He bounced back to secure the year-end No 1 ranking for a record seventh time, though, surpassing his idol, Pete Sampras, in the process. Missing out was frustrating but also a relief thanks to all the stress that came with talk of the Grand Slam.
And Djokovic was also touched by the incredible reception he received from the New York crowd as the match drew to a close.
The crowd made me feel very special. They pleasantly surprised me. The emotion, the energy was so strong. I felt very, very special. Your email address will not be published. Bigger serves? Whatever the answer, by demanding so much from potential rivals, Djokovic has taken tennis forward in a major way.
There were times when I wondered if he was destined to remain a step behind Federer and Nadal. But everything changed in Save for a lacuna that affected Djokovic from mid to mid, he has proven profoundly sturdy. It will be fascinating to see how Djokovic continues to manage himself. Amid the pandemic, matters of scheduling, pacing and fitness are major issues for all of the players. Steve, what are your thoughts on how Djokovic will calibrate all these demands, both this year and perhaps even beyond?
Djokovic had to overtake two of the greatest players ever to own this record. But I wonder whether it has also helped him. With Rafa and Roger ahead of him, Djokovic had to dig deep and make the most of all of his talent to get to No.
Then he had to fight to stay there, because his two rivals were always ready to take the top spot back. When Djokovic won at Roland Garros in and completed his Djoker Slam, I felt like he had finally vanquished all of his competition.
Having them ahead of him in the Slam chase has kept him focused in a way he might not have been had he broken all of their records years ago. We have yet to see anyone advance it beyond him or do something truly new. Djokovic, who won his 18th Grand Slam at the Australian Open last month, eclipsed Roger Federer's record on March 8 when he moved past the Swiss to hold the top ranking for the th week.
Russia's Medvedev, who will climb up to a career-best ranking of second on Monday, feels the year-old is capable of extending his record over the coming months and years. But this is also a small competition, I'm sure he's really happy about it.
The way he's played, he's definitely capable of catching weeks. During the press conference, Djokovic did not confirm whether he would play at the Australian Open. Tournament officials have said previously that unvaccinated players are unlikely to be allowed to enter the country for the event.
The state of Victoria, which is scheduled to host the first major of in January, has introduced a vaccination mandate for professional athletes as it battles a resurgence of Covid cases. Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews said this week that no unvaccinated players would be permitted to play in the tournament despite Prime Minister Scott Morrison earlier telling local media they could compete but only after undergoing a two-week quarantine.
So until that's out, I won't be talking about this anymore, because, you know, I don't want to be part of the stories about the assumptions and what-ifs. Welcome DaniilMedwed!
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