It's another fresh start to the week, which can only mean that Novak Djokovic is toasting the champagne for another week spent at the top of the world rankings.
Or, maybe the Serbian superstar hasn't taken the bottle from ice just yet and is only preserving it for a double celebration in a week's time. Djokovic is pursuing an 11th Australian Open and a 25th Grand Slam singles crown.
He'll be an indisputable Grand Slam record holder should he triumph in the final on Sunday. Djokovic has ticked another week at World No. 1, his 409th, to be precise, which is at least 200 more than the next active ATP player on the list.
That man is his longtime rival Rafael Nadal, who sadly isn't competing at this year's Australian Open after picking an untimely muscle injury to the hip in his comeback tournament in Brisbane. Nadal's return date is unclear, but he is reportedly in contention to play at the Qatar Open next month.
As for Djokovic, he keeps piling up the records. Djokovic became the first singles player to record 400 weeks at World No. 1 at the end of last year, becoming the oldest year-end No. 1 in ATP history. It was also for an unprecedented eighth time in his career that he clinched this prestigious accolade.
Because of his enormous points lead, Djokovic was guaranteed to stay at No. 1 during the duration of the Australian Open. However, he is in a three-way battle to retain his spot there, with Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev looking to pounce.
In the event Djokovic succeeds, which at this moment might mean he'll need to win the Australian Open to be absolutely certain, he'll commemorate a 410th week at No. 1, which would put him 100 weeks clear from second-placed Roger Federer who is now retired, but tallied 310 weeks at the summit.
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