Boris Becker described Novak Djokovic’s latest achievement as “unbelievable” and admitted he “never thought” that anyone would be able to beat Steffi Graf’s record for the most weeks at No 1.
This Monday, Djokovic entered a record-breaking 378th week at the top spot.
After Graf retired with a total of 377 weeks spent at the top spot, many believed that was a record that would never be broken.
“It’s an unbelievable achievement. I never thought this record could be broken. As a fellow German I would have wished for Steffi Graf to be the all-time leader, but being a close friend of Novak as well, I am not too unhappy either,” Becker told Eurosport.
Becker praises Djokovic’s latest achievement: Records are meant to be broken
“Novak is a fantastic guy and a great champion. Records are meant to be broken. Sooner or later all records will be broken, but this is one for the tennis history books. And guess what, it’s still counting. I think Novak will be number one for a few weeks more before somebody will take his crown,” Becker added.
Djokovic, 35, lost the top spot last June.
At the start of this season, Djokovic was ranked at No 5 in the world.
But after winning back-to-back titles at the Adelaide International and Australian Open, Djokovic returned to the top spot.
When asked about breaking Graf’s record, Djokovic admitted it feels “surreal.”
“It’s surreal in a way to be that many weeks world No. 1, to match Steffi Graf, that is one of the all-time greats of our sport, both men and women. Just being amongst these legendary names is flattering,” Djokovic said in Dubai.
Meanwhile, Djokovic is competing at this week’s ATP 500 event in Dubai.
In Dubai, Djokovic is a five-time champion.
Djokovic has yet to lose a match this season and he is the top favorite to win Dubai.
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