Novak Djokovic starts 320th week as World No. 1, surpasses Serena Williams for 3rd place in all-time list
On Monday, Novak Djokovic entered his 320th week at World No. 1, thus extending his own record for most weeks atop the men's field. Significantly though, Djokovic has now surpassed Serena Williams' mark of 319 weeks, which puts him in third place on the all-time list among both men and women.
The Serb had broken the men's record for most weeks as World No. 1 - previously held by Roger Federer at 310 - in March 2021. Djokovic is now behind only Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf, who were ranked No. 1 for 332 and 377 weeks respectively.
The 33-year-old has held the top spot in five different phases: 2011-12, 2012-13, 2014-16, 2018-19 and 2020-present.
Novak Djokovic has been racking up the records in his bid to cement his place as the greatest player of all time. He currently holds 18 Grand Slam titles, behind only Margaret Court (24), Serena Williams (23), Steffi Graf (22), Roger Federer (20) and Rafael Nadal (20).
Beyond that, the Serb also holds the record of being the only player to have ever won each of the Masters 1000 titles. Djokovic has achieved the feat twice, while no other player is yet to do it even once.
He also has the most Masters 1000 titles (36) won on the men's tour, a record that could be in danger of being equaled this week as Rafael Nadal is the favorite to win the ongoing Italian Open.
Novak Djokovic is a year away from breaking Steffi Graf's all-time record for weeks spent as World No. 1
Novak Djokovic is on track to surpass Martina Navratilova's total of 332 weeks; he will move past that mark if he stays as World No. 1 until 9 August 2021. Djokovic is, however, more than a year away from the all-time record of 377 weeks held by Steffi Graf.
But the good news for the Serb is that he is no longer in immediate danger of losing his top position this summer.
Rafael Nadal - now third in the world rankings - is defending points from his 2019 Rome Masters title, as well as his 2021 Roland Garros triumph. World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, on the other hand, has performed poorly on clay this year, and will need a huge change in fortunes to do well at Rome or Paris.
A successful summer for Novak Djokovic may have significant implications for the GOAT debate. The Serb has the opportunity to consolidate his place as World No. 1 until the 2021 US Open, and can also close the Slam gap from Nadal and Federer with a title at Roland Garros or Wimbledon.