This Monday, Novak Djokovic reached 378 weeks at the top of the world rankings, surpassing the previous record held by Steffi Graf. The Serbian phenomenon started the season very well by winning the ATP 250 in Adelaide and above all the Australian Open, which allowed him to catch his eternal rival Rafael Nadal at the top of the all-time Grand Slam rankings.
Despite a problem with his left hamstring, the 35-year-old from Belgrade dropped just one set at Melbourne Park to secure his tenth ‘Down Under’ title. The ATP number 1 will be back on the field this week in Dubai, having fully recovered from the leg injury.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion is still waiting to know whether or not he will be able to fly to the United States to play the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells and Miami, needing a special permit to enter the country. Given Nadal’s precarious conditions, many believe that the ‘Djoker’ can once again aspire to the ‘Calendar Grand Slam’
In an interview with ‘L’Equipe’, Nicolas Mahut said that Djokovic does not receive due consideration.
Mahut defends Nole Djokovic
This Monday, Novak Djokovic broke a new record by overtaking Steffi Graf… And not least.
With 378 weeks on the clock, he is the player, men and women combined, having spent the most time in the place of world number 1. Asked by L’Equipe for the occasion, Nicolas Mahut defended Novak Djokovic, to whom he promises an even more exceptional end to his career.
“Novak is going to have all the records. But even if he beats everything, there will always be a debate about the GOAT, which absolutely would not be the case if it was Federer or Nadal. I think Novak is underappreciated.
I understand what he said about the always negative interpretation as soon as he does something. Sometimes he holds out the stick, too. But I find the criticism unfair to all that he has accomplished.” Swiss tennis star Stan Wawrinka recently commented on Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic’s ultimate Grand Slam count.
“That’s we all want to know, but we will not know until he is done. But, he has been amazing since more than 15 years. He has been there, he has been winning everything. Yeah, he is a special player,” Wawrinka said. “So tough to beat, so clean the way he plays, so physical, mentally so strong. Yeah, I am excited to see what’s gonna happen with the next Grand Slam coming this year,” he added.
