64 | are only Jimmy Connors, with 286 weeks, and Roger Federer with 310. If there is no changeonthe throne, Đokovićcouldreach his 311th weekby 5th October, breaking the record of his Swiss rival and setting a mission impossible for all future players. Furthermore, when it comes toNole’s successes, only three players who have at some point been ranked in the top 10 positions on the ATP list can boast of having apositivehead-to-head recordagainst the Serb - Andy Roddick (4-5), Marat Sa n (02) and Fernando Gonzales (1-2). Yet, all of those defeats occurred up until 2010, in the early days of Novak’s career. Đoković has 26 wins and 23 losses against Federer, and leads 29-23 against Rafa. Many remember those twomatchpoints thatĐoković saved against Federer in 2019, during the longest Wimbledon nal of all time, which lasted four hours and 57 minutes. To add to that, such epic matches remain in the memory the longest, and as a rule they are won by the Serb. He is also the greatest “clutch” player in tennis (scoring points when badly needed). And that applies to a G.O.A.T. Healsohas thegreatadvantageofpossessing the so-called“Golden Masters”, as the only tennis player in history to win literally all major tournaments (in order to achieve this Federer lacks trophies inMonte Carlo and Rome, while Rafa needs titles inMiami, Shanghai andParis). So–G.O.A.T. In the jersey of Serbia hewon the ATP Cup and the Davis Cup, leaving only the Holy Grail of tennis – Olympic Gold. Testifying to the importance of this is the fact that Novak has cried three times in his career – twice as a result of defeat at the Olympics. May those tears turn gold this August... And until then, let’s give Novak time to convert the unbelievers, break the remaining records and forever close the G.O.A.T. discussion. have two fewer titles each. However, this is where thingsgetmore interesting, as there is still one major task ahead for Novak. In order to become the best ever, it is necessary to win the same number (or more!) GrandSlamtitles.Đoković lacks threegrand slams to draw level with Federer, while Rafa has a total of 19. The third parameter in the race to be theG.O.A.T. of tennis is thenumberofweeks spent holding the number one spot. Đokovićbecame theplanet’snumber oneplayeronceagainafterhis recent victory inMelbourne and at thatmoment he’d recorded his 276th week asworldNo. 1. Aheadof him In order to dub someone as worthy of theAmericantermG.O.A.T., it isessential that the players who vied against him are in agreement, as well as the subsequent generations for whom he is a role model, leadingexperts, andtheentiregeneral public.Thus, sucha title isnot awarded, but rather represents a widespread opinionalongwithalready impressiveachievements. AndNovakĐoković lacks so little to become synonymous with tennis, at least to theextent thatMichael Jordan is for basketball, TigerWoods for golf, Usain Bolt for athletics or Michael Phelps for swimming. In tennis this is re ected through the following records: number of total major tournaments won (Grand Slams, Masters and nals tournaments); number of Grand Slamtitles as a stand-alone category, number of weeks at the top of the ATP list and performances against greatest rivals. When it comes to the total number of major tournaments, Đoković has amassed as many as 56 major trophies (17 Grand Slam titles, 34 Masters 1000 Tournaments and six Finals Masters). His direct competitors – Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal – GREND SLEM GRAND SLAMS MASTERI MASTERS UKUPNO TROFEJA TOTAL TROPHIES, TITLES BROJ ODIGRANIH TURNIRA ZA TITULU NUMBER OF TITLE TOURNAMENTS PLAYED , , , BROJ NEDELJA NA . MESTU ATP LISTE NUMBER OF WEEKS TOPPING ATP LIST ZAVRŠNI TURNIR U LONDONU ATP FINALS IN LONDON Ako ne bude promena na tronu, Đoković bi već 5. oktobra mogao da stigne do 311. nedelje na tronu i potuče rekord Švajcarca If there is no change on the throne, Đoković could reach his 311th week by 5th October, breaking the record of his Swiss rival TROJKA U BROJKAMA / TRIO IN NUMBERS NOVAK ĐOKOVIĆ ROGER FEDERER RAFAEL NADAL
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