Novak Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-6(4) in the final of the Cincinnati Open to notch up his 1069th ATP singles win. This incredible number moved him to third place on the all-time list, one above Rafael Nadal and Ivan Lendl. He has achieved this feat with the best win-loss ratio among all the other names on the list, losing only 211 games to achieve a W/L index of 0.835.
While this feat is stupendous, Djokovic’s tally is still significantly lesser than Roger Federer’s. The Swiss legend is second on the list with 1251 wins, a number the Serbian is unlikely to reach. The best Djokovic can do is go clear of Nadal and Lendl to not share the no.3 position with them.
Novak Djokovic reaches milestone at Cincinnati Open
Novak Djokovic has been sailing through the Cincinnati Open without much difficulty. After a walkover in the first match, he dispatched Gael Monfils and Taylor Fritz before downing Zverev in the semi-finals and Carlos Alcaraz in the final. The German put up a fight, taking the first set into a tiebreak, but Djokovic ultimately prevailed.
The win over Alcaraz was a milestone win for Djokovic, getting him into the top 3 in the list of most ATP wins. Before the final, tied with him on 1068 wins were Nadal and Lendl, while Federer is second. The list is topped by Jimmy Connors, who had an amazing 1274 wins to his name.
Below Nadal and Lendl, the fourth place is occupied by former Argentine player Guillermo Vilas, who had 951 career singles wins. Romanian icon Ilie Nastase completes the top 5 with 901 wins. The top 10 is rounded off by John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Stefan Edberg, Arthur Ashe, and Stan Smith, respectively. The next active player to feature after Nadal and Djokovic is Andy Murray with 729 wins so far.
1068 – With victory over Alexander Zverev in Cincinnati, Novak Djokovic has secured a 1068th career match win at ATP events, equalling Ivan Lendl and Rafael Nadal for the third most among male players in the Open Era. Pantheon.#CincyTennis | @CincyTennis @atptour @ATPMediaInfo pic.twitter.com/gGn25qpJy6
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) August 20, 2023
Djokovic trails Federer (1251 wins) by 182 wins. To contextualize how huge that gap is, it should be noted that the Serbian reached the final of the Cincinnati Open having played only four matches. A Grand Slam is won after just seven main draw matches from the first round to the final. With these numbers, Djokovic would have to play no less than at least 30 tournaments, that too provided he wins all the matches he plays.
With the Serb now 36 and carefully choosing tournaments to ensure enough rest for the major events, it is highly unlikely that he will come close to Federer’s mindboggling mark. He, however, has the time and quality to break the tie and pull considerably clear into third place, creating a gap between him and the fourth position.
A tournament of records for Djokovic
The Cincinnati Open marked a return for Djokovic after finishing second at Wimbledon. The Serb has looked resurgent and fresh, effortlessly advancing through the tournament. He has not dropped a single set, even handing Taylor Fritz a bagel in the quarter-finals. Djokovic was pumped to avenge his Wimbledon defeat when he met Carlos Alcaraz in the final, overcoming tough playing conditions. The Spaniard has toiled hard this tournament, with each match going into the third set. He came back from one set down to defeat Hubert Hurkacz in the semi-finals.
Djokovic has achieved quite a few records in Cincinnati. This is his 57th final at an ATP Masters event, extending his record. He also is only one behind equaling Nadal’s record of most semi-final appearances (76) at Masters tournaments. The 23-time Grand Slam winner, after defeating Alcaraz, is now on 39 Masters titles, a record he looks likely to run away with. It also gets him one step closer to a triple Career Golden Masters, just one Monte Carlo Masters title away.
