Novak Djokovic is set to become the tennis player to have spent the most weeks at world number one in the history of the sport.
Novak Djokovic has equalled Steffi Graf’s astonishing record for the most weeks as tennis world number one.
The 35-year-old already holds the record for the most weeks as men’s world number one since March 2021, when he surpassed the tally of 310 weeks set by Roger Federer.
His longest continuous run at the top of the world rankings was 122 weeks, although Federer, Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl have all surpassed this.
Djokovic has now spent 377 weeks as world number one in total, having regained the top spot after winning the Australian Open in January.
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Graf spent the same amount of time as world number one across a period starting in 1987 and concluding in 1997. This included a stint at the top of the rankings for 186 consecutive weeks, a women’s record which was later tied by Serena Williams.
As a result, Djokovic is on the verge of breaking the record for most weeks as world number one in the history of tennis.
Will Novak Djokovic become the player to have spent the most weeks as world number one?
Djokovic is not playing at any ATP event this week, but should still retain the top spot even if world number two Carlos Alcaraz wins the Rio Open.
The Serbian star is currently on 7,070 points, 590 more than Alcaraz.
Djokovic is set to drop 90 points from last year’s run to the Dubai Open quarterfinals, while Alcaraz could gain 500 points if he is triumphant in Rio. This would put both players on 6,980 ranking points.
Sportskeeda have reported that Djokovic would keep the top spot in this scenario, breaking the world number one record.
This is because of the tiebreaker rule for the ATP rankings, where the player who has competed in the fewest events is placed higher. As Djokovic has played at fewer tournaments than Alcaraz recently, he will remain number one.
Djokovic also has the most total points from the Grand Slams, Masters 1000 events and ATP Finals during the ranking period.
The record will delight Djokovic, who despite winning 22 Grand Slam titles, has always had to share the spotlight with Federer and Rafael Nadal.
This latest achievement will strengthen the argument that Djokovic is the greatest of all time in men’s tennis.
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