Novak Djokovic says weeks at No. 1 record is "probably the biggest achievement" of his career
According to Novak Djokovic, his newly-achieved record of most weeks as World No. 1 is the biggest feat of his career.
Djokovic went past Roger Federer's long-standing record of 310 weeks as World No. 1 last month. As things stand the Serb has spent 316 weeks at the top of the charts, and it seems likely that he will add many more weeks to his tally by the end of his career.
Novak Djokovic had repeatedly claimed in the past that the No. 1 record was one of his most desired career goals. And the 33-year-old reiterated the same idea in a media interaction ahead of his 2021 Monte Carlo campaign.
"The historic achievement was of course something that was very fulfilling for me, for my family," Novak Djokovic said. "It’s probably the biggest achievement that I've ever had in my career."
Djokovic went on to assert that his historic feat reflects the hard yards put in by his family, team and himself.
"It’s an accumulation of all the years of success and hard work, not just for myself but all the people that are around me, my team, my family," the Serb said.
"I’m very thankful to the city of Belgrade and the country of Serbia for creating some special events during that day" - Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic's record was celebrated with much fanfare in his hometown of Belgrade last month. The Serb himself hosted a party on the day he overtook Roger Federer's mark, at one of his restaurants.
Djokovic revealed in his Monte Carlo interaction that even though he was pleased to celebrate with his loved ones, the COVID-19 restrictions made it impossible to mark the occasion with the hoopla it deserved.
"I was very happy to be able to stay close to my family and share the joy with them even though the restrictions were such that we could not make maybe more of a celebration than we kind of imagined," Djokovic said.
The locals also organized a street party in Belgrade, while decorating some buildings with light portraits of Novak Djokovic. They even performed a light show in the sky, which displayed some of Djokovic's landmark career moments.
In addition to this, fireworks were also lit in front of the Serb's restaurant to celebrate the historic occasion.
During his interview, Djokovic thanked his countrymen for their efforts, before adding that he would cherish the day for the rest of his life.
"But nevertheless there were a lot of people that showed up on the streets," Novak Djokovic said. "I'm very thankful to the city of Belgrade and the country of Serbia for creating some special events during that day to acknowledge the success. And it was definitely a very special day that will stay forever in my heart."