Melbourne
Novak Djokovic surpassed Roger Federer for the most weeks at No. 1 in the ATP rankings on Tuesday.
Djokovic is in his 311th week in the top spot, one more than Federer has spent there. “Big day today,” Djokovic tweeted Tuesday.
The 33-year-old from Serbia first reached No. 1 on July 4, 2011, a day after he won Wimbledon for the first time by beating top-ranked Rafael Nadal in the final.
Djokovic’s ascent represented the first time in nearly 7 1/2 years that a man other than Federer or Nadal was No. 1.
“Any athlete in the world dreams of being No. 1 of the world. This is something that gives us a lot of motivation,” Djokovic said back then, when the ATP marked the occasion by presenting him with a cake shaped like the numeral “1” in the red, blue and white colors of Serbia’s flag.
“So finally, when you really do it, and when you know that you’re the best, it’s just an amazing achievement.”
Djokovic has gone on to win five titles at the All England Club, along with nine at the Australian Open, three at the U.S. Open and one at the French Open.—AP
