Novak Djokovic closing in on his greatest rankings achievement – when will he get to 400?

Novak Djokovic’s collection of record-breaking achievements has been growing at a rapid pace in recent years and now he is closing in on his most remarkable achievement yet.

The 24-time Grand Slam titles he has in his collection look set to ensure Djokovic will be marked down in history as the greatest male tennis player of all time when he hangs up his racket.

Djokovic has also appeared in the most Grand Slam finals (36) and the most semi-finals in major tournaments (47).

In addition, he has won more ATP 1000 events than any other player in the history of the game (39) and appeared in the most finals (57) at the events that are the most prestigious outside of the Grand Slams.

When the final analysis of Djokovic’s remarkable career is undertaken, his body of work is certain to be recognised as the greatest of all time and one defining statistic will cement that legacy.

Greatness can be measured by the longevity of success and on that criteria, Djokovic is in a league of his own.

The number of weeks a player spends at the top of the world rankings is a good gauge of his success in the game and some of the biggest names in the sport’s history have posted some impressive numbers.

American great Jimmy Conners spent 268 weeks as the world No 1, with his rival Ivan Lendl two ahead of him in the all-time list at 270 weeks.

The 14-time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras was the dominant player at the top of the men’s game for many years and that is confirmed by his 286 weeks at the top of the rankings.

Second on this list is the great Roger Federer, who was utterly dominant in the men’s game in the years after he won his first Wimbledon title back in 2003.

His 310 weeks as world No 1 makes for impressive reading, yet Djokovic passed that total long ago and now he is closing on on what until now was an inconceivable run of success at the top of the game.

READ MORE: Elite coach reveals why Novak Djokovic was always destined to win the GOAT race

The Serbian is toasting his 393rd week at the top of the ATP rankings and if he wins his battle with Carlos Alcaraz to seal the year-end No 1 ranking for a record-extending eighth time, he will move through the magical 400-week mark.

Djokovic will achieve that goal if he is still world No 1 at the end of the ATP Finals and that target is very much within his grasp.

While Alcaraz can chip away at his lead at the top of the current rankings, Djokovic can close the door on his young rival if he shines in the Paris Masters later this month and then defends the ATP Finals title in Turin.

He would then be vulnerable to losing his world No 1 ranking in the first Grand Slam of 2024, as Djokovic will have 2,000 ranking points to defend at the Australian Open and Alcaraz has no points to defend after he missed this year’s major in Melbourne due to injury.

By then, Djokovic could have moved through the 400-week mark as the world’s top ranked player and the scale of that achievement is hard to put into perspective.

Djokovic’s 393rd week represented his achievement of topping the rankings for 2,751 days, which is almost seven-and-a-half years at the top of the rankings.

Most players who break into the top ten of the ATP rankings are satisfied if they have four or five years on that elite list, yet Djokovic has been at No 1 for longer than all of the current players have been in the top ten.

When Djokovic reached his 378th week at No 1 earlier this year, he moved past Steffi Graf to become the player who has topped the rankings for the most time in the history of tennis and he admits these records mean a lot to him.

“Of course with your love and great strength that you have given me over the years, I’ve managed to achieve many fantastic achievements throughout my career,” Djokovic said in a video for the fans after he broke Graf’s record.

“The most recent one breaking the record of 378 weeks on No. 1 in the rankings, surpassing one of the greatest, most legendary tennis players — both men and women — that ever played, Steffi Graf. So I’m flattered, obviously extremely, extremely proud and happy for this achievement.”

He also insisted he was hungry for more after his US Open win last month took his Grand Slam tally to 24.

“I’m going to keep going. You know, I feel good in my own body. I still feel I’ve got the support of my environment, of my team, of my family,” he said.

“The Grand Slams, I have said in the last few years, have been always the highest goal and the priority of mine in the whole season. I don’t play as much in terms of other tournaments, so I try to prioritise my preparation so that I can peak in slams.

“These are the moments and these are the kind of emotions that I motivate myself with every single day when I’m not playing a tournament. Yeah, occasionally I ask myself ‘why do I need this still at this stage after all I have done, you know? How long do I want to keep going?’ I do have these questions in my head, of course.

“But knowing that I play at such a high level still, and I win the biggest tournaments in this sport, I don’t want to leave this sport if I’m still at the top, you know, if I’m still playing the way I’m playing.”

Djokovic’s thirst for breaking records shows no sign of waning… and that’s bad news for all of his rivals.