The spotlight on Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz isn’t wavering anytime soon since their sensational Wimbledon 2023 finals match. While a dream came true for the young Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, it was a devastating loss for the seasoned reigning champion, Novak Djokovic. Since then, Nole went on a brief mental and physical break with his family vacation followed by withdrawal from the Toronto Open.
However, recess is over the Serbinator is back and ready to fire again. The 23-time Grand Slam champion is targeting his 24th this US Open. While Nole certainly dominates on the court, he isn’t giving room for his opponents to win in a small ATP quiz contest as well.
Djokovic playfully jokes about his world no. 1 record
Recently, ATP hosted a fun contest for the top tennis professional in arranging players according to their time spent as World Number 1, in descending order. The tennis icons- Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Daniil Medvedev, Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev, and Ben Shelton all gave their best tries on this tennis history-based question.
While this seemed like a time-consuming process for the rest of the contestants, Djokovic quickly and easily named the tennis legends and won this contest as well. One answer everyone knew was the player that holds the all-time record for most time spent as World Number 1, which is none other than Novak Djokovic himself. When he had to give his answer, Nole even joked, “It’s not about humbleness… It’s a fact. I’m sorry!”
During his time in the realm of professional tennis, Novak Djokovic was ranked world number 1 for 389 weeks! He beat Steffi Graf’s record at the beginning of 2023 but proceeded to lose his rank just a couple of months later. Now, he is ranked world number 2, right below Wimbledon-winning young star Carlos Alcaraz.
When did Djokovic lose top spot to Carlos Alcaraz?
In September 2022, Carlos Alcaraz turned heads with his formidable performance in the US Open. With Novak Djokovic also not in the running, the then-19-year-old waltzed his way to the finals and defeated Casper Rudd to take his first Grand Slam title. Following this, he also became the youngest player and first teenager to be ranked World number 1!
When he was asked if he regretted missing the US Open, Djokovic told CNN, “No, I have no regrets… I’ve learned through life that regrets only hold you back and basically make you live in the past.” He congratulated the young Spaniard for his maiden Grand Slam win and his new top ranking as well.
Does Carlos have a shot at beating Novak again this US Open? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
