Winning the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon has helped Novak Djokovic firm his grip on the World No. 1 position. Only a miracle from here on for Daniil Medvedev may see the Russian overtake Djokovic.
If things go as per plan then Djokovic will finish this year with the no.1 rank for the seventh time breaking Pete Sampras’ record of six years.
Speaking of Djokovic’s brilliance and his exceptional consistency, former World No. 1 and three-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray was highly impressed with the Serb.
“(For Novak Djokovic) to do that seven times to get to No. 1 (is impressive),” Murray told the ATP. “But if you look at his other years they’re not too shabby either. There are a lot of No. 2 and No. 3 finishes and winning Slams and winning lots of events in those years as well, so it’s impressive.”
The Scotsman is the only player out of the top three to have ended a year with the No. 1 rank since 2004. Therefore it proves the dominance of the trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
According to Murray the Big Three simply have an unparalleled level of hunger and determination. For him, the trio have dominated the sport for the last few decades at least.
“What all those guys (the Big 3) have been doing has been amazing. To finish No. 1 also not playing loads of events as well I think is really impressive,” he added.
“There’s not much you can say about what those guys have done. It’s incredible. They’ve totally dominated the sport. Their drive and love for the game is obviously unbelievably high and mentally I think is the hardest part.”
Murray is currently in action at the Cincinnati Masters. The 34-year-old has beaten Richard Gasquet in the round of 64 in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4 and has progressed to the round of 32. He will be up against Poland young sensation Hubert Hurkacz. It will be a challenge for Murray to sustain long rallies and match the intensity of the youngster but if he maintains his level from the Gasquet win then there are chances of entering the pre-quarterfinals.
