Novak surpassed 25-year-old record for most weeks at the top of the rankings on Monday, overtaking Steffi Graf, the legendary German who won 22 Grand Slam titles and dominated women’s tennis in the late 1980s and for much of the 1990s.
Novak already held the record among men, when he surpassed Roger Federer two years ago.
Today, Djokovic is ranked No.1 for a record 378th week with 6,980 points.
Novak says breaking tennis legend Steffi Graf’s record of 377 weeks at number one is “surreal” and that he is proud to surpass one of the sport’s all-time greats.
“I could not have imagined it at that point, to be honest,” Djokovic said, talking about his childhood hopes. “I was dreaming as a kid to be Wimbledon champion, to be No.1 in the world. I achieved those dreams in 2011. After that, of course, I wanted more. I still want more achievements. I’m driven by the goals. I’m as dedicated to the sport really as anybody else. I know that it’s not handed to me, that I have to earn it.”
“Of course, it’s surreal in a way to be that many weeks world No.1, to match Steffi Graf, that is one of the all-time greats of our sport, both men and women. Just being amongst these legendary names is flattering. I’m very proud of it.”
