Novak Djokovic breaks document for many weeks ranked No. 1

Novak Djokovic broke the document for probably the most time spent at No. 1 within the skilled tennis rankings by a person or girl, starting his 378th week within the ATP’s high spot on Monday to surpass Steffi Graf’s 377 main the WTA.

He already held the lads’s mark, eclipsing Roger Federer’s outdated ATP commonplace of 310 weeks in March 2021.

“I’m flattered, obviously. Extremely, extremely proud and happy for this achievement,” Djokovic mentioned in a video posted on social media, by which he referred to Graf as “one of the greatest, most legendary, tennis players.”

After Djokovic and Graf on the all-time No. 1 weeks checklist are Martina Navratilova, with 332, and Serena Williams, with 319, adopted by Federer. The computerized rankings started within the Nineteen Seventies.

Djokovic has completed seven years atop the ATP, one other males’s document.

The 35-year-old from Serbia returned to No. 1 this time by successful the Australian Open in January, leaping up from No. 5 to overhaul Carlos Alcaraz. That title was Djokovic’s twenty second at a Grand Slam match, equaling Rafael Nadal for probably the most by a person in tennis historical past.

Djokovic is 12-0 up to now in 2023, heading into this week’s match in Dubai.

He managed to get again to the highest of the rankings regardless of not having the ability to enter a handful of huge tournaments in 2022, together with the Australian Open and U.S. Open, as a result of shouldn’t be vaccinated towards COVID-19. Djokovic was in a position to compete at Melbourne Park this yr after Australia relaxed its pandemic-era guidelines; his standing for 2 key occasions within the United States that start in March — at Indian Wells and Miami — remains to be unsure, and he’s requested for permission to be allowed to journey to the nation.

Djokovic additionally didn’t get any increase from his championship at Wimbledon in 2022, as a result of no rankings factors had been awarded there. The ATP and WTA each withheld factors in response to the All England Club’s choice to bar gamers from Russia and Belarus from competing on account of the invasion of Ukraine. It remains to be not recognized whether or not these athletes will probably be allowed to play at Wimbledon this yr.

Alcaraz, the 19-year-old from Spain who gained final yr’s U.S. Open, remained at No. 2 on Monday, adopted by Australian Open runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas and two-time main finalist Casper Ruud. Taylor Fritz rose two locations to a career-best No. 5, making him the primary American man within the ATP’s high 5 since Andy Roddick in 2009.

Nadal, who hasn’t competed since injuring his left hip flexor throughout a loss on the Australian Open, slid two spots to No. 8 on Monday.