Tennis ace Novak Djokovic has broken the record for the number of weeks ranked as the world’s top player.
The 33-year Serbian clocked up 311 weeks – beating the previous record of 310 held by Roger Federer.
Djokovic said it has taken a lot of “blood, sweat and tears” to stay on top of the ATP rankings.
And he paid tribute to his 39-year-old nemesis Federer.
He said: “What Roger is doing still at his age is something that is very inspirational for me and many other tennis players, and it’s great to see him back,”
Djokovic recently won his 18th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.
The win leaves him just two behind joint record holders Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Djokovic said:
“When I started in the men’s professional tennis world 15 years ago, I had two of the highest challenges, which was to overcome Roger and Rafa.
“Back in 2008, when I won my first Grand Slam, I thought OK, this is now my time.
“I’m going to be competing with these guys; I have the ability to win slams.
“But then, for three years, I didn’t win a major title and I was losing most of my big matches against them.
“They made me really sit up and realise what I need to do, and how I need to improve in order to win against them.
“They definitely made me the player that I am today.
“Those rivalries are the ones that were the most impactful on my tennis game and evolution.
“I cannot run away from that fact that I’m not 23 anymore, so I have to try to be smart with my scheduling and be able to emphasise and prioritise the Grand Slams.”
