Novak Djokovic was awarded the year-end ATP Tour No. 1 trophy presented by FedEx on Monday in Turin following his opening win at the Nitto ATP Finals against Casper Ruud.
This is the seventh time the Serbian has earned the honour, passing Pete Sampras for the most year-end No. 1 finishes in the history of the FedEx ATP Rankings (since 1973). Djokovic has also achieved the feat in 2011-12, ’14-15, ’18 and ’20.
"It feels amazing and it feels even better when you win a match and then get your hands on the trophy that I have been blessed to lift seven times. [I have won] one more than Pete Sampras, who was my childhood hero. He was the one that got me into tennis. He was also an inspiration to me and I dreamt of being a Wimbledon champion and World No. 1 like he was," Djokovic said. "Fast forwarding to today, it is quite amazing to be in this position. I am very grateful. It is something I am very much appreciating and not taking for granted."
The 34-year-old, who won the first three majors of the season at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon, is now 49-6 on the season.
Djokovic is pursuing a record-tying sixth Nitto ATP Finals trophy this week, which would level him with Roger Federer for most victories at the season finale. The top seed last triumphed at the year-end championships in 2015 at The O2 in London.
This is the seventh time the Serbian has earned the honour, passing Pete Sampras for the most year-end No. 1 finishes in the history of the FedEx ATP Rankings (since 1973). Djokovic has also achieved the feat in 2011-12, ’14-15, ’18 and ’20.
"It feels amazing and it feels even better when you win a match and then get your hands on the trophy that I have been blessed to lift seven times. [I have won] one more than Pete Sampras, who was my childhood hero. He was the one that got me into tennis. He was also an inspiration to me and I dreamt of being a Wimbledon champion and World No. 1 like he was," Djokovic said. "Fast forwarding to today, it is quite amazing to be in this position. I am very grateful. It is something I am very much appreciating and not taking for granted."
The 34-year-old, who won the first three majors of the season at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon, is now 49-6 on the season.
Djokovic is pursuing a record-tying sixth Nitto ATP Finals trophy this week, which would level him with Roger Federer for most victories at the season finale. The top seed last triumphed at the year-end championships in 2015 at The O2 in London.