Novak Djokovic attains remarkable feat at Davis Cup even as Serbia are eliminated in the semifinals
Despite being eliminated in the semifinals of the 2021 Davis Cup Finals, World No.1 Novak Djokovic managed to achieve an astounding feat - the Serbian legend has now won 19 consecutive singles matches at the Davis Cup.
On Friday, Djokovic defeated Croatia's Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-2. But his effort was in vain as Serbia failed to progress to the final.
Longest #DavisCup singles winning streaks after today's singles matches:
36 - Baghdatis (2003-16)
33 - Borg (1973-80)
29 - Nadal (2004-present)
22 - Becker (1987-95)
19 - Djokovic (2011-present)
19 - Murray (2005-14)
19 - Rios (1995-99)
Djokovic's winning streak at the Davis Cup began way back in 2011. The 20-time Grand Slam champion is now tied with Andy Murray and Marcelo Rios, who attained the feat earlier in their respective careers.
Tennis players with longer winning streaks than Novak Djokovic at the Davis Cup
Even as Novak Djokovic extended his winning streak to 19 matches after his win over Cilic, there are a few players who have enjoyed longer unbeaten streaks in the singles category of the tournament.
One of them is his arch-rival, Rafael Nadal, who missed the Davis Cup Finals this year due to injury. Rafa has been undefeated in the singles category of the Davis Cup since 2004 and is currently on a 29-match winning streak. Even more incredibly, former World No. 8 Marcos Baghdatis and tennis legend Bjorn Borg have won 36 and 33 consecutive matches respectively at the event.
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Another tennis player ahead of Djokovic in terms of consecutive matches won at the Davis Cup is his former coach, Boris Becker. The German won 22 consecutive singles matches at the event.
Although proud of the feat, Djokovic was left disappointed as his team failed to qualify for the finals of the 2021 Davis Cup after defeat in the doubles category to the Croatian pair of Metcic and Pavic.
In the other singles match, Borna Gojo upset Dusan Lajovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
However, Djokovic will certainly be proud of his 2021 season, which turned out to be one of the finest in his professional career to date. The World No. 1 nearly attained the incredible feat of a Calendar Slam, falling short at the last hurdle to Russian Daniil Medvedev at the US Open.
Also read: Rafael Nadal says Novak Djokovic is "best positioned" to finish his career with the most Grand Slams