment to happen again in my career, and to experience it another time feels amazing.

"I have just stayed hungry and motivated and I am always working on my game. 

"Six years ago my game was so different than now and each year I have been making some changes to my game and trying to stay healthy and fit to keep that kind of consistency."

Germany’s Simon Rösner has risen to number six swapping places with Peru’s Diego Elias, while Welshman Joel Makin has risen a spot to number 11, a career-high ranking.