Novak Djokovic apologizes for his “worst day” after Monte Carlo defeat, shifts focus to Roland Garros

Novak Djokovic has officially hit 300 career weeks as the ATP's No. 1-ranked player, reaching the milestone on the December 21, 2020 tour rankings. He’s now just 10 weeks away from Roger Federer’s all-time record of 310 weeks.

Asked about his career goals in Rome earlier this year, Djokovic acknowledged that staying on top for as long as possible remains a priority.

“This is one of my two, I would say, biggest professional goals, you know, is to reach the record of—surpass—Roger’s record for longest No. 1, and win as many Slams as possible,” said the 33-year-old. “I have been saying that before, so I’m working towards that.

“I’m at a good place now, in a good position. Hopefully I can stay healthy and continue to play well.”

Djokovic hits 300 weeks at No. 1, just 10 away from Federer's record

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Djokovic is the second man to reach 300 career weeks at No. 1 in singles. Six have surpassed 200:

**310: Roger Federer

300: Novak Djokovic**

286: Pete Sampras

270: Ivan Lendl

268: Jimmy Connors

209: Rafael Nadal

If Djokovic continues to hold onto the top spot, he’s scheduled to tie Federer’s record of 310 weeks on the week of March 1, 2021.

It will be difficult for anyone to take No. 1 away from Djokovic during that stretch. The ATP recently extended their revised rankings system until March 1, 2021, permitting players to keep their best-of results until that time. By March 1, 2020, the Serb was 18-0, going 6-0 at the ATP Cup and winning the Australian Open and Dubai. That means no matter how he does in the first two months of 2021, he can still hang onto all of those points.

The Serb went on to capture another two titles in 2020, his 35th and 36th career Masters 1000 crowns at the Western & Southern Open (in New York) and Rome. He finished the season with a 41-5 win-loss record, tying him for most match wins on the year with Andrey Rublev (who went 41-10 and finished the year at No. 8).

Additionally, Djokovic isn’t just the second man to reach 300 career weeks at No. 1 in singles, he’s the seventh player, male or female, to reach 300 career weeks at No. 1 in either singles or doubles:

506: Mike Bryan (men’s doubles)

439: Bob Bryan (men’s doubles)

377: Steffi Graf (women’s singles)

332: Martina Navratilova (women’s singles)

319: Serena Williams (women’s singles)

310: Roger Federer (men’s singles)
300: Novak Djokovic (men’s singles)

(No woman has reached 300 career weeks at No. 1 in doubles. Navratilova holds the record with 237.)

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