Djokovic wins his 1000th match on the ATP circuit and advances to the Masters 1000 final in Rome

This season has not been ideal for Novak Djokovic, but he has managed to reach a significant milestone. In the semi-finals of the clay tournament in Rome, he became the fifth tennis player in history to win the 1,000th match on the ATP circuit. After beating Nora Ruud, he will face Greece’s Tsitsipas on Sunday.

This year, there has been a lot of talk about the star Serbian refusing the coronavirus vaccine, especially his non-participation in the Australian Open and other tournaments. Slowly, however, it looks like he is starting to get into better match shape.

As a result, he will play his 12th final of a quality tournament in the Italian capital and will be aiming for his 38th Masters 1000 triumph overall. Sunday’s climax against Stefanos Tsitsipas was preceded by a major milestone on Saturday, which puts him in a small circle of legends who have achieved the same feat.

In a match between the world No. 1 and No. 10, Djokovic prevailed over Casper Ruud 6-4 and 6-3 in sets. After the final ball, however, it was more than the result that was being talked about, that it was win number 1000 on the ATP circuit.

However, a very special event also happened in this year’s Rome semi-final. So far only four other players have managed to slip into the “1,000 club”. Apart from the thirty-five-year-old Belgrade native, there are no less stellar names on the short list.

The oldest member of the selected company is American Jimmy Connors with 1274 wins. Roger Federer with 1251 triumphs and Ivan Lendl with 1068 victories follow in order. And then we find the second of Djokovic’s biggest rivals, besides the legendary Swiss, we include the Spaniard Rafael Nadal. He has won 1051 times.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion from the Balkans thus joined these greats as the fifth in the ranking. Eighteen years have passed since his debut on the circuit, he made his first appearance among the elite in 2004 in Umag, Croatia. Eleven years ago, he took his first place at the top of the rankings and, with a few interruptions, he is still at the very top today.

Source: ATP, Tennis Portal