This morning, Novak Djokovic achieved a historic milestone in his career and for tennis history, by overtaking Stefanie Graf’s record of 377 weeks for a tennis player to triumph in the ATP World Ranking, the ATP Tour media office published Monday morning.
BOASTING 93 ATP WINS
The 35-year-old Serbian already held the record for the most weeks as Number 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings (since 1973) when he surpassed Roger Federer’s mark of 310 weeks in March 2021.
Now he has moved past Graf by beginning his 378th week atop tennis mountain after boasting 93 wins on the ATP tour and returning last month to the top of ATP Ranking on January 30 by winning a 10th Australian Open crown in 2023.
“Of course with your love and great strength that you have given me over the years, I’ve managed to achieve many fantastic achievements throughout my career,” Djokovic said in a video for the fans, according to ATP Tour report.
ALL-TIME WEEKS AT NO. 1 (MEN AND WOMEN)
Djokovic is now the all-time leader in the number of weeks atop the ATP Rankings with 378, beating the record previously held by German tennis player Steffi Graf, who was number one in the WTA Rankings (the Women Tennis Association) for a total of 377 weeks.
BOUNCING BACK IN STYLE
The road to breaking Graf’s record carried many challenges for Djokovic, as he dropped to world number eight in the ATP Rankings in 2022 after he was unable to compete in several tournaments due to the Covid-19 pandemic travel restrictions. However, he bounced back in style in 2023, winning the Australian Open and returning to the top spot.
In an interview after breaking the record, Djokovic expressed his pride in joining the ranks of tennis legends such as Graf. He acknowledged the significance of the achievement, saying,
“The most recent one [is] breaking the record [with] 378 weeks on No. 1 [in the] rankings, surpassing one of the greatest, most legendary tennis players — both men and women — that ever played, Steffi Graf. So I’m flattered, obviously extremely, extremely proud and happy for this achievement,” Djokovic said.
After not playing for almost a month since his historic 10th Australian Open triumph, the Serb will compete at the 2023 Dubai Championships. In the first round, the draw assigned him a qualifier, the Czech Republic’s Tomas Machac.
Despite just breaking the record, Djokovic may soon find himself as world no. 2, as he’ll most likely miss the Sunshine Double (ATP 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami), and since Carlos Alcaraz doesn’t defend a lot of points, he can overtake the Serb again.
Credit: AIPS Media
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