Djokovic was left alone

Back in action, barely a month after lifting his twenty-second Grand Slam trophy, the tenth Australian Open, Novak Djokovic entered the Dubai tournament having installed another Monday at the top of the world ranking, 378 weeks now, more than anyone in the history of tennis.

In this background, already settled in the normality that he lacked a year ago in the whole controversy with the health authorities and the requirements of the covid, the Serb extended his trip, which for the thirteenth time went to Dubai, if where he is seeking his sixth crown. .

The 35-year-old Serb surpassed Steffi Graf as the athlete with the longest time on top since Monday. The victory in Melbourne returned him to the top of the rankings where he has remained ever since.

Novak Djokovic returned to Dubai remembering how in 2022, after being expelled from Australia, he sat on a tennis court for the first time in the season. Then he did not go beyond the quarterfinals, eliminated by the Czech Jiri Vesely.

It’s different this 2023 where the Belgrade player boasts an impeccable tour. Twelve games and twelve wins. A perfect transit, without knowing defeat, which has already given him two victories. In Adelaide, after defeating the American Sebastian Korda in the final, and at the Australian Open, where he defeated the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas.

However, the Belgrade tennis player is awaiting the definitive normalization of the situation and the circuit. His participation in the United States tour is still on the air, just like last year. And it is the US authorities that extended until May the obligation for foreign visitors to be vaccinated against covid.

A mystery, therefore, the participation in the Masters 1000 of Indian Wells and Miami that it has already disappeared in 2022 and because of the special permission the player requested from the North American authorities.

After going through Dubai and what will happen on the North American tour, Djokovic pointed to the clay season which, as was the case last year, will begin in Monte Carlo. Belgrade, Madrid, Rome are other events that saw the Serbian challenge Roland Garros. And it is among the challenges that the number one in the world sees is the conquest of the Grand Slam, the four greats on the same course.

That Rafa Nadal is out of circulation and there are doubts about its physical condition, and the lack of reliability and irregularity of the parts of future generations, hopes of becoming the first player in the Open Era to achieve this feat are rising. He already had the first one in his pocket. Wimbledon was made for him and there is nothing quite like him for success on grass. The land of Paris, with the Spaniards in the middle, is unknown. But amid the challenge of becoming the player with the most titles in tennis history, he is thinking about the challenge of the Grand Slam.

The Serbian has already surpassed Graff as the athlete with the longest tenure at number one. Martina Navratilova, who held 332, is long gone and so is Serena, who dominated for 319 weeks. Far away is Roger Federer, who reached 310, or Pete Sampras, who took 286. Nadal, another active, is far away. Accumulated at 209 hours.

As for overall ATP trophies, Djokovic still has work ahead of him. New challenges. The Serbian who is in Dubai wants to match Lendl, who at 94, has 93 years in his career. Although further behind is Roger Federer who retired with 103 titles lifted and more, the American Jimmy Connors, the player who accumulated the most victories on the circuit during his career, with 109.

The next few tournaments will extend the Serbian head-up with Carlos Alcaraz, the most reliable chaser apparently from the circuit. The Spaniard returned after months of injury and conquered Buenos Aires and was a finalist in Rio.