Novak Djokovic Joins Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in Tennis’ Ultimate Elite Club With Historic Achievement

It comes as no surprise that after 20 years on the court, Novak Djokovic has achieved a plethora of milestones. He’s quite a unique tennis player, who has a knack for bringing humor, rivalry, and skills to the court! It’s what makes him a favorite amongst many fans. Even in the face of injury woes and controversy, the Serb comes up shining. How does he do it? Well, his 24 Grand Slams and 99 titles are certainly a testament to that and while he couldn’t clinch his 25th Grand Slam at the 2025 Australian Open this year, looks like nothing can stop him from setting records.

After withdrawing from the SFs against Alexander Zverev, Djokovic received a less-than-expected reaction from the crowd who booed as he walked off the court after concluding the first set with 7-6 (5). Notably, Djokovic was carrying the injury from his quarter-final contest against Carlos Alcaraz. This saw Zverev making it to the final and keeping his hopes alive of winning a maiden Slam title after a decade of trying. However, his status as the GOAT remains intact, and it’s even got another addition to it!

According to Eurosport, they posted on IG sharing Novak’s new milestone with fans. They wrote, “Novak Djokovic has reached 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ weeks in the top 100! 💯 He joins only three other players to have reached this milestone: Roger Federer: 1165 weeks Rafael Nadal: 1029 weeks Andre Agassi: 1019 weeks” According to Tennis 365, Roger Federer burst into the top 100 in September 1999 and stayed for an incredible 1,163 weeks before retiring in 2022. Rafael Nadal debuted at 16 in 2003 and held on until 2023, while Andre Agassi made waves at 16 in 1986. But can we talk about Novak’s journey to led him to join them?

He made his entrance into the top 100 back in July 2005 after scoring his first Grand Slam wins at Roland Garros and Wimbledon—what a summer that must have been! Since then, he’s been on an absolute tear, never dropping out of the top 100. Seriously, he’s one of only three men to pull off that amazing feat for a whopping 1000 weeks! And get this: he’s spent an eye-popping 428 of those weeks as the world’s No. 1, which is a record for both men and women. On February 10th, he’s about to hit 599 weeks in the top two and 756 weeks in the top three of the ATP Rankings.

With all these records in his bag, Novak is truly rewriting the history book of tennis. But amongst all his achievements, did you know that his Olympic gold medal stands out as his proudest achievement? He even carries it with him on tour as a reminder!

Novak reveals his attachment to his Olympic gold medal

August 2024 was a monumental one for Novak Djokovic at the Paris Olympics! Djokovic snagged his gold medal in August after an epic match against Carlos Alcaraz. He had manifested this achievement for the last 16 years and it finally came! In a fun chat with GQ Sports, Djokovic proudly showcased his gold medal noting he carries it everywhere! “I do keep carrying it with me for months and months after winning it,” he shared, emphasizing how special this achievement is after five attempts.

Fast forward to January 10, 2025, and Djokovic and Qinwen Zheng were stealing the spotlight during a charity event ‘A Night With Novak’ at Rod Laver Arena. The atmosphere was electric as they teamed up to face Andy Murray and Victoria Azarenka in front of a sold-out crowd. During a light-hearted moment on the court, Zheng complimented Novak on his tennis kit bag, leading to a playful exchange where Djokovic asked her, “Where is your gold medal?” Zheng, who also won the gold medal for China in 2024, cheekily replied that she didn’t bring it this time, to which Nole quipped, “Didn’t take it?” Zheng shot back with a laugh, “Only you bring it everywhere.”

He’s dubbed his Olympic win as the “greatest achievement,” so it’s no surprise he treasures that gold medal. “That’s the number one rule of being an Olympic gold medalist,” he defended with a grin. Right now, Nole will be recovering from his hamstring injury and perhaps will not be on court for a while. However, there’s no saying what new record he might set for himself going ahead.