Novak Djokovic finally did it! The Serb kicked off his 378th week as world no. 1 on Monday, passing Steffi Graf and securing the ultimate ranking record that will take some beating in the upcoming decades. Graf’s record stood for almost 26 years before Djokovic passed it, returning to the ATP throne for the seventh time after the Australian Open and securing enough weeks to deliver a record.
Things did not look good for Djokovic after the last year’s Roland Garros, and only a few could have predicted this outcome. Novak lost the title in Paris to Rafael Nadal and missed 2000 ATP points for his Wimbledon crown due to politics.
To make things worse, Novak skipped Montreal, Cincinnati and the US Open due to his vaccination status, allowing his rivals to build the gap. Djokovic entered Tel Aviv at the end of September, playing his first ATP tournament in over two months.
Novak Djokovic passes Steffi Graf and stands alone on 378 weeks as world no. 1.
The Serb won the title and added another a week later at the ATP 500 event in Astana. Hungry for more, Novak set his eyes on his seventh Paris Masters crown.
Djokovic reached the final and fell to the young gun Holger Rune after a massive battle in the decider. Novak secured 1350 points at three events and looked hungry for more in Turin. The Serb conquered the ATP Finals for the first time since 2015, delivering all five wins and collecting 1500 ATP points.
Thus, he finished the season on a high note and earned a chance to become world no. 1 at the start of 2023. Djokovic kicked off the new season with the Adelaide title, adding 250 points to his tally and winning his fourth title from the previous five tournaments.
During the campaign, Novak injured his left leg and did not look good in the early Australian Open stages. Djokovic battled past Enzo Couacaud and Grigor Dimitrov to reach the fourth round, doing everything to take the pain away.
The Serb felt better for the rest of the tournament, which was a bad sign for his opponents. Novak stormed over Alex de Minaur, Andrey Rublev and Tommy Paul to reach the title clash, his tenth in Melbourne. Djokovic defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6, 7-6 for his tenth Australian Open and the 22nd Major crown, remaining perfect from the semi-final round at Melbourne Park.
With those 2000 ATP points, Novak passed Carlos Alcaraz and started his seventh reign on the ATP throne at 35 years. If he maintains this form, Djokovic will have a chance to achieve 400 weeks as world no. 1, playing in Dubai this week and hoping to enter Indian Wells and Miami.
