ISLAMABAD: Novak Djokovic said it will be “amazing” to equal childhood idol Pete Sampras’s all-time record of ending the year as world number one on six occasions. Djokovic will make sure he matches the great American by winning two matches at this week’s Vienna ATP tournament. The 33-year-old Serb has been the top-ranked player at the end of a season five times: in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2018. He shares that mark with career rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Sampras achieved the feat six years in succession between 1993 and 1998.
“Sampras was my childhood idol growing up and it will be amazing to tie his record by being the year-end world number one six time,” Djokovic told a news conference on Sunday.
Djokovic has another target — beating Federer’s all-time best of 310 weeks spent on top of the rankings.
Djokovic will begin his 292nd week in total as world number one.
Should he stay in pole position, he will pass Federer in early March 2021 although he admits that in the current climate everything in the sport remains “unpredictable”.
“It’s my great goal to achieve that and it’s something I am working towards,” said Djokovic.
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