Novak Djokovic breaking Steffi Graf’s long-standing record has former coach Boris Becker taken by surprise
Boris Becker hails Novak Djokovic as he 'never thought' someone would break the record of his compatriot for the most weeks as the World No. 1.
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Boris Becker, Novak Djokovic, Steffi Graf
German tennis legend Boris Becker revealed that he never thought about someone breaking the all-time record of Steffi Graf. On 27th February, Novak Djokovic surpassed Graf for the most weeks in the Open Era at the top of the rankings. He already held the record in the ATP rankings. Now, with 378 weeks Djokovic topped the combined list of men and women as well.
When Djokovic rose to the summit for the first time on July 2011 not many would have thought about the latest feat of Djokovic. Almost a decade later, he bettered the record of Swiss Maestro Roger Federer’s record of 310 weeks. Now he has achieved the ‘unachievable’ as Becker mentioned.
“It’s an unbelievable achievement,” Becker told Eurosport. “I never thought this record could be broken. As a fellow German I would have wished for Steffi Graf to be the all-time leader, but being a close friend of Novak as well, I am not too unhappy either.”
Becker believes Djokovic’s reign will continue for at least few more weeks. “Novak is a fantastic guy and a great champion,” he added. “Records are meant to be broken. Sooner or later all records will be broken, but this is one for the tennis history books. And guess what, it’s still counting. I think Novak will be number one for a few weeks.”
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Novak Djokovic posted a message for his fans as his reign at the peak continues
Djokovic will have a virtually uncontested run at the top of the rankings. Spanish youngster Carlos Alcaraz was poised to give Djokovic a challenge after his comeback. But the loss of Alcaraz in the hands of Cameron Norrie in the Rio Open guaranteed a few more weeks for the Serb. Though there is just a minusclue gap of 200 points between the top two players.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion shared a message with his fans after crossing the milestone. “Of course with your love and great strength that you have given me over the years, I’ve managed to achieve many fantastic achievements throughout my career,” Djokovic said in a video.
“The most recent one is breaking the record with 378 weeks on No. 1 in the rankings, surpassing one of the greatest, most legendary tennis players, both men and women, that ever played, Steffi Graf. So I’m flattered, obviously extremely, extremely proud and happy for this achievement.”
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Abhinavendu Singh
(290 Articles Published)