“Novak Djokovic, you are amazing,” says Holger Rune, praising the Serb on winning the World No. 1 ranking for the eighth consecutive year.

By | Niranjan Bhargav 14 Nov, 2023

Djokovic just needed one victory at the ATP Finals to guarantee the top spot at the end of the year after his recent success at the Paris Masters. The Serb achieved this in his first encounter, which he won on Sunday, November 12, over Rune 7-6(4), 6-7(1), 6-3. The match lasted three hours.

The 24-time Grand Slam winner received the coveted trophy from ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi on Monday. After the event, Djokovic thanked his supporters for their steadfast support throughout his journey in a poignant letter of thanks.

“I’m OK. Hi to all of you on social media. This baby is with me here. For the seventh consecutive year, the season’s final year-end No. 1 trophy is gorgeous. This year has been an amazing ride. I really appreciate all of my followers’ encouragement and support, which have enabled me to reach this point. It’s been a huge relief,” he stated in an ATP Tour-shared video statement.

The Serb considered the importance of what he had accomplished and expressed gratitude to his colleagues for their important support.

“Obviously, it gave me a lot of desire to enter the World Tour Finals, knowing that I needed just one victory to win the championship and raise the trophy. There was a lot of stress and passion on the court during the first match, but overall, I’m thrilled to be here, and I want to thank my teammates for their contributions as well. It’s worth noting that they have contributed to this accomplishment at all times,” he continued.

The 36-year-old World No. 1 further underscored his continued greatness and his goal to write even more tennis history.

“Hopefully, more will follow. 36 is not 26, but it’s still going strong. I appreciate your support, and together, let’s create even more history,” he said.

Holger Rune warmly thanked Djokovic for his “unreal” achievement despite losing. He also mentioned how the Serb’s encouragement made him and the other players want to work even harder.

“Man, you are unreal ? you make us work even harder ? congratulations,” he commented on X (formerly Twitter).