Relentless perfection: Two words that best describe Novak Djokovic and his pursuit for tennis greatness. The latest ATP rankings, which were just officially updated, sees Djokovic break one of tennis’ most coveted records. He has passed Roger Federer in the all-time leaderboard for the most weeks at No.1, with 311.
The rankings officially update every Monday, but the time of the update varies. The rankings usually update shortly after the final tournament of the week is completed, which will vary week-to-week based on where tournaments are being played. This week, we had to wait for the completion of the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires, which began at 3 PM local time (6 PM GMT). The rankings were updated about five hours after that match ended.
The Serbian star won a record-extending ninth Australian Open title last month, beating Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in straight sets. That success in Melbourne put Djokovic on 18 Grand Slams, two behind both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. And whatever the duopoly of Federer and Nadal do (or have done) at the Major events, Djokovic continues to be a pebble in their shoes in his quest for more records.
Djokovic called his latest Grand Slam success Down Under as “one of the most challenging” in his career. And it is hard to dispute it. The Serbian survived a real scare in the third round against American Taylor Fritz, after suffering an abdominal injury that cast doubt on his viability in the tournament.
“It is an abdominal tear, in the oblique muscle,” Djokovic confirmed the nature of the injury following his victory over Medvedev after a lot of speculation. “You will get a chance to see in detail, probably end of this year, a documentary that I have been filming about the routine of my recovery.”
04-07-2011: Djokovic Becomes No.1 For First Time
The 2011 season, and the Wimbledon Championships of that year in particular, birthed the Novak Djokovic that we all came to know: the indisputable fighter, the irresistible force, and arguably the most complete player of his generation.
After beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinals at Wimbledon, Djokovic sunk to his knees and kissed the Centre Court turf. Almost in disbelief, he had achieved a childhood dream. He completed the coronation by beating the man he replaced at the top of the rankings–Rafael Nadal–to win his first Wimbledon title.
09-21-2020: Djokovic Passes Sampras, Second Only To Federer
Pete Sampras was Djokovic’s childhood idol. And the Belgrade star admitted, he draws a plethora of qualities he has admired from the American great. Djokovic references to a strong mentality and resilience that Sampras possessed. And that is a department the Serbian world no.1 has very minimal competition. In 2019, Djokovic overcame Roger Federer at the Wimbledon Championships while staring at two match points behind the Swiss racket.
03-08-2021: Djokovic finally breaks Federer’s most weeks at No.1
After a decade-long dominance and counting, Djokovic is now the proud owner of the record for the most weeks at No.1. The rankings freeze for a portion of last year (due to COVID) delayed this achievement, but the Serbian now stands alone.
Few expected anyone to catch Roger Federer when he broke Pete Sampras’ record almost a decade ago. Just a short nine years later, the record has already been surpassed. Who can catch Novak Djokovic? This record will undoubtedly stand for quite a while. Just how long is anybody’s guess.
Main Photo from Getty.
