Novak Djokovic starts 375th week as World No.1, closing in on all-time record
ATP
Novak Djokovic started his 375th week as tennis's World No. 1 this week, following his 10th victory at the Australian Open at the start of the year.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion already holds the record for total number of weeks at the summit of the men's rankings, but is now well within sight of the all-time record across both tours.
Fellow 22-time major champion Steffi Graf currently holds that record, with an astonishing 377 total weeks sitting at the top of the women's rankings. But Djokovic is now only two weeks behind the German, and looks set to hold onto the top spot for at least the next fortnight, if not beyond that.
On top of this, the second half of this season is a gold mine of ranking points for the Serb. Firstly, Djokovic will have zero ranking points to defend at Wimbledon following the ATP's decision to strip it of its ranking points last summer, meaning that any points accrued during the Wimbledon fortnight will only add to his tally.
Secondly, Novak was unable to play in any North American tournaments last summer due to his unvaccinated status - something which will be lifted in time for the late summer North American hard-court swing this year. This means that every tournament he plays in during this time will also solely be points accrued for the Serb, with nothing dropping off his ranking.
Given his form, and the fact that he already has the No. 1 spot, it seems highly unlikely that Djokovic will not hold the top position for most of the year.
It is an astonishing turnaround for a player who, just over a year ago, was banned from playing in any Australian or North American tournaments, haemorrhaging rankings points he'd gained from 2021 in the process.
As the 2023 tennis tour gets well under way following the opening Grand Slam of the season, it once again appears that Djokovic is the man to topple for both tournaments and ranking.
