Novak Djokovic is one of, if not the greatest, tennis players of all time.
The Serbian has reigned supreme across arguably the toughest period to play the sport, having burst onto a scene dominated by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, and forced his way into contention.
Then, following their retirements, the 38-year-old naturally continued his reign of terror, sweeping up plenty more Grand Slam titles with remarkable speed and ease.
Because of this consistent quality across two decades now, he naturally holds the title for the most weeks as the world number one.
Therefore, there’s arguably nobody better placed to explain exactly what it’s like to be in that privileged position.
What Novak Djokovic said about being the world number one in 2022
Ironically though, when asked about that legendary status in 2022, Novak Djokovic admitted it was not as peaceful as one might think once ascending to the top of the world rankings.
In fact, he was quite open about his feelings on the position, revealing both the best and worst things about it.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion claimed: “Being number one is the best and worst thing about being number one. I have been blessed to be number one that many weeks throughout my career.
“That was always the highest goal beginning of every season, particularly being in the era with (Roger) Federer, Nadal, the guys that are greats of the game. So of course that makes the success even bigger.
“On the other hand, the downside of being number one is that you are always being chased by everyone else that wants to dethrone you and wants to win against you in every single match, regardless of the size or category of the tournament.”
Still playing and thriving today, even if Grand Slam titles seem just out of his reach, Djokovic has been handed good news ahead of 2026, where he will hope to start his season with an Australian Open title.
Which other tennis players have the most weeks at world number one?
As noted earlier, Djokovic has the most weeks at world number one by some distance, with 428 weeks.
His closest competitor, Roger Federer, has more than 100 weeks less than his legendary rival.
The first American on the list emerges in third, with Pete Sampras; he has just 16 more weeks on Ivan Lendl in fourth.
Jimmy Connors is in fifth, just ahead of Rafael Nadal in sixth.
For contemporary interest, Jannik Sinner has 66 weeks at world number one, and Carlos Alcaraz has 46, which is more than Andy Murray, Mats Wilander and Ilie Nastase.
