Within just 47 weeks from breaking Steffi Graf’s Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) world ranking record and after breaking Roger Federer’s previous mark at 310 weeks, tying the current record of 20 Grand Slam titles in men’s singles along with Federer and Nadal, 34-year old Serbian champion Novak Djokovic is again about to make history in an era of tennis that continues to see some of the all-time best players to ever grace the sport.
However, the Serbian superstar had earlier expressed his goal of focusing on winning Grand Slam titles than adding on to his impressive record figures. To date, Swiss champion Federer still holds the most number of consecutive weeks at the top spot with 237, while Djokovic is tied with American legend Pete Sampras with the most year-end number 1’s with both achieving the record six times. Yet Djokovic, who is still very active in his career, is way ahead on ranking points at 16,950 among other players in the ATP’s history.
In the meantime, Djokovic has had enough of the numbers for now and wants to peak for the majors. Is it because he knows Federer will have a hard time getting another top ranking in this late stage of the Swiss champion’s career when knee injuries, not to mention age, continue to haunt him? At least Djokovic knows that winning the Grand Slam titles is the definitive gauge for being the G.O.A.T., though no one can deny how being number 1 proves superiority over any other player in the world.
Among the greats
Djokovic’s road to number 1 began in 2006 when he vowed to be the next top player after Federer that year. Back then, the young Serbian was not much of a shoo-in for the highest-ranking spot given that he seemed a bit volatile and emotional during his matches–some of the factors that can prevent a champion from owning the top spot throughout a career. In the early stages of his professional career, Djokovic had to earn wins the hard way by creating rallies and chasing the ball a lot. Fast forward to today when he has proven that he is, indeed, better at doing all that--and more.
Many will agree that Djokovic’s decision to pursue more Grand Slam titles can display committed excellence in a player than more weeks at number 1. Despite going toe-to-toe with some of the best in the sport such as Federer and Rafael Nadal, Djokovic has consistently shown us his brand of brilliance, discipline, and creativity on the court which was most evident when he beat Federer at the majors thrice from match point down.
Through the years, he has honed his temperament and raised his tennis IQ to the point that his baseline game has surpassed that of other greats like Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, and Chris Evert. With a tenacity to hit the ball at controlled pace, depth, and pinpoint accuracy, Djokovic proves that he continues to excel in both the fundamental and advanced techniques of the sport, especially now that he seems to have mastered all surfaces, making seamless transitions look easy from various areas of the court.
A coach’s value
Of course, his coach Jelena Genčić has a lot to do with how Djokovic has improved throughout the years. Noone had a bigger impact in his formative years as a professional tennis player than Genčić who gave him his start, and more importantly, the inspiration to pursue greatness before she passed from breast cancer in June of 2013.
From the legendary coach, Djokovic learned to lead a more disciplined and stricter lifestyle of eliminating gluten, sugars, caffeine, meat, and alcohol from his plate and sticking to a healthier seed and pea protein diet.
Genčić was very proud of her star player, noting early on how he had the potential to win every major tournament out there. So much so, that it was quite heartbreaking when the legendary coach asked the people around her not to inform Djokovic of her impending final days because he had a match at the French Open. The superstar later mourned in private, canceling all press conferences after winning the said match.
To the current number 1, Genčić was not only one of his most valuable mentors but someone who also played the role of his second mother off the court. After the coach’s passing, Djokovic promised to win his next match in her honor, and it seems like he hasn’t turned back to that promise as he continues to fill out the win column.
To her credit, Genčić was also instrumental in molding other greats such as Monica Seles, Goran Ivanišević, Mima Jaušovec, and Iva Majoli, but Djokovic is hands down the one champion who stands out from the rest.
All the way to number 1 and beyond
By 2016, Djokovic was in his peak form showing great discipline both on and off the court. He adapted to a stricter diet of manuka honey, meditated, and started using a hyperbaric oxygen chamber– a modern yet unorthodox treatment method that speeds up the healing of carbon monoxide poisoning, gangrene, stubborn wounds, and infections by starving tissues of oxygen, after his matches to recover. However, use of the machine was later discouraged in the sport.
After Genčić’s passing, Djokovic went on to win 13 Grand Slam titles to add to his other previous six. This year alone, the Serbian champion captured the Australian Open title to mark a record-extending ninth men's singles title at the major, along with his 18th Grand Slam. He then won against ATP world number 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas to complete a double Career Grand Slam while being the first player in the Open Era to win a major after two 0-2 sets in the same Grand Slam.
His defining 20th Grand Slam win came at Wimbledon after he defeated Italian and ATP world number 8 Matteo Berrettini for his 6th title in the same major tournament.
This month, Djokovic will again appear on the world stage at the Tokyo Olympics and attempt to improve his previous Bronze finish at the Beijing Olympics back in 2008.
From this point on, Djokovic has undeniably contributed so much to the sport and is well on his way to capturing more Grand Slam titles to become the undisputed G.O.A.T. He has taken tennis forward in a major way and is yet to show any signs of slowing down, despite having just won a single Grand Slam title back in 2010 and ranked No. 3 for several years. It would be fascinating to see what comes next for the world number 1 going into a more aggressive season this year.
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