Season Portrait: Novak Djokovic
Over eight days, ATPTour.com has served up a season snapshot of the eight players who qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals. Illustrated by intimate portraits from British photographer Simon Owen, the series concludes today with a review of World No. 1 Novak Djokovic’s season.
Memorable Moment
Incredible as it may seem, Novak Djokovic came into 2020 having finished year-end No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings just once in the previous four seasons. In reclaiming the year-end throne from Rafael Nadal, the Serb tied his idol Pete Sampras with six No. 1 finishes. In December, Djokovic joined Roger Federer as just the second man to reach 300 total weeks at No. 1.
Key Stat
En route to his eighth title at the Australian Open in January, Djokovic became the sixth player in the Open Era to reach 900 tour-level match wins with a third-round victory over German Jan-Lennard Struff. Interestingly, Djokovic’s 900-187 mark at the time exactly matched Rafael Nadal’s win-loss record when the Spaniard reached the same milestone in 2018. Djokovic needs 66 match wins to reach 1,000. Could he do it in 2021? He won 65 matches in 2016 and 82 in 2015.
Quotable
“I will keep striving to be a better player, hopefully have more success and break more records in a sport I love with all my heart.”
The Road Ahead
Should Djokovic remain atop the FedEx ATP Rankings in the first part of the season, he will break Federer’s record of 310 weeks at No. 1 on 8 March. Beyond that, he will try to set a new record of seven year-end No. 1 finishes. The owner of 17 Grand Slam titles will try to close the gap on Federer and Nadal’s record haul of 20. The 33-year-old will also look to build on his record 36 ATP Masters 1000 titles, which has him just one ahead of Nadal’s 35 victories at the level.
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Photos: Simon Owen/Wonderhatch