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A player has a greater chance of winning a Slam than finishing No. 1: Novak Djokovic on why ranking record is his biggest goal
Novak Djokovic believes it is tougher to end a season as World No. 1 than to play great tennis for 2 weeks & win a Slam.
The Serb also heaped praise on Borna Coric, whom he defeated in the second round of the 2020 Erste Bank Open.
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Notwithstanding the controversies around him, 2020 has proven to be one of the most decisive years in the career of Novak Djokovic. The Serb might have won just one Slam this season, but his mind-boggling form throughout has brought him on the cusp of several records.
Foremost among them is the record for most weeks as World No. 1, which currently belongs to Roger Federer at 310 weeks. At the time of writing Novak Djokovic is just 18 weeks shy of that mark, having spent 292 weeks on the ATP throne.
In terms of Grand Slams, Novak Djokovic is also close to the record tally of 20 held by both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
While speaking to Sasa Ozmo after his win over Borna Coric at the 2020 Erste Bank Open, the World No. 1 explained the importance of both these records in his quest of being labelled as the one true ‘GOAT'.
“From what I have seen and it is obviously so, most people that follow and love tennis are emphasizing Grand Slam titles and weeks at No. 1 in the world, as well as year-end number one seasons,” Djokovic said. “I do not know which one I would choose as the most significant; for me those two are perhaps equally important.”
Grand Slams take place four times a year, and as such offer every player multiple chances to achieve glory. But the Serb considers the No. 1 ranking more important, as it requires greater consistency and dedication.
Novak Djokovic is most keen to go past Roger Federer's record of 310 weeks
For that reason, Novak Djokovic's biggest goal right now is to break Roger Federer's record of 310 weeks.
“You could argue that a player has a greater chance of blossoming, playing tennis of his life in those two weeks and winning a Slam compared to odds of a player maintaining that rhythm and level of play throughout the year, which would make him the world No. 1 at the end of the season,” Djokovic continued. “That is why the historic No. 1 (record) is the biggest goal of mine at the moment, because I know how difficult and demanding it is. I am very close and I hope I will achieve that goal.”
Moving on to the discussion about the ‘GOAT' in tennis, the Serb maintained that he was not in a position to talk about it. Djokovic had previously stated how it was the fans and experts who would make the judgement after each of the Big 3 are done with their careers, and he reiterated that again.
“But again, I do not feel right; it does not feel comfortable for me to comment on who is the GOAT,” Djokovic explained. “I will leave that to others.”