Novak Djokovic’s ATP Rankings milestones as he reaches 311 weeks at No 1 to surpass Roger Federer’s record

ATP Tour

Shahida Jacobs
March 8, 2021

It was a long-treasured record that he had set his sights on a few years ago and now Novak Djokovic can tick another goal off his to-do list as he set a new milestone of 311 weeks as ATP No 1, eclipsing Roger Federer’s mark for most weeks at the top of the ATP Rankings.

“This is one of my two biggest professional goals,” the Serbian said last year.

“To reach the record of, (and) surpass Roger’s record for longest No 1 and win as many (Grand) Slams as possible.”

And a year later Djokovic can finally add the new record to his CV.

The Serbian first became world No 1 in July 2011 and nearly a full decade later he moved past Federer’s mark of 310.

Currently in his fifth spell at the top, Djokovic’s first stint as world No 1 lasted 53 weeks while his third stretch from July 2014 to November 2016 was his longest as he spent 122 consecutive weeks at the top.

His current stint started in February 2020 when he moved past Rafael Nadal and he finished last year as the year-end No 1 for a sixth time to draw level with his childhood idol Pete Sampras’ record with 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2018 the other times he ended the year at No 1.

Overview of Novak Djokovic’s ATP Rankings milestones

Turns pro in 2003 and enters the ATP Rankings at No 767 in July 2003
Enters ATP top 500 at No 338 in May 2004
Climbs into the ATP top 100 for the first time in July 2005 as he hits No 94
Makes his top 50 debut at No 40 in June 2006 on the back of reaching Roland Garros quarter-final
Debuts top 20 in October 2006 after winning first titles in Amersfoort and Metz
Enters ATP top 10 at No 10 in March 2007 after winning Miami Masters
Becomes world No 1 for the first time in July 2011
Claims the year-end No 1 for the first time in November 2011
After dropping to No 2 in July 2012, he returns to No 1 in November 2012 and finishes year at No 1
Spends 48 weeks at No 1 before dropping to No 2 in October 2013
Third stint at No 1 starts July 2014 and lasts 122 consecutive weeks as he finishes 2014 and 2015 as year-end No 1
Fourth spell at the top is 52 weeks and runs from November 2018 until November 2019
Fifth spell at No 1 started on February 2020 and took him to 311 weeks and counting