Novak Djokovic’s No. 1 Record: The Flipside of Smooth Tennis and a Fit Body | Tennis news

From the moment he arrived there in August 1987, Graf’s 377 weeks as the world’s best player were largely uneventful, smooth sailing. By 1991, he would not be ousted from there even once, but was sporadically pulled down over the next few years. This lasted until 1997, when he started the year as No. 1 and finished it at age 28, two seasons before retiring (as No. 1 in the world, mind you).

Djokovic, on the other hand, has had a rockier run, which probably makes his record even more remarkable. The 35-year-old has been at the top of the ATP table for seven different periods and has to overcome physical struggles, a slump and a vaccination situation.

It explains why Djokovic, after his record seven-year-ending No. 1 ranking, trails three men — Graf and Serena Williams — on the list for most consecutive weeks at No. 1, topped by Roger Federer (237 weeks). Jimmy Connors (160) and Ivan Lendl (157).

Nine of his 22 Grand Slam titles have come when Djokovic hasn’t had the world number one next to his name. And on several occasions, Djokovic has had to win Grand Slam tournaments to claim the top spot.

As he did last month with the 2023 Australian Open title as the official fifth-best player in the world (albeit the unofficial and consensus best). As he did coming into the 2011 Wimbledon, during which he reached No. 1 for the first time reaching the final. There he beat Rafael Nadal to win the Wimbledon maiden title, but also dethroned the Spaniard after winning all but one of his matches and tournaments up to that point.

However, in just one year, Djokovic had lost the number one spot. After winning just two Slams in 2012 and 2013 (both on his favorite courts in Melbourne), Djokovic reclaimed the top spot from Nadal by winning the 2014 Wimbledon and ending a Slam drought of more than a year.

Only in 2015 and 2016, when he won five of six slams from the 2015 Australian Open to the 2016 French Open, including four on the trot, did Djokovic have a real iron grip on the No. 1 mantle. There he also had his longest consecutive run of 122 weeks between July 2014 and November 2016.

Then came a difficult 2017 season with elbow problems that saw him fall out of the top 10 for the first time in over a decade and into the 20s in mid-2018. Then came a giant comeback that year, winning at Wimbledon and the US Open to regain the No. 1 ranking from Nadal after nearly two years. In doing so, Djokovic became the first player since Marat Safin in 2000 to move from the top 20 to No. 1 in the same season.

It took a record eighth Australian Open title in 2020 for Djokovic to begin his fifth stint as number one. His second-longest streak of dominance spanned three slams in 2021 and lasted until February 2022.

At this point, his unvaccinated status kept him out of tournaments and defending his points, forcing him to drop to No. 8 in November last year.

This is also where he really stands out. Djokovic has managed to pull the No. 1 rug off the feet of Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz – the other two world No. 1s – despite playing just 13 tournaments since the start of the 2022 season (excluding the Laver Cup). He’s won seven of them — including a pair of slams and the year-ending ATP Finals — highlighting his smooth tennis (take cue, Medvedev) and fit body (take cue, Alcaraz).

That his latest spell at the top would come after a Slam win and a four-place move, the biggest jump to the top since the 1973 rankings, is a typical Djokovic-No 1 record story. A little rocky, a lot significant.