'Number of No. 1 weeks is probably my biggest achievement,' said Novak Djokovic

On March 8, Novak Djokovic secured one of his most desired records, passing Roger Federer with 311 weeks on the ATP throne for another incredible feat in his already outstanding career.

Speaking about his achievement ahead of Monte Carlo, Novak said that it could be the biggest one of his career, working hard for it for years and thanking all the people who have helped him accomplish that. The Serb has been the dominant figure in men's tennis in the previous decade, securing many records and standing strong in the GOAT race against his greatest rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who are still two Major crowns ahead of him.

Djokovic became world no. 1 for the first time after Wimbledon 2011 and needed five stints to move in front of Roger Federer and secure that 311th week at the top, overcoming all the issues with injuries and returning strong a couple of years ago to enter the record books.

Between July 2011 and November 2016, Djokovic spent 223 weeks as the world's leading player, melting the deficit to Federer and starting to think about the record more and more. The Serb struggled with an elbow injury in 2017 and the first half of 2018, dropping out from the top-20 before making a marvelous comeback.

Two years after his previous stint, Novak was the world's best player for the fourth time at the end of 2018, staying above all the rivals for a year before Rafael Nadal stole the throne in the closing stages of 2019, only for a couple of weeks. Novak made a fresh start at the beginning of 2020 after conquering the ATP Cup and the Australian Open, embracing his fifth reign on the ATP throne and breaking Federer's record 13 months later.

"The historic achievement was, of course, something that was very fulfilling for my family and me. It's probably the biggest achievement that I've ever had in my career. It's an accumulation of all the years of success and hard work, not just for myself, but all the people that are around me, my team and family," Novak Djokovic said.