By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Monday November 20, 2023
He came, he saw, he dominated! 2023 was another record-smashing campaign for the great Novak Djokovic.
Photo Source: GETTY
It’s late in the year and the holidays are fast approaching, so we ask the question, what gift can you buy for a man who has everything already? How about a few more records for the tennis annals?
It was a veritable land grab for the domineering legend in 2023, who just capped his 2023 ATP season by winning his tour-leading seventh title at the ATP Finals. Make that 98 titles for Djokovic, who is zeroing in on Roger Federer's 103 and Jimmy Connors' all-time record of 109 for the men.
Yes it was a banner year for Novak Djokovic, and if you are a die-hard fan of the Grand Slam king then you have been receiving gifts all year long. For one final gift we’re going to wrap up Djokovic’s most significant achievements...
But first we ask this question: At 36 years of age, how is Djokovic doing it?
It boggles the mind, doesn’t it?
He may not be the physical phenom he was a decade ago, but any slippage in that regard has been more than made up for with Djokovic's intellect, experience, dedication, and seemingly limitless reservoir of desire to continue on his trailblazing path. Even when we see him tripped up in the short-term by a rising phenom like Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner, we see Djokovic take a step back, analyze the matchup, and come back with a new and effective game plan.
His excellence in 2023 has been nothing short of remarkable. At an age when most tennis players have already called it a career, Djokovic is a fortress that remains untouchable, a fine-tuned winning machine that seems to get stronger with each obstacle he faces, and overcomes.
Without any further ado, let’s recap some of the Belgrade native’s most significant achievements in 2023:
HE’S NOW NO.1 ON THE ALL-TIME GRAND SLAM TITLE LIST
Djokovic started the season one major behind Nadal but has since moved past the Spaniard on this list. AT Roland-Garros, where he won his 23rd major title, Djokovic stood atop the all-time men’s singles Grand Slam title list for the first time. He added to his total at the US Open, and now holds 24 major titles.
How many will he have this time next year?
HE’S INTO HIS 400TH WEEK AT NO.1
That success at the Grand Slams helped Djokovic move past Carlos Alcaraz and back to the No.1 ranking. As of Monday November 19, Djokovic will be the first player – male or female – in history to spend 400 weeks at No.1. He’s Into his 10th stint at No.1… think he has 500 weeks in him?
HE’S COMPLETED A RECORD 8TH SEASON AS THE ATP’S YEAR-END NO.1
In 2021, when Djokovic passed Pete Sampras by earning his seventh year-end No.1 ranking, the Serbian legend said he was done chasing ranking goals. Well, here he is at the top again, adding to his record total with an eighth year-end No.1 finish.
HE BECAME THE FIRST MAN TO WIN 40 MASTERS TITLES
Djokovic needed more than his success at the Slams to get to No.1. He also remained dominant at the Masters, where he went 14-2 on the season, and won titles at Cincinnati and Paris to become the first man to win 40 Masters 1000 titles. Djokovic only played four of the nine Masters 1000 events this year, but remained dominant when he was in the mix.
HE’S THE ONLY MAN TO HAVE WON ALL FOUR GRAND SLAMS AT LEAST THREE TIMES
If it weren’t for the King of Clay Rafael Nadal’s dominance in Paris over the last two decades, Djokovic would already be at 30 Slams. Nevertheless, he has managed to prove himself as a clay court aficionado over the years. Thanks to his third RG title this spring, Djokovic is now the only male player in history to have won all four majors at least three times, and he also became the first man in history to win at least three major titles on all three surfaces by winning his third title at Roland-Garros.
HE REACHED ALL FOUR SLAM FINALS, INCREASING HIS RECORD OF MAJOR FINALS PLAYED TO 36
Djokovic passed legend Chris Evert on the all-time Grand Slam final list at Wimbledon and now stands alone on the list of most Slam finals played. And Nole even passed Roger Federer on the all-time Grand Slam singles semifinal list. He now leads Federer in that category, 47 to 46.
HE’S OLD BUT NOT THAT OLD
By winning Roland-Garros a few weeks after his 36th birthday, Djokovic became the oldest champion in tournament history. He did the same in New York, where he became the oldest US Open men’s singles champion by defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final.
Djokovic is also the oldest year-end No.1 in ATP history, and the oldest man to ever win a Nitto ATP Finals title.
If 36 is the new 26, will 37 be the new 27?
BEST AGAINST THE BEST
Djokovic continues to dominate against the ATP’s elite. Of his 1086 career wins Djokovic has recorded nearly a quarter of them against the Top-10. He increased his record of most Top-10 wins all-time from 240 to over 250. Djokovic has 257 top-10 wins after his triumph at the Nitto ATP Finals on Sunday.
There you have it, another simply smashing season from living legend Novak Djokovic. If that’s not a GOAT RESUME, we don’t know what is...