Novak Djokovic begins his week 377 as number one in the world in the ATP ranking this Monday, the same ones that managed to be at the top WTA German Steffi Grafthe player who has lasted the longest at the top of the world rankings throughout the history of tennis.
Until now, the German, who closed her career with twenty-two Grand Slam titles among the 107 trophies she lifted on her career, was the athlete who accumulated the longest time as number one.
Djokovic hunts down Graf
Djokovic has already hunted him down. And within seven days, the 35-year-old Balkan will be the male and female tennis player with the greatest number of weeks in first place in a ranking.
No one had succeeded in threatening Steffi’s historical dominance but Djokovic has put things in order.
It has been enough to find stability in the season, to find calm after the anomaly caused by the pandemic and the conditions to which his plan was subjected by the demands of each country due to virus restrictions, due to vaccines, to normalize the competitive landscape.
Djokovic regained number one on January 30, just after winning the Australian Open, which this time, in 2023, he was able to play to leave behind the painful experience of a year earlier in Melbourne.
Djokovic, unstoppable
When he was held in a hotel in the Australian capital and later expelled from the country. The player from Belgrade does not forget everything that happened, who a month ago equaled Rafael Nadal as the one who has achieved the most Grand Slam in history. Twenty two each.
Just like Graf, only one less for now than the American Serena Williams and two behind the Australian Margaret Court, the athlete who has accumulated the most majors throughout her career. She points the Serbian to the highest ever.
She has the achievements of the younger Williams and Court in a year where she still has Wimbledon and the United States Open ahead of her, scenarios in which she performs at will. She also Roland Garros, a field that seems limited to Rafael Nadal, the other legendary survivor in the world of tennis.
Because no one else seems capable of questioning the authority of these two sports giants. Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Holger Rune or Felix Auger Aliassime are the main threats. Men who have gone through the intermediate generation, the one formed by Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev or Stefanos Tsitsipas, who are not enough to knock down the survivors of the big three and who are running out of time.
Djokovic has before him the challenge of grand slams and also other earrings that can fall under their own weight. As the oldest player at number one. At 35 years and eight months, he is close to Federer who was for a time at the top with 36 and ten months. The Serbian has already hunted down Graff as the athlete who has been at number one the longest.
Gone long ago was Martina Navratilova, who held 332 and also Serena, who came to dominate for 319 weeks. Further away are Roger Federer, who reached 310, or Pete Sampras, which lasted for 286.
Nadal, the other one who is still active, is far away. He accumulated 209 at the time. As for the overall ATP trophies, Djokovic still has work ahead of him. New challenges. The Serbian has 93 years in his career and can soon equal Lendl, with 94. Although more distant is Roger Federer who retired with 103 titles lifted and, furthermore, the American Jimmy Connors, the player who accumulated the most successes on the circuit during his career, with 109.
Djokovic regrets, however, not having the popular fervor that almost always encourages Nadal or the admiration that Federer has always generated in his career. Despite being able to become the best in history, he does not finish permeating the Balkan fan.
He does not give the feeling of being able to be close to the number one follower in the world, who was even suspected of exaggerating an injury at the last Australian Open. The controversy accompanies him. “In the next few days I will tell everything.
I have decided to give a press conference”, announced hours ago the Serbian who has pending issues, feelings to explain. Experiences to comment on.
EFE
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