"I'm sure that Nadal will try to dethrone him at the end of this year" - Novak Djokovic on World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz
Despite being barred from playing several tournaments this year, Novak Djokovic has clinched an ATP 250, ATP 500, Masters 1000, and a Grand Slam title, making it his 14th season in which he won at least four titles in a year.
The next target for the Serb is the Paris Masters, where he will aim to defend his title, and the Nitto ATP Finals, where he will aim for a sixth trophy. The two other players who will be present at both these tournaments are World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and World No. 2 Rafael Nadal.
Speaking to Sportal recently, Djokovic lauded Alcaraz for his achievements this season, saying that he deserves to be the top-ranked player. The 21-time Grand Slam winner also stated that the situation would have been different had he been awarded points for his victory at Wimbledon.
"Alcaraz is the first in the world and he is the best," Djokovic said. "There's nothing there. The rankings show that. I played less, that's a fact, a lot of points were taken away, Wimbledon didn't count. Maybe the situation would have been different if the circumstances were different, but there is nothing now. What is there is, he absolutely deserves to be where he is. I congratulate him on all his successes."
The 35-year-old further added that it was beneficial for tennis that the youngster was setting new records. He also believes that Nadal will be keen to replace him as the No. 1 player by the end of the year.
"I think it's great for tennis that such a young guy records such historic results because it attracts a lot of new attention and fresh blood to tennis so we all benefit from that. I'm sure that Nadal will also try to dethrone him at the end of this year because he has the only chance to do it," he said.
Novak Djokovic has ended the year as World No. 1 a record 7 times
When Novak Djokovic ended 2021 as the World No. 1, it was a record seventh time as he moved ahead of Pete Sampras. The Serb finished at the top of the rankings in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2020, and 2021.
2011 was the year when he changed his diet, transformed as a player, and started to win everything that came his way. The Serb won three Majors that year and 10 singles titles overall, finishing with a win-loss record of 70-6.
Although he managed just one Grand Slam title in 2012, there were six singles titles in total that he walked away with. His win-loss record for the season was 75-12.
The tennis icon clinched his second Wimbledon title in 2014, beating Roger Federer in the final in five sets. Djokovic pocketed seven singles titles and with a win-loss record of 61-8, ended the year as World No. 1
His 2015 season was slightly more dominant than his 2011 success as he won as many as 11 singles titles, including three Majors. He lost to Stan Wawrinka in the final of the French Open. His win-loss record for the year was 82-6.
After battling injuries in 2017, Djokovic returned to his best in 2018, winning Wimbledon and the US Open, along with two more singles titles. With a win-loss record of 53-13, he ended the year at the top.
The legendary player started the 2020 season by winning his eighth Australian Open. He won a total of four singles titles and had a win-loss record of 41-5.
2021 was the third season of his career when the Serb won at least three Majors, once again losing in the final of the fourth one. He ended the season with a win-loss record of 48-6 and a total of four titles. He became the only male player so far to end his season at the top of the rankings for a seventh time.