After defending his title at the Australian Open 2020, Novak Djokovic returned to the No.1 position in the ATP rankings. The 32-year-old will begin his fifth stint and 276th week as the World No.1, replacing Rafael Nadal on Monday.

Djokovic is third in the all-time list on 275 weeks at the top and is just 35 weeks behind the all-time leader Roger Federer.

How did Novak Djokovic replace Nadal at World No.1?

Neither did the 17-time major champion gain any ATP points after clinching the Australian Open 2020 title not did he lose any points in Melbourne. However, in last year’s final, Djokovic bested Nadal. So, by the vice of his AO 2020 QF defeat at Thiem’s hands, Nadal lost his points from last year’s finale.

Nadal, who was standing at the top with 10,325 points, lost 840 points and slipped to the second position with 9,395 points.

This resulted in Djokovic regaining to the top spot with 9,720 points.

Also Read: “My Energy Completely Collapsed” – Novak Djokovic Opens up on Health Issues

When can Djokovic surpass Federer’s World No.1 record?

Djokovic only has 135 ATP points to defend through to the start of the clay-court season in April. By winning a large number of points before April, he gets a lot of leverage to maintain his top spot. The actual rankings by that period will depend on results of Nadal, Federer, and Thiem.

Novak can surpass Pete Sampras (286 weeks at No. 1) on 20 April. He could also succeed Roger Federer (310 weeks) on 5 October. This will etch his name in history books as the all-time record holder for most weeks at No. 1.