5 unique records held by Novak Djokovic that strengthen his case for GOAT
Few tennis players in the history of the sport can match Novak Djokovic when he is at his very best. The Serb holds numerous records -- from highest number of weeks at No. 1 to winning the complete set of Masters 1000 events.
No player has won more matches against top-5 or top-10 opposition than the Serb, and no player has won more big titles (Slams, Masters 1000s, Year-end Championships and Olympics).
But these are only a few of the records that the 34-year-old has to his name. Without further ado, here's a look at five unique accomplishments in Djokovic's distinguished career that boost his claim to the GOAT title.
#1 Double Career Golden Masters
Novak Djokovic is the only player in ATP history to have completed the Career Golden Masters, winning all nine of the Masters 1000 titles. Having won eight of the nine by 2013, the World No. 1 had to wait until 2018 to lift the Cincinnati Masters trophy and complete the set.
The Serb went one step further, triumphing in Cincinnati once again in 2020 to complete the Double Career Golden Masters -- winning every ATP 1000 event at least twice.
Additionally, the 34-year-old is the only man to have won six Masters 1000 events in the same year, doing so in the 2015 season. He has also won the most number of Masters titles without dropping a set (10).
#2 Holding all four Grand Slams and year-end championship simultaneously
Novak Djokovic's 2015 season is widely regarded as the greatest single year in an ATP player's career. The Serb reached all four Major finals that year, winning the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open.
At Roland Garros, the World No. 1 lost to an inspired Stan Wawrinka but went on to win the year-end championship against another Swiss, Roger Federer. The 20-time Grand Slam champion continued his form the following year, triumphing once again at Melbourne Park and going one step further at the French Open.
Australian Open champion
82-6 win/loss record
#OnThisDay in 2015...
@DjokerNole completed one of the greatest #ATPTour seasons of all time.
🏆 Australian Open champion
🏆 Wimbledon champion
🏆 US Open champion
🏆 ATP Finals champion
🏆(6x) ATP Masters 1000 champion
✅ 82-6 win/loss record
Incredible. 🤯 https://t.co/IwyO8CpUuM
Defeating Andy Murray in the Paris final, the 34-year-old managed to complete the non-Calendar Grand Slam -- winning all four Majors on the trot, but not in the same season. The Serb thus became the first, and only, player to hold all four Slams and the year-end championship simultaneously.
#3 Beating all top-10 players in a single season
Another feat Novak Djokovic achieved during his impeccable 2015 season was beating every top-10 player he faced. The Serb finished the year with a 31-5 win/loss record against the top 10, losing to Roger Federer thrice and to Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka once each.
But the World No. 1 managed to defeat Murray six times, Federer five times and Wawrinka thrice. He also beat Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, Tomas Berdych, Kei Nishikori and Milos Raonic during the season, meaning he defeated every player ranked within the top 10 at least once.
#4 Novak Djokovic has won the most Masters 1000 titles in ATP history
In addition to the aforementioned Double Career Golden Masters, Novak Djokovic is the player with the most Masters 1000 titles to his name. The Serb has won the Indian Wells Masters and Miami Masters five and six times respectively till date.
The Masters 1000 titles race has a new leader *again* 👀
@DjokerNole the first man to 37!
#RolexParisMasters https://t.co/ttuQhy8soV
At the Monte-Carlo Masters, the World No. 1 has triumphed twice, while he has won Madrid and Rome on three and five occasions respectively. Both the Rogers Cup in Canada and Shanghai Masters have witnessed the 20-time Grand Slam champion go all the way as well. In addition to his two titles at the Cincinatti Masters, the 34-year-old has won the Paris Masters six times so far.
Since the Paris Masters began in 1968, no man has defended a title except Novak Djokovic - who first did so in 2014, and repeated in 2015.
Interestingly, Djokovic is the only man who has ever managed to defend his title at the Paris Masters in its 53-year history. The Serb has done so twice, accomplishing the "three-peat" between 2013 and 2015.
#5 Most weeks at World No. 1
Roger Federer's 310 weeks atop the ATP rankings looked unbeatable at one point in time, but Novak Djokovic has left the Swiss in the dust. As of Monday (11 April 2022), the Serb has spent 365 weeks as the World No. 1, an entire year more than the 20-time Grand Slam champion.
Djokovic is now assured of being the #1 player in the world for more than 365 weeks now.
More than a year ahead of Roger Federer (310) and three full years ahead of Rafael Nadal (209)!
#GOAT
The 365-week stint means that the 34-year-old has spent more than seven whole years as the top-ranked ATP player, making up more than one-third of his time as a professional player. The all-time record is currently held by German legend Steffi Graf, who has been ranked World No. 1 for 377 weeks in total but it is likely that Djokovic will overtake her this year.
To add to that, the 20-time Grand Slam champion has been ranked as the year-end World No. 1 on seven occasions till date, more than anyone in ATP history.