Novak Djokovic is closing in on another of Roger Federer’s records after his victory at the ATP Finals in Turin, but there is one record that will always prove to be beyond him.
Djokovic shows no sign of slowing his trophy-collecting habit at the age of 36, with his win at the end-of-season ATP Finals in Turin adding to his triumphs at the Australian Open, French Open and US Open in 2023.
By winning three major titles this year, Djokovic all but ensured he would finish this era of the game with the most Grand Slam titles.
His impressive win against Jannik Sinner in the ATP Finals earned Djokovic a 71st hard court title, drawing him level with Federer in that statistic.
To emphasise the achievements of Federer and Djokovic on hard courts, the third most successful player on the surface is American great Andre Agassi, who won 46 hard court titles.
Jimmy Connors won 43 titles on hard courts and Pete Sampras collected 35, with the records of Federer and Djokovic putting those iconic performers in the shade.
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Djokovic has also just passed through his 400th week as world No 1, which is arguably one of his greatest achievements.
“It’s a pretty good achievement, 400 weeks at No. 1. It’s never been done in history. Someone will eventually break it, but hopefully it stays there for a long time,” said Djokovic.
“It always has been a huge objective and huge goal of mine to be No. 1 in the world. Other than Grand Slams, that’s what counts the most. To finish off the year as No 1 in the world at this stage of my life and career is something really amazing.
“At the beginning of the year, I really wasn’t prioritizing that, I must say. I was prioritizing more Grand Slams.
“Because of the great results, particularly in Grand Slams, accumulated points, I think I put myself in a very good position to fight for year-end No 1.
“This has been one of the best years. I wouldn’t say the best, but one of the best.
“I mean, the fact that I’ve won three out of four slams and played a final in the fourth and it’s still not the best year of my life, it’s quite nice to have that kind of situation.”
Novak Djokovic has won his 71st ATP event on hard court, matching Roger Federer for the most on the surface in the Open Era. Incredible.
To remain at the top of the rankings for almost four full years is an achievement that may never be matched, yet Federer also has a record that may be unshakable.
The Swiss great remained top of the world rankings for a remarkable 237 consecutive weeks from February 2nd, 2004 to August 17th, 2008.
Federer’s dominance during that period was complete, with a young Rafael Nadal his bigger rival and he was only knocked off the top of the ATP rankings after losing the 2008 Wimbledon final against the Spaniard.
Conners is second on this list with 160 consecutive weeks at No 1, with Ivan Lendl third on 157 weeks and Djokovic in fourth place after his longest run of 157 consecutive weeks as the rankings leader.
These statistics all serve to highlight that we have lived through the most remarkable era in the history of the men’s game, with three of the greatest players of all-time doing battle during the same era.
We may never see the likes of this again and the records left behind by Federer, Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are certain to pass the test of time.
