Novak Djokovic: The Unstoppable Force on the ATP Tour

He strings them like pearls. At over 36 years old, Novak Djokovic continues his harvest of trophies on the ATP circuit at an astonishing pace. On Sunday, he won his 7th Rolex Paris Masters, the Masters 1000 which he has now won the most in his collection of 40 titles in the category (another record). It is also his 6th title of the season out of 11 tournaments – he therefore wins on average more than one event out of two in which he takes part –, a raid the likes of which he had not experienced since 2016 when he was crowned at 7 times. A figure he could equal at the Turin Masters.

Because let it be said, the “Djoker” is always hungry, regardless of the improved records. “I pay attention to the numbers, but at the same time, I also want to be able to focus my attention on the next challenge,” he told reporters on Sunday, the Fanti tree in front of him. “As long as I am active, This is the mentality I’m going to cultivate. This is all great, but it’s already behind me. I’m obviously proud of the accomplishment but I’m already moving on. Fortunately or unfortunately, that’s how it is that it works for me, that’s my mentality to move forward. As long as I’m playing, I still want to win more and play at the highest level. Obviously, the Grand Slams and the Masters 1000 are the tournaments that have the most value. ”

The throne to be secured before erasing Federer (again) from the shelves

Does this mean that the person concerned does not benefit from his exploits, that he does not measure their significance? No, Djokovic may sometimes seem infallible, but he nonetheless remains a human being capable of savoring his successes, even more so with the awareness of the passing of time. “Given the circumstances and the feelings of the last seven days, this victory has more weight, value and is even sweeter, so to speak, especially at this stage of my career. I don’t even know at what stage I “I am, by the way, but I think that every victory in a big tournament is now worth double for me,” he added.

Pouille: “What is extraordinary about Djokovic is that he always seems the freshest”

But savoring does not mean resting on your laurels. From his point of view, Djokovic only ideally launched the finale of his 2023 season to which he had attached two objectives: to secure the place of world number 1 at the end of the season for the 8th time (further improved record) and to conquer a the Davis Cup again. With a 1490 points lead in the Race over Carlos Alcaraz – who could only dislodge him if he won everything and the Serb left the north of Italy empty-handed, an improbable scenario – the first is practically reached before the final battle of Turin. It even looks like a formality and will probably quickly fade in front of another target: taking the record for titles at the Masters alone in front of Roger Federer.

“I hunt everything I can hunt. I only need one victory to secure the world number 1 place at the end of the year, which was my most important goal, in addition to the Davis Cup in end of the year. I had the perfect run in Turin last year, with 5 wins in 5 matches. I like playing there, I think I have a good connection with the Italian public. I I’m going there with positive feelings and a lot of confidence. You know, I haven’t lost a match since the Wimbledon final, so I’m really excited to finish this season on a high,” he said. it was rightly recalled, as a message to the competition.

It’s up to Alcaraz and the others to slow him down

At Bercy, Djokovic also went for the 97th title of his career. The symbolic and dizzying bar of 100 trophies is therefore no longer very far away, and with it another ready-made goal: to equal and then surpass Roger Federer (103) and why not Jimmy Connors, absolute record holder with his 109 trophies. If he keeps the current pace over the next two seasons, the Serbian will put himself in a position to be at the top of all the statistical sheets.

A prolific Djokovic, a historic edition: the 5 notable stats from the Rolex Paris Masters

And knowing the man and the perfect management of his calendar – a great lesson well learned from his ex-rival Federer – he will only take up the challenge in the right way, that is to say by aiming for the most great trophies. In 2023, he has collected three Grand Slam tournaments (Australian Open, Roland-Garros and the US Open, two Masters 1000 (Cincinnati and the Rolex Paris Masters) and a small ATP 250 in Adelaide.

It would therefore be surprising to see him race in the future after tournaments in this less prestigious category, as he remains ambitious. While his physical fitness and mental strength show no signs of flagging, nothing seems to be able to stop him. Unless Carlos Alcaraz and others continue to progress to reduce his margin. The scale of their task seems perhaps even greater than the prospect of seeing “Djoko” dethrone “Jimbo”.

2023-11-07 23:01:00
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