Marian Vajda: 'Novak Djokovic has accomplished incredible record, I'm proud of him'

Novak Djokovic's coach Marian Vajda is proud of his pupil after the record-breaking sixth year-end no. 1 honor. Novak was the player to beat in a challenging season, finishing at the top of the ATP rankings list for the sixth time and joining Pete Sampras at the top of the list. Vajda had joined Djokovic in Marbella during the summer and was pleased with Novak's physical strength after the coronavirus and a long break from the court. The Serb made the strongest restart, winning titles in Cincinnati and Rome and doing enough to earn enough points for the year-end no. 1 spot. The ATP ranking officially started in 1973, with five notable players on the year-end no. 1 charts. Jimmy Connors achieved the honor five times during the 70s, followed by another great American Pete Sampras. The Pistol Pete was the leader of the pack during the 90s, becoming the only player with six consecutive year-end no. 1 seasons between 1993-98.

Roger Federer took charge in 2004, and we have had only four different performers at the top in the previous 16 years. The Swiss dominated between 2004-09 to join Connors on five years at the top, never repeating the achievement in the last 11 seasons. Rafael Nadal made a name for himself in 2008, securing the fifth season as the year-end no. 1 in 2019 to join Connors, Federer and Novak Djokovic. The Serb has been the dominant figure in men's tennis in the previous decade, finishing ahead of all the others four times between 2011-15 and adding another notable season in 2018 following that remarkable comeback. After 2019, Federer, Nadal and Djokovic were tied on five year-end no. 1 awards, leaving all the rivals far behind and losing the streak only once in the past 16 years, when Andy Murray overpowered Novak in the closing stages of 2016.

Novak Djokovic secured the sixth year-end no. 1 honor this season.

In ten of the previous 11 seasons, Rafa or Novak have stood as the top-ranked players, hoping for another battle in 2021 against each other and the rivals like Dominic Thiem and Daniil Medvedev. Djokovic has been the most consistent player in the reduced 2020 season, passing Nadal on the ATP throne after Melbourne and never looking back. The Serb melted the deficit with a brilliant ATP Cup run, beating Rafa in the final and helping Serbia winning the inaugural title. At the Australian Open, Novak lifted the eighth trophy following a tight five-setter triumph over Dominic Thiem from two sets to one down. Djokovic won another title in Dubai, maintaining a perfect score before the coronavirus halted the season until August. Continuing where he left, Novak won the 35th Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati, moving ahead of Rafael Nadal with another in Rome in September.

The Spaniard bounced back at Roland Garros (Novak earned points there, too), toppling the Serb in straight sets in the title match but not making the difference on the ATP ranking list. Entering Vienna to secure the record-tying sixth year-end no. 1 honor, Novak reached the quarter-final and lost to Lorenzo Sonego, winning only three games in the toughest loss he has ever experienced on the ATP Tour. Djokovic decided to skip Paris, preparing for the ATP Finals and seeking the first crown there since 2015. Novak didn't play that well, losing the semi-final clash against Dominic Thiem despite having a 4-0 lead in the deciding tie break.

"Novak has achieved an incredible record with that sixth year-end no. 1 honor, accomplishing his goal set at the beginning of the season. I'm proud of how he handled the season restart, recovering from the coronavirus and getting back at his best in Marbella. I was a bit worried before joining him in Spain, but he was eager to compete again and chase big titles after such a long break. Without that unfortunate match against Pablo Carreno Busta, Novak could have gone far at the US Open and make the season even better," Marian Vajda said.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3mnCood