photo-credit">© Getty Images Sport/Angel Martinez
Novak Djokovic, the undisputed number one in men’s tennis, had another remarkable year. But his position at the top could soon be in danger again.
Dominance and records
Djokovic, who already had the most year-end rankings as number one among men before 2023, was able to equal a record set by Steffi Graf on the WTA Tour with his eighth year at the top of the world rankings.
He finished first in both 2011 and 2012, followed by further successes in 2014 and 2015. Although his dominance was briefly interrupted by Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal in 2016 and 2017, Djokovic rose to the top in 2018, 2020, 2021 and now at the top again this year.
Pete Sampras, who has six seasons as number one from 1993 to 1998, is Djokovic’s nearest rival on the ATP Tour, followed by Jimmy Connors, Roger Federer and Nadal, who have each been at the top five times.
A milestone and future challenges
Djokovic emphasized how important the number one position is to him. His remarkable consistency was evident as he began his 400th week at the top of the ATP World Rankings, setting another record.
“400 weeks as number 1, that’s never been achieved before. At some point someone will break it, but hopefully it stays that way for a long time,” said Djokovic. Djokovic’s victories over Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner confirmed that he continues to have a major advantage over his closest rivals in the men’s tennis world.
But he enters 2024 with pressure on his position as the world’s best. Alcaraz, who missed last year’s Australian Open due to injury, has the chance to collect 2,000 fresh ranking points in next year’s first Grand Slam.
Djokovic must defend 250 points from his win at the ATP Tour event in Adelaide, meaning a total of 2,250 points will be deducted from his current total by the end of the 2024 Australian Open. Despite his impressive record in Melbourne, it is hard to imagine Djokovic bowing out before the semi-finals of the Australian Open.
Nevertheless, there is a good chance that Alcaraz will come significantly closer to his great rival at the top of the world rankings by the last rally of the next major tennis tournament.
2023-11-21 19:37:17
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