Novak Djokovic completes 300 weeks as World No. 1, all set to beat Roger Federer's record of 310

Novak Djokovic has scaled yet another remarkable milestone, this time reaching the 300-week mark as World No. 1. The Serb joins Roger Federer as only the second man ever to enter the 300-week club, and is now well-placed to break the Swiss’ all-time record of 310 weeks.

Djokovic will eclipse Federer's if he remains No. 1 until 8 March 2021. And from the looks of things, there's very little that can stop him from doing that.

The 33-year-old had climbed to the top spot of the men’s rankings for the first time on 4 July 2011. That means he will have managed to break one of Federer’s most coveted records in less than a decade.

Moreover, Novak Djokovic has reached the 300-week by playing in a mere 257 tournaments. That's a far cry from Roger Federer, who played 362 events to achieve his record of 310 weeks.

When Djokovic does go past Federer in March 2021, he will have probably added around 2-3 more events to his tally - which would still be well short of the Swiss' number.

The Serb has frequently mentioned this record as one of his foremost goals in tennis. And at this stage, it seems unlikely that either Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal - the latter of whom is far behind at 209 weeks - will be able to overtake Djokovic's eventual tally.

Novak Djokovic needs 11 more weeks to break Roger Federer's record.

A couple of months ago Novak Djokovic had gone past Pete Sampras’s tally of 286 weeks, which was the second-highest number ever. But when it comes to the longest streaks at the No. 1 position, Novak Djokovic is currently 4th in the all-time list.

Roger Federer leads on that front with 237 continuous weeks at the top. He is followed by Jimmy Connors at 160 weeks and Ivan Lendl at 157.

That said, this is hardly a matter of concern for Novak Djokovic as he is also likely to break Sampras’s record of most year-end No. 1 finishes. They are both currently tied on six each in that regard.

Breaking down Novak Djokovic’s 300 weeks as World No. 1

Novak Djokovic at the ATP Finals

After first reaching the No. 1 ranking in July 2011, Novak Djokovic held that position for 53 weeks before losing it to Roger Federer. Djokovic regained it again in November of 2012, this time maintaining his hold for 48 weeks.

July 2014 was the next instance that Djokovic reached the World No. 1 ranking. This time he held the position for his highest tally - 122 weeks - before losing it in November 2016 to Andy Murray.

During this period, the 17-time Grand Slam champion also crossed the 200-week mark at the top spot.

Between November 2018 and March 2020, Djokovic held the top spot for a cumulative 59 weeks. The ATP rankings were then frozen due to the pandemic, delaying the Serb on his path to breaking Federer’s record.

The rankings were activated in August this year, and since then, Novak Djokovic has remained on the top spot courtesy of his stellar form in 2019. The Serb has added a further 18 weeks during this period, helping him reach the 300-week milestone.