Novak Djokovic has cemented his status as one of the greatest tennis players of all time after breaking Steffi Graf's record for the most weeks spent at world number one.
The Serbian tennis star achieved this feat thanks to his triumph at the 2023 Australian Open, where he claimed his tenth Melbourne title and his 22nd Grand Slam title overall and collected 2000 points for the champion.
Djokovic's latest stint at the top of the ATP Rankings began on January 30th, 2023, when he dethroned 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, who couldn't compete in Australia because of an injury. With the latest ranking update, Djokovic has spent 378 weeks as the world number one, surpassing Graf's previous record of 377 weeks.
The road to breaking Graf's record has not been without its challenges. Djokovic dropped to world number eight in the ATP Rankings in 2022 after he was unable to compete in several tournaments due to travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, he bounced back in style in 2023, winning the Australian Open and returning to the top spot.
In an interview after breaking the record, Djokovic expressed his pride in joining the ranks of tennis legends such as Graf. He acknowledged the significance of the achievement, saying,
"Of course, it's surreal in a way to be that many weeks world No. 1, to match Steffi Graf, that is one of the all-time greats of our sport, both men and women. Just being amongst these legendary names is flattering. Of course, I'm very proud of it."
After not playing for almost a month since his historic 10th Australian Open triumph, the Serb will compete at the 2023 Dubai Championships. In the first round, the draw assigned him a qualifier, Tomas Machac from the Czech Republic.
Despite just breaking the record, Djokovic may soon find himself as world no. 2, as he'll most likely miss the Sunshine Double (ATP 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami), and since Carlos Alcaraz doesn't defend a lot of points, he can overtake the Serb again.
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