For a record seventh time, Novak Djokovic will end the season at the top of the ATP rankings, and he now has the hardware to show for it.
Djokovic previously assured himself the top spot through year's end by reaching the final of the Rolex Paris Masters last week—a tournament he went on to win by beating Daniil Medvedev in a three-set final—and was presented with the year-end world No. 1 trophy at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin on Monday following an opening 7-6(4), 6-2 victory against Casper Ruud.
Djokovic, 34, extended his record as the oldest year-end No. 1 and surpassed Pete Sampras' prior record of six year-end No. 1 finishes. Earlier this year, he surpassed Roger Federer’s all-time best of 310 weeks in the top spot, and will end 2021 with 348 weeks on his resume and counting.
"It's a huge achievement, obviously. I'm very, very proud of it. Grateful to be in this position once again to make the historic seventh time and surpass my childhood hero, Pete Sampras. It's incredible," Djokovic said then.
"Obviously, [I'm] overwhelmed with all the beautiful positive emotions. This success is obviously shared with my family, my team, all the close people in my life that have been alongside me that still are there supporting me and also enabling me to keep paving the way, [to] keep playing the sport that I love. Without their support, it would be difficult, so even though it's an individual sport, it's a team effort in the end of the day. It's a thrilling, obviously, sensation and I'm very proud of it."
Djokovic, Federer and Rafael Nadal have combined to finish as world No. 1 a total of 17 times in the last 18 years. Andy Murray finished in the top spot in 2016.
"Finishing the season as No. 1 is a monumental achievement. To do it seven times, in this incredible era of men’s professional tennis, is hard to describe," ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said in a media release. "Novak deserves huge credit and recognition for continuing to redefine excellence in our sport, year after year. Congratulations to him and his team on this outstanding new milestone."
This week, Djokovic is bidding to win his sixth career title at the ATP's season-ending championships as the top seed in his 14th career appearance. Should he do it, he'll tie Federer's all-time record for titles won at the event.
"I think every record stands for itself. You know, I value all the records and achievements greatly. Being historically [the] No. 1 ranked player in the world is probably the paramount achievement of our sport," Djokovic added in Paris.
"Finishing the season as year-end No. 1 requires full commitment throughout the entire year and consistency and playing the best tennis in the biggest events... That's what I have done this year. You know, I played my best at Grand Slams and I got most of my points there.
"I try to make myself aware of the fact that I am in a very unique position. It's difficult for me to understand the magnitude of these achievements, not just for myself, but for the sport, while I'm still active player. Probably when I retire, I'll be able to reflect on that a little bit more and appreciate it a little bit more.
"I'm very appreciative and grateful for it now, but what is the next challenge is always in your mind while you're an active player. It's constantly another task, another tournament. So don't have really much time to enjoy the success, so to say, because you always have to turn the next page."
