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ATP: Sampras congratulates Djokovic

Paul Rouget: published on Thursday, November 12, 2020 at 4:09 p.m.

Assured to finish the year in world number one for the sixth time, Novak Djokovic equaled the record of Pete Sampras, who did not fail to congratulate him.

Leading the ATP rankings for the 294th week, Novak Djokovic has yet to join Roger Federer, who remained at the top of world tennis for 310 weeks, but he tied another record this fall, owned by Pete Sampras. After Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal from Sofia, the Serbian made sure to finish year number 1 for the sixth time. And he got kudos from the 49-year-old American, who retired in 2002. “I think this is your sixth year, Novak, right? Congratulations, you have all my respect for finishing season number 1 again“Pistol Pete” told him during a videoconference organized by ATP, before evoking the qualities of the “Djoker”: “I want your return of service, give me this return of service! Everyone asks me who would be the hardest for me if I played today. It would be Novak, because of his returns. So I would love to have Novak’s feedback and certainly some of his speed. ”

A “huge respect” for Sampras

These compliments touched Djokovic, who recalled that succeeding in equaling such a record “takes a lot of dedication and organization, both on and off the court. I understand what Pete means when he remembers that he did not sleep well, that he did not eat well, and that he had more difficult relations with those around him. All this stress, these positive and negative emotions, it’s like an emotional tornado in you. Six years in a row … I don’t know how you did it, Pete, but I have immense respect for it. “Author of a disappointing performance against Nadal in the Roland-Garros final and disqualified in the round of 16 of the US Open for shooting at a linesman, Novak Djokovic, who won the Australian Open and the Masters of Rome and Cincinnati in addition to the Dubai tournament, now hopes to end the year by winning the Masters for the sixth time, which would allow him to equal Federer’s record.

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