Serena Williams is the proud owner of 319 weeks as number 1 in the world and is third on the WTA list, which began in 1975, only behind Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova. Serena took the WTA throne in 2002 and remained competitive for 15 years.
In 2017 she spent her last weeks as number 1 in the world in 2017 after the 23rd and so far last major crown. Roger Federer came close to Serena’s record, reaching 310 weeks as number 1 in the world and was at the top of the ATP Tour until March when he lost the record to Novak Djokovic.
On March 8th, Novak became the record holder as world number 1 with 311 weeks, to realize one of his greatest dreams and to keep an eye on his “opponents” from the WTA tour. This is Novaks 320.
Week on the ATP throne. He leaves Serena at 319 and hopes to meet Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf as his only targets. The Serb has been the dominant figure in men’s tennis for the past ten years, securing many records and establishing his position in the GOAT race against his rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Despite the pandemic that halted the rankings between March and August last year, Novak has patiently waited to hit that magical 311 weeks and take the record off Federer. He said this was one of the most important records he wanted to hit.
Novak started the fifth number 1 in the world after the Australian Open last year, leaving Rafael Nadal and all other opponents behind. Novak Djokovic secured the 320.
Week as a world number. 1, Serena Williams stayed at 319 weeks
Djokovic entered the top 3 in 2007 and had to wait until 2011 to take the ATP throne after winning the first Wimbledon crown.
In doing so, he established himself as the most consistent competitor in the following decade. Between July 2011 and November 2016, Djokovic was the world’s leading player for 223 weeks. He added more weeks to his balance sheet and moved closer to Federer’s record.
The Serb struggled with an elbow injury in 2017 and the first half of 2018 and temporarily dropped out of the top 20 before making a great comeback where he belongs.
Two years after his previous stint, Novak was the world’s best player for the fourth time at the end of 2018 and stayed ahead of all rivals for a year before Rafael Nadal stole the throne for a few weeks in the closing stages of 2019.
Novak had a fresh start in early 2020 after conquering the ATP Cup and the Australian Open, assuming his fifth reign on the ATP throne and counting enough weeks to leave Federer behind and secure a massive honor.
Djokovic won a major and two Masters 1000 titles in 2020 to fill a huge gap in front of Rafael Nadal. He cemented it with his ninth Australian Open crown in February and kept an eye on the Major trophies for the rest of his career.
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