It’s surreal to be that many weeks No. 1 – Novak Djokovic after beating Steffi Graf’s ranking record

On Monday, Novak Djokovic created history as he broke legendary Steff Graff’s record of staying at the number one position in the ATP rankings for 377 weeks. The Serbian has now completed 378 weeks of being at the top of the ATP rankings.

Djokovic admitted that it is a surreal feeling to be among the greats of the game. The 35-year-old has 6920 points under his belt and he has a lead of 200 points over second-placed Carlos Alcaraz.

Djokovic had reclaimed the numero uno position in the ATP rankings after he won the Australian Open 2023 earlier in the year. The veteran had beaten Stefanos Tsitsipas in the summit clash of Happy Slam.

“It’s surreal to be that many weeks No. 1, to match Graf — one of the all-time greats,” Djokovic said Sunday. “Just being amongst these legendary names is flattering. I’m proud of it.”

After Novak Djokovic and Steffi Graff, Martina Navratilova has spent the third-most weeks atop the world rankings at 332, followed by Serena Williams (319) and Roger Federer (310).

Djokovic has almost fully recovered from the hamstring injury, which he had suffered Downunder. The Serbian will now take part in this week’s Dubai Duty Free Championships.

“Had a couple of weeks of no tennis,” he said. “The last few days, it’s really getting as much practice as possible to get myself back in shape to be able to compete at a high level. I haven’t felt pain on the court for a week.

“I’m getting closer to 100 percent. Still not there in terms of the game and how I feel on court, but the important thing is there’s no pain. I don’t have a hindrance in the way I move on the court.”

Djokovic will take on Tomas Machac in the first round Tuesday.