Novak Djokovic joins Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors in elite list as he clinches 1100th career win with Geneva Open 2R victory

Novak Djokovic added another milestone to his illustrious career by winning his 1,100th tour-level match on his 37th birthday at the 2024 Geneva Open. Djokovic defeated Germany's Yannick Hanfmann 6-3, 6-3 in the Round of 16, becoming just the third player in the Open Era, to reach this mark, after Roger Federer (1,251 wins) and Jimmy Connors (1,274 wins).

The Serb’s win over World No. 85 Hanfmann, who had upset Andy Murray in the first round, was not without some drama. The match was interrupted by rain for an hour when the World No. 1 was serving for the first set at 5-3. He faced five break points in that game but saved them all with some clutch serving and aggressive play.

In the second set, Hanfmann surprised the Serb by taking an early lead at 3-0, but the latter fought back and won six games in a row to seal the victory in an hour and 29 minutes.

Novak Djokovic improved his win-loss record for the season to 13-5, and his career record to 1,100-218, which translates to an 83.5% winning percentage, the best among men in the Open Era, followed by Rafael Nadal (82.8%) and Bjorn Borg (82.4%).

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"My birthday wouldn’t be the same if I didn’t win the match" - Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic at the 2024 Internazionali BNL D'Italia

Immediately after Novak Djokovic's straight-set victory over Yannick Hanfmann in Geneva, the crowd sang "Happy Birthday" to him and presented him with a cake.

In a post-match on-court interview, the World No. 1 joked that winning on his birthday made it special, and he was thrilled to be at the tournament for the first time.

"The key today was the birthday—I think my birthday wouldn’t be the same if I didn’t win the match. But again, it’s nice to be here for the first time in this tournament," Djokovic said (via Tennis.com).

The Serb also thanked his family, who came to support him, and said that he grew up with them and did not get to see them much lately.

"My family is here coming to support me—I grew up with my aunt and my uncle and my two cousins most of my life, and we don’t get a chance to see each other that much lately, so I’m getting some quality time on the court and off the court here this week," he said.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion also appreciated the fans who came out and sang the birthday song, which he found very touching.

"I’m grateful for all the people who came out to support me today, and for singing the birthday song, which really touched me!" he added.

The 37-year-old, who is making his debut at the ATP 250 event in Switzerland as a wildcard, will face either another wildcard Denis Shapovalov, or sixth seed Tallon Griekspoor in the quarterfinals. The Serb is looking for his first title of the season and his 99th tour-level title.

Novak Djokovic is also hoping to gain some momentum ahead of the French Open, which starts on May 26, where he will seek to defend his title and win his 25th Major trophy.