Tennis: Novak Djokovic Equals Pete Sampras’ Record of Six Year-end No. 1 Trophies

Tennis ace Novak Djokovic on Sunday received his ATP Tour No. 1 trophy from ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi for ending the year as the world’s top-ranked men’s singles player. The Serbian champion finishes as world no. 1 for the sixth time in the past decade – also 2011-12, ‘14-15 and ‘18, draws level with his childhood hero, American Pete Sampras. Sampras ended six straight years at the pinnacle of men’s professional tennis between 1993 and 1998.

“I’m very happy,” Djokovic told ATPTour.com on Sunday at The O2 in London. “It’s been a strange year for all of us with a six months’ gap for all of us. We restarted the season in August, and I continued where I left off before lockdown and had a terrific run. I’m very pleased with the way things went.”

The 33-year-old Djokovic has enjoyed a stellar season, capturing four titles and compiling a 39-3 match record. Djokovic is currently participating in the ATP Tour Finals at The O2 Arena in London. “I have to say a huge thank you to my team for supporting me in a hard time and trusting me. This is the crown for all achievements in the year and it’s unreal that I’ve managed to finish the year at No. 1 for a sixth time.”

Djokovic says he felt mixed emotions as the world is reeling from the Coronavirus pandemic.

“Obviously I am super proud of it, but I have mixed emotions because of what is going on in the world. I can’t be ignorant to that, although I have achieved one of the biggest goals in sport. I feel for many people in the world going through hardship and my heart goes out to them.”

Djokovic lifted an eighth Australian Open trophy in January, two ATP Masters 1000s at the Western & Southern Open and the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome. He also won the ATP 500-level Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships.