Novak Djokovic Breaks Steffi Graf’s Number One Record
Novak Djokovic is not short of record-breaking antics, and the Serbian has once again pushed the bar as he’s now overtaken Steffi Graf’s record of most weeks at No.1 in the world tennis rankings.
Last week saw Djokovic make it 378 weeks at the top, meaning he overtakes the famous German, thanks to his Australian Open win last month, which was his 22nd major title, which levels him with Rafael Nadal with the most singles titles ever in men’s tennis.
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35-year-old Djokovic was full of praise for Graf following his breaking of her long-standing record, stating;
“With your love and great strength that you have given me over the years, I’ve managed to achieve many fantastic achievements throughout my career,”
“The most recent one breaking the record of 378 weeks on No. 1 rankings, surpassing one of the greatest, most legendary tennis players – both men and women – that ever played, Steffi Graf. So I’m flattered, obviously extremely, extremely proud and happy for this achievement.”
Djokovic’s 2023 Australian Open triumph, his tenth win in the competition, was an emotional one following the disaster that was his planned appearance at the event in 2022 when his COVID vaccination status caused a major incident that led to him being deported from the country.
Breaking Graf’s record did not go unnoticed by other greats of the game, including Graf’s compatriot Boris Becker, who stated of the achievement;
“Novak is a fantastic guy and a great champion. Records are meant to be broken. Sooner or later, all records will be broken, but this is one for the tennis history books.”
And guess what? It’s still counting. I think Novak will be number one for a few weeks more before somebody will take his crown,”
Djokovic lost his top-ranking spot last June and has worked hard to get back up the ladder, and he’s picked up a number of titles already in 2023.
As well as the Australian Open, he won the Adelaide International and now the Dubai Tennis Championships with an eye on keeping his top-ranking position. Djokovic previously won the title back in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2020.
Djokovic’s leading contender for the top spot comes in the form of young Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who already has seven ATP titles to his name despite being a few months shy of his 20th birthday.
53-year-old Graf retired from the circuit back in 1999, having dominated the women’s game in a big way. She won a total of 22 grand slam tournaments, the first of which came in 1987 when she won the French Open and the last coming in 1999 at the same tournament, beating Martina Hingis on that occasion.
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