5 records established by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal that Novak Djokovic shattered in 2023
Novak Djokovic’s path to the top was difficult because he had to contend with not one but two of the sport’s most brilliant players. During Roger Federer’s domination in the mid-2000s, he set multiple records.
After that, Rafael Nadal joined the party, and their duopoly over the sport resulted in them sharing quite a few achievements. With his great 2011 season, Djokovic then broke Federer and Nadal’s dominance.
The Serb even went one step further, outperforming his 2015 season performance. With these results that year, he set a new standard for tennis, easily dismantling the competition.
Djokovic is still breaking and setting new records eight years later. While Federer will retire in 2022, Nadal has been troubled by ailments in the last year. The Serb, on the other hand, is not slowing down.
On that point, here are a few records Djokovic set this season after outperforming his fiercest rivals:
1 – The number of Grand Slam championships won by a male player.
The three had 20 Majors each at the start of the 2022 season. By winning the Australian Open and the French Open last year, Nadal claimed the lead in the Grand Slam competition for the first time. The Serb narrowed the deficit by winning his 21st Major at Wimbledon.
However, Nadal’s claim to the achievement lasted a little over a year. Djokovic equalled the Spaniard’s record in this year’s Australian Open before breaking it at the French Open.
After pursuing Nadal and Federer for the majority of his career, Djokovic eventually took one of the greatest achievements in tennis away from them. Later, he extended his record by winning the US Open to secure his 24th Grand Slam title.
2 – Most ATP Finals championships won
3 – The number of Grand Slam semifinals
Federer’s consistency at the Majors was impressive, as he made deep runs time and again. By the conclusion of his career, he had reached the Grand Slam semifinals on 46 occasions.
Djokovic reached the finals of all four Majors this year, breaking yet another of Federer’s records. His semifinal appearance at the US Open was his 47th of his career, dropping the Swiss to second position.
4 – The first and only player in history to complete the Triple Career Grand Slam.
5 – The number of matches played and won against the top ten players.
Federer holds the record for the most matches played versus top ten opponents (347). Djokovic was on the verge of breaking the record at the start of 2023, having faced top ten players 341 times.
Djokovic’s regular deep runs this season saw him meet top 10 players 21 times, bringing his total to 368. As a result, he not only broke Federer’s record but also easily surpassed it. He extended his record for most wins over top 10 players, too, and his current tally stands at 257 wins.
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