Djokovic: 428 weeks at No. 1: ‘Probably the ultimate challenge’

In 2005, Novak Djokovic made his US Open debut and advanced to the third round. Twenty years on and the Serbian returned to that stage for the 19th time in New York where he defeated Zachary Svajda in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting on Wednesday.

In those 20 years, Djokovic has won it all. He has captured 24 majors, 40 ATP Masters 1000 titles, seven Nitto ATP Finals crowns, an Olympic gold medal and spent a record 428 weeks at No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings. But what does the Serbian view as the greatest challenge in the sport?

“There’s a lot of debate on what the ultimate challenge in our sport is. From my experience and my career, I would say probably the top two things would be winning the career Slam or Golden Slam, including the gold medal at the Olympics, and staying No. 1 for many years,” Djokovic said. “The Slams are such a big goal of every single player and they take a lot of energy to be conquered. So for you to be consistently playing well over and over again, to be a contender for No. 1 in the world, that’s probably one of, if not the ultimate challenge.

“Because it requires a 24/7 attention to every single detail when it comes to physical recovery, preparation, mental training, anything really that revolves around an individual athlete, because in the end of the day, you have to do the job yourself on the court. I have been blessed to achieve these many great things.”

This fortnight, Djokovic is chasing a record-extending 25th major and first since he won the US Open in 2023. Reflecting on his achievements in his post-match press conference, the World No. 7 revealed how his goals have changed over time.

“When I was a kid, I was dreaming of playing and winning Wimbledon… Back in 2011 when I achieved my childhood dream to win Wimbledon and become No. 1, I was of course deeply satisfied, but then I was only at the time 23 and I was, like, ‘OK, I still have to play hopefully another 15 years’. I still want to set new objectives, new goals,” Djokovic said. “I’m an ambitious guy, so I thought if I won that year in 2011, three out of four slams and played semis of the French, why wouldn’t I go for it?

“So when it was achieved in 2016 [completing the set of majors], it was huge. It was a relief for me because I have put so much pressure on myself primarily and then of course there is always expectations of the people around. When that was done, it was just the primary sensation or emotion that was just a relief. ‘OK, I’ve done it, now I can move on and think about something else’.”

Djokovic improved to 28-9 on the season on Wednesday, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. The Serbian, competing for the first time since his Wimbledon semi-final exit in July, has not been at his best during his opening wins against Learner Tien and Svajda but has dropped just one set in reaching the third round.

“There is always something to prove once you step out onto the court, which is you’re still able to win a tennis match… In a short-term type of mindset and perspective, it’s really about trying to make the most out of that day and win a tennis match, find a way to win. So that’s what I’ve done today,” Djokovic said.

“I’ not pleased with my level of tennis, but you have days like this where you’re not playing at your best, but you just kind of find a way. Not to get too philosophical about it, but I still love the feeling of competition, the drive that I feel on the court. I get really hard on myself a lot of the times because I expect myself to play always at the highest level, which is obviously not always possible. But I still have desire to compete with the young guys otherwise I wouldn’t be here playing.”