Serbian Novak Djokovic reaches his 250th week as number one in the world, which he commemorates now, at the Mutua Madrid Open, where he recovers the best memories of the time he enjoyed at the Caja Mágica, where he won in 2011 and 2016, and where he returns after his absence in the past year.
“I have had many successes and very good results in the past, especially in the two editions that I won, of course, and I am happy to have recovered the form, last year it did not happen because of the elbow operation that I suffered and I had problems” , explained the current dominator of the men’s circuit.
“The conditions here are different because the altitude affects and the ball flies and it is not easy to control it, but the memories, especially when I won, have returned and now I have confidence, little by little I am growing in my game and I think I can give best of me here, “said the Belgrade tennis player, already this year’s winner of the Australian Open, the only Grand Slam so far this season. (Children and young people of Putumayo will learn about sports and coexistence)
The holder of fifteen Grand Slam titles has reached the height of the greatest. The 250 weeks of Djokovic at the top of the circuit are already comparable to the records of the Americans Jimmy Connors, who was 268 and Ivan Lendl, who reached 270. Numbers available to the Serb, which is further away Pete’s stay Sampras, 286 and the Swiss Roger Federer, 310.
Djokovic, who spent six months off the track in 2017, has turned his situation around in record time. A year ago I was outside the circulation because of his elbow operation. But he had a brilliant comeback. He became the first player ranked outside of the top twenty who reached number one in the same course. Only the Russian Marat Safin, in 2000 he could do it before.
The reunion with his life-long trainer Marian Vajda who accompanies him in Madrid was key, where last year the German Alexander Zverev won, one of the tennis players of the new batch that threatens the dominance of the classics.
“Alexander Zverez is not in a good moment but any week he can get to the top again, he has the necessary qualities and as a player he has the ability and desire to play in order to win, he is demonstrating how well he can play and we have to give him He loves the game, I know him and he has dedication and commitment, he has shown that he is part of the above, of the first ones, “Djokovic warned.
“Alexander went through a great crisis but I’m sure he’s going to get through it, all it takes is a good week sometimes, he won last year and this may be his week, he’s one hundred percent. personality and his game and I wish him the best, “insisted the world number one on the German.
In any case, Rafael Nadal is always in his pools as a candidate for victory. “Nadal is always the number one favorite to win any tournament on the ground, here even more because he plays at home.”
Djokovic returns to Madrid as the maximum candidate. The Serbian, who will take action on Tuesday in the central court of the Magic Box, in the second turn. Just before David Ferrer starts the countdown to his final farewell as a professional and ends his career.
“I share tremendous respect for Ferrer, as a player and as a person, he has earned that respect many times in his career, he’s a fighter, with a great career,” he said.
“It’s sad to see him retire but he told me that he had thought about it a long time ago and that he was ready for a new stage in his life, being with the family and doing other things,” said Djokovic, winner of the last three Grand Slam tournaments. consecutively and the only tennis player who has won at any time in the nine Masters 1,000 of which the circuit consists.
