"Back where he belongs" - Patrick McEnroe hails Novak Djokovic as he begins record 374th week as World No. 1

Former American tennis professional Patrick McEnroe recently commented on Novak Djokovic regaining his top spot in the ATP singles rankings.

Djokovic leveled long-time rival Rafael Nadal's record of 22 Grand Slam singles titles by winning the 10th Australian Open of his career on Sunday, January 29. The Serb beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(5) in the title match, as a result of which he also overtook Carlos Alcaraz for the World No. 1 spot.

McEnroe turned to social media to reflect on Djokovic's comeback to the zenith of the ATP singles rankings.

"Back where @DjokerNole belongs," Patrick McEnroe captioned his tweet.

Tsitsipas, who lost to Djokovic for the second time in a Grand Slam final, moved up one spot to be ranked at No. 3. Nadal, who was ranked No. 2 before the tournament, dropped four spots after a poor outing at the Australian Open.

This week will be Djokovic's 374th week at the top, just three weeks shy of Steffi Graf's all-time record of 377 weeks.

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Novak Djokovic has kickstarted his 2023 season by winning two ATP tournaments in January

2023 Australian Open: Men's Champion Photocall

Novak Djokovic has been in fine form since the start of the 2023 season. The Serbian maestro kicked off his season by winning the Adelaide International 1, the first tournament of 2023.

Seeded No. 1 at the ATP 250 tournament, the 35-year-old beat Australian Open quarterfinalist Sebastian Korda, 6-7(8), 7-6(3), 6-4 to win the title. The set he dropped against Korda was his first in the entire tournament.

Djokovic had earlier defeated the likes of Denis Shapovalov and former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev to get to the final. The 10-time Australian Open winner beat Medvedev, 6-3, 6-4 in the semifinals, while he cruised past Shapovalov 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the event.

Returning to the Australian Open a year after the infamous deportation ordeal last year, Djokovic went past most of his opponents with ease. The Serb dropped just one set en route to his 10th title at the Melbourne Major.

Ahead of the tournament, Djokovic's participation in the Australian Open was in doubt due to an injury scare that forced him to retire midmatch from an exhibition match against Medvedev. But the Serb quickly negated those concerns and returned to the court to play some of the best tennis of his life.