“My goal is to be number 1. My dream is to win Wimbledon.” Those two sentences marked Novak Djokovic’s career. And both became public in July 2011.
It was Monday, the 4th day of the seventh month. Djokovic he probably met him awake, celebrating winning the most prestigious tournament. The ranking list confirmed that he is the best tennis player in the world.
It was the day that began the first of Novak’s 400 weeks at the top of the rankings.
After several years of chasing – Djokovic sat on the throne. He already secured the first place by winning the semifinals at the All England Club, in which he outplayed Jo-Wilfred Tsonga. But he was determined to meet that Monday as Wimbledon champion, and he won in the final Rafael Nadalwhom he replaced in the leading position.
| Ranking list from July 4, 2011 | |
| 1. Novak Djokovic | 13,285 |
| 2. Rafael Nadal | 11,270 |
| 3. Roger Federer | 9,230 |
| 4. Andy Murray | 6,855 |
| 5. Robin Soderling | 4,325 |
| 6. David Ferrer | 4,150 |
| 7. Gael Monfils | 2,780 |
| 8. Mardy Fish | 2,650 |
| 9. Tomas Berdych | 2,470 |
| 10. Andy Roddick | 2,110 |
– I can’t find words to describe how I feel now – said Novak after the big victory.
– I managed to achieve my life goal and turn my dream into reality, all in three days. It is an amazing feeling that I will never forget. This is the best day of my tennis career. Every athlete in the world dreams of being number 1 – that’s something that gives us great motivation. So finally when you actually do it and you know you’re the best, it’s just an amazing achievement.
With his incredible victory over Nadal, Novak became the first Serbian to win Wimbledon.
– This is my favorite tournament, the tournament I dreamed about, the first tournament I watched in my life. I will never forget this. Because of this success, I remembered my childhood and everything I went through. It wasn’t an easy road, but it seems necessary to fight for what you want.
And precisely because of that, this was not only a great victory for Novak, but also for all of Serbia, which watched with special pride “her son” lifting the cup of the most prestigious tournament in the world. That’s why more than 100,000 people welcomed Djokovic in front of the House of National Assembly!
– I have become your eternal debtor. I will never forget this and I dedicate the Wimbledon cup to Serbia – he said then.
And it wasn’t just the Wimbledon title that pushed Djokovic to No. 1, it was a near-perfect first six months. He started the year as the third player in the world with 6,240 points in the ranking – behind Roger Federer who had 9,145 and Rafael Nadal with 12,450.
But the Serbian opened the season in incredible fashion with a 41-0 performance with titles at the Australian Open, Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami, Belgrade, Madrid and Rome, before finally being stopped by Federer in the semifinals of Roland Garros. However, it was only a temporary glitch in the matrix, as a few weeks later at the All England Club, Djokovic managed to get the trophy, which brought him to the top of the rankings.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, Wimbledon 2011 / Photo: GLYN KIRK / AFP / Profimedia
It was the season in which he hinted that he would become the greatest of all time – ahead of Nadal and Federer.
– They were the two most dominant players in the world in the last five years — they won most of the tournaments in which we play – Djokovic said then.
– Sometimes it was a bit frustrating to get to the later stages of the Grand Slam and meet them. They always played their best tennis when it mattered most. But it’s a learning process, a process of developing and improving as a tennis player, as a person, and finding a way to mentally overcome those pressures and expectations and problems that you have. I always believed I had the quality to beat those two guys. I always believed that I had the quality to win majors, grand slams, and that was the only way to be here in this position, you know.
He believed. That’s why he walked boldly towards his goal, making it clear that he wanted to be the best in history.
And Novak then became the 25th player in history to reach the top position on the ATP list. And today he is the first to enter the 400th week at the top of the rankings.
Video: “This is one of the best seasons of my life!” Djokovic shines after the victory in Turin: I am grateful to be the father of two wonderful angels
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The Final Masters in Turin has been completed! Novak Djokovic managed to defend his title, since in the final, played on Sunday, he defeated the super-talented young Italian tennis player Yannick Sinner 2:0, in sets 6:3, 6:3, and it is already known what the ATP list looks like.
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The most famous Italian newspaper “Gazeta delo sport” raised the dust again with a story where Novak Djokovic and Janik Siner were the subject. The first such situation was after Sinner defeated Djokovic in the group of the Final Master and presented it by handing over the crown, and now after the victory of the Serb who was called “cannibal thirsty for revenge”.
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Novak Djokovic once again showed great class! Novak Djokovic managed to defend his title at the Final Masters in Turin, after defeating the Italian tennis player 2:0, in sets 6:3, 6:3, on Sunday evening.
