Novak Djokovic He’s had a nightmare start to 2022 after all the vaccination fights he went through in Australia and he wants a very different start to 2023. At first it was, because the Serbian lasted only eight days opening up the space reserved for this year in its trophy case. His victory this Sunday at adelaide finale against Sebastian Korda by 6-7 (8), 7-6 (3) and 6-4 in a very even match he was allowed to add a new trophy to his record.
Yes, it is “only” a 250, but it will serve as a great morale boost to face the beginning of the season. After a final in which he saved a match point in the second set, the Serbian wanted to use that victory as a lead in a period in which he sought to dominate the major records of the tennis planet and where you can climb positions in other historical lists. Since statistics can be obtained from almost any measurable record, these are just some of the historic marks that Djokovic is fighting for in 2023.
1. He is 2nd in the men’s Grand Slam and aspires to be 1st
This is between his and Djokovic’s eyebrows. This is Rafa Nadal’s most valuable record and possession since the last Australian Open. There, the Spaniard added the 21st ‘major’ of his career, a number that increased to 22 after the conquest of Roland Garros. Djokovic closed the gap on his Wimbledon victory to reach 21, in a year in which he was unable to play in Melbourne or the US Open. This year he will return to the ocean to play “his” tournament par excellence and he will probably be able to return to the US Open if the evolution against the coronavirus is correct. If so, he will try to get past a Nadal who also wants to keep adding.
2. He is 4th in singles Grand Slams in the Open Era and 5th all-time and looks set to top both lists
If the men’s and women’s individual tournaments won in the Open Era are added, Djokovic’s 21 titles place him fourth in history behind Nadal and Steffi Graf’s 22 and Serena Williams’ 23. These records will also be contested this season, a priori where the Australian Open and Wimbledon are the best assets to tie the American. If she leaves the Open Era, ‘Nole’ will be fifth overall for both genders as she continues to dominate at 24 Margaret Court. An anthology year would also allow him to challenge that figure.
3. He is tied for 1st at the ATP Finals and is aiming to become 1st solo
It’s one of the challenges he’s had in recent years, matching Roger Federer’s 6 Masters Cups, now ATP Finals. In 2022, he regained the scepter seven years after his last crown to match the Swiss. In 2023, he will look to reign alone in one of the most important tournaments on the tennis planet.
4. He is 1st in Masters 1000 and looking for 40
Novak Djokovic tied with Rafa Nadal for 36 Masters 1000s until the Paris-Bercy tournament in 2021. That victory put him in front, a distance he extended after his victory in Rome last year. With 38 trophies, two more than Manacorí, he aims to continue as the leader of this statistic and reach 40 more.
5. He is tied for 4th in ATP titles and the podium is within reach
It was the mark that tied his victory in Adelaide, Rafa Nadal’s mark of 92 individual ATP trophies. The two will settle for a duel in 2023 to finish ahead of their rival. Additionally, the third historical record of this table, the 94 trophies won by Ivan Lendl, is within reach. It’s a mark that seems within reach for Djokovic this year.
6. The dream of 100 ATP titles: aim to be the 3rd to achieve them
Yes, in case of achieving this, there will be an intermediate step before looking at the second place. It is occupied by Roger Federer with 103, while Jimmy Connors leads the way with 109. They are the only two players to reach a hundred at the men’s individual level, a figure both ‘Nole’ and Nadal dream of. In the women’s key, they achieved it in the WTA Martina Navratilova (167), Chris Evert (154) and Steffi Graf (107). Djokovic must win nine trophies this season, a challenge of enormous proportions, to become a centenarian by 2023. He already has one.
7. Goal achieved (for now): he is 4th in the ATP finals and will try to maintain the position
Not only in ATP titles, Novak Djokovic battled in Adelaide with Rafa Nadal on a historic level. Both started the year with 130 finals, the Spanish with 92 wins and 38 losses and the Serbian with 91 wins and 39 losses. With Adelaide and the 92nd title, he added his last 131 to remain fourth in history only in matches for ATP titles. Ivan Lendl (146), Roger Federer (157) and Jimmy Connors (164) are far ahead, so for now his goal seems to be to consolidate fourth place all by himself.
8. He is 2nd in hard court titles and aspires to be 1st
The title achieved in Adelaide was Novak Djokovic’s 66th on hard court. The Serbian is second in this historic table, just behind Roger Federer’s 71. He can challenge that record this season.
9. He is 3rd in outdoor titles and aspires to be 2nd
Similarly, the one in Adelaide was Djokovic’s 75th outdoor title. It put two of Federer’s 77, second on this historic ranking and his best goal on this list for this campaign. At the moment, the 90s of Rafa Nadal, the historical leader in this section, are far away.
10. Goal accomplished: one more season of winning titles to maintain his streak and aim to tie the record in the future
With an achievement in Adelaide, Djokovic added to his eighteenth straight season winning at least one ATP tournament. It has not missed an appointment with glory since 2006, when it debuted on the circuit. The record is nineteen consecutive seasons and is held by Rafa Nadal (2004-2022), who even seeks to add a twentieth in 2023.
11. He is tied for 6th in ATP matches played and is looking for top5
Based on the addition of victories, more games can be played and Djokovic also aims to break into the all-time top 5 this season. He is sixth on this list with 1,242 (1,036-206) games played, the same as a Ilie Nastase (908-334) with whom he shares a position and equals this week. He has a shot at Guillermo Vilas, fifth with 1248 (951-297). Rafa Nadal is ahead with 1,286 (1,067-219), Ivan Lendl with 1,310 (1,068-242), Roger Federer with 1,526 (1,251-275) and Jimmy Connors with 1,557 (1,274-283).
12. He is 5th in ATP victories and looking for top4
Although, above all, he has a shot at the fourth place in the historical list of ATP victories. His 1,036 wins trail only Connors’ 1,274, Federer’s 1,251, Lendl’s 1,068 and Nadal’s 1,067. Rafa can continue to expand his numbers, but Lendl will not act and Djokovic, who is waiting for a possible match against the Spaniard, can reach them in some tournaments.
13. Seeking to become second in history with 700 hard court victories
The hard court is ‘Djokovic territory’ and he has 660 victories on it. Only Roger Federer, with a distant 783, has added more. The challenge of reaching the Swiss is not yet up to ‘Nole’. It remains to be seen if he will be able to fight this year for 700 over hard, because they depend to a large extent on not having any problem playing in the United States and, of course, that, if he can do this, the margin of error is minimal. At first, this seems like a complicated goal for 2023.
14. Seeking to become third in history with 900 outdoor wins
It’s another tough challenge for Djokovic, especially if he can’t play the full schedule, but he’ll have more margin there. ‘Nole’, who reached another outstanding figure in Adelaide, has 850 victories on outdoor tracks, behind Rafa Nadal’s 972 who is seeking a millennium this year and Roger Federer’s 953. 900 is his next ambitious goal.
15. Find Steffi Graf’s 377 weeks as number 1 and 400 at the top of the ATP rankings
If Novak Djokovic wins the Australian Open, he will regain the top spot in the world ranking. If not, he certainly has options to make it through the year to try to add more weeks as number 1. With 373 total, he is the player with the most accumulated in ATP history. If she regains it, she will first look to surpass Steffi Graf’s 377-week WTA lead to become the player with the most weeks at the top of the individual tennis rankings. If he does, he can fight later to reach the prohibited number of 400 weeks. Of course, they still have a long way to go and Djokovic, ranked fifth in the world, has his work cut out for him in this regard.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
