Next week Novak Djokovic will achieve a new milestone which no other player has done in their career.
Next Monday will see the Serbian will begin his 378th week as world No.1 which will be the most weeks a player – male or female – has spent in this position. Djokovic is currently tied with Steffi Graf on 377. He has been at the top of the rankings during seven separate stints so far in his career and the first time he reached No.1 was in July 2011. In comparison, Roger Federer has held the top position for 310 weeks and Rafael Nadal for 209 weeks.
Djokovic’s dominance in the sport has been hailed by many of his peers with one of the most recent being Alexander Zverev who has tipped him to break even more records in the future. The two players have faced each other 11 times on the Tour with Zverev winning just four of those encounters.
“I think over the last 10, 12 years he has absolutely dominated tennis. There is a reason why he’s been consistently at the top of the game,” Zverev told reporters in Doha on Monday.
“That shows us with this record, from male or female tennis players, he’s going to be the most weeks at No. 1. He’s surpassing Steffi, so as a German, obviously I always loved her having that record, but credits to Novak. I think that shows how great he is.’
“I’m sure that he’s going to break a few more records, to be honest. I’m not sure there are many left, but the ones that are left, maybe he will.”
At the age of 35 Djokovic is the second-oldest player in the world’s top 20 after Nadal who is a year older than him. His longevity in the sport and the fact he continues to be a formidable force at an older age is something that inspires others such as Andrey Rublev who is 10 years younger than him.
“That basically everything is possible, and that at the age of 35 he still can be the best player in the world and break records,” the Russian replied when asked about Djokovic’s No.1 record.
“If you do things right, you can perform at the highest level. Doesn’t matter the age. Basically that’s what it means to me.”
Djokovic has produced a dream start to the 2022 season by winning 12 matches in a row. Last month he triumphed at the Adelaide International before going on to win a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.
It is unclear when Djokovic will be returning to action amid uncertainty over his presence at two Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami. He has applied for a special exemption to be allowed into the country despite not being vaccinated against COVID-19. Although more details are expected to emerge during a press conference he will be conducting in his native Serbia.
“I know everything, but I can’t tell you anything, sorry. I decided to have a press conference. I will answer all questions there. I have already arranged with my PR team, the invitation will arrive in a few days,” Djokovic told a Sportal journalist earlier this week.
Djokovic’s No.1 reigns
- July 4, 2011 – Jul 8, 2012 (53 weeks)
- Nov 5, 2012 – Oct 6, 2013 (48 weeks)
- Jul 7, 2014 – Nov 6, 2016 (122 weeks)
- Nov 5, 2018 – Nov 3, 2019 (52 weeks)
- Feb 3, 2020 – Mar 22, 2020 (7 weeks)
- Aug 24, 2020 – Feb 27, 2022 (79 weeks)
- Mar 21, 2022 – Jun 12, 2022 (12 weeks)
- Jan 30, 2023 – Present (4 weeks)
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