Novak Djokovic begins 353rd week as World No. 1

Novak Djokovic continued his record-breaking reign at the top of the rankings as he began his 353rd week as the World No. 1 on Monday.

Djokovic also ended the year ranked as World No. 1 for the seventh time in his career, surpassing Pete Sampras's record of six year-end finishes at the top of the rankings.

The Serb hasn't relinquished his hold as the No. 1 player in the world since taking over the top spot from Rafael Nadal for the fifth time in his career in February 2020. It's also Djokovic's 78th consecutive week at the top.

Earlier this year, in March, he surpassed Roger Federer's record of most weeks spent at the top of the rankings. The Swiss had accumulated a total of 310 weeks as the World No. 1 throughout his career, of which 237 were consecutive. Federer held the record for eight years and seven months until Djokovic overtook him this year.

No male player has spent more weeks at the top than the Serb, but the all-time record for weeks at No. 1 is held by a female player. Steffi Graf spent a total of 377 weeks as the World No. 1 and Djokovic will surely have his sights on eclipsing her record as well.

He's guaranteed to hold on to the No. 1 ranking until the conclusion of the 2022 Australian Open. Depending on how Djokovic and the closest contenders for the top spot, Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev, perform at the season's inaugural Grand Slam, there's the possibility of a new World No. 1 being crowned.

But at this point Djokovic's participation at the Australian Open remains doubtful.

Novak Djokovic has reportedly withdrawn from the ATP Cup

Novak Djokovic at the 2021 Australian Open.

Speculation has been rife regarding Novak Djokovic's participation in Australia for a while now. As per the rules of the country, athletes have to be fully vaccinated before their arrival. They can apply for an exemption, but only if they have a legitimate medical issue. Djokovic has so far selected not to share his vaccination status.

Based on his views regarding vaccines and how successful he has been at the Australian Open, Djokovic's decision was always going to be under the spotlight. He is yet to provide an update on his participation in the Australian Open, but is expected to do so by the end of the year.

Victory at the Australian Open would mean Djokovic would finally surpass Federer and Nadal in the Grand Slam race. Now, the Serbian's reported withdrawal from the upcoming ATP Cup has only added more fuel to the fire.

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