Serbian star Novak Djokovic has been on a roll this year. He kicked off the season by winning the Australian Open and then repeated it at the French Open and US Open. Djokovic kept up the intensity and will end the year as the top-ranked player in the world. Moreover, he reached a landmark milestone in his careerโhe has now spent 400 weeks at the top of the ATP rankings!
Djokovic hit this record when he was playing at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin last week. Novak signed off the week in style, as he won a record seventh year-end title, thus surpassing Roger Federer. The Serb hitting the 400-week mark was just the cherry on top of the cake.
Djokovic, who is close to his fans, had a special request for the Nolefam. He took to social media to conduct a poll, asking his fans how he should celebrate this achievement.
#NoleFam should we do a challenge together to celebrate 400 weeks?.. ๐ค๐๐๐๐ผ say other ideas in comments #Nole400
โ Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) November 15, 2023
Fans stepped up and offered all kinds of answers. Some of them were hilarious, causing Novak to acknowledge how they cracked him up. Djokovic then issued his fans a “physical challenge,” urging them to share clips of themselves drawing, dancing, etc.
Ok so letโs do it all yes? ๐ Starting today all week post any of these physical challenges tagging #Nole400 or anything thatโs fun for you to celebrate.. drawings, dances, donationsโฆ ๐๐ผ canโt wait to see idemooooooo
โ Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) November 20, 2023
Novak has a huge and dedicated fanbase. Needless to say, they took the challenge very seriously and did as the Serb asked. The challenges varied, of course, from skipping 400 times to bouncing the ball with a racket.
Haha non vedevo l’ora di farlo ๐
La pallina รจ caduta un paio di volte ma sono arrivata a 400 ๐
Idemooo #Nole400 โค๏ธโค๏ธโค๏ธ
(Il video รจ lungo quasi 4 minuti) pic.twitter.com/uw4cVE94UAโ Mikikant (@mikikant_liber) November 20, 2023
Novak Djokovic is not new to breaking records as a player. He has created new records left and right this year, surpassing his rivals.
How did Novak Djokovic reach this landmark?
This week has been a double bonanza for Novak. He won the ATP Finals, defeating Jannik Sinner, and also began the 400th week as No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. It has been 12 years since his first stint at the top, but he is still hungry for more.
“It’s a pretty good achievement, 400 weeks at No. 1. It’s never been done in history. Someone will eventually break it, but hopefully it stays there for a long time,” he said (via ATP Tour).
Record ๐๐๐ weeks as the best tennis player on the planet ๐
Congrats Novak ๐ ๐ ๐ #Nole400 pic.twitter.com/KZNfScXATlโ ๐๐๐๐. AอOอยนโฐ (@NoleLondon) November 20, 2023
Novak reached the number one ranking for the first time on July 4th, 2011, and spent 53 weeks at the top. He has come a long way since then. Djokovic broke Steffi Graf’s record of 377 weeks earlier this year, having surpassed Federer’s record of 310 weeks in 2021.
Novak Djokovic has had a phenomenal season this year, shutting down any talks of his retirement. He has taken the sport to new heights while accomplishing his goals.