Novak Djokovic is back in the top three for the first time since July last year. Novak captured his 22nd major title at the Australian Open and added 2,000 ATP points to his tally.
In this way, he conquered the ATP throne and continued his quest towards an unprecedented 400 weeks as world number 1. Furthermore, Djokovic became the fifth 35-year-old player in the top-3, joining Ken Rosewall, Rod Laver, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
These five legends are the oldest players in the top three since the inception of the ATP rankings in 1973, with Jimmy Connors and Andre Agassi their closest rivals.
. Laver and Rosewall were the top three players aged 36 and 40, respectively, in 1975.
Roger Federer joined the party at the age of 38 in 2020, thanks to his remarkable results in the previous season. Rafael Nadal started the current season in the top-3, closing in on Rod Laver.
Novak Djokovic joined the legends following his 10th Australian Open crown, hoping to catch up with Laver within a year.
Novak Djokovic is the fifth oldest player in the top three.
The Serb was not in an ideal position in the rankings last July, despite winning his 21st Major crown at Wimbledon.
Novak missed the points at Roland Garros and missed 2000 at the All England Club. In addition, he was unable to play in the next Masters 1000 or the US Open. Djokovic started again in September, playing his first ATP tournaments in more than two months.
The Serb won titles in Tel Aviv and Astana, adding 750 ATP points and improving his tally. Hungry for more, Novak set her eyes on his seventh crown at the Paris Masters. Djokovic reached the final and fell to the young Holger Rune after a great battle in the decider.
Novak scored 1,350 points in those three rounds, and the best was yet to come in Turin. The Serb conquered the ATP Finals after scoring all five victories, ending the season on a high and earning himself a chance to become world No. 1 in early 2023.
Djokovic started the new season with the Adelaide title, collecting 250 points and winning his fourth title from the previous five tournaments. Novak injured his left leg during the season and did not look good in the early stages of the Australian Open.
Djokovic battled past Enzo Couacaud and Grigor Dimitrov to reach the fourth round, doing everything he could to stave off the pain and stay in the fight. The Serb felt better for the rest of the tournament, beating Alex De Minaur, Andrey Rublev and Tommy Paul to reach the title clash.
Djokovic defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6, 7-6 to win his tenth Australian Open title and 22nd Major crown. With those 2,000 ATP points, Novak surpassed Carlos Alcaraz and began his seventh reign on the ATP throne.
On the way to his 36 years, Novak Djokovic continues to shine in the best tennis in the world, his longevity allows him to break records and adding more weeks at number one in the world. The Balkan equaled Rafael Nadal in the fight to be the player with the most Grand Slam trophies in history.
