Novak Djokovic has had a long and decorated career in tennis that has spanned over two decades. He has faced ups and downs, as any professional athlete would, but his determination and resilience set him apart from the rest of the crowd. In his long career, the Serbian star has become the player with the most Grand Slam titles (23), and his hunger to add even more titles to his name has not faded one bit.
His drive to be the best in the sport is worthy of admiration. It is the same drive that led him to become the world number one in tennis, and he has stayed at the top for a really long time.
Prior to becoming the top-ranked player, Novak Djokovic had been among the Top 3. However, his exceptional season in 2011 shot him to the top of the rankings. He won 10 Titles that year, three of which were Grand Slams: the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and US Open.
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On this day in 2011, Novak Djokovic became No. 1 for the first time. pic.twitter.com/IumRdmQUt4
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) July 4, 2023
The 4th of July will always be special to Djokovic. He clinched the top rank for the first time after defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinal clash at Wimbledon. This meant that for the first time, since 2004, neither Federer nor Nadal was at the top. He eventually went on to defeat Rafael Nadal in the final to win his first Wimbledon title and third overall title.
Pete Sampras called Novak’s 2011 season “one of the very best years in tennis of all time”. Since becoming world number 1, Djokovic has held the position for a record number of weeks- 389, overtaking tennis legend Steffi Graff herself.
Players who have held the ATP No. 1 spot for the longest
Novak Djokovic tops this list unsurprisingly. He has latched onto the number 1 spot for 389 weeks spread over 12 years. The Serbian has finished as the year-end number 1 seven times, which is another record. His streak lasted 122 weeks, from July 2014 to November 2016.
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Next on the list is the German legend Steffi Graf, who spent 377 weeks at the top. Her record was broken by Djokovic in February of 2023. Graf’s reign at the top began in 1987 and lasted until 1996. Her record lasted 186 weeks from August 1987 through March 1991. This is possibly the only record that won’t be broken by the Serbian.
Martina Navratilova held the top spot for 332 weeks. He had to fight tooth and nail against her rival Chris Evert, to get to this place. In 1978, Martina won her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, which propelled her to the number one rank. She enjoyed 9 seasons as the top player.
Serena Williams is a name even non-tennis fans are familiar with. The fiery star spent 319 weeks as the best tennis player. She was only 20 years old when she got a taste of the number-one spot.
Roger Federer, the Swiss maestro, wore the crown for an astounding 310 weeks. He was the first male player in the history of tennis to spend 300 weeks as the world number one. He also has a record of spending 237 straight weeks as the king of the sport. His record was broken by Djokovic in 2021.